- I plan my meals every week. I sit down and plan what we are eating each night and then plan my grocery list. I only go to the grocery store once a week. This saves time as well as money because you are making a bunch of little trips to the store. The more you go to the store, the more you buy.
- A friend of mine just told me that Walmart will match any competitors price, so she clips all the prices, etc from the weekly grocery circulars and makes a list and takes it with her to Walmart when she shops.
- Kroger and I think Randall's both offer double and triple coupons up to a certain amount every day.
- If you are into clipping coupons and finding the best deals already, check out The Grocery Game. I don't have the time to do it, but I know that you can save money.
- Flylady has helped me when my house gets too out of control. I don't do it all the time, but when I am trying to get back on track, it works great, because it tells me what to do and when to do it. She has some great tips and links to dinner ideas and taking care of your home, family and body as well.
- I am slowly learning that it doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be done at a certain time or a certain day. I am learning to let go of the rules I place on how and when things have to be done. This has helped me to be less stressed. It has also helped me to have a messier house. ;-)
- In an average week, I leave the house very little. I have found that the more I leave the house, the more money I spend.
- In terms of going out to eat, we have a hard time doing this, but I know it works. Portions are so big these days, you and your husband can usually share. If your husband isn't in to sharing and you have kids, my oldest doesn't usually eat much, especially when we are out, so I try to not order her anything and have her share mine or her and her sister will share. Always order water too, you will save money. Kids eat free is always a good thing to take advantage of too. Just make a mental note when you are driving around
- For fun things to do in the Houston area as well as a list of Kids eat free places (mainly in the Cypress area though) check out http://www.ninaloca.com/.
I thought of a couple more:
- Buy in bulk. Anything you use a lot of , see if you can't buy it in bulk. I do this with meat especially. I buy 5 lbs of ground beef and then split it up into 1 lb increments and freeze it.
- Make a lot of one meal and then freeze left overs for an easy dinner at a later date.
- Consider one meal a week without meat, it's cheaper.
- Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh sometimes and are sometimes cheaper. Check prices though.
- Track every penny you spend for a month. You will see what your money goes to and where you need to cut back.
- Go to a cash only/check only (remember what those are) basis and you will spend less money because you aren't just whipping out the debit card all the time.
- Sit down once a week and do your bills/budget. Looking at it on a regular basis gives you a good idea of what you are spending and where you need to tighten.
- Tithe first, save second, then pay your bills. You will be amazed at how much further your money goes this way and your bills won't get lost in the shuffle.
And, lastly, to save time, stay off the internet! Still working on that one.
Well, that's what comes to mind write now. Enjoy!
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