How to Grocery Shop As a Family (and Still Save Money)

Even when you're trying to save money, there's often that one person in the family who just isn't quite cooperating with the plan. The one who still really wants those extras.

Maybe it's Mom, maybe it's Dad, maybe it's one or all of the kids. But that person sure makes going grocery shopping difficult. How do you avoid buying all the extra stuff they want?

Well, kids are easier to cope with than when it's the other parent. You either learn to say "no" or you go shopping without them as much as possible. Neither one is easy at times, and as your kids grow you will have to figure out what works best for each age, but you do what you can.

Such as have them buy the extras they think they can't live without with their own money.

But it's much more difficult when it's one of the parents who isn't hearing the other say "we need to spend less money and don't really need that." It gets to feeling as though you're nagging or that they just aren't paying any attention to you.

And of course an adult can easily just go back to the store on his or her own and buy the things you said no to before. It can take much more effort to break through the stubbornness.

Shopping alone is often much cheaper than bringing anyone else along. Just make sure it's the person most willing to limit impulse buys. And bring a list.

A list can help even when you do bring the family along. Warn everyone who's coming along that only items on the list will be bought. Go through the grocery store ads so you know what deals you don't want to miss, and at least tentatively plan the kinds of meals you'd like to have for the week. The more you know about what you're actually going to eat, the less excess you will buy.

Talk over the issues too, and be clear about exactly what is happening to your budget due to overspending at the grocery store. Making the problem clear may not be enough to immediately stop the problem, but it does mean you can brainstorm some acceptable solutions.

Take a look at your eating habits too. Can you give up convenience foods? What about sodas? Candy?

These items tend to add up fast, and many aren't too good for you to begin with. Work up a way to work these out of your diets if possible, or at least agree on limits. I've always found that if they're in the house, they get eaten, but if they aren't, I won't get desperate enough to go to the store just for them.

Changing your grocery shopping habits probably won't solve all your money problems - many families have other places that could be cut equally or even more effectively, but it's an area many are willing to target. Talk it out, work it out and see what happens.

Stephanie Foster runs http://www.homewiththekids.com/ as a resource for stay at home parents. She offers more tips on living on a single income at her site.

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Money Gone?

Oh Where, Oh Where Has my Money Gone?
Oh where, oh where can it be?
It comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb
I scrimp and I save whenever I can
But my money's still gone and I need it again
Oh where, oh where can it be?

As stay at home moms, one of our greatest responsibilities is money management. It is not a subject most of us would like to talk about.

But the fact remains that choosing to survive on one income means that we must be very conscious of every single dollar that goes out of our pockets.

Yes, its time to talk about budgeting, or, more accurately, where it is your money is going.

What kind of budget are you using in your home? If you are like most of us, the answer is none. That needs to change, now.

Having a budget does not need to be restrictive, intrusive, or even expensive. You can write any sort of spending you want into your budget.

Before you can accurately put together a budget, you need to know where your money is going. Take a month to monitor it.

Carry a little spiral bound book with you, and make sure you give one to your husband as well. Each time you spend, whether its 35cents for a newspaper or its $100 at the grocery store, make a note of it in your book. Jot down the date, amount, and what the purchase was.

Don't try to curb your spending at this point. It is mainly important that you get an accurate accounting of your expenses. Though I will say, having to write it all down is an excellent way of getting you to spend less right off the bat!

After a full month has gone by, take the notebooks and compile a list of your spending. You may want to do this for a month or two if you felt like the particular month you started this in was an irregular month.

Put your spending into different categories. Somethings, like housing, fuel, and utilities are expenses you will have each month that you cannot change. But other expenses, like dining out, entertainment, snacks and even your food bill can be trimmed.

This exercise is very important. When you take the time to truly examine just what it is that you are spending your hard earned cash on, it can be both enlightening and frightening at the same time.

For instance, we found that my husband was spending almost $40 a month on coffee in the morning at his favorite gas station. $40 a month!

For me, it was bottled water ($2 each) at the gym three times a week. That works out to be over $300 a year.

By eliminating just those two simple expenses, we were able to add almost $800 a year to our savings account. This did not take into account the spending we were doing on the kids; toys at the checkout line, snacks at ballet practice, dollars here and there for video games.

The discretionary spending fund can eat away at your wallet.

After finding out where your money is going, you will be more open to a budget. You don't have to take all the fat out of your money diet, but just trim it back a little, and prepare to be amazed.

Rayven Perkins is an expert at saving money at home. She has spent 7 years finding and implementing unique cost-cutting tips that allow her family to live comfortably as a one-income family. Her site http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/budget.html examines resources and tips on Reducing Expenses, Stretching Your Dollar, and Supplementing Income in order to stay a SAHM