Happy New Year y’all!

We’ve been busy prepping for the restaurant opening in just a few short weeks! We had a few setback with the timeline of the opening, but God’s timing is perfect!

So if you’ve been around us a little bit, you know we are on our debt-free journey. We started it again January 2019, and have since paid off 9, yes 9 credit cards! You can check out my previous post to see more. BUT part of the reason we were able to pay off more than $12,000 in debt is because we really got serious about our grocery budget. We are a family of six, WITH 3 pets, so we really have to be wise when it comes to grocery spending or we could go off the rails a bit!

About 3-4 years ago, we were able to pay off $40,000 worth of debt, using the cash envelope system AND Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, so we knew we could do it again! No we should not have gone back into debt, but that’s for another post! So how in the world do you save $500 or more on groceries per month?

Track how much you spend for 1 month! Write down every single grocery purchase for one month! Need a tracking printable! Head to our shop for our grocery printable!
Create a grocery budget! After tracking your grocery spending for one month, add up your grocery spending. Now take that number, and create a grocery budget based on that. SO if you spent $700 on groceries last month, try to challenge yourself to maybe $650 for groceries this month.
Shop sales and what’s in season! So during one month, we had 18 boxes of cereal! Why? Because cereal was buy one get one free at Bi-lo or Publix, so I stocked up on the cereals that my kids love! And you know what? We ended up going through those boxes in the following months! So when a sale hits, stock up! Freeze meats! Store cereals! Buy what you’re going to eventually use! By shopping sales items, we have saved over $123 just this month! This week La Croix is buy one get one free! So I purchased 4, and I plan to get more next week before the sale ends! Buy more of what you are going to use.
Take an inventory of what you have, and buy ONLY what you need! So today, I looked at my fridge and saw we have a ton of breakfast food items, BUT we do not have a ton of dinner items. So instead of buying a ton of groceries today, I only purchased what we needed for the next few days! I buy groceries 2-3 times per week (we use a delivery service), and I buy what we need for that week OR for the next few days. For us, it works so that we are not wasting food! We use to waste so much food, so now, we only buy for 3-4 days at a time! Do an inventory check in your pantry, cabinets, fridge, and freezer. What items do you need? Buy only what you need! Can you get by without grocery shopping for a week or two and get creative by cooking what you have? We have saved over $300 by skipping shopping for a few weeks and only cooking what we have during certain seasons! Why? Because we want to pay off debt faster, so for us, the sacrifice was well worth it!
Use Instacart delivery service or Walmart Pickup, or a service that allows you to pick up and stay in budget! By allowing someone else to shop for you, you save so much money by NOT putting items in your basket that you don’t need! We have used Instacart for almost a year, and it has been a game changer for us! We pay 9.99 per month, but we have saved SO MUCH MONEY! Here’s a $10 off coupon if you want to try it!
Eat meatless for a week! It’s no surprise that we eat meatless if you’ve been around us the last few months in person or virtually. My husband and I went meatless last fall, BUT our children do still eat meat. Before we went plant based, we often went a week or two without buying meat. By eating meatless meals, you can save $100 plus dollars. You can do meals like chili and rice, spaghetti, tacos with beans and cheese and chips and salsa! There are tons of meatless options AND you can save $100 plus dollars on your grocery bill by going meatless for a week or 2 depending on how much meat you buy! Need some meatless options, head to the shop, I have a vegan meal plan available!
Pay cash for items! Studies show if you pay cash for items, you spend less! Try the cash envelope system for groceries and challenge yourself to save what you don’t spend! Years ago, we had a grocery cash envelope, and we saved so much money! Try it, and see if it works for you!
Grow your own veggies! Last year was the first year that I did not have a garden in years! We grew our own veggies for years, and I loved it! We saved $75 plus dollars every month, just by growing cucumbers, kale, onions, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, and so much more! We loved our little garden and saved so much money! And the kids loved going out back and picking strawberries! It was such a nice treat for the family! I think I’ll get back into it now that our restaurant Eggs Up is up and running!
Meal Plan!!! It goes without saying that if you don’t plan, you plan to fail! Or however the saying goes! Plan out your weekly meals so that you have a plan going into every week, and not scrambling to find dinner! We have saved hundreds by meal planning each month!
Skip the dairy, wine and treats! So confession! I love wine! No really, I love the taste of it and everything about it! Guys, this month, I gave up wine and alcohol! My beloved wine! And you’re not going to believe how much we have saved just this week! God really impressed on me leaning into Him when I want wine, leaning into Him when I want sugar, leaning into Him when I’m craving or wanting “escape” instead of running to Jesus! It’s been such a process if I’m honest especially because sometimes I just want a Reese’s! You know how much we were spending on average for my expensive habit? $78-100 bucks a month at least on alcohol. At the very least! When we had a wine subscription, we spent even more! So skip the wine for a month, or dairy, or chips and treats, and watch your savings grow! Now I know it seems like I’m losing my mind, BUT friend, trust me. I’ve tried it, and goodness it works!

So let’s total potential savings for you this month! By growing your own veggies you can save $75 dollars (at least in a month), paying cash for groceries you can save at least $25 or more, eating meatless one week $65 in a month, using Instacart or Walmart Pick Up, says we have saved around $85 in a month, by buying only what you need you can save up to $100 at the very least, more if you get very disciplined and committed! By buying sales items and what’s in season, you can save at least $200 in a month! By creating a grocery budget to begin with, you are saving your family so much money! You are creating a habit to create a financial legacy for your family! And that in itself is huge! What about by giving up wine, alcohol, treats, and dairy? Another $100 savings? Over $500 in savings IF you’re willing to commit to getting serious about where your money is going, commit to the sacrifices and time it may take to shop sales, BUT it will be worth it friend! You can do this! If you need more, check out our DEBT CRUSHING MAMA VISION SHEETS to take control of your finances in 2020! And be on the look out for our DEBT CRUSHING WORKBOOK coming soon! You got this beautiful! Let’s go out and be the amazing women God created us to be! And it starts today!

Until next time friend!

Shelly