Few things in life are truly essential, but food is a necessity of the purest kind. As the staff at Pritzl’s Trading Post in Nekoosa, WI, notes, many families fail to create an appropriate budget for their groceries. By devising and sticking to a reasonable limit, every family can enjoy the sustenance they need and the treats they enjoy without breaking the bank. 

Use the following practices to save money on your groceries:

• Track & Plan: Start by tracking how much you currently spend at the grocery store each month. Save receipts and store the information on an app or spreadsheet. Take a look at how much you spend on different items, such as deli products, drinks, and fruit. After identifying how much you spend in each category, decide if you can make any changes, and set a monthly or weekly overall spending limit. By planning your meals for each week down to the exact ingredients, you can prepare a delicious list that remains under the budget. 
• Stock Up During Sales: To avoid overspending, take advantage of special sales—especially for nonperishable food products you were planning to buy anyway. Stocking up during a sale might inflate the grocery bill for the current week, but it will help you save in the long run on items you repeatedly buy at a lower price.
• Stop Eating Out: Going out to restaurants can completely shatter your family’s grocery budget. While eating out may seem like a convenient option when you’re too tired or busy to cook, it may force you to make extra cuts during your next shopping trip. Plan ahead by storing leftovers or using quick recipes to avoid discarding weeks of careful calculation. 

With an excellent selection of affordable groceries and home and garden products, Pritzl’s Trading Post will help you stick to your family food budget. Visit them online to check out their weekly specials, or call (715) 325-2281 to learn more about what they have to offer.