Welcome to our first edition of Money Saving Mondays. In this afternoon post, I’ll quickly introduce a topic and then let you leave your tips and suggestion. At the end of the month, I’ll pick my five favorite money saving tips for the month and let the readers vote for their favorite. Each month the winner will get a special give away.
The give away this month is a free premium PocketSmith membership. PocketSmith is an online budgeting tool. This prize is a $60 value (one year premium membership cost). A special thanks to the folks at PocketSmith for providing this prize.
What is PocketSmith?
What makes PocketSmith unique is their forecasting tools. With the forecasting tools, you get a look at what things will look like in the future – not just today.
Here’s what the PocketSmith site has to say:
The unique forward-focus of PocketSmith tells you what sticking to budget means for the future of your money. It is a crystal ball for your bank accounts.
PocketSmith lets you plan and budget for what might happen. Predict what would happen if your car broke down. Find out what a pay raise would mean for a family vacation. This knowledge allows you to hope for the best, but reliably plan for the worst.
Calendars make more sense
A top-to-bottom spreadsheet view of your upcoming financial events is not particularly comfortable.
This is why we use a calendar to allow you to schedule your upcoming income and expenses. You’ll see how it just means more, and you’ll love how natural this feels.
You can head over to PocketSmith and get a feel for things with their free membership. If you plan to use PocketSmith very much, you will need to get a premium membership.
To be eligible to win a free one year premium membership, just leave a comment with your favorite money saving tip on the topic at hand.
Save Money On Groceries
Here’s my five quick ways to save money on groceries:
- Be willing to visit multiple stores – since different stores have different items for sale, if you buy sale items at 2 or 3 stores you can save a significant amount of money.
- Purchase off name products. What if your family doesn’t like the generic brand? Put them to the test with your own taste test.
- Build your meal around a meat, and go to the discount meat section first. Most stores will discount meat when it is close to expiration. You can save 30-50% by buying your meat and cooking it that same day.
- Coupons – wow, that was really original. Anyone have a good system for using coupons?
- Leave the kids at home. Man, those little gaffers really get hungry when they enter into a grocery store. Save money and your sanity by avoiding all the, “mommy can you buy …” questions.
- Don’t foreget the grocery shopping list.
More ways to save money on groceries.
Visiting multiple stores may save on money, but it’s important to note that you’d spend more time and gas if you do this. Just make sure that the savings are worth your time.
I would also suggest shopping in bulk if you have a big enough family, or if you can store the food long enough by freezing certain items. Other than stores such as Costco or Smart & Final, another lesser-known food relief program is Angel Food Ministries. Hope this helps!
.-= Darren´s last blog ..Selecting An Insurance Company – The Key Factor To Consider =-.
Include manufacturer’s coupons with store sales…you can make a killing. Also stockpile when you find a commonly used item on sale. Many food items don’t expire for 6-12 months (excluding fruits, breads). Many foods go on sales in cycles…wait for the deal..it will come. My wife’s favorite is….if we don’t have a coupon we don’t buy it. She has brought home some convincing receipts.
.-= Ken´s last blog ..6 Shortcuts to Financial Independence =-.
Make a list – and stick to it! Don’t buy anything while you’re standing in line to pay (unless it was on your list or you’ve got a coupon!).
Plan your weekly menu based on the store sales and what is in your pantry. Just by consistently planning my menu has dropped our monthly grocery bill by $100/month.
.-= Kristia@Family Balance Sheet´s last blog ..The $500 Challenge – Where Are We Going To Find This Money? =-.
This one will not apply to most, but we love Senior Citizen day at Kroger…an additional 10% discount to all other coupons and specials. My wife buys all staples for a month and, counting coupons and discounts, will normally save well over $100.
.-= Joe Plemon´s last blog ..With Apologies to Dave Ramsey, One Size Doesn’t Always Fit All =-.
As a variation on suggestion #3, I suggest planning some meat-free meals. Other types of protein, such as beans, legumes and tofu are much cheaper than meat, and are a lot better for you than many cheap meats.
I like to use The Grocery Game for coupons. Although, I only use it once every three months. I stock up and then cancel the membership. Then, three months later, I will do it again. I continue clipping coupons throughout that time and use them on the items that are necessities though.
.-= The Debt Darling´s last blog ..It’s Payday. You Have Paid All Your Bills and Have No Money Left… =-.
Hey,
As a fellow Personal Finance Blogger, as well as a personal financial consultant, I’d have to say ‘It’s all in the list.’
My favorite of all grocery tips on budgeting is the list. It’s kind of like your shield in battle. Without the shield you’re open to all attacks like arrows and spears or swords.
Without the list, you’re open to all the advertisements, sales on things you don’t need, temptations on things you want but don’t need, etc.
It’s been proven that those who stick to what’s on their list spend much less than those who don’t.
Here’s proof. We have all said, and have someone say to us, that ‘I just came in for milk and eggs.’ We usually say this when our arms are overloaded or we’re checking out with a full cart.
Anyway, it’s all in the list.
Cheers,
Guy
.-= Guy G.´s last blog ..Picking The Right Bank – Create Personal Budget =-.
Yes. I do have a system for grocery shopping on a budget that includes both coupons and non-coupon tricks. The only subscription you’ll need is whatever newspaper carries the grocery and drugstore ads for the zip code you’ll be shopping in.
I wrote it for my local readers in Monroe MI but it certainly can work in other cities – I’m in a market where the national coupon databases are not helpful so I’m teaching DIY techniques. http://tinyurl.com/mkc9vo
.-= Monroe on a Budget´s last blog ..“But you can’t make dinner with that …” =-.
I go through all the circulars each week and make a note of which store has what on sale the cheapest. I thin look at the coupons I save from the Sunday paper which I keep in a coupon organizer sectioned off by tabs for each item: dairy, can goods, personal hygiene, etc. When what I want is on sale, topped off with a coupon, the savings really add up. I also don’t go out of my way to a particular store. I work in opposite directions from my church I attend. I plan my trips according to which store in on my way home. Between the week, there is always a store on my way home to use the savings described here. : ) I also keep the coupon organizer in my car when I THINK I may stop at a store for other planned trips. This way if I find something I may need, I have a coupon near. : ) I rarely miss an opportunity to save.
Also, couponmom.com has electronic coupons as well as printable ones for things you may need weekly. They are updated often. they are search-able by state, type of store or restaurant. : )
@Kathy
Great tips – thanks. I’m like you – I want to find every opportunity to save.
Make a list – and stick to it! Don’t buy anything while you’re standing in line to pay (unless it was on your list or you’ve got a coupon!).
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Demin Martin