I don’t know about you, but after all the Christmas spending, and six family birthdays throughout the month, I always feel the need to tighten my family’s “spending belt.” It’s a good time too, to re-evaluate the budget for the year, what was working, and what wasn’t, and how we can improve for the new year.
My husband and I are both first-borns and definitely planners. We like to be prepared as much as we can for all potential scenarios (Yeah, we’re a lot of fun 😛 ). Of course in our “advanced age” we realize more and more that it’s not always possible, and thank goodness for Jesus, who will always be with us no matter what the future holds. But we both feel it’s our responsibility to use the knowledge, gifts and finances we have, to the best of our ability, while still pursuing giving and having generous hearts.
Sometimes the most flexible part of your budget is in the food category, which includes groceries and eating out. So, if money, and spending and saving is on your mind this new year, I’ve compiled a list of links from our wonderful “Think Tank Thursday” parties, as well as some of my own posts, that provide tons of tips for saving money on grocery items by spending wisely, and stretching your dollars to their maximum.
Check out all of these very helpful articles on making the most of your food budget:
Here is lots of helpful information from six popular bloggers, on how to efficiently use coupons to save money on groceries.
Buying food when it’s on sale is a huge money saver, and freezing the extra for later, keeps it from going to waste.
NEPA Mom has lots of helpful tips!
Snippets of Inspiration saves money by using re-usable products, and by making homemade, what many buy ready made.
I’ve put together a list of 40 Extremely Low Cost Meals, most of which cost between $1-$4 each, for meals that will feed 2-4 people. So whether you’d like to add a few to your meal rotation, or try them all, it’s a great place to start for thrifty meal ideas!
Frugal Family Adventures shared some Money Saving Apps, several of which will work for grocery products!
Treasured Tidbits shared a huge list of ways they saved lots of money over a couple of months, and the grocery related savings came from meal planning, which I hugely advocate, sticking extra meals in the freezer so they’re ready for busy nights, and eating up leftovers, so nothing goes to waste!
In my article 20 Easy Ways to Save Money and Stretch Your Paycheck, I posted a bunch of ways I save on my groceries, including using the Walmart app that includes “Savings Catcher,” which you use to scan your receipt after shopping, and it checks to see if there is a lower price from the stores in your area, on your purchases. If there is, it will give you the difference as a credit on a gift card.
I also use coupon websites such as Lady Savings, that lists the current grocery deals, and coupon match ups for the week, and even links to printable coupons such as those found at Coupons.com. Going through store advertisements before you shop, and using rewards programs are a huge way to save too.
So be sure to check out all of these helpful articles, and see if you can find new ways to save on your grocery purchases, that you haven’t thought of, or heard about yet!
Diane Ferreira says
This was great!! Always looking for great ways to save my family money!!
Connie Tillman says
one of the things we need to do is save money – this is great to jump start meal plan.
Nicole Kauffman says
This is awesome! Definitely will be coming back to it 🙂
Callie K says
Great round up of ideas! I love any tips on saving money. Thanks for sharing these! 🙂
roseclearfield says
I love the range of tips here! Thank you!
Sarah @ Now One Foot says
Great roundup to reference back to! We love having some cheap and healthy meals at the end of the week to stretch our groceries just a little bit further.
Lovely Little Lives says
So many ideas! I usually try to use up all the leftovers and the groceries we have before going to the store again
Margo says
Great idea! 🙂
Dana says
Thank you for sharing these! I love finding ways that I can save even more on groceries!
Thompson Rebekah says
Awesome roundup!! I know many families are always looking for ways to save money on groceries, so this post will be super helpful for them.
Edie Emory says
I love finding ways to save money on anything, especially groceries! You wouldn’t think a family of three would spend so much! I’m enjoyed looking around your blog. So much useful information!
Edie
http://www.shewhohasbelieved.com
Margo says
Just do what you can and don’t sweat it! 🙂