FRUSTRATED with groceries!

Avatar for sohappilyme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
FRUSTRATED with groceries!
15
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 4:39pm

This might qualify as a whine (sorry, Flylady) but I'm fed up with this!

Sarah

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-28-2004
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 5:52pm

WOW!!! Sounds to me like you have it figured right down to the wire! Have you tried doing refunding to get some of those items free? I belong to a site called Refundcents.com that I pay $25.00 for a year to get the print subscription and access to the chat. I have more than made up for the cost with all of the bargains and double/triple and even quadruple plays that people are able to put together on things we use everyday!

Hope you find some other ways to cut back...

Good luck and keep your chin up!

Jennifer

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-23-2003
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 7:06pm

Generics on most everything: store brand milk, detergents, papertowels, etc (unless a sale+coupon makes another brand cheaper). I compare labels and unit prices on everything.

Just lurking.....are you getting your paper products at the grocery store? I've found that it's USUALLY more expensive that way. But I've also gotten some great deals on diapers, formula, etc. occasionally at the grocery store. On things like dish soap, etc I almost find it far more expensive--they are cheaper at Walmart, Target, etc. However, if those stores lead to too much temptation to "shop" than I'd say fork out the extra $$ at the grocery store. Sorry I can't be of much more help, frankly, it sounds to me like you're doing great. What's your family size? I feed 4 plus a four month old now but w/o formula my grocery bill is about $113-$125/week it usually hovers on the lower end but I've gotten it up there a couple of times if and when I stock up. But you're right the prepackaged junk is usually what adds to the bill. Maybe stop by the frugal living board here on the pregnancy and parenting part of Ivillage. I hang out there and they can tell you what to do. GOOD LUCK

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 8:11pm

You're doing GREAT!! I'm so proud of you! The number you gave--is that a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly amount? How many people are you feeding?

My family of four used to eat on $200 a month, but we've upped it to $300 a month so that I can do this fruit-diet thing I'm working on. We actually are a family of five right now, too, so that contributes to our bill.

Just a few tactics you may already be using but that you didn't list, so I'll add them here:

1. Waste nothing. Re-use aluminum foil, zip-loc bags, etc. Save the jars and bottles from condiments and other products, and store smaller quantities of bulk-bought items, or home-made items in them. Save the ends from veggies (stalks from broccoli, peels from garlic, ends from onions, etc.) and store them in your freezer. When you have enough, make broth from them, strain out the solid matter, and freeze in ice cube trays. The broth can then be put in baggies and stored indefinitely. You can also save the juice that you pour off of canned veggies to use as broth. Cook in quantities that your family will consume in one or two sittings, so you don't end up getting sick of it and letting it go to waste. Or double the batch and freeze half.

2. Buy products in cans rather than jars when possible--pasta sauce is way cheaper in cans, for instance.

3. Keep a price book, so when you're at a different store, you can compare unit prices on items you frequently buy, and always pay the lowest possible price. Watch for staple items to go on sale and stock up--butter, for instance, can be found for $2 a pound on sale, but only occasionally--so I usually have an enormous stack of butter in my freezer.

4. $2 a pound for meat seems high to me. It may just be more expensive where you are, but we use only inexpensive cuts of meat (ground beef, whole chickens, breakfast sausage, etc.) and I never pay more than $1.50 per pound, usually $1 or less. Actually, I now have access to a restaurant salvage store, and I can get steaks and boneless skinless chicken breast for $1-$1.50 a pound, but I was doing this long before I knew about the salvage store, and we survived on ground beef and whole chickens.

5. Use dried rather than canned beans. Longer prep time (have to plan the meal at least a day ahead), but much cheaper.

6. Choose less expensive ingredients--rice rather than pasta, beans rather than meat (or half and half, if dh refuses to go without meat), and so on.

7. Bake goodies. Google "universal muffin mix" and learn to make muffins from leftovers. Very inexpensive and yummy to boot. Prevent the family from craving junk food, and if you bake them the night before, you can skip some of the cereal in favor of muffins.

8. Use dried milk in place of whole milk in baking, and soy flour in place of eggs in baking. The soy flour will give a different flavor to the dough, but the finished product tastes the same. Substitute at one heaping tablespoon soy flour per egg, plus one tablespoon of water for the liquid equivalent.

Those are the things that come to mind. We also don't use paper products except in a very few, limited applications: toilet paper, and an occasional paper towel to sop up grease from sausage or fried foods. Other than that, we use cloth napkins, cloth handkerchiefs, towels and washcloths.

You're doing great--don't let it get you down. Baby steps. :)

Blessings,

Heather

Avatar for sohappilyme
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 9:55pm

Thanks!

Sarah
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-23-2003
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 10:10pm
Hey--when you make that big pot of chili don't forget to make chili mac w/ some of the leftovers! I just did this last week--two nights chili, one night chili mac--of course I didn't serve it 3 nights in a row. DH would gripe(and I hear ya on the no meatless meals thing, must be about men). I also made cornbread from the Jiffy mixes which I got on sale 3/.99...........it was goooood. ;)
Avatar for cherfer
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2003
Tue, 04-26-2005 - 10:56pm

One rule I go by is never buy something at the grocery store that's not edible. Find out where the local Dollar Store is and buy your papertowels, tin foil, shower gels, etc. Check what they have first and you'll see what items you can get there and which ones you can't. Some typical store names are Dollar Tree, Dollar General. But not Family Dollar, their items are not really $1.00, the prices are higher.

Cheryl

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-24-2004
Wed, 04-27-2005 - 1:19pm

<>

They need to change their name! ;)

This is a great thread. I usually stock up on food when Shop Rite has double coupon week.
We also have some outlet stores by our house. We have Pepperidge Farm, Entenmann's and Wonder Bread as well. When there is a 2 fer sale at the supermarkets I go to, I stock up as long as the item can be stored for a long period of time. (It's just my roomie and me). We spend about $75.00 a week on groceries.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-16-2004
Wed, 04-27-2005 - 1:23pm

Here are some of my suggestions. All meat goes on sale, only buy it when it is on sale, and see if the have any reduced for quick sale (due to the exp. code). Cereal, I never pay more than 1.75 a box. I save my coupons for sales, and usually I can get them for $1 a box. At this time I get a couple of boxes to tide me over to the next sale. Add a veg to your meal to cut on portion size. I always add a drained can of spinach to my spagetti. This stretches the meal for another night.

As far as the PP saying not to buy non food items at the grocery store, I disagree. If I wait for the item to go on sale and I have a coupon I get it much cheaper than WalMart. For instance I wait for Colgate toothpaste or toothbrushes to go on sale for $1.99 and I always have a $1 off coupon that gets doubled, so I get it for free.

Nicola
EDD 6/3/05
It's a Boy!

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Avatar for cherfer
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2003
Wed, 04-27-2005 - 2:06pm

Oh yea, if it's on sale at the store or you have coupons, by all means buy it there! I'm just saying you can get some good deals at the dollar store.

About the meat going on sale, I get so squeamish about expiration dates... is it ok to buy it when it's marked down due to the date? Should you freeze it right away? I'm still in my 20's and haven't mastered the whole food shopping/cooking thing yet. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 04-27-2005 - 2:29pm

Yes, it is okay to buy it close to its expiration date. If it's frozen, it's safe to buy it even past its expiration. Yes, cook or freeze it right away.

Expiration dates are actually the "sell by" date, not the "use by" date (even though some of them say "use by"). Several days or, sometimes, even weeks are built in to the expected life of the product to account for the time it will be in the consumer's home.

Freezing items slows or even halts the aging process so that you can keep meats for months past their expiration dates.

I even buy meats at the salvage store that are a few days past their expiration (that's how I get marinated sirloin for $1.50 a pound, and boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets for $1 to $1.50 a pound). The meat is frozen, and I take it home and put it immediately in the freezer until I am ready to thaw it for immediate use. I have not had any problems. In fact, the marinated sirloin is some of the best meat my family has had in years.

For the most part, you will know if meat or dairy has gone bad. It will look bad, it will smell bad. If it looks and smells okay, and you cook it thoroughly, it is almost certainly safe.

The only time you have to worry about it being at the absolute prime of freshness is if you're planning to eat it raw, and, frankly, I don't think that's a good idea unless you have access to freshly caught meat (oysters or fish at the seaside that have just been brought in, for instance). Actually, I personally don't eat raw meat at all, because it's yucky, but whatever. :)

So, by all means, take advantage of marked-down meats and dairy! The stores wouldn't be selling it if it weren't safe. Just use it promptly or freeze it immediately (even dairy can be frozen, so go ahead and take advantage of sales and mark-downs, if you have the space to freeze).

Blessings,

Heather

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