I’d say we all have items we omit from our regular grocery list to save money. I find it interesting the different things that people choose not to bye. So, I thought I would share some of my own today. Here is a list of 21 items of which I do not usually purchase or include in our regular grocery list. Please stick around and let me know in the comments what items you do not purchase, I would love to hear!

Now, onto my list of 21 things I don’t usually purchase!

1. Paper towels (because rags work great)
2. Dryer sheets &
3. Fabric softener (dryer balls replaced my dryer sheets & my fabric softener!)
4. Individual snacks (we mostly by the bigger packaging and split into baggies. This saves ton of money and I can control other portions according to the person)
5. Pajamas for my son (may sound strange but he sleeps in cotton “comfy” pants & casual T-shirts that double has travel clothes)
6. Gallons of water for bottles (we are done with bottles now but my filtering pitcher still replaces TONS of bottles of water a week!) *huge $ saver here!
7. Soda Pop (we just don’t need the extra sugar nor the extra expense)
8. Laundry Stain remover (Original Dawn is my go to & that tiny bottle last forever!)
9. Snack cakes (again, we don’t need the extra sugar nor expense)
10. Smell good body wash (we purchase a cheap ‘3 in 1″ man’s wash for the whole family. It’s inexpensive, easier on my skin allergies, & reduces the clutter to 1bottle. Ps I do purchase special shampoo for my hair)
11. Shaving cream (a squirt of conditioner works amazing! & last way longer!)
12. Personal meals (make your own w/leftovers & meal prep containers. You will save boo-koos!)
13. Juice (flavored water is much better on my kids teeth and cheaper)
14. Everything name brand (when I say “everything” I mean that I do not bye everything name brand, not that I don’t bye “some” things name brand. In other words, don’t knock it (generic items) till you try it.
15. Pre bottled sports drinks (big containers of powder mix for Gatorade is so much cheaper guys!)
16. Disposable razors (I’ve had my Venus razor for over 10 yrs. It’s disposable heads last so much longer and shave so much better then disposable razors. It may be an expense up front but it saves in the long run!)
17. Disposable Double AA batteries (I’ve been trying my best to switch to RECHARGEABLE batteries, why wouldn’t I?
18. Music CD’s (Online music saves me money & space, use a radio app or music downloads to keep from using up tons of data with music videos)
19. Big Macs & Frappe’s ! ( I love both of these! But did you know you can usually use the McDonald’s app rewards to get both for FREE ?
20. Mini trash bags (these look nice but tying a grocery bag snuggly can keep the neet look while illuminating a expense)
21. Furniture polish (personally a damp microfiber rag works great for my dusting needs but I also don’t own much “real” wood)

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Exceptions to these items I don’t usually purchase!

I would not be honest if I didn’t tell you that there are indeed exceptions to these items I don’t usually purchase. That’s why I said “usually” . The fact is, these items are not regularly on my grocery list but I do, on occasion, purchase many if not all of them.

For example, we do not “usually” purchase juice in our home. With that said, I do keep some juice concentrate in my freezer for health issues that may arise.

Another example would be disposable AA batteries. Although we try to use our stash of rechargeable batteries, I do keep a few disposable AA’s tucked away for emergencies when we “forget” to recharge batteries or we are running low.

And even though we don’t keep snack cake and pop rotation regular in our fridge and cabinets, we do purchase limited amounts of these items for travel days!

the fact is, limiting these items still saves money. You don’t have to give something up to see results.

In Closing

Are you not convinced that limiting or illuminating certain items from your grocery list can save you money? Maybe you just don’t see how a couple items can make much of a difference. Then you need to check out my post on “Decluttering your grocery budget”. It may change your perspective!
I hope this list has inspired you to consider cutting a few unneeded items from your life

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Happy Homemaking

-Erica