How To Save One-third off Your Grocery Bill
Want to spend less on food? Today my family is spending on average, one-third less on our grocery bill than we did last year. We are also able to go to the grocery store every other week and still have plenty of food in the house. How did we do this? This article is the first installment of a three part series on how we made these significant savings in our food spending.
In order to save money on groceries we first took a long look at our shopping habits. We occasionally took advantage of sales, yet had no organization to our menus, food storage, or shopping. We went to the store "between trips" and often ate poorly if both of us were sick at the same time. We wanted a change.
Our first purchase was a food sealer. I had been looking at sealers before, thinking we threw a lot of food away. We often had left overs three days in a row. I thought there had to be a better way without cooking more meals or ordering delivery. The purchase of a food sealer has been very helpful in saving money. We use leftovers when we want and not just the first few days after the meal is cooked. The food can be saved in meal size packages and micro waved or boiled.
Saving money on groceries will in all likelihood mean you need more pantry space. Modern kitchens rarely have enough. We started with a small closet in our kitchen but it was not enough. A wooden storage cabinet left over from a previous job ended up being perfect. Look around your house and find a closet or some other space that is dry and dark.
Our third step in saving was to purchase an additional freezer. Luckily my husband received a one-time bonus at work just after we decided to make a change. We decided to buy a new freezer with this money. We owned a twenty year old freezer and wasn't sure how much longer it would last. After some time researching we bought an upright version with no bells or whistles; just a simple freezer. Some bulk buying of frozen stuff is needed to save as much as possible. How much freezer space do you have? Where can you put a freezer? Shop around and see what specials are available. Most families only need one freezer. Maybe you can share one.
Our goal was to save money, stockpile a certain amount of groceries in case of bad weather or illness, and still eat well. The vacuum sealer, freezer, and additional storage space are three wise choices that help us save money. While these steps worked best for us, adapt our suggestions to your situation. Not everyone can or should start with these ideas first.
Peterson writes in a variety of fields from freelance writing and marketing, family issues, home office topics, software/computer choices, web site success tips, family issues, and online research resources. Peterson has a M.ED. in Education and works as a small business consultant. Site http://www.lcpeterson.com
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