Saving Money at the Grocery Store. Debt, Your Days are Numbered!

I just returned from my first trip to the grocery store since resolving to get my debt under control.  I think I did a decent job.

Like I said in a previous post, one of the things I'm trying to do to save money to apply toward my credit card debt is cooking at home for the week and taking my own lunch to work.  I use the word 'cooking' loosely. 

After all my bills I had about $100 left to buy food, so my goal was to spend no more than $75.  Something came up at work and I had to shell out $40, causing my available grocery funds to be reduced to $60.

I was very careful and my sum total came up to about $56.  Right under the nose!

The first key for me is PLANNING.   I found a couple recipes online and wrote out the ingredients as my shopping list.   One thing that helps is that the recipes have similar ingredients.  For example, both of the recipes use chicken breasts and cheese.  So I bought a large package of both.  I may be able to make one of the recipes twice.

Think about what you already have in your cabinets. I had to stop and catch myself when I thought about buying things I already have.  I have about 5 cans of tomato soup in my kitchen.  I like tomato soup, but I don't like these that much because when I bought them I didn't realize that they were the low-fat kind.  So on my way to the store, I was thinking about buying some regular tomato soup but then stopped like "Wait a minute."  I should just eat the ones I already have and save some money.

I can use the canned veggies I never open to complete a meal. 

Then there's that avoiding impulse shopping thing. For the most part I did very well, but I'd have some points deducted if I were being graded.  I know I said I was just going to drink free tap water--- and I will primarily....but I came across 2-liter sodas for $1.00 each and bought 3 of them.  That's not that bad, is it?   My second slip-up was my go-to weakness--a pint of Haagen-Dazs Strawberry ice cream!  It costs nearly $4 but I had to get it.  I also bought a casserole dish I could've done without, but I wanted to make sure I had the right baking dish.

So all in all, I think I did well.  I hope I can actually cook something that turns out to be edible enough to eat for the week.  This is kind of exciting.  I feel like I'm beating the machine or something.

P.S.  I just finished eating a portion of the chicken casserole I just made.  It's a keeper.  It was pretty easy and something I am sure I can make again.