One of the main areas of our budget that I have been able to scale back on considerably is our grocery budget.

I should probably tell you up front that I would not expect anyone to stick to the budget we have set in place for our family at this time which is $200 a month. My husband has been out of work on and off for about a year now, so it has been necessary for us to change our shopping habits.

While I would have only bought organic all natural peanut butter or meats a year ago, I have had to adjust my thinking on these things since my husband has been out of work. My suggestion is to cut costs wherever it is possible.

There is always room for improvement.

Here are some of the easiest ways to cut your grocery bill quickly.

1. Stock up when something is on sale. There are things that we use regularly like ketchup. When I can find ketchup on sale and free with a coupon, I’ll pick up several. This saves me from spending unnecessarily on something when we run out while there is no sale.

2. Always buy marked downs. I rarely buy meat or bread unless it is on markdown. You can ask your grocer when they regularly do mark downs for the best selection. My Meijer seems to do this on Friday mornings. I plan my menus around what I find on mark down instead of planning my menu first and looking for meats after to save.

3. Learn to use coupons. I cannot tell you how important it is to use coupons. I purchase 2 papers each Sunday just for the coupons inside. I save way more that the cost of 2 papers, so it is totally worth it for me. There are also several places online to get coupons as well.

4. Make a list. But, more importantly, stick to the list! I use to make a list, but once I got to the store I would see other things that I wanted and add them to the cart thinking its only a dollar. But, can I just say that those dollars add up quickly and you’ll leave the register wondering how you spent so much more money that you had planned on spending.

5. Leave a little room. If I know that I have $50 for my weekly grocery budget, am not going to spend every single cent while planning out my list. The reason for this is that there are always great mark downs that when matched with the right coupon will be practically free. If you don’t leave yourself a couple dollars you won’t be able to take advantage of these situations which will save you money down the road.

I also want to add the importance of meal planning.  This is one thing I do that makes grocery shopping like this possible.  You can see exactly what I mean by meal planning in this post written by QuirkyMama.

Over the next several weeks I will share a lot more on just HOW to make this all work for you. I mean it’s great that I am saving hundreds of dollars every month on the groceries I use to feed my family, but what does that matter if you can’t learn how to do it also?

Become a fan of This Side of Eternity on Facebook here, where I share a lot more freebies and hot time sensitive deals than I am able to here.

Also, sign up to receive FREE updates from This Side of Eternity by email or in a feed reader and never miss another deal!