What? That’s right! Today I’m going to show you how to declutter & lower your grocery budget . At least once a year for the past 2-3 years, I have began this practice of “decluttering my budget”.
My first experiment with this process was a few years back when we found ourselves getting a little lax with our finances. During the mission to “reclaim” our budget, I found that some of my purchasing habits were no longer budget worthy. That’s when I decided it was time to DECLUTTER!
What exactly does declutter mean?
Declutter : “To remove unnecessary items from“
That sums it up about right! It’s so easy to let unnecessary purchases slip into our everyday and every week spending. That doesn’t mean that you have to necessarily give up all these items. But oftentimes, there are cheaper options that have nothing to do with loss of quality. And .. yes, sometimes we do need to give up things!
Why Should I Declutter My Grocery Budget?
Taking time to “declutter” your grocery budget helps put your spending back into prospective and can help fix an over spending issue.
This is also a great way to transfer from “no budget” into a “new budget” Or from a bigger budget into a smaller one.
How To Do It
1. First, I began checking
my every week spending.
I am looking for items that I could possibly save on, substitute, or omit completely from my grocery list.
You want to look for
#1 very expensive items
#2 anything you use a lot of
2.Begin a list of these items.
Don’t worry about figures yet, just start the list.
As you go about your day and notice qualifying items you use, add them to the list. Check your online grocery app for frequent purchases or add items as you add them to your physical grocery list.
3.After you get a few items on the list, you can sit down and begin your “Decluttering” process.
To declutter, you will need to do some figuring.
You will need…
–note pad
-pencil
-calculator
Choose one item form your list. You want to begin by asking yourself these 5 questions.
1.Is this product something I need or really want to keep purchasing?
2.If yes, could I make or purchase this item for cheaper? If no, mark off of list.
3.How much do I currently spend on this item,on an average, annually?
*Figuring by the year is very important!
This shows you exactly how much your small expense add up in comparison to your usage. It can be surprising, at times , what seems so little can add up to when used regularly!
4.How much less could I make or purchase item for per year?
5.How much would I annually save and
is it worth the exchange?
If it’s not worth it, mark from list and continue to next item.
*Here are the details of two items of which I walked Through these 5x steps.
Notice that by just changing the brand of washer cleaner I use to a equal quality product, I was able to save $71.76 per year! That’s an entire week of groceries for my family!
Imagine what your saving total could be after decluttering an entire grocery list!
This was not even my biggest single item savings this year . My biggest savings declutter had to be from our OLLY multivitamins. I simply swapped which store I would purchase these from and discovered that I could save approximately $87.36 per year ! Just on vitamins.
How Long Will This Take Me?
This process can be a little time consuming but don’t feel like you have to do it all at once. I like to start with a few items then as I think of more products to add to my list I’ll continue the process, breaking it up in 2-3 small sessions.
I don’t recommend waiting too long in between, for fear of forgetting exactly where you’re at in the process.
No matter how you do it, all at once, or over a couple weeks, be sure you stay at it until you are complete.
Why Should I Do This Every Year?
I do this declutter at least once year for the same reason I declutter my home over and over.
Time has a way to build up “clutter”.
Life happens, we add purchases we didn’t need last year without considering the most frugal options. Sometimes, prices fluctuate or new items are available changing the “best buy” and other times life gets busy or we get slack adding things we just don’t need!
All this said, I, personally have found that decluttering my grocery budget once a year is definitely NOT overdoing it!
If anything, it isn’t enough.
Tips For Success
• Don’t forget to keep ALL the notes of your savings and tally them up at the end!
This is where you will see the big results of you’re labor, and just think, next time you shop, you will see even bigger results!
You can also use the details for the savings notes for future checks on savings when new purchasing opportunities arise.
•When considering ordering items as grocery replacements, do not forget to include shipping cost, if there is any.
•Never assume a “bulk” bye is cheaper. It often is but sometimes it is NOT.
•Realize that sometimes convenience is worth the money, as long as it’s within your budget and is really beneficial to your families life.
In Conclusion
Decluttering our grocery budget has really helped me “stay in budget.” I hope it helps you in this way too!
Please let me know in the comments below, if you try this or what you currently do to stay in you’re budget.
If you have any questions about this process or the post please leave in comments below and I will respond ASAP.
Also, if you would be interested in a printable to help you preform the grocery budget decluttering process, I would be happy to look into the possibility of creating one.
I hope you have enjoyed this post! If so,
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