My Rules for Wise Grocery Shopping

Like clockwork, I visited my local Sainsbury's for my Friday morning shop.  I am always trying to improve the way I shop so I can make wise decisions, and I'd love to share with you the "rules" I follow so far when I do my shopping: 

Rule #1: I always have a list in hand. I use a free app called "MyShopi", that allows me to add items to the list by department (fruits, vegetables, dairy, bakery, etc.) and then check them off as I go around the store. I'll probably write an entire post about why making a list is important, so I won't go into that now.  If an item isn't on my list, it causes me to think twice about putting the item in my trolley. Oh, and you don't have to use an app, but do please at least write it on a piece of paper.

Rule #2: I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reduced items.  I always have a look at all of the reduced sections in the store.  At Sainsbury's - and likely most supermarkets - they are located in produce, fresh meat, chilled, dry goods (cereals, pastas, sauces, tea/coffee), bakery and homeware.  Occasionally the reduced items will be up front in their usual location.  AND THEY'RE EYE-CATCHING YELLOW!  So, it's kind of like a treasure hunt... ahem... for us grown-ups!  

Rule #3: I ask myself some questions about reduced items: 

1) Will I consume this item today or tomorrow? Since reduced items are most often "Best before" today's date, I wouldn't want to buy it only for it to sit in my fridge and then get tossed in the bin in a week.  Yes, I've done this.... lots... of... times... and it's a waste.

2) Does this item freeze well? If you don't plan to consume your reduced items today or tomorrow, ask yourself if this item will freeze well AND whether you have enough space in your freezer to put said item in when you get home.  Yes, I've done this many times, too... I've bought a huge load of reduced items only to get home and to realise I have very little space in my freezer.  Luckily none of it went to waste this time, but I still have to be careful not to buy too many reduced products.

3) How many packs of said item will it take to feed my family? Sometimes the reduced item is a pack of two burgers. This is not enough for my family of four, so I'd need to buy two packs.  This may not be an economical way of purchasing burgers, so I may as well buy a pack of regular-priced burgers, if burgers are on the menu for the week. Oh, and the salmon below... my husband and I will have this (there are two pieces in the pack I bought) while the girls have fish fingers; they simply don't like salmon despite our best efforts. 

4) Is it really a good price? Well, I answer this one by first looking at the difference in the original price and the reduced price. Take a good look at the price difference. Sometimes it's only 10p cheaper... not exactly a deal unless you were planning on buying that product anyway.  Other times, it's a lot cheaper, like the mince in the picture.  I saved 33% on this pack of mince that I plan to use next week in a yummy slow-cooker bolognese.  I often "roast" a chicken in the slow cooker (Vlog on this next week), and large chickens aren't usually reduced when I go shopping, so I saved £1.06 by buying this today rather than next week when it's not reduced.  And yes, I managed to fit it in my freezer.... now, I just have to remember to take the bird out to thaw in time!

In case you are wondering, I saved £4.09 on these 4 items alone today.  All of them fit in my freezer for next week's suppers.

Rule #5) If an item isn't on my list, but it's on offer/sale, I ask myself the following questions:
1) Is it really a good buy?  If it's half off, then most likely "Yes!"  Like my children's smoothies in a drink pack. They are 50% off this week, so I bought 3 boxes... which leads me to ask the next question.
2) Do I have enough room for 3 boxes in my fridge?  "Yes!"
3) How long do I have until the "Best before" date is reached?  "2 months... great, the girls will definitely drink them by then."
4) How often is this item on offer/sale and can I make it until the next time it's on sale without purchasing this item?  The smoothies aren't usually the price they were, even if they are on sale again in a few weeks. This was a very good price for them this week, so that's why I bought 3.

Rule #6) Is this item a WANT or a NEED? My family loves sunflower seeds and we ran out last weekend. So, I put them on my list for my shop at Aldi on Monday, but they no longer stock sunflower seeds; I even asked. "No worries", I thought ,"I'll buy them at Sainsbury's on Friday."  To my dismay I could only find a tiny little pack of sunflower seeds for 85p.  85p isn't a lot, but I don't NEED sunflower seeds today or this weekend.  I'll shop around a bit and put them on my list for Home Bargains, where I can probably find a larger pack for better value.  They are a want rather than a need.

Rule #7) Is the item a good price for the amount I'm buying? This is where it gets tricky. Just because something is on sale or reduced, doesn't mean it's a great buy. Take a look at the quantity.  Figure out how much something costs per pot, 100ml, ounce, wash (laundry), slice, person.... this will help you determine whether something really is a good buy or not.  I feel another blog is necessary to go into more detail on this one... so I'll blog about this soon.

I may be missing a few rules on this blog, but it's long enough. I hope I've given you inspiration to save a bit on your next shop. I'd love to hear from you whether you've taken any of these ideas on board and how it made you feel if you did. I've already been told by a number of my followers how they've been inspired to shop wiser and they feel great!

If you've been encouraged by my blog, I'd like to ask you to please share my blog and Facebook page with your like-minded friends.  Thanks!

Quick Tip: Fill a Jug

My mother-in-law keeps a large jug next to her sink and it only occurred to me a couple years ago to ask her what she uses it for.  She fills the jug with the water that comes out of the tap before the hot water comes through when she's filling the washing up bowl.  Why hadn't this occurred to me sooner?!?!  All of that perfectly good water - gone - down the drain.

Instead, use that water to fill the kettle, fill your water purifier, fill a saucepan... whatever... just don't waste it!  This is a very easy money-saving tip.

A Money-Saving Mindset

I'd like to thank everyone who has "liked" and "followed" the "Finding the Pennies" FB page the last 24-hours.  Your joining my page has given me a little push to get on with sharing all of my money-saving ideas with you.  Whether you joined because you need help with managing your finances, are simply curious about what this money-saving mindset is all about or have already adopted a money-saving mindset and just want to add ideas and tips to your knowledge base, welcome.

So, what is this money-saving mindset all about?  It is about going through every-day life looking for opportunities to keep hold of the money you have, stretch the money you're about to spend and look for smart ways to save in order to have more - more control and more freedom... I know, they seem like opposites, right?  Let me explain with an example: perhaps you can relate. When I make the right decisions to workout and eat healthy foods, I feel better and fitter.  If I do this for a day, I feel good.  If I do this for a week, I feel great.  But what if I did this every day for the rest of my life?  I'D FEEL AMAZING!!!  So, by taking control of your finances - creating and adhering to a budget or spending plan - and finding ways to save money, you'll eventually feel amazing... free from the burden of stress and worry over your finances.

Let me just say that, like most things, it takes practice.  Although I've never been much of a "spender", I've also made A MILLION (at least!) unwise decisions and mistakes when it comes to money.  When I first created my budget years ago, I only paid attention to it some of the time; I only set it up some months and follow it for a few days.  Fast forward many years and I now set up my budget for the next month a day or two in advance and it's the first thing that gets my attention pretty much every day once my kids are in bed.  It takes less than 5 minutes every single evening to enter in the amounts from receipts from the day's shopping and ask my husband, Jeff, whether he's spent anything today, and if so, where and how much.  Simples.

It's also become quite the hobby of mine and my husband to find the cheapest way of completing a task and not wasting. I CANNOT WAIT to share more of these, so I will post at least one tonight or tomorrow.  I just find the more I find ways to save, the more we can dream and make progress towards fulfilling those dreams.

So, where did the idea for "Finding the Pennies" come from?  From years of talking with friends and realising there's a lot of misconceptions about what money is really about. Yeah, but Lauren, finances are really personal... so is sex and yet we talk about it!  Sex is everywhere!  Yeah, but Lauren, you can't tell me how to spend MY money.  I'm not.  I'm simply giving you ideas. Take it or leave it.  Yeah, but Lauren, a "money-saving mindset" isn't really positive.  It isn't?!  It is to me!  It's about winning with money and living the life you want to live without debt, stress and worry.

Oh, and let me please point out that I am still learning, I am not perfect, nor a trained professional and would love ideas and suggestions, even corrections! Please share them with me, too.

"Finding the Pennies" is simply small ideas that I'd love for you to incorporate into your life, that, overtime, will add up to a huge gain.  I am POSITIVE that once you begin to realise the money-saving potential in these ideas, you will share in my money-saving mindset.

Budget 2017

Very little gets me more excited than talking "budget". Sad, I know, but it's true.  There are about 30 minutes left of 2016. While many, many are out drinking and partying, I am sitting here on my couch proud as a pickle (whatever that means, it just came to mind) that my budget for 2017 is all set before the stroke of midnight.  Take that, Fairy God Mother!

This evening, I've created a "Budget 2017" spreadsheet, and Jeff and I have compared numbers against each other's spreadsheets, which we do monthly, and our finances are ready to go for a new year.  I feel in control.  This control, however, goes only so far as my recognizing that I'm ultimately in control of nothing. Our Lord is. Our Lord is in control of everything.

Just as Jeff and I were about to finish comparing figures against each other's spreadsheets, I jokingly asked him, "How much do we have left over (unaccounted for)? Nothing?!"  I quickly corrected my sarcastic question and answered myself, "More than we deserve".  It's true. We deserve nothing.  The Lord has blessed us with everything.  Everything comes from Him, including the money that's in our bank account.

As we start a new year, let's begin with a grateful heart for our blessings. Whether you have millions sitting in your bank account or are struggling until the next paycheck, you are blessed.  He will provide as He as has provided.  Many blessings in 2017.

P.S. If you would like to take "control" of your finances once and for all, I am happy to send you my Budget Template using an Excel spreadsheet. Please PM me to request it.  I hope to go into detail about my spreadsheet over the next few weeks, so you, too, can go into 2017 with a fresh confidence towards your finances.

Last-Minute Teachers' Gifts

Last Friday morning, as I was dropping off my daughter, Ellen, at the school gate, I was in a bit of a panic trying to decide whether or not to give the girls' teachers a Christmas gift. Problem #1: I only had 3 1/2 hours to figure something out, wrap it and get it to their teachers. Problem #2: I would need to get 14 of the same thing for each of their teachers, not forgetting Ellen's head teacher and the office workers, since they also deserve thanks for their hard work. Problem #3: With what money?! I hadn't budgeted for this!  Oops!

So, off I went to the shop and decided we should give a gift no matter how small.  Eventually I came up with the theme of "relaxation" and images of chocolate and candles came to mind.  Ok, 14 boxes of chocolate would be too expensive and 14 candles, even at £1 each, would also add up, and I wasn't at the pound shop either.  I settled on a box of 30 Christmas-scented tea lights for £2.25, a large box of my favourite Lindor assorted truffles and packets of hot chocolate for 25p each.

Each teacher would receive 2 tea lights, 2 truffles and a pack of hot chocolate in snack bags that I already had at home, saving money on cellophane bags.  In lieu of gift tags (money saving), I simply wrote, "Dear (Teacher's Name), I hope you have a relaxing Christmas. Love from, Ellen/Brenna", with green Sharpie marker.

Each gift for the teacher cost 88p and, yes, somehow I was able to get all of the bags written and filled with a half an hour to spare before going to pick up Brenna from nursery.  Phew! In the end, my girls got to thank their teachers for their hard work.

Next year I will be better prepared.  Not only will I budget for teachers' gifts, but I'll involve the girls in the process, too.

What the Voss?!

Just as I said to the waitress that I didn't want Voss sparkling water to drink, I heard the crack of the seal and the release of the gas as she opened the bottle.  It was too late.  Yes, I had asked for sparkling water, but I didn't expect her to bring me a bottle of what I think is the most expensive water in the world!

My friend and I were celebrating her birthday early with a girly trip to Birmingham and afternoon tea at a Japanese restaurant.  Up until the Voss was brought to the table, I was patting myself on the back having saved £3.60 by choosing a train station to park at that has free parking as opposed to my usual train station.  There's no real way to save on the train tickets (at least to my knowledge!).  

So after a couple of stops for drinks and lunch and lots of walking, we found the Japanese restaurant for the afternoon tea that I purchased through Groupon, one of my favourite money-saving sites, with a discount code (yep! saved even more!) and even earned some cashback into my KidStart account (more on Kidstart in another blog).

Our Japanese afternoon tea was delicious, and I even managed to use chopsticks without sending the sushi across the restaurant!  But man o man was I annoyed when that water came out.  I had tried to be so savvy when booking this tea, not to cheapen the experience, but it's just the way I think.  I just knew that bottle would mean big money!  I had a bottle of Voss once or twice before years ago when I wasn't paying for my meal, so I knew that I was practically drinking liquid gold.  The bottle cost £4, not the end of the world, but still, I was annoyed. Come on... it's water with a bit of gas!    

Lesson learned: always specifically ask for tap water or know what water/drink you're buying if you're at a restaurant.  My husband and I usually share a larger, but less expensive bottle of sparkling water when we're having a meal in a restaurant, so it's not like I haven't paid for water before.

Hooked

I love using free things to organize, like shoe boxes and jam jars, but have you realized how awesome and totally useful clip hangers are?  "But where can I get these free, totally awesome and useful clip hangers, Lauren?" Answer: on shoes and boots that don't come in boxes!  So, I'm not suggesting you take these clips without permission (i.e. stealing), but if the next pair of shoes you buy comes on a clip hanger, ask politely to keep the hanger.

Soooo many letters come home with my daughter from school, and somehow, we are supposed to keep track of all of these papers in an organised fashion. I've come up with an almost free way: use a clip hanger to keep the papers together.

Now, the reason that it's an almost-free solution is that I use a Command Strip wire hook (that I bought!) hung on the inside of a kitchen cabinet next to important school dates and the school lunch menu.  Everything's in one place!  Nice and tidy... and inexpensive.

Another way I've used a clip hanger is to hang up my rubber gloves on the inside on my cleaning cabinet with the help of another Command Strip wire hook. This way they aren't just laying folded on top of the shelf somewhere.  They have a home... again, nice and tidy.