When you are feeding a large family, your food expenses can quickly add up. Feeding a large family on little money is hard. While clipping coupons can help, it is time-consuming and many times you may find you are purchasing items that you may not necessarily need just because you have a coupon for it. Staying within your grocery budget doesn’t have to mean only eating spaghetti or hot dogs for the rest of your life. There are a few easy things you can do that will help you stay within your grocery budget.
Plan your meals in advance
Before the new week begins and before you go to the grocery store, sit down and plan of all the meals you are going to eat that week. While it may be hard to know what you will want to eat four days from now, planning your meals does help you save money. You can see what items you have in your pantry currently to help you decide what to make. This will help you get through items that may expire soon so that they don’t go to waste.
Make a list and stick to it
After you plan your meals for the week, now you can make your grocery list. This will help to ensure that you only buy what you need and don’t stock up on multiple condiments you might already have home. It will also help you prevent buying more food than you need. Stick to your list and only get what is on it.
Don’t go shopping when you are hungry
Sticking to your list can be hard but grocery shopping while you are hungry can make it impossible. Going when you are hungry makes everything looks appetizing. Make sure you go after you had a meal, so you are not tempted to buy more than what you need.
Eat your leftovers
Many families put leftovers in the refrigerator, and they may never get touched. Make it a point to try and get through your leftovers. Not only will you be saving money but you won’t be wasting money either by having to throw out perfectly good food. It’s already there, and all you have to do is warm it up! Have an extra night where your family goes through the fridge and reheats what is already available.
