10 Simple Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill by Up to $200 Per Month

Everywhere we turn we are reminded of the tough economic time our country is experiencing. Whether it is to save more money or to just get by, families are desperately searching for ways to cut expenses. Experts and common sense folks alike tell us to stop spending and get out of debt. While that certainly is sound advice, many of us will say, "Okay. I agree with you, but how?" "Where do I start?" Or perhaps you are where my family is and you have already cut out of your budget every extra expense you can think of, but you still need some help. I am going to give you ten simple ways to cut your grocery bill without cutting the quality of food that your family eats.

Our grocery budget for four used to be $600 per month, or about $150 per week. I have managed to cut that down to $100 or less per week, which equals an average savings of $200 per month. I have tried a lot of different methods and suggestions, but these are the ones that have consistently saved me the most money over time.

1. USE SALES ADS AND COUPONS

Make your grocery ad your best friend. Never shop without it. This is the raw material
for which you will base all future shopping trips on. Make a list of your staple needs
like flour, sugar, milk, etc. and then finish your shopping list with what is on sale each
week. Then go to your coupons and match them with the sales. If you're like me you
will probably adjust a few times before you finish, but that's okay. Most grocery stores
also have double and triple coupon days. Take advantage of those days for big savings
and don't be afraid to try the store brands. Many of them are of very good quality at a
significant savings. There are a few things I won't compromise on, but for the most
part, I'd rather save the extra money.
There are a million coupon sources out there, but you have to jump through so
many hoops to get them that it isn't worth the effort. These are just a few that don't
require you to sign your life away.

The Sunday paper yields the most coupons at the first of the month, but is well worth
the savings to pay for a weekend subscription which costs about $10 per month.

COUPONS.COMsign up online for free email coupons.

SMARTSOURCE.COM sign up online for free email coupons.

FOODLION.COM has its own free email printable coupons. Check your local grocery
store website to see if they have any.

These email coupons can be printed more than once in most cases and many will be
duplicated in your newspaper. Also, if your friends and neighbors take the newspaper,
ask them for any coupons they don't use. Perhaps you could trade. You'd be surprised
at the people who don't even look at them.

ALLYOU Magazine can be found at Wal-Mart or just about anywhere magazines are
sold. It comes out monthly and costs a little less than $2, but the coupons are worth so
much more that you may find yourself buying an extra one.

CVS, WALGREENS AND RITEAID Think outside the box. Often you can find great
deals by taking advantage of their sales and cash back rewards.

2. PLAN A WEEKLY MENU This one takes some getting used to, but if you can stick
to it, the rewards are great. You won't overspend by buying things you don't need and
it is a wonderful time saver for hectic households.
If you have a home computer, you probably have a weekly planner template or a
spreadsheet designer you can use. Or you can just make one on paper. Mine has 21
blocks, 7 across and 3 down. I home school my children and my husband is home for
lunch each day, so we eat virtually all of our meals at home. You may need only a
dinner menu for your family. Whatever your need, just fill in a new one each week and
hang it on the refrigerator.

3. BUY IN BULK I recommend doing this only with items you use a lot of.
Bulk is more expensive on the front end, but it saves a great deal of
money over all. Most things are cheaper by the pound or ounce if you buy more of it at
one time: family packs of meat, staple items such as flour and sugar, beans, rice, peanut
Find out the shelf life and storage instructions for each item. Then decide
how much you will be able to use before the expiration date and buy accordingly.

4. THINK HOMEMADE Convenience foods are just that- convenient- but
convenience costs extra. Make everything you can homemade. Even if you don't have
a lot of time there are tons of cookbooks designed just for quick and easy meals.
Check your local library or used book store. If you are overwhelmed by the choices,
good examples to look for are meals in 30 minutes or less, slow cooker meals or make
Start with a few new recipes and build on what your family already likes.
Every little bit helps.

5. USE LESS MEAT Meat usually takes the biggest chunk out of our grocery
budget and most people eat way more meat than our bodies require to be healthy.
The best way I have found to use less meat is to make one-dish meals and casseroles
where either meat is not the main ingredient or that I can cut back the amount of
meat that I use without compromising the taste. I never buy meat at full price. I look
for sales and stick to whatever is around $2 per pound or less. I also make it a point to
prepare a few meals each week that use no meat at all. For example, we may have a
baked potato and a salad, or homemade vegetable soup and corn bread. These meals
are healthy and cost less than $10 each.

6. USE YOUR LEFTOVERS Most people throw away too much food. If I have
enough leftovers for at least one person to have a meal, I save it. It usually ends up
being my husband's lunch for the next day. Vegetables can be reheated and served as a
side dish with the next day's dinner or incorporated into another dish. If you don't want
the same thing two days in a row, freeze it in individual serving containers for lunch or
in larger containers for dinner another day when you don't have time to cook.

7. PACK A PICNIC Shopping and bill paying for us is usually an all day event.
We don't always have extra money to eat lunch out, so I try to plan ahead. If you have
Small children, even a short trip will sometimes require snacks and drinks. Invest in a
few decent travel cups with lids or save your water bottles. Keep a box of granola bars
or peanut butter crackers in the car for snacks. For lunch, bag up some sliced, travel
friendly fruit or raw veggies, pretzel sticks, and a pb&j. Fill your water bottles or
travel cups and you just prevented the temptation to drop a $20 on fast food.

8. HAVE A SCROUNGE NIGHT My mom usually did this on Friday nights when I
was growing up. We ate whatever we could find in the house that didn't require
cooking and making a major mess of the kitchen.

9. BREAKFAST FOR DINNER Breakfast is usually the least expensive meal to
prepare and sometimes it just tastes better at night. Especially if you aren't really a
morning person, but you like breakfast foods. Pancakes, waffles and muffins cost
almost nothing to make homemade and don't take much more time to prepare. I have
one basic recipe that I only have to adjust slightly that will make all three in about 20
minutes.

10. DOUBLE AND FREEZE Take advantage of BOGO sales and other really
good grocery deals. For example: say your grocery store puts pasta sauce and cheese
on sale this week. Pasta is usually pretty cheap anyway, so make two lasagnas and
freeze one for later. Soups and casseroles are also easy to double for very little extra
cost even when the ingredients are not on sale. Breakfast foods freeze well too. On
school days kids can have homemade waffles in less than five minutes.

While I won't guarantee your instant success by using these tips, I will guarantee that if you use them consistently, over time you will begin to see a significant drop in your grocery bill. I would definitely begin with numbers 1 and 2 on the list. The others you can begin using in any order once you become comfortable with the first two. To find out your actual savings, decide on a budget, set aside a jar for the cash that is left over and count it at the end of the month. You may just have enough to pay off a small bill or treat your family to some well-earned fun.