Frugality Challenge...

[Melinda]

Hey, just wondering...

 

Would any of you be up for a challenge to see how frugal we can be with the grocery budget? No prize or anything, but I am curious how much money I waste by buying things like prepared frozen chicken nuggets instead of making things from scratch. I am going to be doing this for the next few weeks. If any of you would like to join me, please let me know. :)

 

Here is what I am doing:

 

I am going to make as much as possible from scratch.

 

I will keep a running tab of what I spend on groceries and what each meal cost me to make, as well as ingredients I used to make a meal and time it took to do it.

 

My goal is $50/week (we have gone from $300/week to $100/week already, but I feel like I can push it further without feeling it if I make more food at home).

 

During the next few weeks, we will not be eating out at all (with the exception of this Friday for Ivan's birthday).

 

If you are interested, but have different terms for yourself, post that too!

[Orthodox6]

I'm struggling with this so hard because of the rising costs of everything !

 

I don't want to cite what I spend because I just can't bring myself to purchase foods that I honestly believe are sub-standard quality. (Our overall excellent health and very few doctor visits for illness reassures me that I'm going the right thing here.)

 

Current operations include:

We do not eat out anyway.

I always make everything from scratch except for bread and juice.* (We obtain most of our bread from a charitable venture which is available to us.)

No frozen meals or similar such convenience foods. (Frozen vegetables, yes.)

Orange juice is rationed to 8 oz. per day per person.

Milk is rationed to 16 oz. per day per person (if it is a "dairy day"). (Milk for cooking is not included in this.)

 

* The exception is dry cereal. This is a weak point which I have not successfully addressed for the other family members. There is no time for DH and DS (the ones in college or outside school) to have a "real breakfast" on work/school days. Toast or cereal it is. (Instant oatmeal takes more time in comparison.)

 

The most significant cost-savings we have achieved thus far was when DS-#1 moved into his own apartment in January !

 

Currently I'm working on making meals more stripped-down and basic, without turning meals into drab, prison-fare. Cooking is downright fun for me, so I'm always wanting to test my wings with something new.

[AnneGabe]

I'm very interested in a frugality challenge!

We've already changed our food budget/menu radically but I'm hoping to focus on using what's on sale to create a menu every week. That's the really hard part for me!

This week I planned really well according to sales and we spent $60 which is awesome for us since our budget is $75 (which was lowered a few months ago from $125).

[Orthodox6]

I found that I spend far, far less when I have a budget in the form of cash for groceries. Too easy to spend more when using a debit card or a check book. Pay cash ! When the money is gone, it is gone ! (and so are the food refills )

 

Oh, yes. The always "mandatory" question: Are you including non-food items in this exercise? T-paper, garbage bags, bath soap, etc. ?

[Ginevra]

Would any of you be up for a challenge to see how frugal we can be with the grocery budget? No prize or anything, but I am curious how much money I waste by buying things like prepared frozen chicken nuggets instead of making things from scratch. I am going to be doing this for the next few weeks. If any of you would like to join me, please let me know.

 

Sure, I am doing this anyway. My goal is $350./month for food groceries. I was better about this around 3 or 4 years ago and I lost my grip on it. My grocery total has just been climbing into the stratosphere and I decided last month that I really need to get it back under control.

 

Edited to emphasize: This is just my food groceries. I seperate them out. I am not setting a specific non-food grocery budget, just trying to be better about it.

Edited July 7, 2009 by Ginevra

[Melinda]

I found that I spend far, far less when I have a budget in the form of cash for groceries. Too easy to spend more when using a debit card or a check book. Pay cash ! When the money is gone, it is gone ! (and so are the food refills )

 

Oh, yes. The always "mandatory" question: Are you including non-food items in this exercise? T-paper, garbage bags, bath soap, etc. ?

 

 

I'm only including actual food in this, but you can include other stuff if you want. For us, I would say we spend $15/month in laundry/dishwasher detergents and fabric softeners/Oxy Clean/etc. We probably spend $20/month on toilet paper and paper towels. Oh, and maybe $5/month on hand soap and $5/month on garbage bags.

 

I'm also not including pet expenses in this, since I'm not going to make my own cat litter or cat food. :lol: We spend $30/month on those things combined, though.

[Melinda]

Oh, and a large portion of our produce each week comes from our CSA membership and our garden, so our grocery total will be lower than someone who has no garden or CSA involvement.

[Melinda]

Also wanted to add that I am not calculating cost of anything already in the house (not sure what I spent on most of it).

[LaxMom]

Ooooh, I would be so into this. (I have gone so far as to challenge myself while lurking on the Mothering threads along the same lines.

 

I'm leaving for a week long intensive for my class, though, so it is likely we will have little to no food budget, and our fuel will be skewed until I get back.

 

Do we think it would be worthwhile to do a monthly challenge? {please, please, pretty please?} I don't care for the social groups, I always forget to look at them... :001_unsure:

[HRAAB]

I don't really have time to track my expenses right now cause I've got so much going on, but I am interested in how much you can save. Anyway, I've got our weekly grocery bill down to $75. or less (incl. shampoo, toothpaste, etc.) When the garden really kicks in, I expect it to drop even more. I haven't bought prepared chicken nuggets and the like for quite some time now. In fact, I feel I'm down to bare bones - nothing left to eliminate. Hmmmm, probably if I searched really hard I could find something else.

 

Janet

[Melinda]

Ooooh, I would be so into this. (I have gone so far as to challenge myself while lurking on the Mothering threads along the same lines.

 

I'm leaving for a week long intensive for my class, though, so it is likely we will have little to no food budget, and our fuel will be skewed until I get back.

 

Do we think it would be worthwhile to do a monthly challenge? {please, please, pretty please?} I don't care for the social groups, I always forget to look at them... :001_unsure:

 

I'm up for a monthly challenge. Have fun on your trip!

[LaxMom]

I'm up for a monthly challenge. Have fun on your trip!

Thanks! I intend to be mighty frugal! :D

[Medieval Mom]

We've recently begun doing this. We're gluten-free, so that adds to the challenge.

 

Inexpensive breakfasts include oatmeal, or any cooked grain. I even like my oatmeal raw, with a shredded apple and milk over the top. If you're trying to get rid of the prepackaged cereal, try plain air-popped popcorn with milk on top (and honey or what not for the kids). My ds thought this was very fun! (Compared with gluten-free cereal at $4/box, popcorn is a steal!)

 

Alas, even buckwheat is much more expensive recently, at $6/box. I used to buy it for $1.89. Back then, buckwheat pancakes were a staple...

 

Buy big containers of plain yogurt and flavor with fruit purees, jams, maple syrup, etc. instead of those little flavored yogurts.

 

This week I bought a turkey. Hah! Haven't cooked one since Thanksgiving, but the meat prices here have nearly doubled.:tongue_smilie:

 

Good luck, everyone!:grouphug:

 

P.S. May I also suggest reading back issues of the Tightwad Gazette?;)

[Melinda]

We've recently begun doing this. We're gluten-free, so that adds to the challenge.

 

Inexpensive breakfasts include oatmeal, or any cooked grain. I even like my oatmeal raw, with a shredded apple and milk over the top. If you're trying to get rid of the prepackaged cereal, try plain air-popped popcorn with milk on top (and honey or what not for the kids). My ds thought this was very fun! (Compared with gluten-free cereal at $4/box, popcorn is a steal!)

 

Alas, even buckwheat is much more expensive recently, at $6/box. I used to buy it for $1.89. Back then, buckwheat pancakes were a staple...

 

Buy big containers of plain yogurt and flavor with fruit purees, jams, maple syrup, etc. instead of those little flavored yogurts.

 

This week I bought a turkey. Hah! Haven't cooked one since Thanksgiving, but the meat prices here have nearly doubled.:tongue_smilie:

 

Good luck, everyone!:grouphug:

 

P.S. May I also suggest reading back issues of the Tightwad Gazette?;)

 

Hey, those are some great suggestions. I plan on doing oatmeal tomorrow morning, but we will have to try the popcorn thing!

[Impish]

I'd love to, but Wolf does most of the grocery shopping, and the man cannot follow a grocery list to save his life. I adore him, but somehow he manages to miss enough on the list so I'm left without the complete ingredients for ANY meal I've planned. Don't ask me how he manages it, its a wonderous thing really. :lol:

[Ginevra]

I'd love to, but Wolf does most of the grocery shopping, and the man cannot follow a grocery list to save his life. I adore him, but somehow he manages to miss enough on the list so I'm left without the complete ingredients for ANY meal I've planned. Don't ask me how he manages it, its a wonderous thing really. :lol:

 

I hear ya! Dh is good at many things, but grocery shopping is not one of them. Thankfully, he hardly ever gets to practice. When I was pg and on bedrest, he bought a package of fat-free hotdogs. When I asked him why on earth he would do such a thing (he is not into fat-free), he sheepishly admitted that he saw the big "FREE!" on the front and just thought it was his lucky day. :lol:

[Jennefer@SSA]

Okay I would be so up for this but I have a few questions as this quest to become frugal is new for me. I have always cut and used coupons, tried to buy items only when they are on sale and even done grocery game for a year. Still our grocery bill has climbed. I read a Consumer Report Article that stated what the average American family spent yearly on groceries and I was mortified b/c I spent that amount in 6 months - maybe less.

 

Teach me tricks. What do you do?

 

Here are the changes I've already made to lower our grocery bill...

 

1. We have at least 1 to 2 meatless meals a week

2. Use dried beans vs. canned. I usually make 2 batches a week; we eat lots of beans.

3. I've started using only vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice to clean. Better for the environment and better for the budget!

4. Rationed milk to 16 oz a day, 4 oz of apple juice watered down with 8 additional ounces of water and 8 oz of fortified oj. The rest of the day the boys drink water.

5. I now make our own bread.

6. Instead of setting a menu for the week and then heading to the store I am buying what's cheap and creating a menu from there.

 

What else can I do? I cannot imagine feeding our family on less that $100 a week but I would sure love to try. We eat no processed foods and as much organic as possible. No dye, additives, preservatives and so on either. We eat lots of nuts as well. Basically we try to follow a Mediterranean diet with lots of lean protein, lots of fresh veggies and fruit, healthy oils, only whole grains and very limited sugar. Help please.

 

:bigear::bigear::bigear:

[elw_miller]

How do you cook your meat for your meals with meats? Do you serve a slab of meat (like a whole pork chop or a chicken breast) or do you use ground meat or meat pieces in a larger dish?

 

I try to remember to make homemade yogurt (The Tightwad Gazette has a great recipe)--it is MUCH cheaper than store-bought.

 

 

 

I'm up for a challenge, too. We got pretty far off our budget (such that it was) after moving and then having a baby, I definitely need to get back in gear!

[Medieval Mom]

We eat no processed foods and as much organic as possible. No dye, additives, preservatives and so on either. We eat lots of nuts as well. Basically we try to follow a Mediterranean diet with lots of lean protein, lots of fresh veggies and fruit, healthy oils, only whole grains and very limited sugar.

 

We eat this way, too, in addition to being gluten-free. So, I'd certainly not suggest giving up eating whole, healthy, organic foods... even if they cost a little more.

 

It looks like you're doing a lot of great cost-cutting things already.

 

In place of bread for sandwiches, you could wrap the fillings in lettuce leaves. (I love this!)

 

Eggs, even organic free-range eggs, are a great source of not-so-expensive animal protein. I notice that they stretch further if I scramble them rather than serve them sunny-side. (2 sunny-side per person converts, magically, into 1 egg + 1 for the group scrambled. I.e., if four for breakfast, try scrambling five eggs. Add 1 tbsp. cream or milk or water or oj per egg when whipping.)

 

I've got slim, slim men in my family, so we use full-fat products (doctor's orders). Ironically, we all tend to eat a lot less of the full-fat foods than we would the non-fat. So, we leave a moderate amount of fat on the meat, we use heavy whipping cream, whole milk, 100% sour cream, full-fat yogurt with cream on top, etc. Most people think we're nuts, but we DON'T overdo it-- We just can't physically eat that much of anything full-fat. I hadn't considered this a penny-pinching strategy up to this very minute, but it may very well be. After all, who can eat a full cup of full-fat yogurt? Not I! But low-fat Yoplait? Sure! Okay-- You might have to pass this one through your doc first. I'm NOT a dietician!!! (And we're not low-carb, either.) Likewise, nuts are very filling, very nutritious, and full of fat (albeit GOOD fat). They make a great snack, despite their high price-tag, because you just can't eat that much (especially if they're not salted).

 

For those who are gluten-free, spaghetti squash is a great alternative to spaghtetti in pasta recipes, and can be less expensive than GF pasta.

 

Get acquainted with the meat-counter guys or butcher. My husband likes to make sausage at home. We asked about buying casings from our health food store's meat counter, and he was so excited to have meat-eaters in the store that he simply asked, "How many do you need?" and gave us some. Making your own sausage is pretty easy (even if you just form the meat into patties). You save money, it tastes delicious, and you have control over the ingredients.

 

Also, buy asking, we were able to buy salmon at a much, much better price when we bought it frozen and whole. We had plenty for Christmas dinner and for making lox.

 

Hmm... I'll keep thinking.:)

[swimmermom3]

I hear ya! Dh is good at many things, but grocery shopping is not one of them. Thankfully, he hardly ever gets to practice. When I was pg and on bedrest, he bought a package of fat-free hotdogs. When I asked him why on earth he would do such a thing (he is not into fat-free), he sheepishly admitted that he saw the big "FREE!" on the front and just thought it was his lucky day. :lol:

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[swimmermom3]

Okay, count me in. This is one of my favorite games and it has gotten a bit out of hand here. July and December are always our worst grocery months.

I don't suppose if I save lots of money, I can go curriculum shopping again?:tongue_smilie:

[SherryTX]

Things are going to be crazy because I am supposed to go back to work next week or the week after - so this could help me stay on track!!

 

I am not 100% sure how much I have been spending exactly on groceries - it runs anyway from about $100 to $200 per week, depending on what we get. Of course, the weeks it is really low, well, er, those are the weeks we run out and get fast food too much! (That is one thing I am working on cutting back.)

 

My goal would be to feed a family of six on no more than $100 per week. I think that is totally doable, because we do have quite a few different grocery stores where I live, as well as a bread outlet store.

 

For those that make their own bread - is it really cheaper? I have been toying with the idea for a while but haven't made bread in a long time. I have a friend that sent a slow cooker recipe for bread a while ago (because I was thinking about getting a bread machine), but haven't tried it yet.

 

One thing we don't have is good freezer space. This sometimes makes it hard to take full advantage of meat sales. Buying a separate freezer is on my to do list by the end of the year, but not until we can save up enough money to use cash for it.

 

Another area that is hard for us is beverages. I don't buy a lot of soda like I used to, and usually I buy frozen juices, and sometimes powdered drinks like Gatorade and lemonade if they are at a good price. My husband drinks Gatorade like it is no tomorrow BUT he will not drink it reconstituted. So I buy a bunch of them either at Sam's club or else Kroger or another store if they have the bottles on sale. Granted, this is cheaper than him buying them from the vendor machine at work, and I don't complain too much because he used to be a Mountain Dew fanatic but switched to Gatorade several years ago. He also usually orders only water when he goes to lunch and out to eat with me and I don't usually do that.

 

If anyone knows a good substitute for Gatorade (that isn't PowerAde he doesn't like it) that is cheaper, please let me know!

[momsquared]

I actually am doing this personally now. I have us on a $100 a week budget and use cash. Any extra money I stash for emergencies. However, I would love to get us even lower. Our garden is growing so once everything is producing that will reduce the bill somewhat. I spent $90 this week and it is more than enough to get us through - I could have cut out some snacks and juice boxes so that will be my goal for next week.

[Jennefer@SSA]

:lurk5:

 

I've got slim, slim men in my family, so we use full-fat products (doctor's orders). Ironically, we all tend to eat a lot less of the full-fat foods than we would the non-fat. So, we leave a moderate amount of fat on the meat, we use heavy whipping cream, whole milk, 100% sour cream, full-fat yogurt with cream on top, etc. Most people think we're nuts, but we DON'T overdo it-- We just can't physically eat that much of anything full-fat. I hadn't considered this a penny-pinching strategy up to this very minute, but it may very well be. After all, who can eat a full cup of full-fat yogurt? Not I! But low-fat Yoplait? Sure! Okay-- You might have to pass this one through your doc first. I'm NOT a dietician!!! (And we're not low-carb, either.) Likewise, nuts are very filling, very nutritious, and full of fat (albeit GOOD fat). They make a great snack, despite their high price-tag, because you just can't eat that much (especially if they're not salted).

 

This is all true and good advice. I was first introduced to eating like this in France 10 years ago. Obesity is rare in that culture but they eat quite a bit of fattening and rich foods. Learning moderation is the key and the idea that full fat and rich foods fill you is very true. Thanks for those reminders! :)

 

I would love to hear more cost cutting ideas that don't include pre-packaged foods. I will be starting my first garden this fall so hopefully over time that will lower our budget quite a bit but it will take awhile for me to get there, I'd imagine.

 

Just to share my favorite meat-free but filling dinners on budget:

 

Black Bean Tacos and Red Beans and Rice. Yum to both and about $5-$7 to feed my family of 5 with plenty leftover for a few lunches as well. I also love to buy whole chickens to roast when they go on sale and serve with roasted carrots and potatoes. Again feeding the whole family under $7 with enough for leftovers. Other ideas???

[adams101]

Each week, I get the sale papers in the mail and plan my menu around that as much as possible. Also, I found a meat market that I can buy packages from at a discounted price. They also let me substitute items, if I need to. It has turned out to be cheaper than purchasing them separately from the grocery stores and is much better quality. I plan my meals around what I get in the package. I can usually make it last about a month or so, if I add other items to it. I also have been buying chickens when they go on sale, cooking them in the crock pot, boning, then freezing them. I cooked 4 in one day (I have one crockpot and a slow cooker). It makes for an easy meal when I can grab it out of the freezer and just add to it. Great for chicken spagetti, King Ranch chicken, etc. I also found some tomatoes in the freezer last week that I forgot about, so I made spagetti sauce. I have a garden this year, but we got it in late so I haven't gotten much from it yet. I have gotten some squash. I'm already making plans for next years garden which will be much bigger. I really need to cut back more. DH says I act like we don't have any money, but I get tired of hearing him fuss about the things we can't do because of money. The least I can do is cut where I can.

[asta]

I've got slim, slim men in my family, so we use full-fat products (doctor's orders). Ironically, we all tend to eat a lot less of the full-fat foods than we would the non-fat. So, we leave a moderate amount of fat on the meat, we use heavy whipping cream, whole milk, 100% sour cream, full-fat yogurt with cream on top, etc. Most people think we're nuts, but we DON'T overdo it-- We just can't physically eat that much of anything full-fat. I hadn't considered this a penny-pinching strategy up to this very minute, but it may very well be. After all, who can eat a full cup of full-fat yogurt? Not I! But low-fat Yoplait? Sure! Okay-- You might have to pass this one through your doc first. I'm NOT a dietician!!! (And we're not low-carb, either.) Likewise, nuts are very filling, very nutritious, and full of fat (albeit GOOD fat). They make a great snack, despite their high price-tag, because you just can't eat that much (especially if they're not salted).

 

 

This is a huge thing at our house. We are the only members of our extended family that eats butter or cream (or half and half). For that matter, we're the only ones not eating aspartame, HFC, lots of MSG (some appears to be unavoidable, as it isn't "called" MSG), etc. It is hard to convince people of the "less is more satisfying when it tastes good" concept.

 

One thing we try to remember around here, when looking at our food budget, is that we simply don't do "entertainment" like many people do. We have one car, use transit, go hiking for adventure, etc. Because of this, we "justify" a nice steak. We see food as entertainment. Does that make sense?

 

Beyond that, we bake our own bread (yes, it is cheaper - even cheaper if you get one of these so you don't have to run your oven and heat up your house - we put it on the porch), do a lot of beans, rice and sausage things (we're pork addicts), and mix our own "soft" drinks w/ a combo of fizzy water and concentrated juice.

 

I've just come to the conclusion that fat is our friend. Bacon makes practically anything taste better; it doesn't even have to be "good" bacon. Bacon grease makes awesome refried beans that can be used for burros, tacos, tostadas, etc. We also make our own tortillas (ever read the back of a pack of tortillas? It's frightening). Tortillas are easy, too: flour, fat, water, and a dash of salt and baking powder (make's 'em fluffy).

 

Soup (in general) is a real saver. When it's hot, we make one that is tomato juice, avocado, corn, lime, and cilantro. When warm, our fav is potato. Chicken noodle can even be made in a hurry with canned chicken (or a quick pan fried breast), an onion, some egg noodles and spices. It's better with broth, but if you saute the chicken first, you'll usually get enough flavor if you toss in a bouillon cube.

 

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'm lousy at budgeting beyond "that is too much to pay for that item" or "hey! that's a good deal". I live in a foreign country w/o coupons, so I just kinda go with it.

 

 

a

[SherryTX]

We have eaten out way too much this week! A lot because I have felt a bit over whelmed trying to get things out of the way this week to send the 7 and 9 year olds to Montessori for the rest of the summer. Hopefully that will start next week if my new job does.

 

Anyway - actually cooking dinner tonight! I have 4 chicken breasts in the oven, and when they are done, we are just going to slice them up, and serve them on tortillas. The kids can put some cheese, onions and green pepper and even avocado if they wish. Simple, and fairly cheap.

 

I wanted to make home made tortillas, but I really need to clean the kitchen and didn't feel up to doing that and trying to make them.

 

We can get tortillas pretty cheap at the store (20 for $1.50 for the small size) for the white ones. The wheat ones are more expensive (kids not a fan of those anyway). Not sure how much I would save actually making them.

[Ferdie]

Oh, and a large portion of our produce each week comes from our CSA membership and our garden, so our grocery total will be lower than someone who has no garden or CSA involvement.

 

Good point! We spend $50 a week just in produce.

[elw_miller]

For those that make their own bread - is it really cheaper? I have been toying with the idea for a while but haven't made bread in a long time. I have a friend that sent a slow cooker recipe for bread a while ago (because I was thinking about getting a bread machine), but haven't tried it yet.

 

It is absolutely cheaper, especially if you're wanting heartier bread. It has been a few years (about 4, now) since I calculated the cost of making my different recipes (I used to make bread to sell at farmers markets). Last I calculated, I could make my sourdough recipe for .80--it made 2 loaves. I could make my whole wheat recipe for about $2.40--it made 3 loaves.

 

I make my bread by hand, which saves the cost of a bread machine. The slow cooker recipe sounds intriguing. I love my slow cooker! And making homemade bread.

[Night Elf]

If anyone knows a good substitute for Gatorade (that isn't PowerAde he doesn't like it) that is cheaper, please let me know!

 

We buy powdered sugar-free drinks, shelved near the kool-aid type products. The canister includes 6 containers that make 2 quarts each. That's 12 quarts for about $1.60.

[T Baer]

Hey, just wondering...

 

Would any of you be up for a challenge to see how frugal we can be with the grocery budget? No prize or anything, but I am curious how much money I waste by buying things like prepared frozen chicken nuggets instead of making things from scratch. I am going to be doing this for the next few weeks. If any of you would like to join me, please let me know. :)

 

Here is what I am doing:

 

I am going to make as much as possible from scratch.

 

I will keep a running tab of what I spend on groceries and what each meal cost me to make, as well as ingredients I used to make a meal and time it took to do it.

 

My goal is $50/week (we have gone from $300/week to $100/week already, but I feel like I can push it further without feeling it if I make more food at home).

 

During the next few weeks, we will not be eating out at all (with the exception of this Friday for Ivan's birthday).

 

If you are interested, but have different terms for yourself, post that too!

 

weekend to order) and even stretching out the meals from that.

[Carrie12345]

I'm still hoping to bring my grocery bill down a little more, but I've been very happy with our $100/wk average for our family of 6. I am challenging myself to move back toward my preference for organics while keeping the bill down. Not sure exactly how well that will go, but I did manage to stay within my $100 this week, including organic ww flour, organic oats, organic peanut butter, organic cream cheese, and a few organic snacks for the kids. That $100 also included over 9lbs of regular boneless chicken breasts, 3lbs of ground turkey, and everything else we needed for the week (minus extra milk).

 

My tomatoes have completely failed me this year, but we should have a decent harvest of corn, carrots and lettuces. I'm still trying to figure out why my beans and cukes aren't doing so hot! I should have enough of those basics to last a couple of months, which will help.

 

I refuse to give up my Dt. Mountain Dew though! :tongue_smilie: