I have learned past couple of years that when it comes to the budget, guessing and assuming won’t work. It’s a strategic thing, guessing any frugal number at random will not help us. Our utility bills, income, rent, and cable fee all are certain because number do not lie.

We have to take into account factors before creating a low-cost monthly grocery budget. People have different reasons for low-cost grocery budget; to save money from the monthly expense, save for children educations or for a new house.

Whatever your reasons are I believe that grocery doesn’t have to cost so much.

Control Food Waste

We have to commit to the plan to prepare a frugal budget for monthly groceries. It is a family decision so husband and wife should be on the same page to prepare this budget. 

Food wastage is a huge issue that we observe time to time in different places. We actually learn the art to love our food leftovers, like our ancestors use to do. It always better to eat a little less rather than filling your plate with extra stuff and waste that in the end. 

This thing is manageable when all members understand the reasoning and bigger picture behind.

Monthly List

It’s very important to get things noted on paper so that you will have a clear picture what are you going to buy from the mart.  You can only manage your grocery budget by eliminating the unnecessary products that are creating a burden on your budget.

Listing of items will guide you to remain on the track so that impulsive buying and suggestion won’t affect your grocery shopping decision.

Also Read: Ramadan Grocery Shopping: An Awkward Experience

Plan Your Meal

Most of the people think off as a time-wasting activity to schedule meals for weeks. This is actually a very productive activity that can save your energy and time. 

We can reduce the grocery cost in different ways by cooking from scratch, buying in bulk and using discount promo codes from the grocery store. Another way to plan your meal is to create a list of the menu for the entire week and focus to buy according to that list.

This will give you clear picture what are things needed to prepare certain dish and quantity required for it. Preparing the meal once in a week and using that on daily basis will save time and effort, by this, you will be in a better position to craft everyday meal with a combination of proteins, vitamins, and minerals in your diet plan.

Also Read: How To Save Money in Online Grocery Shopping

Filtration Process

For creating a frugal budget you have to make a hard decision, this is where the rubber meets the road. It’s a tough process, no wants should be involved when you are trying to save money. 

This change will not come overnight, but if you want to change the current situation change can be done in baby steps and slowly. When you have reached this point take a long look on the items that you spend most in your grocery list and start there. 

It requires a lot of dedication to create a low-cost budget, but trust me it is so worth it.

Also Read: The Rise of Online/Mobile Shopping Tech in Pakistan

Don’t Be Duped By Coupons

Some of the big players in the grocery industry offer occasionally discounts and deals on the item which slow running and high cost. People often get trapped by these enticing offers and end up buying things which they usually do not use.

The point here is that sometimes the impulsive buying behavior overcomes to our frugal grocery plan. Grocery discount promotional coupons are good if we use them at the time and right place. 

Consideration should be to utilize these coupons where we can buy things which are actually on our list and get the best discount, which is smart buying.