The Great Grocery Budget Battle: Choose Your Weapon

There’s a battle going on in my home.

It’s been going on for a while now. So far there’s not a clear winner, but I have every intention of claiming the prize.
I’ve tried several different weapons; some more effective than others, some that fit my style better than others.
I think I’ve come to that sweet spot of having found the right combination of armor and war tactics that are going to make me the victor.

The battle I’m fighting is called the Great Grocery Budget Battle.

I have a feeling you might be fighting the same battle in your home.
It’s everywhere. It’s like the plague. Families everywhere are suffering from the effects of skyrocketing food expenses.

Well I say it’s time for us to stop fighting this battle and just win it already.

But what’s the best way to reduce your grocery budget?

You’ve tried so many things; massive couponing, buying in bulk, cooking from scratch, freezer cooking, you’ve even tried going meatless–yeah that didn’t go so well. Maybe you’ve even given up the fight, believing that there just isn’t any way to win.

May I suggest that you can win? You just need to choose the strategy that works best for you and put it to work .  No more trying every tip and trick you find online in your desperate search to  save money. When you try too many things, you don’t get good at any of them. By choosing one to start with, you’ll get the best results.

So how do you know which is the best money saving strategy for you?

That’s what we’re going to explore in this series.
I’ve spoken with several blogging friends and convinced them to come and share their favorite money saving strategies with you. (It really didn’t take much convincing, they’re all happy to share.) We’ll take one strategy at a time, two at the most. I don’t want you to get overwhelmed and slip back into the habit of trying too much and getting frustrated.

Here are some of the topics we’ll explore in the coming weeks:

• Couponing
• Buying in Bulk
• Meal planning
• Freezer Cooking
• Making Your Own Convenience Foods
• Using a Cash/Envelope System
• Keeping a Price Book
• Growing and preserving your own Food
• Joining a Farm Co-op

And more, which means I’m hoping to find more people to share more experiences with us.

Now, I know I just said that it’s important to not try to implement too many of these at once. But before you can choose the one that’s best for you, you need to have a basic awareness of your options. That’s what this series is for. We’re going to present you with the strategies that have been helpful to us, in our different life circumstances, and you can choose what you think will work best for you. From there I’ll help you find resources that will help you dig deeper into the strategy you’ve chosen  so you can perfect it and win the Great Grocery Budget Battle.

To get you started, I’ve already written about what’s working for me.  I’d love for you to stop by TheHumbledHomemaker.com and read my post called  “How I Save Money By Cooking When I Feel Like It”. I really enjoyed writing it and it’s gotten a great response from Erin’s readers so far.
Then come back here and follow this series to get more ideas. Once you’ve gotten a taste for the many different approaches you can take toward reducing your grocery budget, you can choose one and get to work. I believe you can do this, and it doesn’t have to make you crazy.

Make sure you get a notice in your inbox each time I add a new post to this series. Just click the image on the graphic below to sign up for my mailing list. Not only will you get a free book (or two, depending on when you sign up) but you’ll never miss a post. (And your email is quite safe with me. No one hates spam more than I do!) I’m looking forward to exploring this series with you and helping you “Choose Your Weapon.”

Be sure and come back often. Click this link to see more articles in this series.