I recently shared a post talking about cutting our grocery bill in half and some things to consider when reducing your food budget/spending. You can check it out here: Reducing Your Grocery Bill: Part One. I wanted to share my last five tips when being intentional with your groceries.

As always, I would love to know anything that works for you and your family!

6. Limit Trips/ Designate Day

Having a designated food or grocery day will eliminate those “quick trips” or deliveries that quickly add up! Decide how many times you are going to go to the store or purchase a month. Stick to the days you set and only purchase grocery items on those days. Planning plays a big role in making sure you have what you need for the week and don’t need to make multiple purchases (be aware of toiletry items as well). Those little trips/purchases add up fast! Our grocery day is every Thursday so if we run out of something I will make note of it for the next trip.

7. Create A Spending Goal

Decide what you are wanting to spend with each trip/purchase. This depends if you are shopping weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc. Create a goal and find ways to stick to it! If you find yourself overspending, you can always use cash!

8.Track What You Are Spending

Tracking and being aware of what you are actually spending can be so powerful and motivating. Follow through by actually looking at what you are spending and tracking your progress!

9. Make Your Own Staple Items

Consider making staple items on your own that are cheap and easy! We love making our own dough, sauces, ground beef, and chicken stock. Even though it may take a little more time, it is always nice eating things from scratch and definitely helps save on costs!

10. Be Creative

Your meals can be whatever you want! There is no “right” and “wrong” way to eat. Think outside the box with your meal planning or items you are purchasing to use for multiple meals.

What are some of your spending or grocery tips?

Sending light and love!

Blessings,

Jac

I am sure many of you are entering the new year with specific goals in different areas of your life or a “vision” for the year. You can check out my tips on goal setting and vision boards here if you are still wanting to create some: Vision Boards & Goal Setting: Top 5 Tips. One of our family goals this year is to spend less money on groceries and be more aware of what we are actually spending on food. It can be shocking how much money goes towards grocery items when there are so many different ways to keep the cost minimum.

I thought it would be fun to share 10 tips or considerations when focusing on the cost of food. I will say it takes a little more planning on the back end, but is definitely worth it if it is something you are wanting to do!

I would love to know one of your goals you are focusing on this year!

1.Shop At Affordable Places

Depending where you live, there are different options or places that provide more affordable prices. Know what stores are in your area and shop where you can get the most bang for your buck!

2. Plan Out ALL Meals (Weekly/Monthly)

Planning your meals for the week will help you avoid purchasing unnecessary items. Decide what your family is going to eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks on a weekly basis or monthly (if you like to see the big picture). Although planning takes time, it is worth it to know exactly what you are purchasing and eating for the week!

Also having a visual posted for family members to reference is extremely helpful!

3. Use Similar Ingredients (weekly basis)

As you plan your weekly meals, try and use similar ingredients to get the most out of your purchase. For example, we are making carnitas this week and are using the meat for salads, nachos, and a veggie plate. Be creative with the ingredients you are purchasing and see how you can use them more than one way!

4.Look At Generic

A lot of times generic brands have the exact same ingredient list as popular brands. If you are able to get items you love in a generic version, it will definitely save you money…and add up!

5.Buy Seasonal

Knowing what is in season will help minimize your produce costs. Anything not in season will naturally cost more. Consider planning meals based off seasonal crops or look into frozen for non-seasonal items!

Stay tuned for the next five tips and considerations! What are some things that work for you and your family when it comes to grocery shopping?

Sending light and love!

Blessings,

Jac

I don’t know about you, but with each new year I get into a huge clean out mode where I want everything to feel fresh and clutter free. I actually enjoy going through everything and really thinking about if we need certain items or are keeping it “just incase”. It feels so good to simplify a space and keep the things you really need or use. We have also been in a huge declutter mode with our second son coming, so I feel like we have double motivation right now to clean out, simplify, and re-organize! I love starting the new year this way, and wanted to share some things that have worked for me over the years when tackling our entire house/items.

Do you like to clean out at the start of the year or is that a goal of yours? Feel free to also check out additional posts on cleaning here: Maintaining A Tidy Home & Cleaning Schedule . You can also check out my IGTV on zone cleaning and my current process here: Zone Cleaning.

1. Zone Your Home/Space

If you are wanting to do a huge clean out, definitely consider breaking up your home or space into sections or “zones”. This will help you not feel so overwhelmed and really give you a target area or place to focus on for the day, week, or month. There is no time limit on cleaning out so consider what is most realistic for you. For example, once you zone your home maybe you are going to tackle a space every other weekend, or once a month. It does not have to be a process that happens immediately!

2.Schedule Zones

Once you have a list of the areas you want to go through and declutter, schedule when you are going to tackle each space. Like I mentioned earlier, it does not have to be this big thing that happens over a weekend or in one week. Write down when you are planning to go through each space and treat it like it is an appointment with yourself! If you are needing help from other family members, make sure they know when you are planning to go through that space. Do it when you plan to do it!

3.Create Different Declutter Categories

Before you start cleaning out decide what you are wanting to do with the items you are no longer keeping. Are you planning to take things to the dump or throw away? Do you want to donate to places in your area? Are you wanting to keep certain items to sell online? Are there items you are planning to give to family/friends? Decide what categories things will go into once you start going through them to make necessary piles/groups.

Cleaning out may not be the most fun things to do, but it sure does feel good once it is done! Keep the end goal in mind and allow yourself to go through the process in whatever time frame you need. We are currently working on our attic/garage which feels like a space that is neglected 98% of the time. I would love to know if you have or plan to clean out this year!

Sending light and love!

Blessings,

Jac