• Home
  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Free Resources
  • Shop My Filofax Store
  • Shop TBM
  • Courses

The Budget Mom

Real Women. Real Life. Real Finance

  • Home
  • Products
    • Live Rich Planner
    • Budget By Paycheck
  • Blog
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • COURSES
  • Shop my Filofax store
  • Shop TBM
MENUMENU
  • BUDGETING
        • Categories

        • Budgeting Basics
        • Budget Guides
        • Budget Tips
        • Budget Recaps & Overviews
        • Living on a budget can be as challenging as sticking to a diet or committing to a workout routine. Here are tips to avoid burnout so you can achieve your goals!

          How to Avoid Budget Burnout: 5 Tips to Stay the Course

          When creating a budget, most of us focus on tracking our expenses, but tracking your income is just as important. This includes knowing your starting balance.

          What is Your Starting Balance & Why Does It Matter for Your Budget?

          Most of us have invisible money scripts that hold us back from reaching our financial goals. Learn what the three most common money beliefs are and how you can start taking steps to change them. 

          3 Money Beliefs That Might Be Holding You Back

  • SAVE MORE
        • Categories

        • Cut Expenses
        • Extra Income
        • Saving Tips
        • The true cost of a speeding ticket depends on your location, how fast you were driving, and any previous violations. Learn how much you can expect to pay after receiving a speeding ticket.

          Explained: The Surprising True Cost of a Speeding Ticket

          If you’re looking for ways to save, buying second-hand items might be a good idea. These 17 things are better to buy used instead of new.

          17 Things That Are Better to Buy Used Instead of New

          If you need to earn fast cash, selling household items online is the easiest way to do it. Here are 20 things in your home that you can sell right now.

          Need Cash Fast? 20 Things In Your Home You Can Sell Right Now

  • FRUGAL LIVING
        • Categories

        • Beauty & Health Tips
        • DIY
        • Family & Money
        • Food & Drink
        • Frugal Living 101
        • Household Tips
        • Holidays & Occasions
        • Kids & Money
        • Forget about a New Year’s Resolution! Try setting a New Year mindset instead. It might not seem like much, but your mindset can make or break your financial goals.

          How to Improve Your Financial Mindset to Achieve Your New Year’s Goals

          It’s not too early to start helping your child build their financial future. If you want to help your child start investing, here are the steps you’ll take to get started.

          How Can My Child Start Investing?

          For many people, the holidays are a stressful and expensive time of year. Learn how to host a holiday dinner without blowing your budget this year.

          7 Steps to Hosting a Holiday Dinner on a Budget

  • DEBT & CREDIT
        • Categories

        • Credit Cards
        • Credit Report & Score
        • Debt Basics
        • Get Out of Debt
        • Loans, Etc.
        • It’s easy to swipe a credit card, but paying it off is an entirely different story. Here’s what you need to know about the true cost of buying on credit.

          Revealed: The Ugly Cost of Buying on Credit

          Should You Buy Your Leased Car?

          Collection accounts can be stressful, but you can bounce back. Learn how to handle collection accounts and improve your financial picture.

          Has Your Debt Been Sent to Collections? Here Are Your Options.

  • FINANCE 101
        • Categories

        • Financial Planning
        • Investing
        • Retirement
        • Tax Tips
        • It might be tempting to withdraw investments, especially during times of economic uncertainty. However, most people should avoid touching their investments.

          The ONLY 3 Reasons to Touch Your Investments

          It’s that time of year again! Unfortunately, we’re not talking about the holidays. Now is the time for everyone to file their taxes. Here is what you need to know.

          2021 Tax Season: How to File for Taxes Online

          It’s not too early to start helping your child build their financial future. If you want to help your child start investing, here are the steps you’ll take to get started.

          How Can My Child Start Investing?

5 Things That Will Help You Stick To A Grocery Budget

May 19, 2016
Budget Tips

Share30
Pin1K
Share
Tweet3
Email
1K Shares
  • Bio
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Latest Posts
Kumiko Ehrmantraut

Kumiko Ehrmantraut

Some links below are from our sponsors. Here's how we make money.
Kumiko Ehrmantraut
Kumiko Ehrmantraut

Kumiko Ehrmantraut

Kumiko Ehrmantraut

Latest posts by Kumiko Ehrmantraut (see all)

  • The ONLY 3 Reasons to Touch Your Investments - February 18, 2021

Have you ever walked into a grocery store, shopping list in hand, and come out with 50 things that weren't on your list? Here are 5 things that will help you stick to a grocery budget.

Have you ever walked into a grocery store, shopping list in hand, and come out with 50 things that weren't on your list? This used to be the world I lived in until I started budgeting. You might not notice it, but the grocery store is sneaky. From planned advertisements, strategically placed products, and sale signs that are meant to get you to open your wallet, it's hard to resist the temptation sometimes.

Going to the grocery store can be a real food budget killer, and there is nothing that makes my stomach turn more than a $400 grocery bill. Today, I am here to give you 5 things that you can do to help you stick to a grocery budget, and not get sucked into grocery store spending traps.

  • Related: How to Have a Wedding on a Budget

NEVER GO TO THE GROCERY STORE HUNGRY

This saying has been around forever, and for good reason – IT'S SO TRUE! I have personally tested this theory and I can say without a doubt, you will spend more on crap you don't need or really want if you go shopping when you are hungry. Why? When you are hungry, things that you would not normally eat look satisfying.

This is where impulse buying at the grocery store is the worst. Try to plan your shopping trips around your meal times. I know this sounds crazy, but it works. I have done this for the last two years and I have noticed a difference.

I usually go grocery shopping on Saturdays after eating lunch with my son. If you have a crazy life like I do, sometimes planned grocery trips don't always work. There are many times my husband calls and asks me to pick up something after work. For this, I carry a granola bar in my purse. Even though I know I am only running into the store to get one or two things, I still try to snack on my granola bar before hand.

  • Related: How to Celebrate Halloween on a Budget

ALWAYS HAVE A GROCERY LIST

Just having a grocery list is not enough. You have to be disciplined enough to stick to it.

Having a running grocery list on your fridge is good enough but you can also download a ton of phone apps to make sure your grocery list is always with you.

The phone app I would recommend is OurGroceries. I love this app because it allows your spouse to add things to the list as well. I can't tell you how many times my husband has used the last of something, forgot about it, and I end making a second trip the store (which could lead to more spending).

By using this app, it allows him to log in and add it right away so it doesn't get forgotten.  I always recommend creating your own meal plan, something you can read about here, and this will help with planned savings.

Checking online and mailed flyers for specials prior to shopping is a great thing to incorporate into your grocery list and it is much easier to do if your week's meals and recipes are already created.

  • Related: How 6 Bank Accounts Changed the Way We Manage Our Money

SHOP BY YOURSELF – LEAVES THE KIDS AT HOME

Trust me, I love taking my son grocery shopping. There is a lot to learn by shopping with mom, such as money management skills, life skills, and discipline but it does not help with the budget.

I have found that I always spend more when my son is with me. I also know myself, and sometimes (OK, a lot of the time) I find it hard to say no to my son.

When we are at the grocery store and he picks up a bag of candy and says “Mom, can I have this?” I always think to myself “It's only a $1.50, so OK.” This may not seem like a lot of money but it adds up.

If you do have to bring children to the store, make sure to prepare yourself to say no and mean it.

BUY ONLY WHAT YOU NEED

Have you ever come across the pop (soda) and see these little signs that say “buy 1 get 2 free” for the 12 packs? To this day, it's hard for me to resist these types of sale strategies.

There are a ton of sales in the grocery store that seem way to good to pass up but getting the item on sale actually cost you money because you weren't planning on buying it in the first place.

To me, these sale promotions are one of the leading factors when it comes to overspending at the grocery store. If you don't need it, don't buy it – even if they are offering you something for free.

Buying only what you need also applies to fruit and veggies. I can't tell you how much banana bread I have made because we let our bananas go bad. Investing in fruit and veggie preservers seemed to help my family and now we have a little more time to eat the produce we buy.

  • Related: The Ultimate Guide to the Cash Envelope System

DON'T REACH FOR THE CANDY BARS OR GUM AT CHECKOUT

There is a reason that these items are displayed near checkout stations. These items are strategically placed there because they are colorful and cheap.

Most of the time, you won't think twice about adding a pack of gum to your cart during checkout but you really have to ask yourself, “Would you have bought that gum if it wasn't displayed there?”

Every single shopper needs to spend time in checkout, so having these cheap items in this location makes it an easy purchase. Don't be fooled. The same goes for energy drinks, soda, and bottled water.

BONUS: USE THE PHONE APP IBOTTA

You can get cash back on your groceries when you use the Ibotta app.  All you have to do is load the offers in the app (i.e. the things you were already going to buy from your shopping list!), shop, and then scan your receipt.  You'll get cash back in 24 hours.

What are your weaknesses at the grocery store?

Share30
Pin1K
Share
Tweet3
Email
1K Shares

Filed Under: Budget Tips, BUDGETING Tagged With: BUDGET, BUDGET TIPS, FOOD, SAVING

Previous article:
« How To Have A Wedding On A Budget
Next article:
Yes I Am That Mom – And I’m OK With It »

Hello, I'm Kumiko, but everyone just calls me Miko. Welcome to my blog, The Budget Mom. I am an Accredited Financial Counselor® , and mom to a rambunctious boy. Come along with me as I strive to live a life I love on a budget that I can afford. Read more about me.

RECENT YOUTUBE VIDEO

Free Resource Library

Recent Posts

  • The ONLY 3 Reasons to Touch Your Investments
  • Explained: The Surprising True Cost of a Speeding Ticket
  • How to Avoid Budget Burnout: 5 Tips to Stay the Course
  • 17 Things That Are Better to Buy Used Instead of New
  • 2021 Tax Season: How to File for Taxes Online

Blog Categories

Amazon Associates Disclosure

The Budget Mom, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

About

  • Home
  • ABOUT TBM
  • Contact
  • Start Here

Important

  • DISCLAIMER
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Subscribe

Favorites

  • YouTube
  • Blog
  • Live Rich Planner
  • Budget by Paycheck

Start With My Friday Newsletter

Copyright ©2021, The Budget Mom®
This website contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive a commission. This website is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program where I earn advertising fees by linking to amazon.com.