Spend Less - Grocery Shopping Challenge!

I need to spend less when in comes to grocery shopping! I am such an impulse buyer that sometimes I end up spending anywhere between $200-$300 a WEEK!

We only eat out once a week. I cook from scratch every single night. I bake every week. Where am I going wrong???

So I set myself the challenge I am only to spend $150 per week on groceries! This includes - meat, fruit, vegetables, cleaning products etc!

First stop - Butcher! I bought bulk, spent $80 and got home and divided the meat into dinner sized portions - I ended up with 21 meals - that is $4 a night!!!!

Then I wrote out a list of what I actually needed and headed to the supermarket! I spent $82.35!! (Record in my shopping history!)

So this is how the last few weeks has been:

Week 1 - $122.65
Week 2 - $143.00
Week 3 - $166.00 (didnt take my list)

So averaging $150.00 a week - I am $18.35 in front! And we are not eating any less - in fact Ive been baking more than usual and we have had people for dinner!!!

I am also no longer 'nipping' out to the shop for a quick top up - I wait.... until my designated shopping day and get what I need - in my budget!

So my tips for reducing your shopping bill are:

1 - Set a budget. Then you will be less tempted to impulse buy.

2 - Take a shopping list. I have mine on the fridge and add to it as soon as something runs out or is running low, so I can grab it quickly and head to the shop for only what we need!

3 - Buy meat in bulk. Find a good butcher that has good specials and shop there once a month. Divide meat into dinner sized portions and freeze.

4 - Have a designated shopping day. Dont duck into the shop for a couple of things. You will always come out with more that you need.

Using these tips I am comfortably feeding a family of 4!

So accept the challenge and reduce your bill too!