Grocery Budget Game

Today I want to talk about something that I have personally started doing that is really very simple but very enjoyable. The Grocery Budget Game is a fun way to shop for groceries and even get your children involved in your shopping trip.

Now how do you play? Well, first you start with a target budget for the week. You have to be willing to get all of your groceries for that week within your set amount. My set budget for this past week was $65. Think about what you plan to cook for all three meals. I knew that i was going to alternate between cereal, yogurt, and grits, and grapes for breakfast for my kiddos and myself. We have sandwiches, chips, and grapes/applesauce for lunch. So really, the main portion of my set budget was spent on dinners for the week.

With each item you buy, subtract the price from your budget in your head or with a calculator but here is the most important step to the game. ALWAYS ROUND UP TO THE NEXT HALF DOLLAR, .50 or .00! So if you have $65 to spend but you buy milk for $2.68, round that number to $3.00 and subtract $3.00 from your budget. Now that extra .32 will go on a gift card at the end with the other saved money from the shopping trip.Do that for every item you buy. It forces you to think about what you really need and what is just frivolous buying.

When I checked out my groceries rang up to $60.15. So I was then able to put $5 on a Wal-Mart gift card to make my price match my budget with only a .15 overcharge. I will use that gift card and the others that I manage to collect to purchase a Disney gift card (and the DGC will then be used to buy my Disney park tickets or my hotel accommodations).

Another way of playing the Grocery Budget Game is getting your kids involved. If you have $60 to spend and three kids, give them each a calculator or pen and paper, $20 and a portion of your shopping list. Make sure they round the prices up. This will keep them entertained and will keep those "Are we done yet?" questions away.

Good luck with your grocery buying and I hope that you are able to save lots of money for your Disney trip. Happy Saving!

Love, Angel