The Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover: A proven system for feeding your family for less

Some of the references and jargon in this document are based on the teachings of the FlyLady and Dave Ramsey. If you are not familiar with them, I strongly recommend that you check them out.

I developed this system when I was facilitating a Financial Peace small group. When I explained that I cut our family’s grocery budget from $600 to $250 per month, one of the students commented that I could do that only because I am a stay-at-home mom. That certainly gives me leave to focus my time differently. However, everyone can benefit from conscious efforts to improve ourselves, so I wanted to offer a few tips for an easy system that allows you to feed your family more healthfully and for less money, even in these challenging economic times.

The System
I have broken these suggestions down into 3 levels, from Level 1: Bargain Belle, the simplest, to Level 3: Super Saver, the most time intensive, to allow you to choose the options that best fit your time and budget needs.

For instance, a single parent whose time and budget are severely limited may choose to implement options only from Level 1: Bargain Belle, whereas someone who Dave Ramsey might describe as gazelle intense may choose all three levels simultaneously.

To save the most money, select tasks from all three levels. Together they are a system and the more you choose to do the more money you will save. Remember, the goal is Financial Peace, and once you attain freedom from financial constraints you can choose to spend more freely, but then again, you may find that simpler is better—and healthier.

For those of you familiar with the FlyLady, you will recognize that I have broken tasks down into 15-minute segments wherever that’s possible. As the FlyLady says, don’t say you don’t have 15 minutes. If you look carefully at your day, you will find it. If you watch TV, you can do many of these tasks during commercials. For me, having a spirited four-year-old most often means that a task that should take a half-hour can easily take three, because I have to break it down into segments.

If you work outside the home, carve 15 minute chunks from your day during lunch breaks, downtime if your job has any, or after the kids go to bed.


For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Warm Up click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part I click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part II click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part III click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part IV click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part V click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part VI click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part VII click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part VIII click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part IX click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part X click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part XI click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part XII click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Motivation click here.

For the Grocery Budget Extreme Makeover Part XIII click here.

 

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About LivingLaVidaMama

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Formerly, I've worked in publishing and been a medical student. Currently, I'm a freelance writer and copy editor, and full-time mom with two exceptional daughters. LivingLaVidaMama focuses on intentional frugality and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet that has dramatically improved my younger daughter's autistic-like symptoms. Contact me at MadForWriting at windstream.net