Using Time Wisely

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Start Saving from Scratch – Part 5 of 6

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Start Saving from Scratch

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Stocked up on crackers, Sprite, and noodle soup this past week.

Thinking that these supplies are good for a distant rainy day, I barely tucked them away before Paul and the girls needed them.

Just thankful we did not need to make an emergency run to the grocery store and pay full price. 😉

In start saving from scratch, I had interrupted my routine, so I hit the reset button. I organized my food supply (Part 1), created a menu (Part 2), compiled a grocery list (Part 3), and gathered my savings (Part 4). With all the groceries purchased, I’m ready to give those groceries a home.

Part 5: Giving Groceries a Home

In accepting help from my children, we unload the van. Now that my children are a bit older, they help carry lightweight items. My son can take the milk into house which is a big help.

Unload Groceries

Once in the house, I unload the groceries onto my kitchen counters. This way, I can see all the items before putting 3 items away only to find a fourth one tucked in another bag.

Put Away Cold Foods

I then organize my refrigerator and freezer putting the new items behind the existing items. This way, I am using my stockpile in the order it was purchased. Otherwise, the older items get stuffed in the back and spoil before use.

Store Grocery Items

With all the cold items put away, I then concentrate on the dry items. As I adjust my pantry’s contents, I make room for the new items. I continue placing the new items purchased behind any existing products. For example, a new bottle of salad dressing is placed behind the Italian and Ranch dressing currently in the pantry.

Prepare for Next Visit

Though all my items are put away, I’m not done cleaning up and preparing for my next visit. To do so, I return all the reusable bags to the car, remove remaining items (i.e., toothpaste, cleaners, medication, etc.), and wipe down the kitchen counters.

As I prepared and choose the savings for my family, I take care to put the items away for easy accessibility at meal time. In start savings from scratch, I have almost completed the process. In next week’s post, I will complete this series with my evaluation process. Keep on saving while using time wisely. Happy organizing!

Question: How often do you organize your food supply areas?

Waiting or Working?

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When my hubby arrived home and played with the kids, I took the opportunity to work on dinner alone. I put the pot on the stove and had some time to wait for the water to boil. During this time, I would have sat down to rest, if needed. But on this day, I needed to get my kitchen in order. Here is what I was able to accomplish while making dinner:

  1. Unloaded the dishwasher,
  2. Reloaded the dishwasher,
  3. Wiped down the counters,
  4. Finished my menu plan for the week, and
  5. Wrote out my grocery list.

At the end of the 25-30 minutes, I had a clean kitchen, menu plan, grocery list, and dinner made. After dinner, I was able to play with the kids while hubby graciously cleaned up the kitchen. Using the little chunks of time during the day to accomplish small tasks adds up to extra time spent doing what I enjoy – playing with my kids. What can you accomplish while waiting for water to boil?

Grocery Store Sales Dates

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One way to save money on your grocery budget is to shop the sales at your local grocery store(s). I typically shop at 2 to 3 stores; although some weeks I shop at all 3, other weeks 1 or 2, and busy weeks possibly none.

The key is to know your stores’ sales dates. Some stores run their sales Sunday to Saturday, others Wednesday to Tuesday, and I’ve also seen Thursday to Wednesday. In my area of the southeast, the grocery stores run their weekly sales Wednesday to Tuesday with additional 3-day sales, running concurrently with the weekly sales, Sunday through Tuesday.

Since I know my stores’ sales schedule, I know that shopping Monday or Tuesday is my best option. By shopping on these two days, I can take advantage of all the store sales and have all the coupons from the Sunday paper to help lower my out-of-pocket costs.

A great day for me at the grocery store is viewing my receipt to find that I saved more than I spent. I will continue to share how I strive to feed my family of 5 without breaking the bank.

Feeding my Family

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Thursday mornings are my low point of the week. I just battle getting up and going. Since I know this time is difficult for me, I do not plan activities or appointments on Thursdays instead I try to stay at home. If nothing else gets accomplished on Thursday morning, my 12-month old gets to nap in her crib.

Having a morning at home really helps to get some basic cleaning done. I spent a little less than an hour this morning picking up the downstairs, vacuuming the floor, cleaning up the breakfast dishes, and preparing for dinner tonight. By having my dinner planned, I am bypassing the 4 o’clock anxiety I get when I have no idea what to make for dinner. I work hard to keep my menu planning up-to-date, but life does happen. There are days when I hit that wall of “what do I do for dinner?” That’s when I turn to my stockpile and put together a meal to feed my family.

What’s a stockpile? Well, come back on Thursdays as I share my food tips including menu planning, grocery shopping, couponing, stockpiling, recipes, and more.