A Little Hard Work Makes Things Easier on the Wallet

My grandmother used to take great care in doing things to stretch her dollars. We'd go out to eat for the early bird special, only to the places she had coupons for, mind you. She would reuse kitchen items such as aluminum foil and bread bags. She made sure electrical items were unplugged when not in use. My parents said it was because my grandmother lived during the Depression and was used to making the most out of what she had. As Boomers, my parents lived oodles better than my grandparents did, and I think I had an upbringing just as good if not better than my parents.

I won't lie; I have had issues with money most of my life. I like to spend it. I have it in my head that I can't take it with me, so I might as well enjoy it now. Not exactly the mentality I need as I am now forced to live on a strict budget since the Major moved.

I've taken the steps to reduce my current bills to save a few dollars. I'm turning into my grandmother-- I'm reusing items and unplugging all the electronics in the house. Perhaps most notably, I am getting my grocery bills under control. I am quite proud of my efforts in this area. Here is what I do:
Every Wednesday, I get my local grocery ads in the mail when I get home from work. I look over them to see what kinds of things I can buy at great deals. Once I get an idea of how much things will cost, I will create my menus for the week based on what's on sale. From my menus, I create a shopping list of things I will need. Finally, that shopping list is surveyed against a few coupon sites and the coupons from the Sunday paper for further savings. It is a lot of work, but I've noticed a dramatic drop in the money I've been spending at the grocery store. All you need is a little time, a lot of patience, and the will to follow through with your plan.

To help with the planning, I use a few printables I've downloaded for my life organization notebook. Here are some examples of what I use:
 Weekly Menu Planner
The Ultimatest Grocery List (grocerylists.org)

The coupon sites I like to use are Coupon Bug and Coupon Suzy.

If you don't want all the hassle of the work, but still want to save, another great option is E-Mealz. They have a host of plans you can buy for $5 per month ($15 per quarter) that will give you weekly menus and grocery lists that are designed to save you time and money. I've used them before for their gluten-free plan and I found the product to be outstanding. I just went to the site each week and printed off the recipes and shopping list. The recipes were easy to follow and very flavorful, and I know I saved a great deal of time and money at the store. My grandmother would be so proud.