Concept

Like almost everything, concept is key.  Once you get the concept of anything you are trying to do, its the jumping off point for success.

The basic concept of not paying full price for anything that you use on a regular basis is key to saving a lot of money.  People have seen as much as 1.50 price difference between the same item depending on where and when it was purchased.

It isn’t as much what you buy as when and where you buy it.

This necessitates going to two stores a week.   Buying food once a month, while efficient, is not the best for your budget.  Most of the time the word convenience means $$$$.

You can, when you shop with a plan, get in and out of a store in a half hour.   We don’t spend any more time in two stores plus than many people do going to one.   Know your store layout.   It saves going up and Dow every isle looking for something.   If you dont have a reason to go down an isle, don't go there.    Stay away from the paper goods, pet, household goods, and personal heigene isles.
Most of those things are overpriced compared to other stores.   Impulse buys count for 70 percent of a stores profits.   Their profit is your loss.

Go with a plan.   You don’t necessarily need to go to the point where you make a list.   Do your due dillaglence in making a meal plan, noting from the check off sheet what perishables you don’t have, and check the ads to see if there are any rock bottom prices (RBP) on what you use.   Check the ads for your rotation meat.

Rotation meat is a bulk meat you buy that is versatile and averages two dollars a pound.   We can still get FF boneless, skinless, chicken breast for 2.00 a pound.   Whole or half pork loins are between a dollar and 1.69 a pound.  And good hamburger can still be found for under three dollars a pound.
Add beans (Dollar Tree). Cheese (2.00-2.49 a lb ) and eggs.  Eggs need to be at a buy price of under 1.50—closed to a dollar is preferred.

Rotation meat is when you buy a four to six week supply of a bulk protein that is at a low price and rotate the protein you buy per week.  You are buying your protein at the lowest possible price and you are portion controlling the bulk package into meal sized portions.   It saves time and money.

Thats what this blog is about,   Saving time and money.   Our grocery budget is four dollars a day.   We also supplement our grandchild and grow a stock.   Its a good thing to be prepared for emergencies—big or small.   Life happens, and the least amount of stress you put on yourself the better off you are.

The thesis is that if you can do it on four dollars a day, spending more wouldn't be hard to do.