Setting Up The Grocery Budget For The Semester
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Two weeks into the school semester and I haven’t gone grocery shopping yet. Last year, I spent about $30 per week on groceries. Compared to a campus meal plan, that is CHEAP!
But, I feel that I can do better with a little less. Before my return to school this year, my (loving) parents bought boxes of cereal, two large bags of rice, ramen noodles, and packs of water and soda. My mom also prepared food that I can quickly reheat. So, I’ve been able to survive for the last two weeks.
As I told you in an earlier post, I’m having some financial obstacles. That’s why I’d like to cut the expenses somewhat.
Goal
I feel that $25 can cover what I need. Plus, I think that is quite a reasonable goal that can still be achieved with the proper methods.
From reading many other personal finance blogs, I’ve picked up some tips I’ll try out:
- Make a list. Although this is a fundamental part of grocery shopping, many people don’t stick to it nor do they take the time to make one. I always make one but I tend to forget to bring it. This weekend, it’s going to be a Post-It note on my laptop.
- Check weekly ads online. Many supermarkets release their weekly paper ads online. So, why not check out the prices before I shop? I actually found some good savings on the items I was going to buy.
- Try generic or store brands. I forgot where I read it but there was a contest on who could save the most on purchasing generic brand goods instead of the name brands. Just compare the ingredients and see if it matches those of the popular brands.
- Set a time limit. This is a fun one. I remember those competition shows to see who could find the right items the fastest. If I had a list, I should be able to go from the picking up the shopping cart to the cashier in 15 minutes. The point is to reduce the time spent on buying things I don’t need.
I’m confident that I can stick to my budget and it seems this weekend would be a fun grocery shopping trip.
Any readers got some other really fun and useful grocery shopping tips?
Photo credit: CJ Sorg
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5 Comments on this post
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Rick Vaughn said:
Sounds like Supermarket Sweep! Anyway $25 is not alot of money. I would like to see what kind of grocery list you have.
September 15th, 2008 at 10:10 am
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