Saving Money Little by Little: #4 - Buying Necessities

If you've roamed around the blog world any longer than five minutes, you've probably seen a million blogs and/or blog posts dedicated to cutting your family's grocery bill.

There's a good reason there's so many too... it's because it's freaking hard! Everyone is trying everything possible to make their weekly trip to the market end in a lower dollar amount.

I've done a lot of things that you can find on said grocery blogs. I've couponed, I've made freezer meals, I've meal planned, etc. and all those things are really good things. They can definitely all save you money. But the biggest way to save money, regardless of how you spend it, is to cut out waste.

It's not going to matter how many great coupons you used to get those chicken breasts at such a cheap price if you're throwing the chicken away at the end of the week (raw or cooked). Money down the drain or in the trash is a loss to your bank account regardless of the "deal".

So! That being said, whether I use coupons, meal plan, freeze meals or not, I make sure that - every week - I only buy what I need for that week.

Here's a picture of what our fridge looks like right after I go to the grocery store:

Don't judge us based off of how much we like eggs.

Now, we also have food in the freezer as well as dry goods in a pantry so we do eat more food than that in a week. I'm just using the fridge as an example.

Here's a picture of what the fridge looks like at the end of the week, right before I go to the grocery store:

Some lettuce that I planned for a salad that night, cheese, one egg, a couple fake Gatorades and I'm sure it will take us the next three weeks to go through that Ginger Ale.

Very rarely does food get thrown out at our house. It's either in our bellies or in the freezer.

Each week, before I head to the grocery store, I plan out what we'll be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Get-togethers are also pretty impromptu here so I also have a "go-to" dessert and "go-to" appetizer planned. These usually include ingredients that aren't easily perishable. That way, if said impromptu get-together doesn't happen, I can use the planned dessert or appetizer the next week.

I only buy exactly what I need for those meals and not much else. Our apartment is the boring one that doesn't have a pantry full of chips, cookies and snacky foods. If you want something 'round these parts, you're probably going to have to make it.... I'm probably going to have to make it. God forbid we actually take the time to make things from scratch anymore.

Now, I'm sure that will make me just about the lamest mom ever here in a couple of years when Abilene gets older (and hopefully has friends, despite having the "lame mom") but that'll just mean that I'll have to be prepared in advance for her and her friends' needs just like I am with the "go-to" dessert and appetizer.

"But life can be so crazy and unpredictable, Brooke!"

I know, I know. It's hard to have every meal/day planned down to the "t." To help with that, I always have a "Misc." day planned toward the end of the week. That way, if an impromptu party happened or we decided to get Chinese one night or just life happens, I have that "Misc." day to eat whatever meal we skipped that week. Every once in a while, "Misc." day comes and we don't really have any skipped meals. It's cool though because I always have a frozen pizza in the freezer just in case something like that happens.

Brad's not really into leftovers so usually what ever is left over from dinner I either freeze for another week or eat for lunch the next day. It's part of our love language - aren't I just the greatest wife?

Being prepared and being creative keeps our waste down and our wallets full. I don't want to see all the hard work I put into planning, buying and making meals for the week at the bottom of the trash can. So whether you use coupons, purchase off-brand foods, or shop only sale prices, just make sure your "great deals" are actually being consumed, otherwise, it wasn't a "great deal" at all.

Find other little ways we save money by clicking here!