http://www.grocerybudget101.com/blog.php How to slash your grocery bill to under $250 a month with these dirt cheap weekly menus, recipes and more en Thu, 23 May 2013 07:31:22 GMT vBulletin 30 http://www.grocerybudget101.com/images/girlpower/misc/rss.jpg http://www.grocerybudget101.com/blog.php http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/9-Kitchen-Organization-Saves Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:31:09 GMT Part of getting my grocery bill down is getting my kitchen organized. How... Part of getting my grocery bill down is getting my kitchen organized. How does this help?

1. All drawers have silverware caddies, plastic bins, or even cardboard boxes so stuff stays separated. I can immediately see what I'm after. Time is money. This also helps prevent me from buying something I already have.
2. Kitchen towels and wash cloths are stored under the sink in lidded plastic bins. Protects from possible leaks, looks tidy, and I free up drawer space.
3. Do not buy commercially made cleaners. I have Baking soda, tea tree oil, lemon juice, white vinegar, and borax under my sink. They do the same job and are loads cheaper. I just saved the spray bottles I had from those cleaners and reused them for my much cheaper stuff.
4. I NEVER buy herbs and spices from the grocery store. Spices come from the co-op. This allows me to buy small quantities of spices I use less. No danger of them getting old and loosing flavor. Herbs are from the garden. As soon as my fresh herbs are ready to be picked I throw out all the old. When fall comes I dry them and use until next season.
5. Food waste is a huge issue. Have a plan.
6. Schedule a specific day and time to shop. This saves gas and reduces impulse buying.
7. Do not put your tin cans or non-refundable aluminum cans in the curbside recycle bins. Salvage yards PAY YOU for your metal. Just make sure they are clean and you do not mix the types of metal. Currently, in my area, I can get around 6 cents a pound for tin cans and .37 cents a pound for aluminum cans.

Menu planning is, as we already know, a HUGE money saver. Here is what I do.

The Binder-

There are many different ways to organize your meal planning. First, know yourself. For me the binder works. If I were to use, say 3x5 cards, they would be scattered all over the house. I am absent minded so a huge white book is easy to find when I randomly set it down somewhere. I have larger tabs to mark each month with smaller 'sub' tabs that are numbered to indicate the menu number. I have as many as 12 different menus to choose from each month. Menus within each month are also based on peak produce seasons. I merely decide which # I am going to use. I use an editable menu planner from The Project Girl.
[URL="http://www.theprojectgirl.com/resources/theprojectgirl-mealplanner2-FILLABLE.pdf"]
meal planner[/URL]

Behind each menu are the recipes that go with that week. The exception is if I use that recipe in another menu. If that is the case there is a cross reference to the menu that has the recipe behind it. For instance Menu #59 in November has Bourbon Glazed Ham for dinner. In December, Menu #72 calls for the same meal. It will note Nov-#59 behind that meal so I know where to go. Yeah, I just saved money on paper and ink...

The App-

I use Cozi to organize...my life. Each of my numbered menus has a corresponding grocery list saved on Cozi. Not only can I pull up whichever list I need, my husband has access to the same list on his phone. Woot! Delegation! This app also sends texts to family members reminding them to do specific chores at specific times. Household rule is OBEY YOUR PHONE. ]]> HerbLady http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/9-Kitchen-Organization-Saves http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/8-motivation.... Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:45:49 GMT So after a long chat with my DH he is on board with really cutting our... So after a long chat with my DH he is on board with really cutting our budget and trying to become debt free in a few years. The biggest place we can cut is our food bill.....here i thought we were doing good at 400 a month for 6 but after i looked at bank acct and added up everything from grocery store,drug store,big lots, hardware store.....we are way beyond the 400...ouch what a eye opener. So after the first of the year my resolution is to try my hardest to bake,make from scratch(which I do try now as much as I can),make my own everything i can, menu plan better,stick to plan( that is going to be the hardest) and still eat healthy......all this plus work full time etc....but my DH is on board and the kids will have fun baking and making mixes......wish me lots of luck and I will keep everyone posted of how it is going.thanks for the insiration ]]> pjcamp1106 http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/8-motivation.... http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/1-Welcome-to-the-Grocery-Budget-101-Blogs! Tue, 22 Feb 2011 11:44:46 GMT Grocery Budget 101 is about getting back to basics so your family can get... Grocery Budget 101 is about getting back to basics so your family can get ahead, regardless of the economy.

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So, welcome to the GroceryBudget101 Blogs- and feel free to jump in anytime to share your daily adventures! ]]> GB101 http://www.grocerybudget101.com/entry.php/1-Welcome-to-the-Grocery-Budget-101-Blogs!