Inventory + Shopping List = Reduction In $$$ Spent

Earlier this week I talked to you about starting off the year by doing an inventory of the products you have on hand.  Did you do it?  If you did, then you have started your standard shopping list for yourself which is what you need to start living by in order to save money on your groceries.

Here's mine just to show you I really do this.  Yes I use a Spreadsheet

Air Sanitizer	Sprays	6
Ajax	Canister	3
Allspice	jar	1
Baking Chocolate 8 (1 oz) Squares	Boxed	4
Baking Powder	Boxed	1
Baking Soda - Small	Box	5
Bar Soap	Bars	40
Bay Leaf	jar	1
Bisquick 20 oz	Box	2
Bleach	Container	1
Butterscotch Morsels 12 oz	bag	4
Campbells Chicken Gravy	can	2
Campbells Cream of Chicken	canned	1
Campbells Sausage Gravy	Canned	3
Campbells Tomato Soup	Canned	4
Campbells Turkey Gravy	can	1
Carrots	canned	2
Cheerios	Box	2
Chef Boyardee Ravoli	Canned	2
Chicken Broth	Canned	3
Chicken Broth	Canned	2
Chocolate Topping	Jar	1
Cinnamon	jar	1
Cinnamon Toast Crunch	Box	4
Cocoa	Canister	1
Coffee Filter 200 Ct	Packages	5
Collard Greens	can	4
Cooking Oil	Gallon	2
Corn 15.25 oz	can	6
Corn Starch	Boxed	1
Cotton Swabs 500 count	Packages	4
Cottonelle 12 Roll Pk	Packages	4
Cough Drops - Assorted Flavors	packages	7
Cream Corn 14.75 oz	can	6
Cream of Tartar	jar	1
Creole Jambalaya Mix	bag	1
Crystal Light Raspberry Ice	Canister	3
Den Tek Dental Floss - LARGE	Packages	7
Deodorant	Stick	18
Diced Tomatoes	canned	2
Dill Weed - Spice	jar	1
Dish Detergent - 11 oz	Jar	20
Dry Noodles - Assorted	Bag	6
Enchilada Sauce	can	1
Fabric Softener Sheets 40 ct	Box	18
Feminine Hygiene Pads  Large Pkg	Packages	4
Flour 5 lb	Bag	2
Foaming Bathroom Cleaner	Can	4
Frozen Veggies - Assorted	Bags	15
Furniture Polish	Jar	1
Garlic	jar	1
Ginger	jar	1
Glass Cleaner	Container	1
Green Beans 14.25 oz	can	12
Hamburger 1lb package	Roll	4
Hamburger Helper - Assorted	Box	4
hand/Body Lotion - Large	Bottle	4
Hidden Valley Ranch Dip	Packages	1
Honey	Jar	1
Hot Cocoa Mi	Boxed	1
Hot Dogs 10 pk	Packages	5
Jello - Assorted Flavors	Boxed	10
Johnsonville Sausage - 2pk	Packages	1
Karo syrup dark	jar	1
Kidney beans	can	3
Libbys Pumpkin Mix	can	6
Light Bulbs	Packages	2
Lipton Cup A Soup - 4 Pk  Ckn Ndle	Box	5
Lipton Cup A Soup - 4pk Veggie	Box	5
Lipton Recipe Secrets Vegetable	2-Pk Box	1
Lipton Soup Secrets - Chicken Noodle	2-Pk Box	11
Lipton Tea Bag 100 ct	Boxed	3
Manwich	can	1
McCormick Taco Seasoning	Packages	7
Meat Tenderizer	Jar	1
Nestle Milk Chocolate Morsels 12 oz	Bag	4
Oregano	jar	1
Oyster Crackers	Bag	1
Oyster Sauce	jar	2
Pasta Roni	Box	1
Peanut Butter	Jar	3
Pepper	Tin	2
Peroxide	Jar	2
Pop Tarts Brown Sugar/Cinnamon 12 ct	Box	1
Pop Tarts Chocolate - 12 Ct	Box	1
Pop Tarts Strawberry 12 count	Boxed	1
Pork Chops 4pack	Packages	2
Poultry Seasoning	jar	1
Quaker Oatmeal packets	Boxed	1
Ramen Noodles 12 Pack - Beef	Packages	1
Ramen Noodlws 12 Pack - Chicken	Packages	1
Razor Blades - Refill Packages	Packages	6
Razors	Packages	10
Rice - Plain	Box	1
Rice A Roni - Assorted	Box	6
Salt	Canister	5
Scrub Sponges -  6 Pk	Packages	4
Seasoned Rice Vinegar	jar	1
Sesame Seed Oil	jar	1
Shampoo/Condition	Container	13
Snack pak Chocolate Pudding 4 pk	Packages	3
Soft Scrub 24 oz	Container	5
Soy Sauce	jar	2
Spaghetti Noodles 1 lb pkgs	Packages	17
Spic N Span	Container	3
Stewed Tomatoes	canned	2
Strawberry Jelly - Homemade	jar	5
Strawberry Topping	Jar	1
Sugar 5 lb	packages	2
Swanson Frozen Dinner	packages	1
Sweet Baby Rays Marinade	jar	1
Sweet N Low 1500 Count	Box	1
Sweet Relish	Jar	1
Tomato Sauce	canned	13
Tonys Pizza	Packages	2
Toothbrush	Single Pk	3
Toothpaste	Tubes	7
Trash Bags	Box	1
Vlassic Bread N Butter Spears	Jar	1
Whole Grain oats	Canister	1
Worcestershire sauce	jar	1
Zesta crackers - Large Box	Box	4

As you can see, there is a lot of stuff on here.

The purpose of having an inventory is two-fold. 

#1 - You always know what you have and how much.  When you make that impulse decision as the store to fix spaghetti tonight for dinner, you know (using my inventory) that you already have the noodles and everything you need to make the sauce.  It will definitely help you cut down on impulse buying if you see that you don't need something.  For instance I have 7 tubes of toothpaste so I don't need any for a while.  However, I only have 3 toothbrushes so I will be keeping my eye out for them.

#2 - The second reason for doing and having a current inventory is that you have started a shopping List.  These are the items we use in my household.  There are more items that we use that aren't on there such as Laundry Detergent.  It's not there which tells me that a) I forgot to add it to the list because I didn't have any unopened containers in my storage.  b)  I need to add it and it is definitely an item that I need to keep my eye out for at a great price.

Additional benefits to having an inventory is that you can start being selective on how much you are willing to pay for certain items.  For instance.  I have 18 (40 ct.) boxes of fabric softener sheets.  I won't need to purchase any for a long, long time.  Now I can be selective on how much I am willing to pay, if anything, for this product.  Because I have a stockpile of the item doesn't mean that I just close my eyes to it.  What it means is that I set a price for myself that I am willing to pay.  Maybe it's $.50 or $.40 or $.25.  The point is I won't need it for a while so I will only purchase it if I can get a really really good deal on it.

Now let's talk about the shopping list for a second.  Now that you have your inventory of current items on hand, you have the beginning of your inventory.  Now there are two things to do:

1)  Print it out and put it in your coupon binder;

2)  Every time you purchase something that your normally use (no impulse purchases), if it's not on the list, add it.  By the end of 2 months, you should have a pretty set in stone shopping list.  That's what you will always take with you when you go to the grocery store, drug store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. 

Once you have your inventory and shopping list set, you are definitely on your way to cutting cost and savings money on the everyday items that you use. 

Once you print out your list sit down and take a good look at it.  It's very important that you add those items that you use that you are currently out of.  For example, I don't use a lot of mustard during the cold months, but come summer time I will definitely be using the product.  Guess what?  I'm out and it's not on my list.  So, I will add it in the appropriate spot and leave it blank because I don't have any in the stockpile.  Now I do have a container in the frig but that doesn't count because it is open.  I'm only talking unopened items here. 

And there are 3 things that I don't put on the list because I call them running products.  They are milk, eggs, bread.  Odds are that you use them almost daily and need to purchase them weekly.  So do I.  On those items I keep my eye out for who has the best deal.  Now don't get me wrong.  All three of those items can be frozen.  However, with just the two of us at home anymore, it's not worth it financially to me to stockpile those items because someone will always have them on sale.  However, if you have kids at home, freezing these items when they are on sale is definitely something you should consider.

If you haven't done your inventory yet, get busy.  It's a must have to start cutting down the cost of your groceries.

Hugs,

De