Budgets are important for families and individuals for many reasons. One is to manage the bills that are not constant each month. Food bills fluctuate depending on the month and the time of year. Get a handle on your grocery shopping with a budget.

Fundamentals of Budgeting

Before you start any type of budget, know how much money you are dealing with first. Grocery shopping is only one line item in the entire budget. To decide what money you can devote to grocery shopping, take an inventory of all of your expenditures.

Start with the large bills that are due each month, or fixed expenses. This includes your mortgage or rent, car payment, daycare, insurance, and utility bills. Out of what's left, you have your flexible expenses like groceries, etc.

Getting Down to Budgeting Brass Tacks

What does your family eat? Creating a budget that you can live with starts with knowing what foods the family eats most and which ones you can probably do without to save money. It may require you to do a little research at the grocery store just to assess the prices of certain items.

Consider alternatives to some of your food choices. For instance, if your family likes breaded chicken tenders or nuggets, buy a pack of frozen chicken tenderloins and bread them yourself to save money. Any time you buy foods that are packaged and ready to pop in the oven with no preparation, you can count on paying almost twice as much as their un-prepared counterparts.

Eliminate as many snacks as possible from the food budget. They are always expensive and can quickly upset even the best planned food budget. If you do need a few snacks in the budget, choose one or two that are nutritious and can substitute for lunch or even a light dinner. Look for snacks that can be prepared at home; things like popcorn are perfect.

Remember the foods that are purchased often when planning your budget. A gallon of milk may be bought on Monday but by the following Monday you will need another one. Be sure to account for items that are bought more than once a month to keep up with demand.

Once you have a number, strive to stick with it for at least three months. Budgets always have to be tweaked at some time, but give it an honest try before you determine if it needs to be expanded. Review the areas you spend the most money and see what can be trimmed more, and see which areas you keep going over budget and figure out an adjustment to stay within your budget.

Keep a grocery journal to help monitor your spending. Writing the costs of each item or group of food items will help you see where you are spending the most or least money on food.

Save money on groceries by sticking to a budget. You will find that you have more money left for other things once you get a handle on the money you spend in the grocery store.

You've probably seen the commercial where cows are holding up signs saying "Eat More Chicken."  Well, imagine a sign right now that says "Drink More Water." That's a visual we hope you'll keep in mind when you think about your grocery bill.

Beverages can be a large expense for busy families. Some of our favorites can run us a lot of money. So, what are cost effective alternatives to our favorite drinks? Here are a few ways to spend less and get more from the beverages that you like to drink:

Drink tap water - There are many reasons why you shouldn't buy bottled water. Your grocery bill is one reason, but another reason is the environment. Plastic bottles are not biodegradable and they often do not end up in recycling. If you don't like your tap water, buy a water filter and fill reusable stainless steel bottles with water to take with you instead of those plastic bottles. You will save a lot of money as well as do something good for the planet.

Use drink mixes - If you like a little fruity or sweet drink, try a powdered mix. There are a ton of these handy mixes on the market. There are name brands and generic drink mixes in all kinds of flavors including apple juice and orange juice flavored. You also have a variety of energy drinks to choose from. Just add your powdered drink mix to your reusable stainless steel bottle of filtered tap water, shake, and you're ready to go, for a lot less money.

Try tea - You can brew tea any time with little effort. Tea only requires water and your favorite tea bag. You can add flavorings like sugar, mint, lemon, or orange, to name a few. In the summer you can brew your tea in the sun by adding tea bags to a big jar of water and setting it in a sunny place.

Make punch - Use a fruity drink mix in water, and instead of adding sugar, add concentrated fruit juice and club soda for a tingly fizz. This is a relatively inexpensive beverage for a kid's party, especially when you compare it to a bucket of cans of soda.

Add flavor with fruity ice cubes - Make ice cubes out of fruit juice or punch, then add these ice cubes to your favorite tea, or even to water or juice to perk up the flavor.

Use a juicer - Using a fruit and vegetable juicer provides you with nutritious juice that has all the vitamins and minerals of the bottled counterparts, with less sugar. Kids will get a kick out of creating their own juicy creations and may not even miss the soda.

Add lemon - If you just want a more refreshing taste to your water, add a slice of lemon, lime, orange, or even cucumber to brighten up your glass of water. Water doesn't have to be dull and flat. Make it enjoyable and refreshing.

Beverages can add a lot to your grocery bill.  Kids typically can drink up a lot of money with their sodas. Instead, use the alternative suggestions above and gain control of your refreshment dollars.

Grocery shopping is a necessary evil. This chore is the first step to keeping the hungry masses from revolting. Someone has to go to the grocery store, no matter how unpleasant that may be. As chief cook and bottle washer, it is usually up to you to get the job done.

If it is your job in the household to handle the groceries, you probably want some advice. Here are five tips that will help you along your way in and out of the grocery store with less hassle.

Go alone. We all love family time but the grocery store is one place it just doesn't work well. The reasons you want to go alone? You can get done faster by yourself; kids will usually add unwanted items to your cart, and the longer you take in the store, the more money you spend.

Use a list. A grocery list is your best friend. A list prompts you to look around your kitchen to see what items you need to buy. There is nothing worse than coming home with an arm full of groceries only to find that you forgot the milk, bread, and toilet paper. Let the family contribute things that they may need to the list so you can make do with one trip for all.

Eat first. It never fails that when you go to the store hungry, the list goes out the window. Everything you see looks delicious. That can lead to over-spending on your grocery budget or buying expensive or even frivolous foods. Remember the commercial featuring Bird's Nest Soup?

Buy common items in bulk. The more common kitchen staples like bread, rice, milk, cheese, and butter can be purchased in larger quantities since they are eaten most often. Plan ahead how to store these foods; dry foodstuffs can keep for long periods of time if sealed properly. Even cheese can be frozen if wrapped correctly.

Stick to the outer aisles. This is where the fresher food is. Processed, pre-packaged, and prepared food costs more. You may get one meal out of a bag of chicken tenders, but you'll get several meals out of a whole chicken cooked at home when you plan for the leftovers.

It seems that the price of groceries is going up steadily. Use all of the tools in your arsenal to save as much money as you can on the items you need the most. You have a lot of control over your grocery bill which makes this the perfect place to start saving money in your household.

When it comes to saving money on your grocery budget, how you pay for your groceries is just as important as what you buy and how much you spend. Why? Because you can reap benefits from paying for those groceries every month with a credit card.

The Advantage of Credit Cards

All credit cards are not created equal. To entice you to try their cards, many offer different incentives. Some offer cash back for purchasing gas, airline tickets, renting cars, and even buying groceries. Check with your credit card company and see what they offer. If you don't see what you want, you may want to switch to another card with more advantages.

Credit cards that offer cash back on groceries offer anywhere from one percent to five percent for your purchases. For a monthly grocery trip worth $300 you could be earning $60 back. If you spend more, you earn more. Using a credit card in combination with other money saving offers could equal big savings for you.

Other credit cards may not offer cash back but points. You may be able to earn anywhere from two to five points per a certain dollar amount of your purchase. Those points can be used towards money off on airline tickets, hotel stays, or even vacation trips. You always need to grocery shop so you will always be in a position to earn points towards more fun stuff.

However, be careful. In order to make the most of your perks, be sure to pay your balance off each month. Since you were going grocery shopping anyway, you already have the money budgeted, right? Now use that money to pay your bill each month. Incurring interest and finance charges will make the bonus disappear.

Here are a few examples of credit cards to check out:

Citi Diamond Preferred Gold Card

Discover Open Road Card

Chase Freedom Card

Blue Cash from American Express

Check with each credit card company to see what bonuses they offer for grocery shopping before applying. There are different credit rating requirements as well as other considerations.

For your convenience, you can visit and apply online and get your answer in as little as sixty seconds.  If you qualify, you could be on the way to earning even more rewards. That means more money in your pocket and savings directly related to your grocery budget. Use these credit cards as tools for great savings.

Today we are all looking for ways to save money any way we can. One challenge is cutting back on our grocery budget. You need to get creative to lower food costs, and using leftovers wisely is a great place to start.

Preparing Homemade Meals

It seems like everyone is out of time these days. We cram as much as we can into each day and often meal times are conducted with one foot out the door and the other already in the car. That is no way to save on the grocery bill.

Preparing more meals at home has its advantages. Just to name a few:

You know what's in the food you are preparing

You have leftovers

You have a family meal together

Preparing meals at home can be done if you plan ahead. You may want to pick one day to prep your meals. Then, when meal time rolls around, just pop dinner into the oven and dinner is ready.  Now, how does planning and preparing dinner at home help with the budget?

Leftover Luxury

When you plan your meals at home, you can choose to cook more than you need for a dinner.  That way, you can save those delectable leftover morsels for another time and place. Here are a few simple ways that you can use leftovers to save on food costs:

Divide leftovers into single serving portions and place into containers to be eaten for lunch the next day or freeze for later meals.

For meals like spaghetti, separately store the noodles and meat sauce so you can use leftovers of either one for new meals.

Save leftover meat or chicken and use in casseroles, soups, sandwiches, or salads.

Even families that aren't a fan of leftovers can learn to be creative with food. When you make a pot roast, don't just serve the same slice of beef with leftover potatoes and carrots the next day. Take the beef and turn it into an entirely different dish. For instance, shred the beef and heat with spicy salsa, green peppers, onions, and cheese and roll in tortillas for a dish that's totally unrecognizable from the original pot roast.

Many vegetable side dishes can be pureed and turned into delicious, creamy soups. Take that last little bit of steamed cauliflower or broccoli, throw it in the food processor with chicken broth and shredded cheese, heat it up and you have Cheesy Broccoli Soup for lunch.

You'll be amazed at how many meals you won't have to cook or buy if you plan to have leftovers and use them wisely.

No matter how you slice it, food is expensive. With the rising cost of transporting, food prices are escalating just to arrive at the market. Starting a garden is one way to lower your total food bill each month. By eliminating one element of the cost of food, the shipping costs, you can eat better for less.

The way to do this is to grow a garden. Instead of shipping those tomatoes to you, they are as close as a stroll out to your garden.

Planting a garden is not as hard as it might sound, but it does take dedication. A garden has many benefits for the person who wants to save money on food:

Don't have to pay the high price for fresh produce

Can have fresh vegetables whenever you want them

Can freeze them for later use out of season

Will experience the fresh, sweet taste of natural foods

Garden Basics

Get the entire family involved in the garden. Let each person have a job to do so it isn't too much of a chore for any one person. You want the garden to be fun as well as yield a bountiful harvest. These are the simple elements you need to have a garden with good results:

Choose an area for your garden - Pick a spot that is in the sun and away from the house. Choose flat land so that the water isn't constantly running away from the plants, eroding the soil in the process.

Choose the right plants - This involves choosing ones that are in season and can grow in your type of soil and climate. Also, choose vegetables that your family will enjoy eating. That may seem obvious, but many people are tempted to try some interesting vegetable on their family, and it never gets eaten.

Tend to your garden daily - A watched plant never grows but weeds do. Your plants will be threatened by not only weeds but insects as well. You will need to pull the weeds and use different methods to get rid of the bugs. Don't forget about the water. You'll need to water with some regularity in most climates.

Harvest your crops - It's time to harvest your crops. Learn which crops want to be put away in a cool, dark place with the dirt still on them. Learn which crops want to be scrubbed and stored in the refrigerator.  Then, learn which crops should be frozen or canned for storage. There are plenty of great gardening guides that can help.

Your garden is only limited by your imagination, space, and climate. Choose vegetables, fruits, and berries, and cultivate a garden that will reap a bounty of crops to enjoy any time you wish - and save you money, too!

Have you ever noticed that when you get a good deal at a store, you often find that same deal, or better, at another store?  That's frustrating.  But, that's where comparison shopping comes in.

Grocery shopping often involves comparison pricing. To get the best price, that comparison shopping may take you to more than one store. Are you ready? Then buckle up and get going.

Sit down with the weekly circulars - This includes the regular grocery stores and super stores. After you have made your shopping list, compare the pricing on items that you use the most. Note the store where you find the lowest price and keep track of these prices and where you found them on a spreadsheet.

Compare your savings and locations - At the end of your research, figure out the stores that have the most savings. Driving across town to buy only one item because it's cheaper than the other stores may not be worth it. You want to consider your gas money, too.

Plan your trip - It's time for a road trip. Have all your coupons, circulars, store savings cards, and your grocery list in tow. To save on gas, you may actually want to look at a map and plan your route. You may think you know the shortest route, but it may surprise you what looking at a map might do to convince you otherwise.  Normally, you want to start with the store that is furthest away and work your way back. 

Ask for rain checks - Good deals should not be passed up just because the shelf is bare. Don't waste your time going to another store. Ask for a rain check so you can come back at another time to take advantage of the sale.

Shop on double or triple coupon days - Gain extra savings by using the coupons you found on special coupon days. That's like money in the bank! It's also like time in the bank since that time you took to find the coupon has now reaped a double or triple reward.

Buy extra sale items - If something is a really good deal, buy more than one. Consider if you can freeze or store the sale item safely. This is the best way to take advantage of sale items that may go back to regular price in a week's time.

Don't forget instant savings - Some items have peel off coupons or "instant savings" on them. Be sure to peel off the coupons at the register.  If you forget, take the coupon back with the cash register receipt the next time you stop at the store. The store management will honor the coupon at that time.

To get the most for your money and your coupons you might have to visit more than one grocery store on shopping day. Make the most of your trip by planning ahead and taking advantage of all possible deals offered in the store.

How many trips do you make to the grocery store each month? How many of those are planned? You could be spending extra money each month by taking those unplanned trips. Planning your meals ahead of time can take the impulse shopping out of your grocery budget.

Get the Family Involved

It is uncommon for the entire family to like to eat the same things. Each person has their own tastes. But when each family member gets a say in at least one meal a week, these differences in tastes can become a chance to be creative, instead of a struggle.

Sit down with the family and plan the week's meals together. Each person can be in charge of planning one day's dinner. Kids learn proper nutrition and cooking through planning meals. When you get the entire family involved in the meal planning and preparation, your meals will be more successful and everyone is happier with the results. And, although you'll find many meals planned for many different tastes, in planning you'll discover there is probably more overlap of ingredients than you may have thought. You are already cutting down the trips to the grocery store.

Use a Grocery List

When you use meal planning, you also plan when to go to the grocery store. If you plan meals for a week, two weeks, or a month, you can stock up on foods needed over and over again during those upcoming weeks.  Now you can shop at the big food warehouses and stock up because you know you are going to be using those ten pounds of ground beef or case of chicken broth.

Avoid deviating from your planned grocery list too much. That is where we all get into trouble in the money department. When you see an item that appeals to you, remember, the store is in business to make you want to buy everything you see. That's what impulse buying is all about. Just because you see a pretty display of spices doesn't mean you should buy anything. If it's not on your list you don't need it; at least not this time.

Use Online Resources

Having trouble coming up with menus? There are online resources and menu services that will create a week's worth, or more, of menus for you along with cooking tips and a grocery list. You may be charged a membership fee to take full advantage of these services. However, the money you save with meal planning could easily cover the fee. Type "menu planning" into your search engine and browse the results. Choose one that meets your family's nutritional and scheduling needs.

Making fewer trips to the grocery store is a proven method for saving money on your food budget. Menu planning takes the guesswork out of what you will be making for dinner. And, since you have planned your meals for the week, you can plan your trip to the grocery store. See how it all works together to save you money?

Do you spend a lot of money on meat and seafood at the grocery store? You are not the only one. But all stores don't have the same quality of meat or seafood for the money that you pay. You may be better off if you visit your local butcher or seafood market.

Groceries are not cheap, especially when buying meat or fish. So, when you invest your hard earned money on your favorite steak or fillet, you want to be sure you're getting your money's worth. Sometimes, mass produced cuts are not up to par; you may be paying for more waste than you think.

Let's start with a few basic money saving ideas to keep in mind when you purchase your meat and fish for the family.

Visit a butcher shop - When it comes to just the right kind of meat and the perfect cut, the butcher knows. You will be much happier bringing home a finely trimmed beef roast than a roast that is covered in fat with a large bone in it. You are paying for the weight of that waste. Why not let the butcher get rid of that for you so you don't pay for it. You can also trust the butcher to provide you with the best quality. Personal service means a lot when you want to save money but still have a good roast.

Visit a seafood market - Quality and quantity is important. At a store that sells only seafood, you can get a better deal on buying larger quantities. If you have questions about the different types of fish or seafood, you've got the right people to ask. These people are knowledgeable and glad to share what they know with you.

Buy in bulk - When you get a good deal, make the most of it. Stocking up on meat is a great idea. Use heavy duty zip lock bags with tight seals to store your meat. Be sure to date the outside of the package with a permanent market so you know how long you have had it. Don't trust your memory; you are bound to run into a mystery package if you do.

Invest in a chest freezer - You will need somewhere to put all that food. The freezer in the refrigerator is not the best place for long term storage of frozen meat or seafood. Constantly opening and closing the door for routine items, plus the frost-free fan are two things that cause freezer burn and ice crystals to form fast.

Now, there are two some things to remember when you enter the butcher shop or fish market:

Start with the biggest piece - You can purchase a large section or a whole piece, like a side of beef or whole fish, at a cost savings and have it cut up for you. If you don't know much about meat, ask the butcher for suggestions. If you're not sure if salmon fillets are better than salmon steaks, ask. If you compare unit pricing, you will save money on the larger piece rather than purchasing what has already been cut and packaged in a store.

Ask how much to buy and freeze - You don't want to buy too much and have it get freezer burned before you can possibly eat it all up. You may want to keep a standing order once you figure out your family's needs. This way you can have what you want for holidays and all your meals without running to the grocery store.

By purchasing meat and seafood in butcher shops and seafood markets you can actually come out better than buying it already packaged in a regular grocery store. This is one thing that is perceived as a luxury, but isn't. Visit your local specialty meat or seafood store and save money.

Coupons were created to save you money and to give manufacturers a way to advertise their products. But, coupons come in many varieties and unexpected places these days.

Let's look at a few places you can find these money-saving tools:

Sunday Paper

The standard is the grocery coupons in the weekend paper. Clip the coupons that pertain to items you already use. For instance, if milk is offered as a free item when you buy something like eggs or cheese that would be a coupon worth clipping.

Now look at the FREE coupons. These are the ones that are offered on trial items mostly. You can get a sample of something you might like without paying anything for it. That way, if you don't like the product, you haven't wasted any of your hard-earned money. But, if you do like the product, you got it for free.

Look for sale items in the circulars for grocery stores featured in the paper. Combine the store sales and coupons with the newspaper coupons to get an even better savings.

Generics or store-brands can save you money and are usually featured specials in the grocery store circulars. If you can save a dollar who cares about the brand name? The ingredients are typically identical between brand name products and their store name equivalent.

Online Coupons

Take an online product survey and earn coupons for products. Depending where you shop, you can look through the coupons and select which ones to print. There are many coupon sites that are free. Just login and enjoy the savings.

Check your favorite store's website to search for printable coupons. You'll find coupons for everything from food to clothing to health and beauty aids to prescription drugs. The savings can be a few dollars off an item to a percentage off.

Store Cards

Many grocery stores try to drum up business by offering savings cards. Whenever you shop at that store, there are certain items that are on sale for shoppers with the card. The cards are free when you sign up. Often store card savings and coupons can be used together.

But be careful. Before you go for the special, compare the same item with the store brand. It may be the better deal. Always do your calculations first to be sure you are getting the deal you think you are.

To save on grocery bills use all of your available resources. You'll want to take advantage of everything that manufacturers and grocery stores do to get your business - as long as you come out on top!