Most stores run their sales every three months. And some have their really rock bottom sales once to twice a year. This is where your price book will come in handy. When the things you use come on sale write then in your price book this way you can get an idea of how often things run on sale and what the sale prices are.

If at all possible buy enough of the sale items to last you at least three months. This way you are not paying full price for what you need. I know for some of you this isn’t an option as money is super tight but if you can buy even one extra item do it.

Now if money is super tight and you can’t even begin to buy an extra item you need to plan your menu around the sale items. When you get the sale ads for the week sit down and plan your menu around what is on sale. In the back of your price book make a list of all the breakfast , lunches and dinners ( it will be a little time consuming to do but once it is done you will have it) that you make then break down what you need for each dish so when you are looking at the sales it will be easier to go through your list to see what you could fix. Say chicken is on sale look at all your chicken meals maybe chicken enchiladas, then chicken soup, and when you make these things you don’t have to put a lot of chicken ( or whatever you are using) just add enough to flavor it, this way you can stretch it for more meals. When my girls were little and money was super tight I would buy hamburger on sale go home and cook it up then divide into smaller bags to use thru out the next few weeks ( I could get at least 4 meals from a pound of hamburger), I would put the bags in the freezer and pull out when I needed one.

And one of the most important things COOK FROM SCRATCH if you cook from scratch instead of buying already prepared you can save a ton plus it is so much better for you. Make your own mixes, bread, crackers, granola bars, enchilada sauce, etc.