Guest post from Karen of MoneySavingEnthusiast.com.
You’re about to see how teacher, Jessica G., used my Receipt Reference Technique to save money on food and plan for her future purchases in three easy steps. And then I’ll explain exactly how she did it so that you can potentially get similar or better results.
1. Jessica posted the receipt on her fridge.
Jessica says, “We use it to figure out what we should be eating for the week. I also try to spend a set amount on groceries.”
Action Step #1: After putting away items from the grocery store, put the receipt right on the fridge. Place it in a spot where you will see it every time you open the fridge, so it can serve as a reminder.
2. She used the receipt to plan what she would eat in an effort to not waste her groceries.
Jessica says, “We are vegetarians and it’s easy to forget what you purchased (since veggies go in the drawers of the fridge). Sometimes I take a bag of vegetables from the freezer versus the fresh vegetables which go bad a lot sooner. We try to use them and then cross off what we ate on the receipt. It’s a handy checklist. It helps us easily plan our meals and we eat healthier.”
Action Step #2: Refer to the receipt to remind yourself what to eat, especially if you have items that will spoil sooner than others.
3. Jessica checked off items she used.
Jessica says, “It helps us determine what we have left. It reminds me to go grocery shopping if I see that many of the items are checked off. We even keep the receipt and use it as our list. If I need to buy the same items, I don’t have to write a new list. Also, I like to vary our diet, so I can buy different types of vegetables. So rather than searching through the fridge and freezer to see what we have, we just look at previous receipts that serve as lists.”
Action Step # 3: Look at the receipt whenever you eat. Check off items you finish eating to determine what is left. This way you are sure not to waste what you bought and it will guide your meal planning to finish food before it expires.
It all adds up!
Jessica says, “I thought the Receipt Reference Technique by Money Saving Enthusiast was very useful. It helps us maintain a healthy diet and we no longer throw out food that we should have eaten. This saves us a great deal of money. A few dollars here and there may not seem big but it adds up over time. Avocados typically cost 1.50 each. I would buy four which is $6.00. That may seem small but if I were to throw out 6.00 worth of food a week, that would equal $312 a year. I could buy more groceries with that money or even save for college for my children. This was a quick and easy technique for a busy, single mom to do. I highly recommend this for those who want to save money. I know I will at least save $312 alone just by eating my avocados. That doesn’t even include other items that we throw out on a regular basis.”
Karen has been a lifelong Money Saving Enthusiast with an MS in Education. She shares her knowledge on her website and as a contributor to Mamiverse where she was able to interview Peter Walsh, the organizational guru. She was also recently featured on a Fox News Website. She also work as a tutor and freelance writer. In her spare time, Karen enjoys travel, photography, and reading finance books. For tips like this, check out her website www.MoneySavingEnthusiast.com.
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What a great article and idea. I used to try and remember to take the receipts and create an inventory of items we have on hand. This is some a simple and seems to be such an effective way to see what you’ve bought, what you have and what you’ve used up. I will certainly try this. Thanks so much! 🙂
Margaret @ Live Like No One Else
Thanks for stopping by, Margaret! I hope this technique helps you.
Well Margaret, it is a good idea to make an inventory of these items. I always manage my inventory using inventory spreadsheet of every item in my kitchen or office. It manages my things in a better way.