Often I'm asked where is the best place to try to reduce spending. And, my answer is always the same. You'll probably spend the most on housing and transportation. But, the best opportunity to affect your expenses is in the area of food and groceries.
That's true for 2 reasons. First, because most families spend a lot on food. Generally between 15 and 20%. So, if you're able to save, it's enough to make a difference.
Second, because you're making purchasing decisions often. Not just the trips to the grocery store, but decisions on using restraurants and daily snacks and workplace food purchases. So there's many opportunities to save.
Finally, the savings doesn't have to negatively impact your lifestyle. Skipping the takeout window could actually make your life better.
To help you reduce your food/grocery bills we've accumulated a variety of resources (and we're working on more). The "Groceries and Food" section of the library contains dozens of helpful articles.
You'll find free downloadable price book pages that you can print out at home. Or if you prefer to use something fancier there's a nice little iPhone price book app.
And don't forget to use your coupons. We have printable coupons available from Smart Source and from MySavings.
Using a variety of techniques we hear of readers who have reduce their grocery bill by 20%. That would be the equivalent of reducing your overall expenses by 4%. And, that's a major savings!
Keep on Stretching those Dollars!
Gary
