Asingle mother may often times find herself struggling. There never seems to be enough time in the day, not enough rest before the sun rises, not enough cash flow, and never enough free time. A single mother may find herself working long and hard hours just to put food on the table for her children. That's why a budgeting tip or two may be necessary help for single mother to save a few extra dollars at the grocery store.
A single mother may rely on a budgeting tip or two to account for monthly expenses. It's easy to account for your mortgage or car payment because those payments are fixed, however when it comes to groceries, it's more difficult to determine how much you are going to spend. Some weeks you may just need staple items like bread and milk while other weeks you might need toothpaste, and laundry detergent. Some weeks you may have time to cut coupons and go to discount food stores while other weeks you may only have time to run to the convenience store. However if you are looking for ways to cut costs on grocery shopping, there are few pointers that may guide you in the right direction.
Grocery stores have a way of making everything very convenient for a single mother. They provide you with a large grocery cart at the beginning of the store with easy access aisles with food divided into its proper departments. However why do they put the milk in the far back corner of the store and make the bakery smell delightful tasty as you pass by with a grumbling stomach? The store wants to lure you in to purchase more than you need. They hope that if you only need milk that you may find a few extra things in passing on your way to get the milk. Once you realize that the store is trying to sell you more than you need, you need to overcome these sales tactics and purchase only the necessities. Here is a budgeting tip or two that you may be able to use when strolling up and down the aisles.
Help for Single Mother
Budgeting tip 1
Go to the grocery store after you've had a full meal. This way you'll be less inclined to buy the great smelling temptations as you make your way through the store. As for the staple items that are dispersed throughout the store in hope of trying to get you make some impulse buys as you pass by other items, create a list before going into the store of what you need and buy just that. When you run out of an item at home add it to a list, that way when you have to return to the store you wont forget to get it and you can avoid having to go back to the store several times because you simply forgot.
Budgeting Tip 2
You'll notice that most pricy items are at eye level. These are usually manufactures of brand name products aiming to grab you attention. Manufactures are willing to pay a higher stocking fee because they assume you are more likely to purchase something you can easily see when walking down the aisle opposed to something lower or higher that you may have to look for. However these products are usually t he most expensive so look at the upper and lower shelves and compare prices. The products are same other than the brand name and you can get them at a much better price.
Budgeting Tip 3
At the end of each aisle before turning into the next aisle you will find items on display at rock bottom prices usually. These are advertised to get you to come into the store however although these may seem like great bargains you may be able to find similar products for less in the regular aisle section. Just because they are advertised "on sale" don't assume you are getting the best deal.
Budgeting Tip 4
Don't buy everything for the way it looks, packaging that is. Just because items are packaged in bright red and yellow wrappers that draws your eyes to them, doesn't mean they are worth buying. Stores do this to get your attention however when shopping for items based on their appearance stick to examining eggs, fruit and vegetables and other produce products. Those are the ones that you need to focus on.
Going along with packaging, often time's items will be packaged in bulk. As a single mother sometimes these are worth buying but other times you may not be getting a bargain. Compare prices and bring a pocket calculator to make it easier to get the answers you are looking for. That goes for quantity size as well. Sometimes smaller packages, cans, or boxes are a better deal than to buy the larger sized item.
Budgeting Tip 5
Lastly, avoid making impulse buys at the checkout. Grocery stores tend to throw every little thing in here that might peak your interest such as candy bars, toothbrushes, magazines, and other items that were probably never on your list. Plan on going to the store during off peak hours such as late nights, or check out a store that is open 24 hours which have express checkouts that allows you to do it yourself. This way you aren't waiting in a line observing all the impulse items.
Now that you understand how grocery stores try to influence a single mother and all other consumer shopping and spending habits you are in control to make the right decisions. Consider a budgeting tip above or all of them and see what your total is on your next receipt. See if you can maintain this average price range for about a month and once you establish an average amount you can incorporate this into your monthly budget. This should give you a better idea of money you will have left over each month, which can be put towards savings or other expenses.
For another single mother budgeting tip or two please visit http://www.singlemotherresources.com. Help for single mother starts here!