Where to begin?

I'm sure you may be wondering where you begin with all this. Trust me, it can be overwhelming. I'm going to help you out here.

1. Take an inventory of what you already have!

This may sound like a no-brainer. Think about it for a moment. How many times have you been walking around the grocery store thinking about what you have at home? This has two outcomes. You decide you don't have something and buy it, only to get home and find several already there. You couls also decide you have something at home and forgo buying it, to get home and there is none to be found. This results in another trip to the store and more money spent. Not very frugal!

This doesn't have to be very complicated. Grab a notebook. Open the frige, what are you out of? What is almost empty/gone? Write it down.

2. Write out a rough draft of a menu for the week.

Take note of your schedule when you do this. If you know you are going to be busy one night, plan something easy and quick. You don't want to plan an eight course meal on the night you are going to be running errands.

Check what ingredients you will need to purchase and write them on the shopping list.

The reason this is a rough draft is because you may get to the store and find a much better deal on something else your family loves. You can just swap out the meals and their ingredients.

Don't forget snacks and beverages!!!

3. Sit down and have a snack and something to drink.

NEVER, EVER, EVER go to a store hungry or thursty. You will make stupid and evpensive purchases. This is not frugal at all. I toss a water bottle in my purse and grab a snack on the way out. Gum also helps prevent sweet cravings while shopping. You can always see me chewing my gum and drinking my water. When we used to shop primarily at Big Y, we used to always grab a slice of pizza and a soda while checking out the flyer. I like their cafe area, nice thinking!

4. Don't forget your coupons, list, and reusable bags.

It doesn't do any good to go through all the work and leave it all behind. It would be a shame to drop the ball at this point in the game.

5. Now, go shopping!

Keep an eye out for a great deal. I was at the store tonight and steaks were marked down to $1.23-$2.00 each. That wasn't on my menu for the week, but you can be sure it is now. I was surprised to find it that inexpensive. It worked out to be cheaper than what I was planning on buying. I saved money and Mike gets his steak. It's a win-win!

6. When you get home, do prep work and put everything away.

Need to repackage anything? Do it now. Freeze things that are needed later in the week. Put things away where they belong. The more work you can do now, the easier it will be for you to prepare meals. The easier meals are for you to prepare, the more likely you are to make them. It isn't very frugal to buy food, not cook it, and end up throwing food away and ordering takeout.

7. Finish your menu and post it.

I leave mine on the fridge in a plastic sheet protector. One night's dinner might get swapped with another as plans change. It is much easier to do this with the menu in plain sight.

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That's really all that it takes. Start here and you will see your savings adding up in your very first shopping trip. There is nothing quite like instant results!

Happy couponing!
~Aimee~