I’ve been faithfully cutting my coupons and buying sales items only, but I still have a large grocery bill. Part of my problem is that I have to shop gluten free. The gluten free products are ALWAYS outrageous! Just today I went to Safeway and I bought a box of Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookies and I paid $4.79! Okay, yes that is my fault for actually paying it. I should make it from scratch, yet it is so tempting to just mix it up. Especially since I have a wonderful recipe that I love from www.glutenfreely.com.
So here is my goal. Reduce my grocery budget by 10% starting in February.
1. I found a really cool app called Budgeteer that helps me add up my groceries during my shopping trip and now I know exactly how much I am spending. I used it today and I loved it. So I am going to stay within my weekly budget of $125.00. (yes that is high compared to some extreme couponers. I don’t get to use many coupons because I don’t buy pre-packaged food due to our gluten free diet).
2. I am going to faithfully have Clean the Pantry Week. This week is at the end of the month. What I do is eat only from my pantry. I can buy fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy. I have to plan all my meals around what is in my pantry/freezer. I have planned the first one of 2013 for January 28-Feb 1. This should save me $100 right there!
3. Finally, I am going to plan all my meals one month in advance so I can get things when they go on sale. If I know I will be making a certain dish in a couple of weeks I can buy items as they go on sale.
