The $3 spreadsheet that saved me $200 a month on groceries

I used to just buy whatever looked good at the store and figured it balanced out. Then I overheard a mom at the park talking about tracking every grocery purchase in a simple Google Sheet for three months. She said she found she was spending $80 a month on snack packs and granola bars for her kids. I tried it for two months and realized I was dropping $50 a month on pre-cut veggies I never used. Now I meal plan around what's on sale and only buy snacks in bulk from the big bags. Has anyone else found a cheap system that actually changed their spending habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

leep891mo ago

The $50 on pre-cut veggies hit home for me. I switched to buying whole carrots and celery and just chopping them myself on Sunday. I also started using an app called Flipp to check local flyers before I even leave the house. It takes like 5 minutes to plan my list around the deals and it definitely cut my bill by at least 30 bucks a month.

angelas781mo ago

Sunday chopping is the way to go. I do the same thing with bell peppers and onions, I can get three days worth of prep done in like 20 minutes and it saves me at least 15 bucks a week. Flipp is actually really smart, I never thought to use an app for that. I just grab whatever looks cheap at the store, but planning around actual deals makes way more sense.