I slept at 2 am and woke up at 7am? What's wrong with me - -I need to sleep!
I am so lazy and decided not to bake some breakfast goodies this morning - -so off to Walmart we go (stopping to see if mail arrived yesterday - where's my mail?), fully prepared for a huge grocery expense ahead of us as I am purchasing in bulk for cleaning/laundry/paper products.
Containing grocery expense to a minimum is really hard nowadays. To ensure that I maintain my $200/week budget, I follow my self proclaimed rules:
- Purchase store brand if at all possible
- Clip coupons (today I only save $6)
- Buy in bulk
- Look out for seasonal/clearance items
What helped us in effectively managing our budget is we have allocated one store credit card for all our groceries and kept credit card limit at a low level. This system is efficient as we are forced to plan our trips OR pay cash if we need to go to the nearby deli /neighborhood store. The downside, I can't keep up with my other web coupon friends when they say - -go to CVS / Rite Aid on money making deals as I have to stick to one store or I use cash from my play money pool.
Keeping a grocery list (Download GROCERY LIST by adobolife) and menu planning (Download WEEKLY MEAL TRACKER by adobolife) may help you minimize expenses. If you haven't developed the skill of menu planning, this is the best time to do so. If you will review some meals I cooked in the past, it may appear extravagant for a regular dinner - -but honestly - -it's not. I just learned to plan in advance -- and it worked to my advantage.
I prefer home cooked meals and we do save a lot of money by "eating in" (even on lunches to work). Here's my menu for the week. Check out BUDGET MEALS on recipes- - My tried and tested $10 (even less) meal
