This week introduces “Smart Tips for Hard Times,” an occasional column topic covering ways to save money, stay strong and find meaning without spending more. If you’ve got a tip, send me an e-mail or letter and I’ll pass it along.
First tip: Fewer trips.
Virginia Force of Washburn, Mo., is one of those naturally smart shoppers who saves best through lifestyle choices. With two boys, the youngest only 1 month old, her ideas have to be practical.
I asked Virginia to share one easy thing everyone can do to spend less on groceries. Without hesitation, she answered, “Cut back the number of times you go to the store.”
Sounds logical and simple and, sure enough, it is. She offered four ways this simple habit shift can save money, and the first has nothing to do with the price of groceries — each trip you don’t make saves you gas.
Next, the overall savings will surprise you because almost every time we go to the store we pick up some little extra that makes sense at the time but wasn’t on the list. Those lasute add-ons add up over the course of a month, Virginia says. The fewer times you hit the store, the fewer non-essential items on your bill.
Beyond the trip itself is the effect not running to the store has on how you cook. After all, the more you buy new food, the less you cook with what you already have. Another hidden plus, then, is that you’re forced to make a meal out of food you already have in your cabinet, pantry or freezer.
Hold on, there’s still another hidden savings: Buying groceries less often means you need a good list when you go. To get that list, you’re more likely to plan menus, and menu-planning is one of the best ways to save your grocery dollar.
So, if you regularly stop at the store four or five days out of seven, try cutting back to three days and then two. Oh sure, there are families who shop once a month, but that level of planning is for another column.
Second tip: Family Dinner Night.
Jerri and Ben Cloud have three children, ages 15, 14 and 8. For the past few months, the Greenland family has designated Wednesday nights as Family Dinner Night. Each week, a different child makes dinner and the other two clean up.
Last week, it was 14-year-old Shannon’s turn. She chose an All-American menu of grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup and salad, with banana pudding for dessert. How was it?
Delicious, Jerri said.
Setting aside one night a week was husband Ben’s idea. He wanted to teach the children responsibility as well as cooking skills. What matters just as much to Jerri are the added bonuses — more family time, dinners at the table with everyone talking about their day, giving the parents a break from cooking, and finding a way for each child to give something back to the family.
The meals don’t have to be fancy, Jerri explained. (Fifteeen-year-old Derek’s choice this week? Spaghetti, salad, and cookies.) The point is that it’s the children’s night, and Jerri’s noticed that while they keep their menus secret, the event is not — each week all three children remind her and her husband not to forget Family Dinner Night.
Smart tip summary: First, the Clouds are eating at home, not out. Second, at least once a week, free of charge, the whole family sits down and eats together at the table — not an easy feat in a family with sports- and activity-minded teens. Third, each child is learning to contribute and plan. Fourth, it’s bringing their family closer without spending one extra dime.
Pretty smart.
Write to Jennifer Hansen at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 515 Enterprise Drive, Suite 106, Lowell, Ark. 72745. E-mail her at: jhansen@arkansasonline.com
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