Groceries are a need for our household. Signing up for store loyalty cards and using a cashback credit will bring those costs into. I charge my groceries and pay the charge that day.
Clip coupons for the items YOU USE. City MArket and SAfeway have great mobile apps that give greta deal per app.
Wholesale clubs can be great for some families. It is not us. Sam's Club has way too much processed food with packaging, I don't care for their meat. If you live in a area with ranching, you can get better meat. Raising your own pork and chicken can be a savings.
Use a rebate app
Stick to your list.
Buy items on sale and loss leaders. Check clearance and reduced produce.
Don't buy precut cheeses or shredded veggies. Do the work yourself, you will save 25%.
Generic brands will save a ton if you like the items. Buy the smallest size to determine if you like the product.
Bring your own bags, Colorado changes for paper bags, I sewed 20 cloth bags, I have a large bin, and net bags for produce.
Take care of your produce. Don't store produce imporperly. I have special containers that extend the life of produce.
Time your produce life. Use riper produce first. buy what you can use that week.
Young children and school age children can waste a lot of food. the ways I was able to guage what to pack was a hearty breakfast, and afternoon snack, When our kids were in traditional school, the lunch boxes were coming home full. They were having a lot of sugary treats every day. One of kids doesn't do well with a ton of sugar. He would come home with a headache. I started coming in for lunch to see what was going on.
Reasons for this:
portions are too large.
school lunch times are too short and/or too distracting
School is junking them out.
kids will go on food jags and that's all they will eat.
Food outside the home is not the time to experiment with new foods. I had one child I struggled to get to eat different foods. I kept offering new foods and asking to try. There are few foods I know she couldn't stomach. However, apicky child can really dominate the dinner table and budget, if you make it a battle. Food is fuel, plain and simple.
Prepared drinks are a budget killer.
Homeschooling saves us a ton with lunches. The kids prepare what they want ot eat, when they want to eat. We sit and meal prep for the week.
Today, we traveled for state testing. I packed the cooler with meals, snacks, and drinks. My husband and I have a thermos of hot coffe and a book. The kids have the option of doing all the tests today or come back tommorrow. They elected to do them all today. I was glad because the weather is bad and we drove 2 hours. They have completed the first 2 tests and have two more to complete.
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