My new goal...cut back on groceries!
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My new goal...cut back on groceries!
| Sun, 11-08-2009 - 8:18am |
After Maryann pointed out that I was spending a lot on groceries, I started to think that I was just taking the easy way out. Buying convenience foods to make life easier. I know how to cook, I know how to cook things from scratch, so there is no excuse. I've decided to try and cut down my grocery budget. If I cut it down from $150 a week to $100 or even $125, that would be a huge monthly savings. So this is my new goal. Plan meals, use coupons, and actually cook what I plan!! Yesterday I bought a huge chicken on sale for $8.99 and we had that for dinner last night. Today I'm going to take the leftovers and make chicken and rice (maybe barley) soup and possibly some meat for sandwiches this week. I know I've asked this question before, but how do you make your grocery budget streeeeetch?

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Abbie, I have no advice because I'm WAY worse than you.
Kate
Personally I make everything from scratch and do not purchase convenience or heavily processed foods. I average $75 per week for my family of 3 adults for groceries, paper products, cleaning products and personal care items.
*Vitamins and over the counter medications I have a separate budget for.
I use meat as an ingredient not a main course. It will go much further that way. We do have meat as a main course but we limit that to once every other week to help keep costs low. So that chicken you bought I would have de-boned while still hot and divided up the meat into several meals. Soup, stew, to have over pasta, Pot Pie, shredded for sandwiches etc..
Also look at what you are getting for your money and substitute where you can. $8.99 for a large chicken is good. But the $6.49 I paid for a 13 lb turkey yesterday will go much further and cover more meals. Any recipe that calls for chicken, you can substitute turkey in. Yes I need to thaw it. Yes I will need to cook it and take the time to de-bone it but it will be well worth the effort.
Breakfast can be your cheapest meal of the day. We personally do old fashioned cooking oats (we flavor it ourselves with fresh fruit, berries, dried fruit, spices etc..) on Monday, Weds and Friday.
Thursday and Saturday we have pancakes and Tuesdays we have hard boiled eggs. Sunday is the only day we have cold cereal.
Make a little extra. If there is enough for just one leftover meal you can freeze it in a reusable Glad container and your dh can take that to work and he has home made microwavable meals that way.
I also find that cooking with beans and rice helps a lot in terms of making the budget stretch. I use dried beans, lentils and barely. I also double recipe things and freeze them. This allows me to have ready to go family meals (microwave to table) when I'm not in the mood to cook and prevents the urge to eat out.
Spice things up. I find that my family eats more veggies when they are well seasoned. I use everything from caraway seeds, to fresh graded ginger. Vegetables are inexpensive way to round out a meal and very good for you as well. Don't overcook and Don't buy canned. Fresh is best, frozen is my second choice for flavor and texture.
Soups and Stews are great for a budget. They allow you to use up those things that you have laying around.
Snacks. Pop your own popcorn and put into individual snack bags for the kids for a snack at lunch. Buy large bags of pretzels or cookies and repackage them yourself into snack bags.
Treat the family. Instead of lots of snack type foods I buy ingredients to make a special dessert once a week. It's something my family looks forward to and I love that they get to enjoy a treat I made special just for them. I'm thinking of making scones this week.
Menu planning is key. Look to what you can double batch as well to save money.
Know your stores. From most expensive to most affordable in your area.
Whole Foods
Shaws
Stop and Shop
Shop and Save
Hannaford
Super Walmart
Market Basket
Watch flyers because sometimes each store will have a special worth driving to. I know that Walmart has great deals on chicken sometimes and their store brands are priced very low. However, their produce and dairy are overpriced IMO. You can also check sales online if you don't receive their flyers.
Remember. It's always less expensive to go to the market to buy ingredients for a special meal than it is to take your family out to eat. So if dh is itching for a nice steak. Head to the butcher shop, not the Longhorn.
stacy
I was spending too much on food because I love a full cupboard, frig, and grocery cart....emtional thing, I guess.
Well, I have mine down to about $120 a week for bf and I, which
Bex -
Thanks everyone, so far the suggestions are great!
Bex, where do you grocery shop?
Kate
Kate
I shop all over the place, lol.
I am lucky because I live within 5 minutes of loblaws, food basics, metro, zellers, canadian tire (i'll explain that one) and costco.
When I get the flyers on thursdays I do a quick scan to see what is on sale. ( I am a coke zero junkie and often canadian tire will have sales on soda, tp, paper towels hence the reason I include it above). Most of the non perishables I get from food basics. Meat usually from costco unless there is a sale. Fruit and veggies from the farmers market in the summer (i work at tunneys so I can get them at lunch), otherwise loblaws.
So we do one big shop once a month or every two months at costco. Usually on sundays we do a big shop and stop at one or two places for sales. Then anything that pops up I can stop at on my way home from work (ex. fruit and veggies - this way I only have to buy a small amount at a time so it doesn't go bad).
So the long answer to a short question lol is all over the place! But since BF works Saturday nights till 3 and then sleeps in until 11 sunday I get a lot of it done in the morning!
Hope this helps!
PS- The slowcooker is your friend (aside from the chili fiasco!)
Bex -
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift -thats why its called the present."
Bex -
It is interesting to read how people save money on food - I am no help there whatsoever because we don't spend alot of money on groceries - my daughter is in college now - she spends more than me, my husband and 16 year old son put together.
This is an area I need to analyze, too, Abbie, so I was happy to see your post.
Abby you can be pizza savy too. Buy those little individual pizza shells in the bakery section(or make your own) and have all the kids and hubby make their own. Just lay out the toppings. It is fun, healthy, cheaper, and saves you from ordering pizza.
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