Grocery Bill....

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Grocery Bill....
12
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 11:49am

....So I've been going through what I usually buy for groceries and trying to figure out how I can get it no more than $200 a

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Avatar for cl_phocid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 11:52am

Hi Kim - groceries are groceries.

All my best,
Danni

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 11:57am

So then my original grocery budget of $75 a week was not that bad since I include toiletries in it??


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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 11:57am

I don't include these items in "grocery" budget. I do not buy these items at the grocery store. I buy them in bulk at Bj's.

SHannon

Shannon


Pregnancy%20ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 12:05pm

I include these types of items in my household budget as opposed to grocery. A couple of thoughts on saving money here-

1) I use cut-up old clothes as rags instead of paper towels for everything particularly dusting/window cleaning.

2) I don't use name brand cleaners but instead use vinegar, ammonia, etc. for cleaning

3) I buy toilet paper, tissues, freezer bags, etc. at Aldi's

4) I try to use less of everything.

5) My family and friends know I love fun bath supplies and often give those as gifts. Instead of viewing them as a necessity I view them as a special bath privilege.

Taleyna

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 12:10pm

I also get those items at BJ's but I still include them as part of my grocery budget expense.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-19-2003
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 12:14pm

Well do oyu buy only things you "need", toilet paper, shampoo, soap, toothpaste? Or do you buy every new cleaning or beauty product? I only use Clorox cleanup.

Budgeting is 85% spending habits, and 15% money.

Shannon


Pregnancy%20ticker
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-24-2005
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 12:18pm

I only buy the necessities and only when they are needed.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 12:24pm

Well, most of the experts seem to say that toiletries should be separate, so they're probably right. But I *do* in fact include toiletries in my $200 a month budget. On the other hand, my grocery/toiletries budget is lower than anyone I know personally, so we keep it really tight. But we eat just fine. My secret is a price book. I buy everything at the lowest possible price by stocking up when things hit their low price through store sales. You can see my full system on my website if you're interested (www.heather.careyhead.net)--it's under "activism."

Also, we don't spend much on toiletries and paper products. We use cloth napkins (purchased at yard sales but, before that, rags and wash cloths for napkins), wipe up spills with old bird's eye diapers, wipe our noses on cloth handkerchiefs, etc. The only paper product we buy is toilet paper, and we keep one roll of paper towels on hand that will last for months. It is reserved for messes that don't make sense to use cloth for--for instance, checking the oil in the car, where the oil would ruin our cloths; and oil-based messes within the house (like draining fried bacon, which we don't have very often anyway) which would damage the absorbency of our cloths.

I don't wear make-up, we both use cheap disposable razors (which we dry and set in a dry place between uses--this extends the life of the blade), and so on. One exception is that we use expensive tooth paste--Tom's of Maine--because many of the chemicals in the standard toothpastes are pretty scary and we value our health over a few bucks a month.

Anyway, you may find that $200 a month is too restrictive right off the bat, especially if you can still make your budget work with a larger grocery allowance. As you said earlier--baby steps. Do what you can that works for you, and keep plugging.

Many blessings,

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2005
Fri, 08-05-2005 - 2:12pm
For those who wear makeup and spend a lot on skin-care products, I find it very helpful to check out Paula Begoun's "Don't Go to The Cosmestics Counter without Me" book. She analyzed the ingredients used in many brands of cosmectics and skin-care products, and very often the $65 per jar is is no better, or in some cases, worse, than the $5 per jar stuff.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-14-2004
Sun, 08-07-2005 - 9:27am
We buy laundry soap at Sam's ($10 for a 40 lb. container) and shampoo as well. I spent $5 on a combo pack of shampoo and conditioner at 40 ounces each. I personally don't prefer the brand but there are 3 men in the house who don't care. Cleaning supplies I get either at Sam's or Big Lots (both run about $1 each for clorox cleaners, etc., just at Sam's you have to buy 6 at a time). Medications I get either at the local flea market or in Mexico.

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