Pain at the pump ain’t got nothing over the pain you feel when it's time to check out at the grocery store!  I recently went to the store with a small list, filled only two bags,  but had to shell out over $100!   We’ve all been there and felt angry, deflated and powerless after seeing that total ring up and the small amount of food it buys.  For many of us, food has become our greatest monthly expense. You have to eat and unless you have a homesteading operation that can sustain you and your family year round, you are going to the store to buy groceries on a regular basis. There is no getting around it.  I grow a fantastic and mighty vegetable garden every year, but by no means will it sustain us for more than a few days at a time.  I haven’t quite convinced the kids that tomatoes and carrots are breakfast foods.  So, just like everyone else, I’m off to buy groceries every week. 

Here is good news,  you are not powerless and you don’t need to start a massive homesteading operation to fight this battle.  There are several ways you can win this fight.  Your three main weapons include planning, shopping and cooking.  There are several things under each of these three categories that you can do. I know it sounds simple but these three things will keep money in your pocket.  

 1. Plan

Budget, Meal Plan, Make a List  

 The first thing you need to do is set a budget and stick to it.  Decide how much you want to spend each week and make that happen.  Start by creating a meal plan.  Plan all the meals and snacks you will need for the week.  Use the sales fliers from your local stores to help you meal plan.  For example, if there is a great deal on sweet potatoes, add something made with sweet potatoes to your meal plan,  such as a sweet potato soup or keep it simple with spiced roasted sweet potatoes.  Once your meal plan is complete, write a shopping list and stick to it.  Only buy what is on your list, what you need to make your meal plan happen and what will keep you at or below your set budget.  Finally, we have all heard it said, do not shop when you are hungry!  

 2. Shop

Compare, Schedule, Check It Twice

Once you have your budget set, your meal plan in place and a shopping list ready to attack, you are ready to hit the store.  Be sure to compare two things.  First, compare store prices. Look through store fliers or online to find a local store that has the best prices.  Walmart was my weekly go to for grocery shopping until recently.  I did some investigating and found that another local store had better prices, so I now happily shop at that store.  

Second, compare prices for the same item with different packaging or in different quantities.  I again did some investigating, and found that buying the brand of plant based butter I like, in sticks rather than the little square tub, was cheaper!  The tub cost more and had less in it!  The same exact product, just packaged differently was cause for a price difference.  It definitely pays to keep your eye on packaging and quantity.  

We all have busy schedules and want to make the most of our time.  To help you save money on food by sticking to your budget you need to schedule your trip to the grocery store.  Schedule only one trip per week.  The logic is simple: the more time you spend in stores, the more money you will spend which will blow your budget to bits!  If you take away the multiple opportunities to spend, you will have a better success rate of staying on budget.  Keep your focus on that one trip to the store.  Now, you can even take this up a notch and use a free shopping service if your local, budget friendly store has one.  Free online grocery shopping services are fantastic. The bonus with ordering your groceries online is that you can see what you are spending as you are adding items to your cart.  Making adjustments to your cart to stay on par with your budget is a piece of cake!

Checking your list twice is a great idea, but I have a better one.  Check your receipt twice!!  Get into the habit of going through your receipt line by line shortly after checkout.  Be sure you have everything that is listed on the receipt and in the correct quantities.  Last week I was checking my receipt, twice, and noticed I was charged for 2 of an item that was over $15, when I only bought one!  Checking my receipt this week put $15 back into my pocket.  You also need to make sure that the prices you are paying line up with what the store is advertising in a sales flier or on the shelf. People make mistakes and the system isn’t perfect so check that receipt!  Twice!

 3.  Cook

Eat Home, Learn, Batch

It's no secret that eating out can be expensive.  If you can build a budget that includes occasionally eating out, that’s wonderful!  If not, eating out will annihilate any food budget you set!  It's simple, eat food you prepare at home and spend less.  When you cook meals at home it can cost about $5 per person whereas eating out or  getting take out can cost about $20 per person.  Using these numbers, for a family of 4, it would cost about $80 to eat out and only $20 to enjoy a home cooked meal.  The numbers speak for themselves.  

If you don’t know how to cook, learn. Now is a great time to learn how to cook some food you enjoy.  Start simple and take advantage of free resources such as YouTube videos and online articles.  I have always said, if you can read, you can cook.  I would now add, if you can watch a video, you can cook. You could also ask friends or family that know their way around the kitchen to teach you.  Make learning to cook a fun family or couples activity.  If you can cook, try expanding your field of knowledge and learn to cook some different foods you might enjoy.

Do some batch cooking or use, my favorite, the cook once and eat twice method.  Cook large batches of soups, casseroles or baked goods when you have time and freeze what you don’t use within a day or two.  I love batch cooking because eventually I have enough stored in the freezer that I can take the week off from cooking and eat up what I have stored up!  It’s a nice little vacation.  I also really love the cook once and eat twice method.  Cook a batch of homemade tomato sauce, which is also much cheaper than buying sauce, use it for pasta one night and pizza the next.  You can also make a heaping helping of stir fry one night and use the leftovers for a quick and very tasty soup the next night. The possibilities are really endless.  

Without a doubt, planning, shopping and cooking are all powerful weapons to help you fight food costs.  You really do have the power to win this fight.  Your power lies in your decision making and in the actions you take.  It may take you some time to put these ideas into practice so be patient with yourself as you continue to use your planning, shopping and cooking weapons.  Stay the course and you will see how your decisions and actions will add to your wallet.