Our grocery bill was getting a bit out of hand.
We used to spend about $800/mo.
When recently running our numbers, we were going way above that.
Yikes!
Some of this is due to higher prices and us needing to be made aware of our purchases (my bad).
But most of it is purely on us and just not realizing how much of our $$ was going to stuff.
So, in true Brooks Conkle fashion, I broke out the 80/20 and wanted to see what we could quickly make wins on.
I’m not a ‘couponer,’ and I don’t think it’s efficient.
If you are forced to spend time on coupons, I think a better focus is building income streams, but I’ll save that for another day.
What I chose to do was look at what few items I could adjust but have a large impact (the 80/20).
So here’s the list I came up with and what we’ve done about them.
Cold Starbucks Coffee
Ok, so we’re not hitting up the coffee shop daily, but we were still going through a few jugs per week.
$6 each – not the end of the world.
But that’s $600+ per year!
(personal finance hack — annualize everything — it gives you a solid picture on if you want an item or not).
So we bought this thing.
You simply add whatever coffee you want in the strainer + water + 48 hours in the fridge.
Bam – coffee.
We pour it into a jug for use and then start a new batch.
Should save $400-500 this year.
La Croix
Or, as my wife likes to say, La Croix for Joy.
We figured she was drinking 2-3 per day.
About $400/yr.
Snagged a soda stream kit.
The break-even for us should be in about 6 months.
$200+ annual savings
Wine
We enjoy wine in the evenings.
But…
We’re attempting to limit it to weekend evenings only.
(ok, and Thursdays!)
Easy $1,000/yr. savings
Alkaline Water
There’s not much science behind it, but my wife Mandee is pretty sure it’s cured her heartburn (she was able to stop meds that cost hundreds per month).
Well, we’re now exploring making our own alkaline water.
We won’t change our home plumbing system, but we are testing alkaline drops.
I also just purchased this kit that will test the pH of water.
Hoping for another $500ish saving per year here.
We’re Testing A New Grocery Store
On a small shopping trip, pricing seems relative.
A few dollars here and there.
We pay for Walmart delivery and love it.
We started a few years ago and was life-changing (I’m for real).
We just assumed this was the best pricing.
Recently, we’ve been shopping at an Aldi that is close to our home (it’s become a date night).
On a recent test on some items, there was a 30% difference!
So for a fun date night, we should save $2-3k this year alone!
Dog Food – Subscribe and Save
Dog food was another simple 80/20 item.
I found out we were buying this same bag of dog food consistently every 4 weeks.
So if I could find a better price, the savings would compound over the year.
I did even better.
Found better price on Amazon and saved and additional 5% for setting up on “auto-ship.”subscribe and save.”
So, not only do I no longer need to think about it, I can also save 5%.
This is THE SAME as putting your cash into an online savings account (we like Wealthfront) and MAKING 5%
This is huge!
Ok, a Bonus One
I’ve had it for years.
Finally got my family on board.
I pay 12 months in advance for about $180 with taxes.
Plus, Ryan Reynolds seems like a cool dude.
Easy $1,000+ savings per year.
Ok, so all in all, it might be more like $3-5k in savings in a year.
That’s nuts!
Either way good luck to you — see you out there!
