The most common excuse for not “shopping green” is money. There’s no denying that buying organic produce and natural foods usually costs more, but I have found the key to buying what I want is simply tracking my spending. When I am mindful of saving money in one area of my budget, it frees up that extra $10-$20 to pay for quality foods. This year I’m going to stay under budget and you will too!
First, you don’t know if you can afford spending a little extra if you don’t know what you spend on groceries. You laugh, but that was me four years ago--not having a clue which prices were good or how much I spent on food in a given month. In 2010, I challenged myself on my blog to start tracking every dime I spent at grocery stores, pharmacies, craft stores, clothing retailers, big box stores, and restaurants. This wasn’t a comprehensive budget, but these were the expenses I could control and change as needed.
With a spiral notebook and a calculator, I kept at it for a year. I learned some months I exceeded my budget while others I came in under. Seeing the savings column add up was a key motivator to keep couponing. Over the course of 12 months, I stayed under budget and saved $6600 (41% by pairing coupons with sales). The best part was that being mindful of the numbers made me feel powerful!
In 2011, I graduated to a basic Excel spreadsheet that calculated the savings percentages and totals for me. I could also easily sort by category to see what I was spending where. However, once I was no longer blogging about my budget, I wasn’t as diligent sticking to it. Even though I was continuing the same spending and saving habits as 2010, the numbers didn’t lie. Being less mindful of the totals resulted in higher spending. It gets worse. In 2012 I abandoned my budget tracking completely because “I was so busy.”
Well, it’s a new year and time to get back on track. For inspiration, I suggest you download Dave Ramsey’s FREE Guide to Budgeting. I consulted my friends on Facebook for how they tracked expenses, and their methods ranged from pen and paper to Quicken. Two new tools to me were Mint (free online budgeting software) and an app called PocketMoney. Having PocketMoney ($4.99) on her iPhone allows my friend Kristin to update purchases on the go almost instantly. These sound good, but they don’t let me track my savings too.
So my husband has built me a customized Excel spreadsheet with a few extras than before; that, ladies, is love. If you would like the template, email Maggie Bags at marketing@maggiebags.net. I’ll keep all my receipts in one pocket of my Maggie Bag and will update my totals every Sunday night. I will also share how I’m doing periodically with you to keep myself accountable. Once recorded, receipts will go into a Ziploc for three months and will then be shredded. Unless a purchase requires an exchange, return, rebate, or warranty, receipts are just clutter.
Meanwhile, I’ll be looking for every opportunity to afford organic foods. Primarily I wait for sales, print coupons from Mambo Sprouts and occasionally Coupons.com, and contact favorite companies to send me coupons directly. Another technique is buying marked down produce, meat, and dairy near their expiration date. If you plan to freeze, cook, or consume the goods within the date, you can often pick up organic at half price.
Most grocery stores now have their own generic organic line of foods if you hate waiting for sales. Kroger’s organic line is Simple Truth, and they have coupons too. You can either load e-savers directly onto your loyalty card from that site or call customer service to have them mail you their organic coupons. The other day I paid the same price for a whole organic chicken as a conventional chicken by combining a coupon with a sale. Earth Fare also has a brand new loyalty program called Tomato Bank; sign up now and earn $10 off your next visit. They also have great weekly freebies by email and coupons you can print from their website.
So who’s ready to make shopping green and staying on budget one of their new year’s resolutions?
~Margaret, Blue Frog Creations
Margaret blogs about a Green Triangle Philosophy: Go Green, Save Green, and Give Green. Learn more at http://bluefrogcreations.blogspot.com/
