I am finding it easier to stay on budget. The more I put it in to practice and the more conscious I am of my spending habits, the more I am able to successful live one income lifestyle,
The 4 Easy Ways to Start Creating A Grocery Budget
- Calculate what you normally spending on grocery.
- First things first, you need to figure out how the average you spend on food each month.
- For 1 full month (4 full weeks), keep a tally of every dollar you send on food (don't forget eating out)
- After you've figured out what has been your usual grocery bill, deduct $ 5- $10- $20 or $25 from the monthly total. Deducting to much money quickly may leave you shocked, short or even hungry for that matter. Best to be realistic. Take baby steps.
- Plan you meals
- Not a planner? At least prepare some type of list. What do you usually buy? I try not to walk into the grocery store without a grocery list. If I do, I end up taking another trip to the grocery store. I have had weeks when I went to the grocery store daily! What a waste of time!
- Take a trip to the bank for Get Cash ( only withdraw the budgeted grocery amount)
- Yes, you will be paying cash. Did you know, people spend less money when they pay cash for an item then if they were to use a credit card or an debit card?
- Time to Shop
- I use the calculator app on my phone. It helps me stay of track.
- Some grocery stores also have a hand held self scanner that you can use to track your spending as you scan each item you put in your cart.
-
Just a Thought:
- Start your shopping at a dollar store or discount grocery store. I always start my shopping at the dollar store before I move over to a large grocery store. It just makes sense. I constantly find items on my grocery list that were at the dollar store and guess what? It just cost a dollar.
Once you have made it a habit and your grocery budget is lowered, decrease the dollar amount again. You will find that you will start making better purchasing choices, then if you did not have a plan.
