Sometimes the easiest way to save money is to just not shop! Sometimes we get caught up in what a good deal something is that we don’t think through if we really need it or not. This can apply to any kind of shopping, grocery or otherwise. If you can get $80 worth of stuff for $20 that’s great. But did you need the $80 worth of stuff to begin with? You could’ve saved that $20 for your fund, emergency cash, a trip to the zoo, whatever, just by staying out of the store.
I have found that if I don’t do the rounds at the drug stores or the grocery stores one week, we still get by just fine. And even if I’ve passed on some deals, they all come back around again!
This is not to say that I’m against bargain shopping and stockpiling – clearly I’m not! In fact, what gets us by if I choose not to shop one week is the fact that we DO have a stockpile! And sometimes we need to use it faster than we add to it to keep a balance. :)
Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.
I totally agree with this. I have been skipping the drug stores a lot over the past month, and I find that I don’t miss it too much if there weren’t items my family loves and uses all the time. Sometimes I will make the effort for an item just because it’s free, but only if there is another item I need/want also. Gas is so expensive, too, that I just stay home more days than I used to.
I love that last line about using it before adding to it to keep balance! This week has been so hectic that I haven’t been able to make a lot of meals I wanted to. They will go to next week’s menu plan which means that while the Kroger Mega Sale is appealing, I may be skipping it this week.