Hard work can save money

by Rachael
(Brighton, CO USA)

I am a stay-at-home mom with two kids, and a husband who isn't paid nearly what he is worth. Since we would like to maintain my role in the family as the homemaker, we have had to come up with some pretty inventive ways to make ends meet each month.

When all is said and done, and after all the bills are paid, we aren't left with very much wiggle room for groceries and extras.

There have been some months where $250 had to feed our family of 4, and that included purchasing diapers and dog food! While we certainly don't always eat like kings, we do eat fairly well.

Tasty, balanced dinners aren't as hard to put together as one might imagine.
While I do occasionally implement hot dog night for dinner, most meals consist of a meat portion, a starch portion, and a vegetable portion. We even have dessert several nights a week.

The key is to buy as many individual raw ingredients as possible. What I mean is, packaged, easy-to-prepare meals go out the window. While they are convenient and time-saving, they also cost a fortune.

A huge amount of a family's grocery budget goes to prepared meals, instead of making things from scratch. While it does take more time to prepare meals from start to finish with your own ingredients, you can produce something that is better tasting and fresher for pennies on the dollar in comparison to easy-to-make prepared counterparts.


Buying in bulk also becomes somewhat of a necessity, and a deep freezer is essential to being able to stock up when items are on sale.

Warehouse clubs often have great prices on meat. Check the price-per-pound on the price tags to see if you really are getting a good deal, and compare it to your local supermarket's sale flier for the week before purchasing. This way you are certain to get the most for your dollar when purchasing items like frozen chicken or ground beef.

Furthermore, be sure to check your local supermarket fliers. Sometimes it will take shopping at 3 different grocery stores. Believe me, the hard work will pay off in the end.

I can save as much as $75 per month by purchasing sale items at different stores instead of doing convenient one-stop shopping.

The items listed on the front page of the circulars are generally the ones which are going to be the best deals.

Don't be afraid to purchase "manager's special" meats, either. These are usually marked down because the sell-by date is quickly approaching. These meats are still perfectly good, and can be frozen for use later if you can't cook it by the sell-by date.

You can save a load of cash by purchasing marked-down meats.

While it takes additional time and effort, it is certainly possible to cut your grocery bills significantly in order to save some money. The extra effort will certainly shine through when you are counting your pennies at the end of each month, waiting until the next payday!