Groceries

Every other Friday Mark gets paid. On those days I do our finances, setting aside money in each budget category and taking out cash for groceries and dining/miscellaneous. Which means that every other Friday I have $235 in my wallet. By Saturday all that money is gone. Every last dollar is handed over at the grocery store on Friday afternoon. And every.single.time I think, "I'm overspending. I KNOW we're going to have to head to the store in the next two weeks for more milk, or some staple I forgot to write on the list."

So, what's a girl to do? I already buy the cheapest brand of each item off the shelf. I make a 2-week menu in advance, plan my grocery list around that, and stick to it. I don't use many coupons, as we don't get a newspaper. (Although every time I go to the store, I do pick up their coupon book to see if I can utilize any.)

Here's what I'm starting in an effort to save money in this area: A price book. If you're unfamiliar with this, you can read the links below:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/971013b.cfm
http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/price_book.html

Bascially, it's a record of how much an item costs. I've purchased a little book that I carry in my purse, and I have a few columns: item, store, price, quantity (lbs/oz), and finally, and most importantly: unit price. The idea is that if I have it all listed I will always know if I'm paying the best price... or not. Or, as one of the above articles says, "A price book is basically a record of the best price you have paid for all the different grocery items you've purchased in the past. It's your history of what a good price is on each individual product and puts you in the driver's seat in finding bargains."

I wouldn't say I'm USING it yet, but I've started making notes in my little book and hope this tool will eventually help reduce my grocery bill.

If any of you have ever done this, I would love to hear about it. AND. If any of you have a wonderful tip to share on saving money in the area of groceries, do tell.