Food Sense: Shopping on a Budget

You’ve got that wonderful new kitchen and all you need is food to stock it. If this is your first grocery trip keep in mind you’re going to need EVERYTHING. When I say everything, I mean everything; from food to kitchen utensils, to bathroom supplies and spices. Plan for your first trip to be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. By buying ahead in small purchases you can eliminate the need to buy the daily household items on your first trip.

Here are a few tips to get you through.

1. Make a list. It sounds silly but planning ahead can cut down on buying more things than you need. Here's a basic list.

2. Create weekly menus. Creating menus ahead of time can help reduce your shopping budget by a lot. Shopping for meals instead of grabbing things of the shelf can create a healthy diet as well as a healthy budget. There are great online sites to help you plan meals ahead of time. Check out All Recipes or the Food Network.

3. Know your budget limit. Knowing your budget limit is a big help. Walk into the store with a set amount in mind. Plan some flexibility in your budget. There may be something you’ve left off your list that you didn’t factor in.

4. Total your shopping as you go. By totaling your purchases as you go along, you make it easier to stay within your budget. This also helps you decided if you really need that something extra.

5. Coupons really do make a difference. A few cents here and there really do add up. By clipping coupons you can save on name brand items that could reduce them to prices lower than the off brand. Also, do your homework, some stores will except coupons for items already on sale. There are plenty on online coupons sites available.

6. The less you buy the less you waste. Buying in bulk is great, if you’re feeding a lot of hungry mouths. But for a household of one or two, less is better. By buying foods that last longer you can reduce your weekly budget by not throwing out as much.

7. Flier research. Do your homework. What local store is having the best sale on what item? More often than not it’s cost effective to visit 2 or 3 stores to complete your shopping trip.