Saving with Grocery Budgeting, Grocery Exile, and the Pantry Method
How Grocery Budgets Can Save
Saving on groceries is often one of the more flexible areas of a family’s “required” spending. Setting a budget for this area will be extremely helpful in managing your spending (especially if you’re prone to shopping while hungry 
). (A budget in all areas of spending will help save immensely, but if you don’t have one, this is a great place to start! And if you do already have a budget, keep reading–hopefully there’s an idea or two in here that might inspire you to try to save more.)
If you don’t have a budget in place for this area, start small. Examine receipts for a month or two, figure out what you typically spend, then try to keep yourself at that average. (It’s typically best to set a weekly budget if you shop weekly.) Next, try to cut $5-10 off each week for another month (this is assuming you’re not starting out at $30/week). Do this by eliminating unnecessary and unhealthy items (do you really need that 2 Liter soda, the cheese puffs, etc…), by buying off-brand, shopping bargain stores, and finally by using coupon/finding bargains (in that order). Of course, when you “extreme coupon” you will often end up buying brand name, but that’s another discussion…
Viewing the savings as long term will help. Saving $10 a week may not sound like much, but what about $520? That’s how much you’ll save if you can cut off $10 a week for a whole year! When I view it like that, I’m compelled to try to save even more. Go from an $80/week grocery budget to a $50/week budget, and you’ve saved over $1500 in one year. Do it 5 years, plus invest your savings? Well, you’ve got at least $7500 that you would have otherwise eaten. Literally.
So evaluate your current spending; you could be saving hundreds…or thousands!
Grocery Exile
Our family does this several times throughout the year, but I recently discovered that some people call this practice a “Grocery Exile.” So what is it?
A grocery exile is a period of not buying any additional groceries, but living off of what you have in your pantry without overspending in the surrounding weeks. For instance, if our weekly grocery budget is $40, it doesn’t mean we spend $75 the weeks before (or after).
Do it several times throughout the year, and you’ll save a good bit. This is a great way to save towards something without subtracting money from another budgeted area. You’d be surprised what you might be able to come up with!
Pantry Method of Menu Planning
For those who do weekly menu planning, there are many who plan the weekly menu around the stores weekly sales–the week of the sales. This is certainly a good way to save. Others plan a rotating menu that seldom changes. They plan inexpensive meals, and simply keep inventory to make sure they have the items on hand. (And then there are the spur-of-the-moment planners…and the non-planners at all! :)) This, too, is a good and very organized method.
I suppose that realistically, the “pantry method” is a mixture of both, but it is also one that I believe helps our family save even more. Each week, I try to pick up items that are free or nearly free; but I don’t usually incorporate into our menu until later in the month (or beyond). Additionally, we shop at bargain stores and salvage stores. With my pantry filled with these items, I plan our meals. By doing this, I am ensured that I’ve gotten everything within our budget, at a super sale, and that I can use what I have on hand. Fortunately, both my husband and I are not picky eaters, though we certainly have our favorites. (For instance, while I prefer oatmeal for breakfast, we have lots of equally healthy cereal in our pantry that we’ve gotten for free or nearly free–so for the time being, I’ll enjoy it!)
If I realize that our pantry is running low in a certain area that is a main ingredient/food, then I will try to obtain that item ahead of time by using overage from other coupons and being extra careful to try to find it on sale. If I can’t, I try to purchase it at Aldi or as a store-brand item. But I rarely even need to do that, because of the pantry system.
It may be helpful (albeit time-consuming) to make a pantry inventory list. You may also attempt to “trade” surplus items with those who may want what you have and have what you want. There are various degrees to do this, and the regularity of a stay-the-same every two weeks menu may be more necessary. And, of course, the bigger your pantry, the easier the grocery exile is.
Thoughts?
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