Save Money Eating At Home

Eat at home. Or maybe I should say, eat food prepared at home. Every meal that you don't buy at a convenience store or a restaurant can save you money. Big money over time.

Even an egg sandwich. The arches offer a sausage and egg sandwich 2 for $3.00. But I can buy a dozen eggs and a dozen english muffins for $3.00. Replace the sausage with a thin slice of turkey ham (a thin slice of any lunch meat would have to be healthier than the mcsausage slice, don't you think?) and half a slice of cheese. So I spend less than $6 to buy the ingredients for a homemade equivalent of that sandwich that seems so convenient on the way to work. I'm getting it my way (I love a runny yolk). And I only need one sandwich each day. Instead of $3 a day on the two sandwiches (one of which I don't need), I eat healthier for less than 50 cents a day.

Do you pack your snacks and lunch for work? Brown bagging saves you money you can put straight into your 401K. David Bach's Finish Rich series explains The Latte Factor. Pay attention to the things you purchase and then make your plans with your overall savings and investment strategy in mind. Brown bagging (in a "green" reusable bag) can save you big money over time. Pack nutritious snacks that appeal to you so you won't be tempted to buy from vending machines.

Remember, if you keep doing the things you have been doing, you will keep getting the things you have been getting. To save money you will have to make changes. Food factors in our budget several times a day and therefore is an easy target to make a change that quickly accumulates.

Plan a Menu to Save on Groceries

Planning your menu in advance will help you save money, time, stress, and even calories every week.

Review your menu before every grocery trip and make a list of items you need to buy. You will save money because you will be sure to get everything you need for your meals. You will get everything at the best possible price using grocery coupons and your knowledge of your grocer's sales.

Armed with your list, you will save time at the grocery store (time to double check your grocery coupons?) because you know exactly what you are there to buy. You can purchase the bulk of your groceries once a week, and then simply follow the planned menu all week long.

Post your menu on the refrigerator and you will always know at a glance what you are preparing tonight and what you should pull out of the freezer for tomorrow. You will find your stress level (and that of everyone around your table) goes down as you are prepared for mealtimes all week long.

Over time you will also save on calories because meals made with thought at home are always more nourishing than those we grab on the run. Having a menu and a plan will help you guard your health and get the most value out of the money you spend on nutrition.

So, sit down and think about it, what are you going to serve Monday night? Tuesday? It's never too soon to start making the menu for next week. Check out great menu planning tips at Hillbilly Housewife.

Make a List to Save Money

Before you go to the grocery store, it is important to make a list of the things you plan to buy. Then you can focus on getting everything you need while resisting the lure of impulse purchases.

A few things to keep in mind:

1) Compare grocery coupons to the store flyer to be sure you maximize your savings. As you go through your coupons consider whether those soon to expire should be used now. Make sure every coupon you plan to use now goes on your list. I recycle junk mail envelopes for my grocery lists and stick the coupons I plan to use on each trip inside the list envelope.

2) Plan your menu and then review recipes against items you have on hand so you will be sure to add everything you will need to your list. Nothing is worse than starting a recipe and realizing you must interrupt cooking and then pay top dollar at a convenience store for an item you forgot to pick up on your grocery trip.

3) Sometimes you will spot a great buy you did not plan in advance, and you will want to take advantage of the savings. That is okay as long as you weigh every unplanned purchase carefully and are certain the purchase makes sense (is something you will use) and makes cents (will save you money in the long run). Because you will sometimes come across these unadvertised specials, it is important to have all your coupons with you if possible to maximize your savings.

As with clipping coupons, the little time you invest in making a list will pay you back with time and money saved.