Task #2 - Shopping Less Often

Let's get to it on saving money on groceries. I gave you task #1 here. So, let's move right on forward with task #2. Shop less often. That's it. This task may not seem like such a big deal, but it really is. This has saved our family more money than any other task I'll give you. As a matter of fact, it makes about a $200/month difference for us!

I shop once a month with a trip a couple of weeks in for fresh fruits and vegetables and milk. I started out by shopping every 10 days instead of weekly. Then I eased into every two weeks, and so on, until I was shopping monthly.

Now, this takes planning. You have to go armed with a list made from your menu. Don't go without a list. You'll be throwing items willy nilly in your cart. You'll end up having to figure out how to feed your family on 3 packs of Oreos, some hot dogs, and canned corn for the month. I personally, use a Cozi shopping list on my Kindle. That allows me to make my list and put it in order of where I'll find it in the store. And I am way less likely to lose my Kindle than a paper list.

This is also much easier if you own a small chest freezer. We freeze our bread, meat, and frozen veggies. You can usually purchase one for around $150 if you shop sales. The best months to buy are September and October, when the new models come out and they are trying to move last year's models.

For our next task, we'll talk about price matching!