I am all about saving money, especially when it comes to food. I am always looking for deals and price matching and stocking up when food is on sale. My full sized freezer is considerably fuller than it was a couple months ago :). I have been re-inspired to make our budget stretch further and I have been doing all sorts of things to find ways to save money.

I came across an idea that is brilliant and totally up my alley, so I thought I would share;). Like I said, I am all about price matching. I spend a good amount of time each week (or every other week- whenever I am planning on going to the grocery store) searching through all the ads I get in the mail and even ones online to see where all the best deals are. I then try to plan my meals accordingly, and it saves us a lot of money. We spend a lot less on groceries than the average family (based off of what other people tell me they spend).

However, my price match system is a bit crazy! I am usually just writing all the prices down on a random piece of paper. Sometimes I recognize a good deal because it's something I come across often, and other times, I am not sure if something is a good deal or not. This is where brilliance comes in.

I recently stumbled upon a blog that I absolutely fell in love with, because it's all about saving money and many of her tips are things I am already doing! But one of her ideas was new to me and I knew it was something I had to try.

She keeps a price notebook. In this notebook, she has a section for all the major grocery items (e.g. fruits, veggies, grains, dairy, etc). In each section she writes down a grocery item (let's say red peppers), and she writes down the best price she can find for that particular item. For example, red peppers are typically over $1 at Walmart, but I sometimes see them on sale for $.48, so I would write red peppers- $.48 in my notebook. When she comes across a better deal (like $.33 for a red pepper), she then replaces the old price with the new one. I love this concept because it's a great way to keep track of deals, and to know when something on sale is a killer deal or if it's just ok.

I think I would take this farther by also adding a column for a basic price per ounce. For example, I would write how much a bag of flour typically costs at Walmart (per ounce or per pound), and then I could compare it to other stores, such as Costco or Winco, to see where I can make my dollar stretch the furthest.

I think I would also keep my weekly lists in this notebook, because it is something I would always have with me in my purse, and I wouldn't have to worry about losing my grocery list for the week;). You'd also have all the prices right there, which would make price matching a cinch!

This idea could save you some serious money. There are often good sales going on if you are keeping your eyes open, and you could save a lot more money if you take advantage of those sales and stock up when a really good deal comes along (make use of that freezer and cold storage room, baby!) You could literally save thousands over the years if you really hunkered down and only bought what you needed at the lowest price available! My family has been able to stretch our money much farther because of this simple process. It does take some time, but it is so worth it. And with my own special price notebook, I'm so excited to see the possibilities ahead;).

What do you guys do to save on your grocery bill each month? Share the wealth;). I'd love to hear your comments!