8 Ways To Save Money on Groceries

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Making your food dollar stretch

The price of basic living has really risen over the past few years. As the cost of luxuries like gas, heating, food and housing rises, it becomes even harder for people who are underemployed, taken pay cuts or who are looking for a new job to make ends meet. That's why finding ways to save money on groceries is so important.

In a recent survey by CouponDivas.com, 46% of the people polled said that they spend about two or three hours a week or more looking for coupons, making shopping lists by store and reading sales ads. Initially, I was surprised by their results. While a frugal shopper, I don't work that hard for a discount. If I have a coupon, I'll use it but I don't keep file folders filled with them. Then, as I started looking around, I found that the art of finding coupons is a growing interest field and their are several website communities that share discounts and tips.

That got me thinking about other ways to save money on groceries, with or without coupons. Here are 5 ways to stretch your food budget:

Shop less often - Every time I go into the grocery store to get just one or two specific things, I end up grabbing other things that I don't really need. It seems like just a couple bucks - and hey, there is no shame in grabbing a candy bar or a drink. It feels like a small thing, but it can add up. By decreasing the number of times you have to go into the store, you'll avoid temptation.

Plan out meals - This is difficult to get in the habit of, but it really does help. Plan out each meal for the week and use the menu plan to make your grocery list. If you look at a sales paper from your favorite grocery store before you start, you can try to plan meals around the sale items.

Make a list - Making a list just makes sense. If you want to avoid trips to the store, making sure that you have everything you need to make the items on your menu will help. Also, it prevents you from buying things you may not need but want to buy "just in case".

Buy a freezer - Having a separate small freezer is great for stocking up on meats and veggies when they are on sale. You don't have to get a huge one, even having a small freezer can make a big difference.

Be nice to your cashier - Especially if you are planning to use a lot of coupons, be kind to the cashier. Have your coupons and discounts organized and be pleasant.

The key to stretching your food budget is to plan ahead. When you look back at the way that people shopped 50 years ago, you'll see that these days, a good portion of our budget is spent on convenience. Think of the hour or two you'll spend as a job; if you can save $30 by spending an hour of your time, it's worth it.

Do you use coupons? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

Related articles

• Put Your Job Search In High Gear (healthcarejobsiteblog.com)
• Rethinking the Workplace and Taking Responsibility for Your Career (phillyjobsblog.com)
• 5 Ways to Keep Your Relationship Strong When Money Gets Tight (healthcarejobsiteblog.com)

Job Search 101 - Create an Attack Plan

Looking for a job can be overwhelming. Sometimes, it seems like it is just too hard, there is too much to do and when you aren't getting responses as quickly as you like, it is easy to lose hope and start to become frustrated.

They say that to make a task easier, you have to break it down into small steps. So, let's keep breaking down the job search steps, to make sure that you have all of your bases covered:

• Create an attack plan – You wouldn't just pick stocks or investments at random, so don't trust your job search to random luck and good timing. Do some research about your industry and find out where the growth is. Take a hard look at the number of jobs available in your field and see where your next step is. Maybe you need to get a certificate or some additional training to open up new avenues?
  
  
  Sit down and ask yourself some of these hard questions: What jobs are available that fit your skills and training? What companies are the leaders in this field in your area? How would you find out about any of their job openings? Are you willing to re-locate for a job? Would you be willing to take a position that was a step down from your previous one? Can you accept a lower salary? Is there any additional training that can be had that would increase your job opportunities? Answering these questions will help give you a more defined idea of what position you should be looking for.
  
  
  Next, you need to take a look at your financial situation. How much available credit do you have? What would you have to do to get more? What are your assets? What is your monthly budget, and how much can you cut out of it? How much money do you need to cover your basic expenses for a month? How long can you afford to be out of work? These question will let you know how much you are going to have to compromise in order to find the right job. It may mean that you will need to look for a part time job in order to continue your job search. Or maybe, you might have to think more seriously about taking a lesser paying job. But, by asking the question and finding the answers ahead of time, you can get a clear picture and not let fear push you into making bad decisions.
  
  
  Once you have a clear idea of where you want to go next in your career and how long you have to get there, you should start thinking about your networking strategy. Are there any professional organizations you could join to meet people in the industry? Who do you know that works for a company you want to work for? Could you ask them for a warm introduction? Do you know others in your area or field who are also out of work? Would they be interested in sharing job leads with you? Think about where and how you can get out and network with other professionals. Networking is one of the best ways to find out about new jobs and just to stay current on what is going on with your industry.

Keep an eye out for the next installment of Job Search 101.

Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs.com

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

Why You Should Keep A Budget

If you have ever read any sort of book on managing your finances, then you know that one of the pieces of advice that every single one of them will give you, is the importance of making a budget and sticking too it. Everywhere you look, in every book or magazine that discusses managing your household funds, they are discussing how to create a budget, but no one seems to talk about why it is so important.

Budgets are basically just a way to track your income and your spending. They allow you to assign certain amounts each month to different expenses. They are living, ever-changing plans. Some months you may need to allot more money to some things and less to others. The most important part of a budget, of course, is sticking too it. And, that is the part where the whole thing breaks down. Sticking to the budget and saying “no” to certain expenses is the hardest part. The whole goal of making a budget is to manage your expenses, curtail your spending and make saving money for getting out of debt or reaching goals easier.

Here are some reason why budgeting should be a part of your life:

• Budgets can be your best friend – All too often, budgets are given the same bad rap as diets. Because they are restricting an activity that is enjoyable, they can seem like a huge buzz-kill. The truth is, reaching your financial goals and being able to make large purchases that improve the quality or enjoyment of your life is a lot of fun, and budgets are just a tool to accomplish that.
  
  
• Budgets are a road map for where you want to go – You know what your goals are and where you want to be. Putting it down on paper is a way to decide how long you plan to take to get there and the way that works the best for you. It isn't a strict plan, and if you end up spending too much this month, you can change things around and get back on track easily.
  
  
• If you don't have a budget, it is hard to know where you stand – I recently got back into the habit of tracking all of my purchases with an online budgeting tool. I made a commitment to go through my online banking transaction history each week for two months, promising myself that I would categorize every purchase into budget categories. The software I used allowed me to make a pie chart explaining where my money went each month. Let me tell you, it was certainly eye-opening. I realized where I spend more money than is necessary, and where I was not spending enough. By creating a budget for every expense, I was able to see that I could afford to buy some things I wanted just by not purchasing several smaller ticket items.
  
  
• Budgeting allows you to set saving goals and stick to them – Having things written down and being able to track your progress is a tried and true way to accomplish just about any goal you have. It can make reaching the goal fun and keep you motivated. Savings goals are no different. Keeping up with a budget lets you make the goal and see how far along you are getting. If you make a promise to yourself to stay involved with it, you will quickly see how rewarding it can be to track your progress.

Keeping a budget and sticking to it is the best way to really understand your own finances. Whether you have a lot of debt, or virtually none, it pays to track your spending. I used to think that budgeting was for rich people or people who were very organized, not for free-spirited, mostly broke, people like myself. After having kept up with my finances for a few months, I can tell you that budgeting can be super easy and a lot of fun. It has made me a more informed shopper and given me a way to cut out some money wasting habits in order to be able to purchase things I really wanted but didn't think I could afford.

Stay tuned next time, when I will list the things that it you should splurge on.

Have you tried making and keeping a budget? Let me know in the comments.

Are you looking for a job in the Philadelphia area? Be sure to visit PhillyJobs.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.