How to spend less on groceries???

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-09-2004
How to spend less on groceries???
17
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 11:11am

I am really struggling to stay on our budget with groceries. I swear I go to the store and think I am doing really well and I still end up spending $150.00 a week (at least) I buy store brands and don't buy a lot of convenience foods but ... I have budgeted $450.00 a month for food and that is never enough. I do have a picky 2 year old and an 11 month old who is still eating baby food - which is expensive - but I feel like we should easily be able to eat and eat well on $400.00 a month. What am I doing wrong? Anyone have any suggestions?

Janet


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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 5:06pm

If anyone is a Palm user, I wanted to recommend an application I really liked when I was using one. It's called HandyShopper. There is a YahooGroup for it (just search for HandyShopper) and it's freeware. This can help you keep your list for shopping and also help you with price book type features.

Peg

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 5:33pm

Oh I have an absolutely fabulous chicken alfredo recipe for you!!!!!!! lol

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup flour
6 boneless, skinless chicken-breast halves (about 4 oz each)
1/2 tsp salt
2 T plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T minced onion
1 1/2 C whipping cream
1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Heat oven to 375. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt; coat with flour. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat until hot. Add chicken; cook, turning once, until golden. Remove chicken from skillet; place in a 13- by 9- inch baking dish.

2. Heat remaining olive oil in same skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and onion; cook until garlic is fragrant and onion is tender, 1 - 2 minutes. Increase heat to med-high; add whipping cream, Parmesan and pepper. Cook until sauce is bubbly and slightly thickened, 2 - 3 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken in dish.

3. Bake 8 - 12 minutes.

It is easy, and the sauce is my FAVORITE!!!!!!

Lemme know if you ever make it! ;)
~Aravis~

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-20-2004
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 6:40pm

One thing i like to do to save a few dollars here and there is throw in a random "breakfast for dinner" night. pancakes or waffles and scrambled eggs and we are all happy. Also, lots of pasta... my husband is getting annoying with his only wanting whole wheat stuff (because the kids aren't used to it and aren't always open to eating new things, and i have no desire to have my diet changed by default.) the kids like totinos pizza, too, so sometimes if I am making something they don't like to eat, i will just heat one of those and everyone is happy.
Homemade bread and canned soup alwyas goes over well. if I make honey-wheat bread, no matter what else i serve or don't serve, everyone is happy : ) one thing that brings down the bill is replacing some of the junk-food selections with healthier snacks. If I buy a bag of chips, it will be gone in a day or two (no portion control if I am not constantly monitoring) if i buy a bunch of banans, it will last equally long and everyone will eat a cheaper, healthier snack.
Sandwich meat at the deli used to be my downfall..now i buy those smaller prepacked deli meats, like Oscar Mayer or hillshire Farm or something) and I don't throw anything away. 1 little Oscar Mayer pack of ham makes my daughter's school lunches for the entire week.
I have always found it to be true that if i get everybody's input (like they can each pick one thing) before i go to the store, whether it is a meal suggestion or snack or whatever, there tends to be a lot less whining and ultimately everybody is happy to eat at home.

Aravis,
I will definitely be trying this recipe! Thanks!!

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Wed, 02-15-2006 - 7:24pm

Hi Janet,

I just want to underscore the recommendation to make your kids's food. Not only did I never buy baby food for my kids, I never even put their food in a food processor. Once we got through the stage of introducing foods one at a time to rule out allergies, they basically ate whatever we were having, sometimes in a mushier form. Baked potatoes--mashed with a fork; peas--picked up with fingers and eaten; red beans and rice--mashed with a fork, or if the beans were small enough, they just picked them up with their fingers. You get the idea. They were never picky, and never have been picky. They eat very well--people are amazed at how well they eat, and at how they will eat things normally not considered "kid" food. But I attribute it to this early "training."

There are a few things they've never liked--onions and green peppers, for instance. I don't blame them--I never liked those things as a kid either. But they've also learned they can just pick those things out of their food and eat the rest. They do eat foods from many different cuisines--Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Indian, etc., because we've deliberately exposed them to those things.

It's a lazy way of doing things, but I think it's good for the kids too. And it's WAY cheaper.

Good luck. You've gotten tons of great advice! Good for you, for looking for a better way of doing things. :)

Blessings,

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 8:00am

Oh, I will.......sounds awesome!! Love new reciepes, and my teenage boys LOVE alfredo!! MMMMM, this may be dinner tonight! Just need some parm cheese!

Shels

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-02-2004
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 6:06pm

Hey thanks, I want to try this, sounds quick for a weeknight supper and my girls love alfredo sauce, but I don't like the way the "jarred" kind tastes.

C

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2004
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 6:16pm


Have you tried cooking two days worth of meals from one item? Like cooking chicken for dinner one night, and using the leftover in a pot of soup or a big salad? Making a roast, and then taking the leftovers and making a stew with some of the vegetables left over from the soup I mentioned before. Sometimes this helps. I have to plan my meals this way because otherwise I'll end up with half a bag of carrots, half a package of celery, potatoes, etc, all going bad before I even consider cooking them. :-D

This week, I only got the essentials (bread, milk, eggs), and we are going to create meals from whatever is in our pantry and freezer. It won't be our usual comfort foods that we love, but we will still come up with some yummy meals, I'm sure. And this clears out our pantry a bit and forces us to look at what we already have, rather than bringing in more stuff.

Hope these ideas help!

Pat :-D

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