Aside from your mortgage, your biggest monthly expense is likely groceries. And unlike your mortgage, your car payment, and most of the rest of your bills you actually have some control over how much you spend at the grocery store. Creating a grocery budget and keeping the grocery bill under control is a life skill YOU need to have and THEY need to learn.
Keep reading for all the tips and even a meal planning and shopping list printable!
Make A Grocery Budget
Start by tracking how much you’re spending on groceries for a few weeks. From there, come up with a weekly or monthly budget. Allot that money for groceries and whatever you do – don’t go over. Teaching your homeschool teens how to manage a household budget is a perfect place to start! Having your kids help you keep track of expenses helps them see the reality of what the basics cost the family. It also helps you in getting certain tasks done that will positively impact your family’s budget bottom line.
Next, try cutting back your budget by just $20 per month. Keep going and see how low you can go. The remaining tips will help you do that without feeling like you’re depriving yourself.
Keep A Grocery Deals Price Book
Who doesn’t love a bargain or a good deal? They are all over the store, but do you know if what they advertise as a good deal is actually saving you money?
Keep a little notebook in your purse or keep a text document on your phone with the regular prices of the items you buy most often. When you are out shopping, have your homeschooler add to the notebook or list on your phone. Not only can you see if that “deal” really is a deal, but you can also determine what kitchen staple is cheapest where and adjust your shopping accordingly. The price book will also come in handy when browsing through weekly grocery flyers. You can decide if a loss leader deal is worth driving to the store long before you ever set a foot out the door.
Make sure you teach your shopping helper how to spot a good deal. Have ‘high-fives’ at the ready for every time they spot a way to save!
Life Skills & Personal Finance Classes
Trim Your Grocery Bill With A Few Frugal Dishes
You don’t have to make drastic changes and eat nothing but rice and beans all week. Instead, think of a few inexpensive dishes your family enjoys. They may be rice and beans. Or how about a big pot of soup or chili. Often meatless dishes will be your best frugal bet or use meat in small portions on frugal dish days.
Enjoying frugal meals even just a handful of days during the month combined with using up any and all leftovers will make a big difference in your grocery budget.
Using the meal planner and shopping list (at the end of this post) is a perfect way for you teens to get hands-on life skill experience in meal planning and grocery shopping on a budget! Start with simple meals and challenge them to see if they can create a family meal for a certain dollar amount per person. I used to challenge myself to $1 per person for a meal. It can be done!
Shave your grocery Bill by Cutting Out The Extras
Homeschool mamas may feel like this is ordinary. We feel like we are always cutting extras so we can afford curriculum, a special field trip, or something else super important to the family. But I challenge you to get your entire family involved. See where everyone can do their part to trim the grocery bill and overall budget.! You’ll be surprised what the kids come up with!
Make a list before you head to the store and stick to it. All those little extras like the fancy bread from the bakery or the candy you grabbed at checkout start to add up. Get in the habit of skipping those extras unless there’s a good reason to buy them. Stick to your list and you’ll cut your grocery bill by quite a bit each week. It’s amazing how all those little extras add up.
Give these tips a try and see if you don’t start to see big savings on a weekly basis. What will you do with all the extra money you save each month? Here are a couple of ideas!
- Save up for a fun summer vacation,
- Pay off those credit cards.
- Start building your financial safety net.
- Buy that awesome homeschool curriculum you have had your eyes on.
- Help someone in need.
Grab your Meal Planner & Shopping List Printable today!
It’s time to get this budget party started with a FREE printable! It’s copy work with a life skills twist! Perfect for your older kids! Simply work together to dictate the meal plan & shopping list and have them write it for you. You can even let your teens do a portion (all?) of the planning and shopping. They will be an expert in how to manage the household budget in no time!
You may also enjoy
- 26 Debate Questions for Teens | Fun Debate Topics
- Learning Style | What’s Your Kid’s Best Way to Learn?
- Best Must-See Museums for Teens Around the World
