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How to cut your monthly grocery bill in half, from a woman who lived on $14,000 a year

by Business Insider on Sep 27, 2015, 10:30 AM

Your grocery bill can quickly add up.

Danielle Wagasky, who stretched $14,000 a year to cover her family's needs for five years, would know.

After adding up all of her purchases one month, she was shocked to find out that she was spending $800 on groceries for a Nevada-based family of four. This wake-up call inspired her to get smart about grocery shopping, and she managed to cut her expenses in half.

"The grocery bill is one thing you have absolute control over," she writes in her book "Living a Beautiful Life on Less."

"You are not locked into a contract like you are with cellphone or rental agreements. You are not stuck with a monthly rate like you are with the internet and cable ... A grocery bill is different, and that's why it's the most important expense to learn to control."

Here's how she learned to control her grocery bill, and how you can too:

Shop less often.

The less time you spend in the grocery store, the less you'll spend, Wagasky preaches.

"Think about the last time you just went into the store for a few items," she writes. "Did you buy only those few items you were in need of, or did you spend a bit more? Did you impulse buy because of the lovely end cap display of goodies or because that deal was just too good to resist? It happens. Shopping less often takes away the temptation to do this."

Wagasky shops just once a month, but don't feel the need to instantaneously change your shopping habits. Start small, she encourages: "If you are a three-times-a-week shopper, try to go only once this week." Eventually, you can work your way up to once a month.

Bring a calculator.

Set a target budget for each trip to the store, and then to help stick to it, bring a calculator along — or your smartphone — and tally up your expenses as you shop.

"When you go through with a calculator, it is amazing the change that takes place," Wagasky writes. "You are more aware of how much each item is adding up. You suddenly weigh the options a bit more with name brand versus generic. You think twice about adding all that candy into the cart just because it looks good. It makes you more conscious of what you are tossing in."

Pay with cash.

This tactic may make you cringe, but keep an open mind, Wagasky encourages. Going cash-only when you head to your local supermarket forces you to stick to your budget, especially if you leave your cards behind and only bring the amount of money you've allocated for groceries for that particular shopping trip.

"At the beginning of each month or pay period, get out the set amount that you have budgeted for groceries in cash," Wagasky instructs. "Keep this cash in an envelope. This envelope holds all your precious dollars to buy food for your family this month. Using cash will encourage you to stay within your set budget."

Not only will you be forced to remain at or under budget, you'll also become a more conscious spender and will be more aware of exactly what you're putting in your cart, Wagasky says.

If cash-only works for you, you can take this approach to more aspects of your life than just grocery shopping.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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