Welcome back to the final post (for now) regarding resetting your finances.
Another tip to help you cut back on your finances, is to grocery shop strategically.
What I like to do is I…
- Take inventory of what I have, and what is about to go bad. I would include these foods for either the next day, or within two days or so.
- Check my local grocery store flyer, and see what is on sale. I add things I enjoy on my list. My favourite things to buy are colourful vegetables that I can add to my pastas, stir fries, etc.
- Have No Meat Mondays to help eliminate the cost of meat, since meat is the most expensive food group at the grocery store. I’m an omnivore so I enjoy meat and vegetables, but I try to cut back on meats.
- Buy family packs of meat, and freezer bags. I prefer to buy family packs of meat so I can separate my portions into two, or even three meals. I buy bulk sizes for a lot of things, as well. When I freeze my food, I write the contents and date, and expiry date. Then I just thaw it in the fridge when I need it.
- Stock up on all sale items. If you see something that you like on sale, and it won’t go bad fast, I tend to stock up on it. There would be good sales on pasta noodles, and pasta noodles so I like to stock up since it is a cheap sale, and noodles last a long time. I like to add noodles in my soups, pasta dishes, and other dishes, too.
- Figure out my meal plan using the ingredients. I like to make dishes with the same ingredients so I can roll those ingredients to other meals. For example when zucchinis are on sale, I can so many dishes with that. I can add to it my pastas, I can make into a ratatouille dish, and I can make zucchini boats. That is where you slice them long wise, and scoop out the remains, and you can stuff it with sausages, or with other vegetables.
- Stick to the list. If it isn’t on the list, you must discipline yourself to buy what’s only on your list. Nothing more.
- Keep it within my budget. Now everyone is going to have a different budget, depending on how many people you live with. If you can try to keep your expenses to half of your monthly income.
I really hope this helps everyone, in case you needed that extra motivation to save money.