Those of you who know me in real life know that I completely defy the Connecticut norm... I spend less on one month's groceries for my family of five than many spend on one week's. There are a lot of reasons for this. One of them is my commitment to try to use coupons and still buy things that we actually use. Another is the fact that I do almost all of my shopping in one bulk monthly trip. But one of the biggest reasons I can stay right around $200/month despite living in one of the highest cost of living states in the union?
I make lists.
And that's my frugal tip of the day for you all.
Make lists. Detailed lists. Know exactly what you need and what you plan to get and do not waver. If you find that you forgot something, try to live without it. If you're not used to making lists, if you're one of those people who likes to "go to the store and see what looks good", this can be hard at first. You'll find, though, over time, it gets super easy. Your eyes don't even wander. You develop tunnel vision for the items on your list.
And, that, my friends, can save you a whole lot of money.
(Note: Someone is bound to point out that you need to keep your eyes open for amazing markdowns and discounts that may not have been adverstised- this is true. However, I will go so far as to recommend that- until you get "list shopping" down pat- you even let those deals go for a little while. Just my opinion.)
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