Photograph Credit: Flickr (Caston Corporate)
After spending the day snuggling with my ill children, washing bedding, and cleaning up accidents without feeling frustrated, I ventured out to the grocery stores since it was the last day of the sale. I had planned to shop in the morning after taking my son to school, but . . . life happened. 🙂
With limited time, I made out my grocery list and grabbed those coupons in about 20 minutes. When I realized how quickly the plan came together, I reaffirmed the benefits of this process for me.
I remember a time in the not-too-distant past when this same process took me an hour. Back then, I was thinking:
- Maybe I should spend my time doing something more constructive
- Maybe I should forget the coupons
- Maybe I should just shop at Aldi and forget these other stores
What I should have thought was:
- Look what I am learning by methodically planning my savings
- See the deep savings I am getting to feed my family
- Wonder how I can increase my productivity with this system
By repeating this process each month, I am continuing to see deep savings while using time wisely. Spending 20 minutes to save $30 is worth those precious minutes. Thankful now that I created a plan, executed that plan, and repeated the plan for almost a year because I am reaping the benefits.
This process has worked for me. Try it. It may work for you as well.
My Menu Planning Process
- Step One: Choosing a menu plan.
- Step Two: Adding meals to your plan from the food you have on hand.
- Step Three: Continuing to add meals.
My Grocery Shopping Process
- Step Four: Creating grocery lists.
- Part 1: Identify needed items.
- Part 2: Select sale items.
- Part 3: Compile a list for each store.
- Step Five: Gathering your savings.
- Part 1: Entering the store.
- Part 2: Shopping your list.
- Part 3: Checking out.
- Step Six: Giving your groceries a home.
- Part 1: Unloading your savings.
- Part 2: Organizing your savings.
- Part 3: Preparing for future savings.
My Evaluation Process
- Step Seven: Taking a Step Back.
- Part 1: Reviewing your grocery list.
- Part 2: Reviewing your grocery envelopes.
- Part 3: Reviewing your receipts.
Next week, I will begin this last step in the process – Evaluating: Taking a Step Back. This section helps me learn from my mistakes, update my rock bottom pricing list, delight in my savings, and reset for another great week. Happy savings!
Question: What have you found helpful in this series? Please add your answer to the comments.