Happy Healthy Families

I play a little game sometimes when I am shopping at the grocery store. I do not instantly save a lot of money, but if I play it enough times, the savings does add up.

It's simple really. List in hand I will go shopping for our groceries, but inevitably I will pick up things that are not on my list. So before I head to the check out line, I check out my cart and figure out a couple of things I can do without or do not really need at all. I put those items back, and make a mental note to add up what I would have spent on those particular items.

When I get home, I take the amount I saved by not purchasing those items and immediately put it away in an envelope I have just for that savings game alone. Even if I save $5.00 on each shopping trip, it adds up. Some shopping trips I can save more if I really think about what I'm buying. If I can think of something I already have at home as a substitute for something in my cart, then that something goes back to the shelf, and the money will go into my savings envelope.

The key to this savings game is to actually put the money you saved into a savings place, like my envelope. If you just save money at the grocery store, but then go to Starbucks on the way home, you are not saving that money. An extra benefit of actually putting saved money in an envelope is that as you start to see the savings grow, the more motivated you will be to continue saving.

Try this Saving Money Grocery Store Game. You will be surprised at how much you can actually save.