Five Tips for Saving Money on Groceries

Groceries make up a significant part of a family's budget. As the manager of our family's budget and the chief "shopper," I am always looking for ways to save. Here a few tips that I have learned:

1. The more stores you go to, the more you spend (generally). Yes, shopping at multiple stores allows you to find multiple sales, but it also means multiplied time, and time is a form of currency. Shopping at multiple stores increases opportunity to make impulse buys, and as time goes by, decision fatigue creeps in, making it more likely to make unwise decisions at the last stores.

Tip: If you must shop multiple stores, try to shop on different days, or even different times of the month based on a rotating schedule.

2. Grocery pickup saves you money, until it doesn’t. Most pickup services require a a minimum purchase. If you need groceries that total that amount, great! If you only need a few items, you guessed it, it’s cheaper to grab them yourself. I’ve found I can actually run in for a few sundries and get out again in the time it would take me to wait for pickup delivery.

Tip: Whether you do pickup or not, still use the store app as a grocery list, as it allows you to see a running total of what you need in order to determine if pickup is beneficial and if not, how you might include the total of what you need into your weekly grocery budget.

3. Budget for the cost of warehouse store membership (e.g. Costco, Sam's Club) from the house fund, not the grocery fund (Don't Waste the Crumbs, 2021). Trying to scrimp enough from the grocery budget to afford the yearly subscription isn’t worth it!) Having those funds set aside elsewhere is such a relief.

Tip: If you buy groceries via subscription, eg Hello Fresh, etc. (not really budget friendly anyway, consider a special or different budget fund. This avoids the grocery fund getting “eaten” by other expense categories.

4. Shop and stock the sales. I have found that most stores rotate sales on basic items like cheese, eggs, and meat. I try to shop the sales and buy the most items I can afford (and fit in my freezer, fridge and pantry) so that I only have to buy items when they are on sale. It is not a fool-proof plan, but it helps.

5. Use the freezer! Going off the above, store bread, cheese, meat, and other stocked, but perishable items in the freezer. This allows you to take advantage of sales without having to hurry through what you do buy.

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I am by no means an expert, but I try to make the most of the resources God has given me. May He continue to give wisdom and may He get the glory!

Reference:

Don't Waste the Crumbs. (2021, March 26). How to budget for bulk purchases. https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/how-to-budget-for-bulk-purchases/

Bare Bones Recipes

The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 brought with it many lessons. One of these is how privileged I am in terms of food. Pre-pandemic, I could look up menus and make shopping lists without a second though. I could go to the store and find most supplies. Not so early-mid pandemic. I didn't want to risk going to the store. When I did go, shelves were empty. Although everyone advocates a well-stocked pantry, I didn't have one. So I had to make do with what I had, and what I could eventually find at the store, or via grocery pickup. After the initial shock, I found that having "less" what surprisingly enough. Less led me back to the basics, as well as some enjoyable new recipes.

Basics:

-Eggs (yes, we still had these)-scrambled, fried, hard boiled, poached; in casseroles, for French toast, etc.

Have you hear of oven-poaching eggs? I haven't perfected the art of properly oiling the muffin tins, but this might be my new favorite.

-Potatoes: hard to find at first, but then good for straight-up baked (with toppings), breakfast potatoes, potato fries, mashed potatoes, and a new favorite, potato pancakes

-Salad: lettuce (well-rinsed, but always the case as lettuce can have dirt, if not other germs) + whatever you have on hand (vegetables, leftovers, sandwich meat, stale bread, etc.) + oil and vinegar

-Sandwiches (put in the toaster oven or George Foreman grill, aka panini press for melty cheese)

New recipes:

-Breakfast:

Egg and banana pancake (Fannetastic Food) 
[My version of pandemic banana bread, and much easier]

Flourless pumpkin pancake (Kim's Cravings)

-Mains:

Big batch Instant Pot white beans (Epicurious)

Okay, not new, but used during this time. People didn't buy out the lima bean supply like they did the other beans.

Instant Pot black bean soup (Food Network)

-Dessert:

Chocolate depression cake (Budget Bytes)

Just a few staples, and voila, dessert!

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We've come up with a few more recipes since flour became more available, but overall, we're sticking to simple. It saves money, time, and hassle, and being creative is enjoyable in it's own way? My favorite recipe made during pandemic time? Probably the flourless pumpkin pancake (pictured here). But I'm a sucker for pumpkin.

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What about you? Any favorite recipes from the (ongoing) pandemic times? Please share in the comments section.

God Gives "Two Cents!"

It had been a long, hard week. I had just picked up my groceries at Wal-Mart and still needed to grab a few items at Safeway. I felt defeated. I really didn't want to spend any more money! I'd already spent enough. And I just wanted to go home. But we needed the items at Safeway, so I went.

Dragging myself into the store, I picked up the items on the list. In my head, I debated over each one. Should I buy it? Should I not? Did we really need it? Or could we do without? Should I buy bread, or make it? In the end, I decided to forgo the bread, but buy everything else.

I sometimes add up my expected grocery bill in my head as I shop, but not this time. Waiting in line at the self-check, I was just too tired to do it. I just wanted to buy the groceries and go home. I got to the kiosk soon enough and started scanning. Beep! Beep! Beep! My total just kept increasing. I didn't watch too closely. just wanted to get it over with and go home. But then the "magic" happened. I put in my savings card and the total started decreasing. Down, down, down to exactly two cents. I kid you not! I got the biggest smile on my face as I shoved my card into the chip reader. No one could see my face since I was wearing a mask, but if they had, I am sure the relief and joy I felt was evident! I was so happy I even talked to the clerk on the way out! Once home, I just had to take a picture of the receipt and send it to my mom. She is the one who taught me my super scrappy saver skills anyway (though I don't do her "education" justice).

Mom's reply?

And Mom's wisdom comes through again. I hadn't thought about the significance of the two cents until she said something. We use "two cents" to say our opinion isn't that valuable, or isn't worth much. This, on the other hand, was worth so much as a sign of God's care! In the exhaustion, depression, and despair of these current times, I confess that I've often forgotten to look for God's fingerprints, yet God came through on this date in time. He knew the week I had. He knew my stress over the grocery budget. He knew the exact weight of all that produce I would buy. His Holy Spirit prompted me to buy what I did, nothing more or less. God provided the coupons and made the total what it was, and then brought along my mom to help me see the significance. Providence. 

I simply don't believe in coincidence. This experience was a spiritual one, a sign that God has two cents (and so much more!) about our lives. He sees. He cares, even about the little things, especially about the little things, even if those things are only worth two cents in the world's eyes.

Meaningful

I read a quote some time ago from Bob Goff: "God isn't trying to make our lives easier; He wants to make them more meaningful." Could any quote be more apt? During this time of COVID-19, it seems that nothing is easy. Getting groceries is hard. Wearing masks is hard. Being without our normal fellowship and having our sense of community disrupted are hard. Some are dealing with jobs lost and lives lost. Health professionals are working more, or less. The way we all work has certainly changed. Schools are online, or off line. Some resources are scarce. Some resources are being produced in such great abundance that we now have recalls about ones that are poisonous. Who knows when the economy will ever return to normal? I suspect we will never get back to the normal we have. It's all difficult. So, so hard.

Do I believe that God caused COVID-19? No. But in His sovereignty, I do believe that He is allowing it. Why? I don't know the ultimate reason why, but I do know that He desires that we be holy over happy. This season certainly gives us reason to live that out.

Now is certainly not an easy time, but it is a time when things take on a lot more meaning. The arduous task of grocery shopping makes food prep and purchasing more meaningful and valuable. Masks cause me to realize the importance of smiling and otherwise having non-verbal communication. Physical distancing makes the ability to hug loved ones seem oh, so much sweeter. Having work, even if it is a lot of work to do it in these times, is a great blessing. Seeing the weight of decisions resting on the backs of public officials causes me to give thanks for this country, and to pray even more fervently for those that govern. Is this life easy? No. Is it meaningful? Yes.

We have a choice now, to complain and gripe and mourn, or to make the most of these days, to focus on what really matters. Who knows when this pandemic will end? Who knows when life will get easier? No one but God. May we make life meaningful in the meantime.

Three Budgeting Hacks to Save You Money

We're still over here trying to work on our budget. We know that money can be an issue in marriage, and we are trying to manage it together, before it becomes an issue. Here are a few recent budget hacks from our adventures in life together:

1) Track your spending. It's annoying, but seriously, just do it. Start small, maybe just a category or two, and see what you spend, no judgement. We let our Costco membership expire a few months ago, but when we did, I committed to tracking potential savings. We didn't save the first month or so, but guess what? In the last few weeks, gas prices have skyrocketed. With Costco membership, I could have saved $3.00 a week on gas alone. And now we have two cars. So we renewed our membership and now know that we'll at least break even.

2) Look for discounts. We recently discovered that Verizon gives my employer a discount on cell phone plans. We save almost $20 a month by activating that offer. Now we are looking for other places our various affiliations might save us money.

3) Use grocery pickup. This might sound strange, but hear me out. I use the Wal-Mart grocery pickup app to order groceries each week. I use the app as a working grocery list throughout the week. I preload everything I want to buy, and then I look at the total. If I'm over the budget, I see what I can remove. This process has helped me realize how many times I overstock, or buy things when I really don't need them. Shopping via the app also helps reduce splurge buys.

Easy peasy? No. All these budget hacks take time, but they also save money. And time is money, so there's a trade off. Are these hacks right for you? I don't know. Maybe try them and see.

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Do you have any budget hacks to share? Please comment below.

The Unsung Heroes

Jesus says more than once in the Bible that the first shall be last and the last shall be first (Matt 19:30; Matt 20:16). I totally see that coming about with COVID-19. Who's sidelined right now? MLB players. NBA players. Celebrities. Heads of state. Who's out in the workforce? Grocery store workers. Garbage men. Plumbers. Air conditioning techs. Construction workers. Road graders.  The people we consider "less than." 

Being a grocery store worker isn't glamorous. It's can't pay well. And now it's hazardous to one's  health due to exposure to germs and crazy people. People aren't nice to grocery store workers anyway. And now? Shoppers are stressed and especially mean and grouchy.

The garbage men? Their jobs have just gotten harder with everyone staying home and making more trash. Now they, too, have to face more germs. Trash is stinky and smelly and nasty anyway. 

Anybody have a stopped up toilet or need heat or air? Those techs are out, and they have to enter homes, homes that could be infected. Building maintenance and road repair? Those must still go on. 

I am not discounting the selfless service of the doctors and nurses working round the clock to save lives. I am so thankful for them, too! But they are getting more recognition right now: news stories, social media mentions, the white ribbon campaign. But who's celebrating the "least of these?" They're the ones keeping us going. They're the ones making it possible to have food on our tables, clean and comfortable homes, and safe roadways. They're the ones risking their health and livelihood so we can stay at home and maintain ours.

Thank a grocer today. Thank the garbage man. Protect techs if they come to your home. Wave at the construction workers. The "least of these" should be honored in first place right now. They are the unsung heroes.