Fail-Proof Methods that Still Save Money

Hi reader, It's no secret that food prices jumped up after the pandemic. What I thought (and perhaps you thought too) was a temporary situation due to supply chain issues or even the fallout effects of the pandemic, has turned into a new normal. I created a grocery budgeting system several years ago (I teach it inside Grocery Budget Bootcamp), and I'm still using the same system to navigate higher food prices, less than stellar sale cycles, and food shortages. Even with the system though, I've made a few minor tweaks to my own grocery shopping habits in order to keep wiggle room in my budget. In no particular order, here are the top takeaways from my current shopping routine: We throw NOTHING away. We have chickens who can eat kitchen scraps, but I don't let that be an excuse for the humans to not consume food. I only buy what we eat, we eat what we buy, and I'm constantly challenging myself to reuse something that I would ordinarily throw away. Related: 12 Simple Ways to Avoid Food Waste Eat from what we already have. I'm always making extra and putting things in the freezer, but now I'm even more intentional about actually CONSUMING those foods. Related: How to Save Time and Money with Batch Cooking Meals are simpler. They have been for awhile just because traveling and moving is a bit demanding, but even more so nowadays to keep the shopping list shorter. I'm often making sheet pan dinners, paring down to one sauce a week, and I'm not afraid to make "plain" rice or "plain" potatoes! Related: Lemon and Herb Sheet Pan Chicken Pasta once a week. Even though my daughter is gluten-free and my husband is grain-free, we still do pasta nights at least once a week (my husband will have leftovers). My favorite gluten-free pasta is Tinkyada, but I buy Great Value brand brown rice pasta. It holds up well (unlike ALDI's brand) and it's more affordable. Related: Weeknight Creamy Mushroom Pasta Shop once a week. It helps that I absolutely despise my local store and everything else is 20 minutes away, but my mental viewpoint has changed: If I forget something or run out, oh well. This alone has forced me to up my planning game that much more (both meal planning and in creating shopping lists). Use the Flipp app. I can tap to add things to a list and then easily compare items from the stores - all while taking my morning walk. I also have a "watch list" for things we consume often, so I never miss a sale, even during busy seasons. I shop at fewer stores. For a long time I shopped at Kroger, Sprouts, Walmart, ALDI, and Costco. Then we didn't renew our Costco membership, and we traveled for a year (thus eliminating everything else). I now shop LIDL primarily, with quick stops into ALDI and/or Walmart as needed. Sometimes I'll swing into Ingles if they have a good deal on something (it's literally next door to LIDL). Keeping meals simpler means less items on the list, which means less stores to shop at. Related: My Review on Walmart Grocery Pickup Overall, the strategies in my grocery budgeting system that I teach in Grocery Budget Bootcamp are still standing true. I've only added a few more intentional habits to refine my methods. What about you? Have you refined any of your habits to safeguard against the rising costs in food? ALL my best ♥, PS: I'm hosting a FREE training next week called the Fight Inflation Workshop. I'm really excited to be sharing this new training because it digs DEEP into the mindset and habits that are keeping my budget on track even despite rising food costs.  Popular on the Blog this Week How to Create a Price Book A price book can be a great help in seeing trends, keeping track of lower prices, and the actual cost of items. Check out these step-by-step instructions for creating & using one. It's one of the tips I teach in my course, Grocery Budget Bootcamp. Also, don't forget to read my guidelines on how to create a frugal grocery budget!   Read More Here   Why I Quit Coupons (and save more money) I Quit Couponing and now I save even more – using a rock solid system to get the best deal on real food. It's super easy to follow and works week after week! For more on saving money on real food without coupons, sign up for my Grocery Budget Bootcamp!  Read More Here   Lime Crema Lime crema is an easy cheater recipe for Mexican crema, and it's hands down the perfect taco sauce. Made in just 5 minutes, you need only 4 simple ingredients to create a zesty, tangy cream that packs a flavor punch for tacos, soups, nachos, quesadillas, and enchiladas! Read More Here   Freshly Updated How to Dry Dill Dehydrating dill is one of the easiest ways to enjoy fresh herbs all year round and save money on store-bought spices! Learn how to dry dill in this quick tutorial! Read More Here  DIY Magnesium Oil Spray Magnesium oil is my secret for hair, for sleep and less stress – plenty of benefits, no side effects! Use this easy recipe to make it and save money! Read More Here Healthy Homemade Fudgesicles Craving a fudgesicle? You're going to love this easy recipe for healthy homemade fudgesicles! These pudding pops need just 6 ingredients, plus they're gluten-free, low carb, and WAY better than the kind from Walmart! Read More Here  New Posts on the Blog This Week Easy Cinnamon Raisin Bread This easy raisin bread recipe is the best we've ever made. It's a super soft, moist, slightly sweet bread loaded with cinnamon and raisins - right in the dough instead of a swirl filling - to make the perfect healthy raisin toast. I've included homemade "not bread machine" instructions, as well as how to adapt to a bread machine. Read More Here

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