How I spend $30 a week on groceries.....

• Menu Plan-One day each week plan your week of meals. This doesn't need to be a strict plan that you need to follow to a "T" but rather a list of meals that you know you have the ingredients for and you can fall back on. Have a guide for breakfasts, lunch, and dinners. This way you are not scrambling at 6:00 trying to figure out what to eat, not having ingredients on hand and resorting to takeout or a last minute trip to the grocery store where you will more than likely pick up unneeded treats.
• Have a grocery list-NEVER, EVER, EVER go to the grocery store without a plan and a list. Take your menu plan that you created, go through your pantry, figure out what you have on hand and make a list. Stick to it.
• Shop sales and use coupons-When I make my menu I look through the sale fliers and see whats on sale. Just a quick look through and you can see what the deals are and plan your menu accordingly. Stacking sales with coupons saves you even more.
• Stock your pantry-Usually items are on sale every 6 weeks. The items you know you use a lot of frequently (peanut butter, butter, bread etc) stock up on when they hit there rock bottom price. Knowing when these deals are coming around helps you stock up on coupons for these items also. Stock up 6 weeks worth to get you through till the next sale.
• Make as many things from scratch as you can-Not only is eating "whole" non processed foods healthier for you, but it saves you a ton of money too! You pay for packaging, and convenience more than you do the actual food when you buy processed "junk". Processed food does not fill you up for very long, so you eat more, gain more weight, have more health problems and then pay more in medical bills! Its a vicious cycle. It kills me when people say they cant afford to eat healthy or organic. If you break down the cost of eating healthy (whole foods) vs processed foods, you would be surprised at how much more you are paying for packaging, unhealthy ingredients and advertising!