The Good Cheap Eats system is a proven way to save money on groceries so you can do bigger, better things. Imagine the possibilities!
I took this picture overlooking the ocean at our resort in Maui in December. It represents a lot of things to me, but mainly this:
The system worked.
Back in 2007 we were in the throes of debt. And here over twelve years later we spent ten days in Hawaii on a paid-in-cash vacation. Paid. in. cash. With savings to boot.
If you had told 2008 Jessica that story, she would have laughed in your face. Because that was impossible to believe.
But here we are.
In case you don’t know the back story, here it is in 100 words or less:
2007: we’d spent all the money we’d made in the California housing boom. We were 18k in consumer debt, several 100k on two mortgages. No savings. Loss of income. Five kids with another on the way. SAHM. Lack of work for our small business.
Oy.
Not to be defeated, we started to right the ship. Over the course of the next 18 months, we both got extra work, and we sold lots of things, including a house. (We held onto one as a rental, but it was a steady leak for several more years until we sold it.)
We built a zero-based budget every month and slowly paid off the debt, even with an unpredictable income.
One of the things that came out of that season was the Good Cheap Eats system to saving money on groceries.
The Good Cheap Eats System to Saving Money on Groceries
With all that debt, why did it matter what we spent on groceries?
True, groceries may seem like a small thing when you’ve got 100s of thousands of dollars in debt, but as the old proverb says, “Little drops fill a mighty ocean.”
You see, I couldn’t control the cost of our truck payment, but I was in complete control of what went in the grocery cart. Through careful food management, I was able to whittle our grocery expenses down to the bare minimum so that we could divert more money to debt reduction.
Those strategies are the Good Cheap Eats system. It works to help you save money and do the things you really want to do.
Like pay down debt. Save for a new car, college, a house. Invest in retirement. Take a trip to Hawaii.
How do you save money on groceries?
In the coming weeks, I’ll be unpacking the system in greater detail, but for now, I wanted to introduce these ideas to you and get your juices turning.
Maybe you already do them. Maybe there are a few you excel at and others you’ve never tried. I guarantee that practicing this system will make you a lean, mean, money saving machine — at least where food is concerned.
Check out the list:
- Shop the pantry (kitchen) first.
- Plan your meals.
- Make a plan for leftovers. (ie avoid food waste)
- Visit the store with the best prices.
- Check the sales and clearance.
- Cook from scratch.
- Freeze extra for later.
If you want to dive deep into this system, then I recommend you grab the revised edition of my guide, How to Save Money on Groceries. It’s available as an instant download in our estore.
Head here to buy your copy: https://goodcheapeats.com/product/how-to-save-money-on-groceries/
It’s free in June to members of the Good Cheap Eats Club, so you can also snag a copy that way.
Janet says
I usually shop my pantry first when making my grocery list. At the same time, I try to keep a bit of back stock as well. When the pandemic hit, I was glad I had some extra in the pantry. Trying to save money and prepare for a rainy day can be hard to balance. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Jessica Fisher says
It is a challenging dance, isn’t it?! I haven’t quite figured it out. We’ve spent more during quarantine thanks to shortages and uncertainty. Currently the freezer is packed and I really feel the need to pare down and see what’s what. I’m working on my pantry meal development and having that emergency supply on hand. And it’s a big topic of conversation in the membership right now. Will update more as I see success.