9 ways to lower your grocery bill

With the economy as it is, 
I am starting a mini series on frugal living.
I have to say that I was frugal before "we had to", but now even more it is important that we save where we can.
I hear a lot of people saying that they don't have time for coupons...

guess what? 

You don't have to clip a single coupon to save money on your grocery bill.
(I went to the grocery store this morning and spent a total of $37.49 for almost $80 worth of food. I did not used a single coupon.)

Usually, I use coupons, but don't buy the paper. The coupons I use are often found online.

I am a a big advocate of cooking from scratch, which is less expensive and a lot healthier (less sodium, less sugar, less preservatives).

So here are 9 ways to 

save.

1- 
buy items that are on sale. 

5lb of organic bananas $2

I often go to the grocery store and find vegetables, meats, dairy...that are marked down for quick sale. 

(a lot of times the veggies and fruit are organic, as they tend to spoil faster)

If I find organic vegetables marked down...that's what we are having for dinner one night that week. 

Marked down meat? use it or freeze for later. 

2- 
Plan your meals around the store weekly promotions.

All grocery stores have weekly ads, bogo items (buy 1 and get 1 free), or incentives for certain products.

eggs where only $1 this week

Same concept as above, use it or freeze it.

3- 
buy seasonal when it comes to fruits and vegetables.

When the produce is in season, the price drops and the produce tastes at it's best.

Ever tasted tomatoes or strawberries that are sold in the Winter? no comparison to July's tomatoes or May's strawberries.

4- 
Plan not to throw away food.

Check periodically on what you have in your fridge or freezer, and use it. 

Also eat up the leftovers (which are usually our lunch)

5-
Bake from scratch.

When you buy "boxed", ready to go mixes, what you are paying for is some flour, sugar, and baking powder...

6-
plan some inexpensive meals.

Such as pasta/rice night or soup night.

Those meals are filling and budget friendly.

You can use up just about any vegetable when adding to a soup or rice.

Same thing as using up meat or veggies adding it to pasta.
Here some budget friendly recipes

7- 
Stock your pantry.

You don't need to turn your garage into a mega pantry, nor do you need to stash boxed pasta under your bed.

With a 2'x3' pantry (+cabinets space) we have plenty of space for our family of 5.

Make sure you always have items such as flour, pasta, sugar, dry beans, tomato sauce, oil, rice, baking soda...most of those items will be the base for the majority of your meals.

8- 
stock up during/after holiday sales.

Have you noticed that baking products are on sale during the Winter Holidays?

Or things like condiments and chips are on sale during the summer holidays?

Yes, shop Holiday sales.

9- 
Be creative in your cooking. 

Most of my cooking is never exactly the same twice :)

I had people saying that it's easy for me to cook from scratch because I am a stay at home mom and they don't have as much time to cook. 
Well, here is my "secret": I don't spend all day cooking (unless it's for a special occasion). I do my cooking when my husband comes home from work (and have dinner ready in 30 minutes to 1 hour).

Also using a crockpot, is an easy way to provide a hot meal to my family.

Stay Frugal,

Daniela

Linking to
twelveOeight
The Frugal Girls
The thriftiness miss
It's Overflowing