How do I cut my grocery budget?

[HollyDay]

Our grocery bill is huge. It must be cut. But how?

 

I've got a dc who is allergic to dairy. So many money saving cookbooks I see have dairy ingredients. We like to eat organic but that is now cost prohibitive.

 

Is it true that homemade mixes are cheaper? Things like brownie mix, pancake mix, waffles, etc. is it really cheaper to make from scratch?

 

What are some other ideas? If there is a great cookbook out there, I will make a one time purchase if it will help me save money in the long run.

 

Thanks ladies!

[delaney]

I don't have the dairy allergy but we have nut allergies here. If you clip coupons then brownie mix can be all but free. I don't like packaged cookie mixes except the Peanut butter and even then only half of us can eat them so I avoid that except once in awhile. Go to the websites for the organic brands that you like and there are often coupons that you can print or they will send you. I can easily feed a family of 8 for $700 per month without all the extras in terms of prepackaged snacks, soda, junk stuff. I stock up on meat and chicken when it is on sale so that I am not forced to buy when it is more $$. You can go to slickdeals.net and find your grocery store under drug/B&M stores in the forums. They will list ads with coupons to get stuff for free or at a profit easily.

[ekarl2]

Our grocery bill (for four adults and two kids) was $1400 a month! I'm now using the grocery game and have cut it by $300-$400 a month. It's been great. We like organic, too, but that's too expensive now. Still I HIGHLY recommend the grocery game, http://www.thegrocerygame.com. You can do a one month trial for free. I do three different stores and even though it takes a little time, it's really paid off.

[delaney]

Our grocery bill (for four adults and two kids) was $1400 a month! I'm now using the grocery game and have cut it by $300-$400 a month. It's been great. We like organic, too, but that's too expensive now. Still I HIGHLY recommend the grocery game, www.thegrocerygame.com. You can do a one month trial for free. I do three different stores and even though it takes a little time, it's really paid off.

Slickdeals.net has all the stuff that GG has and it free! Plus they have the ads more than 1 week in advance. I used to pay for GG and got annoyed that it was Tuesday before she got the stuff up.

[hornblower]

Is it true that homemade mixes are cheaper? Things like brownie mix, pancake mix, waffles, etc. is it really cheaper to make from scratch?

 

I just got a sack of ~22 lbs (10 kg) of unbleached white flour for $6.00.

 

That will make a whole lot of baked goods with just the addition of baking powder, cocoa, sugar, yeast, eggs, vegetable oil/butter.

 

I stock up on staples when they're on sale. Same time I got the flour, they had 2kg bags of sugar for 1.48 last week (limit of 1 bag though but that's OK, because I still had a stash of sugar from the last time it was way under a $1/kg)

 

Rice, lentils, & seasonal vegetables are usually good deals and with a good variety of spices can make interesting and nutritious meals. Not sure why but potatoes are a good deal here now...... 10kg bags for $1.99-$2.99. There are a lot of things you can make with potatoes, or just use them to stretch a meal, esp if you're using an expensive protein.

 

I think the key to frugal shopping is to know what the inexpensive items are in your community.

 

I heard an interesting radio interview with a culinary historian who was talking about Canadian recipe books from the times of the wars and the depression & the host was asking if any tips would be useful to people going through economic hardship now & she was saying that while there were some useful recipes, there were also lots of recipes for crab and lobster - because back then it was a cheap &, in some parts of the country, readily available protein source. I can imagine some poor family moaning about having lobster again:)

[coffeefreak]

:lurk5:

[MaMa2005]

Learn how the CVS program works. Google I heart CVS and it explains everything. I just started this on January 1 and once you get into it, you pay next to nothing for toiletries and sundry items. It has really helped us.

 

Coupon, coupon, coupon. Here is a great site: http://www.mylitterofsix.blogspot.com/. She has all sorts of money saving ideas and where to find them.

 

I buy large bags of stoneground grains from a distributor. I keep them in the big freezer and use them for waffles, pancakes, muffins, etc. It really is less expensive and once you figure out the recipes, it doesn't take any extra time to prepare.

 

Also, make your own laundry detergent. That will save big bucks and your clothes will be just as clean.

[HollyDay]

Could someone explain Slickdeals to me? I've looked at it before. All I ever see are cosmetics, electronics, etc. Where are the grocery savings?

 

Thanks!!

[HollyDay]

Our grocery bill is huge. We RARELY have soda (unless someone is sick), chips, junk food. My cart is always filled with food and toiletries that are needed more so than wanted.

 

Church potlucks are getting expensive. Our church does at least 2 a month. We are supposed to bring 3 things for a crowd: 1 main dish, and either 2 sides or 1 side and a dessert. It is adding up.

 

I already do CVS. Though for the last 3 months I've not had any luck there.

 

We've thought about Sams club. But, we are a small family of 4 (and a pet or 2). Buying in that bulk quantity has not really been feasible due to storage or usage. Does anyone think Sams is a big savings for smaller families? We would reconsider it.

[rafiki]

.

[delaney]

Our grocery bill is huge. We RARELY have soda (unless someone is sick), chips, junk food. My cart is always filled with food and toiletries that are needed more so than wanted.

 

Church potlucks are getting expensive. Our church does at least 2 a month. We are supposed to bring 3 things for a crowd: 1 main dish, and either 2 sides or 1 side and a dessert. It is adding up.

 

I already do CVS. Though for the last 3 months I've not had any luck there.

 

We've thought about Sams club. But, we are a small family of 4 (and a pet or 2). Buying in that bulk quantity has not really been feasible due to storage or usage. Does anyone think Sams is a big savings for smaller families? We would reconsider it.

Go to slickdeals.net-forums-drugstore/B&M deals & discussion

there are threads for individual stores all over the US.

[delaney]

Learn how the CVS program works. Google I heart CVS and it explains everything. I just started this on January 1 and once you get into it, you pay next to nothing for toiletries and sundry items. It has really helped us.

 

Coupon, coupon, coupon. Here is a great site: http://www.mylitterofsix.blogspot.com/. She has all sorts of money saving ideas and where to find them.

 

I buy large bags of stoneground grains from a distributor. I keep them in the big freezer and use them for waffles, pancakes, muffins, etc. It really is less expensive and once you figure out the recipes, it doesn't take any extra time to prepare.

 

Also, make your own laundry detergent. That will save big bucks and your clothes will be just as clean.

Where do you get your grains from? I would love to get huge amounts of flour and stuff. What about the detergent?

[HollyDay]

detergent is a great question!!

 

I need HE and dye/perfume free. The homemade ones are not recommended for cold water. I rarely use warm washes so that would not work, unless someone has a proven recipe for HE washers and cold water (hint).

 

My gf buys Norwex from Urban Homemaker. It is about $30 but it lasts a year! She raves about it. But, it is a powder. My highly allergic/eczema dc does not do well with powders.

[Mom In Missouri]

We are a family of four. I was raised on a farm and went to town once a week for errands and groceries. It's not so much that I don't want to use a mix or am a food snob, it's more of I can do more with the ingredients I have on hand rather than pay for a mix we may or may not like.

 

So, my advice:

 

Meal plan around what is on sale that your family will eat or you can safely consume.

 

Purchase only what is on sale and stock up if possible, if space and money allows.

 

Use options that your family will eat. Go meatless for one meal, if dairy is out then rice, beans, pasta, letils, potatoes are a bland ingredient that can be worked into any recipe.

 

We purchase beef from a friend that saves us a ton...but that was after I had saved through my grocery budget for a year. Chicken is purchased either whole, or split breasts that I put in the crockpot, cook down, saving the broth for soup and the meat is chopped and frozen to be ready for other recipes.

 

Sam's Club is not a big savings for our family unless we buy produce in larger quantities and can consume it before going bad OR meat that is marked down. Best day to go is on Monday's since everyone goes over the weekend for the samples. The overstock is sold at a cut rate. I would suggest sharing the cost with another family for the membership dues.

 

Our grocery budget is $150 per week for a family of four. However, I just had a very expensive week for shopping today and spent $75 for all that I needed for a week's worth of food. And we rarely eat out or splurge on pop, snacks, junk food, etc.

 

We save a ton by eating real food and not over eating.

[Truscifi]

If you live in the South, try I Heart Publix and Southern Savers websites for couponing - they save me a ton of money. I feed a family of 3 on $50 a week and we are able to get a few 'wants' every week in addition to our needs.

[NCMom]

detergent is a great question!!

 

I need HE and dye/perfume free. The homemade ones are not recommended for cold water. I rarely use warm washes so that would not work, unless someone has a proven recipe for HE washers and cold water (hint).

 

My gf buys Norwex from Urban Homemaker. It is about $30 but it lasts a year! She raves about it. But, it is a powder. My highly allergic/eczema dc does not do well with powders.

 

I make the typical soap, borax, washing soda combo in cold water w/ an HE washer. We have no problems and we have animals, mud, etc. It also works fine with out the Borax if that is too harsh

 

hth,

Georgia

[joannqn]

Even though the same information is available elsewhere for free, I really recommend the Grocery Game for people who are new to shopping that way (combining lowest sales price with coupons) or busy.

 

Using the Grocery Game will help you get to know what a good price is. Stores have sales designed to get people to buy their products and then they have SALES when the item is truly listed at a good price. You need to know the difference and then stock up. It will be 12 weeks before that item is sold at a truly good price again. If you don't have space to build a stockpile, you need to find space. It doesn't all have to be stored in the kitchen. I store anything that is sealed well enough in my dirt cellar, for example. I have a stand alone cabinet in my bathroom so I can use the linen closet just outside the bathroom as storage for stockpiled toiletries. I have a tiny nook that I installed cheap Ikea shelving in (rather than a putting a table in there) to make a pantry. Others have stored things under beds.

 

I also make a lot from scratch because we have dairy allergies too. I make bread nearly every day rather than pay $4.49 per loaf for the dairy free bread available at the store. I don't know the cost of the homemade bread but I'm positive it isn't $4.49. As a family of 6, we go through a loaf a day. I make pancakes, waffles, cookies, and granola bars from scratch too. I make dairy free bisquick for next to nothing...it's only flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and shortening. I make beans from dried rather than buying cans for a fraction of the cost.

 

Because of my stockpile (which is pitiful right now), I've only spent about $30 a week the past two weeks on groceries. Everything else came from supplies I already had.

[FriedClams]

I've been working on cutting our budget and here's what I've learned in no particular order (YMMV)...

 

1. CASH ONLY. For me - this is key. We used the whole envelope deal. When it's gone it's gone. I have $1.08 left for this week, LOL!

 

2. FIND WEBSITES THAT MAKE IT EASY. Other people shared their go-to sites... I read moneysavingmom.com and www.southernsavers.com daily. They also rock for matching up all the grocery sales with printable coupons, so it's really easy to save.

 

3. CUT COUPONS. Or better yet - collect the flyers in a 3 ring binder with date marked, and use them as you need them. You can get them free from friends and neighbors, or buy a paper (at $3.50 a week we make more than that every single week - but free is better), or hit a local coffee shop around noon on Sunday and ask for the coupons sitting in their recycling bin. Don't clip what you think you'll buy and toss the rest - save them all and then use coupons for what's on sale and clip as you go.

 

4. WATCH SALES (or watch websites that do this for you) and then match your coupons to the sale. Yes, this often points you to more processed foods but you can also save a TON on other things. This week I went to Kroger and bought 2 Capri Sun boxes, 4 Kraft shredded cheese, 4 Phili cream cheese, 2 toaster strudel, 4 SOBE drinks, 2 boxes of crackers (Ritz and Triscut), a bag of goldfish and one other thing (it was 20 items) for $19 after coupons and discounts. Yes, some of it's "treat" stuff - but over the last 2 weeks I've had about a 60% savings at Kroger.

 

5. SIMPLIFY MEALS. Soup and sandwich. Breakfast for Dinner. Homemade pizza. Baked potato night. You get the idea. Not every meal needs meat or needs 2 sides.

 

6. MEAL PLAN AROUND WHAT YOU HAVE. Yes, meal planning what's on sale is great - but better yet - use what you already have. Got eggs, stale bread?? French toast - or casserole... Try to only buy 1 item to match what you have instead of buying 5 items to go with the one you already have.

 

7. KNOW YOUR FAMILY. I came to realized during our freezer clean out month - that we don't eat stuff that I make ahead and freeze. Likewise, leftovers that I freeze to use later just goes to waste. I now cook for 1 meal plus leftovers for DH's lunch. And nothing more. It saves us a lot of waste. (Another example - for us - buying from the scratch and dent doesn't work. I buy it, then I go to use it, and I fear it's bad and then throw it out. For me - it's just a waste.)

 

8. LEARN THE SYSTEMS. There are some amazing deals out there - CVS, grocery stores, etc. But it takes a while to learn the systems in order to maximize saving. It's worth it. Stick with it. Get a local friend to join you so you can double your efforts. Consistency is the key - keeping up with the coupons, watching the sales, etc.

 

9. AVOID BIG BOX STORES. For me - the pull of picking up "just a couple of things I need" in a section other than groceries is just too strong. I may pay 3% more for groceries at another store - but I save $30 or more per trip by skipping all the impulse "oh I forgot I needed that" purchases. Also - the local Kroger doubles coupons - so even if it's $0.20 less at a big box, when K doubles my $.30 coupon and I save $0.60 I end up $0.40 ahead. I also avoid the traffic, the lights, the whole scene. And that's worth 3% for me!!

 

10. CLEANING PRODUCTS - make your own or use natural products. Homemade laundry soap is cheap and very effective. Vinegar cleans most anything. Baking soda is a lifesaver and CHEAP. If you must buy - I think Dollar General with coupons is the best place to get deals.

 

11. SHOP EARLY. If i need meat I find shopping early on Sunday morning rocks. My local place puts out a ton of discounted stuff then and it's ripe pickings for deals - and it totally won't be there after lunch on Sunday! Ask the store manager when they mark stuff down. Always patrol the reduced meat stuff first - before hitting the sale stuff.

 

HTH!!! Make it a fun challenge and you'll be shocked at what you can save!!

[Dobela]

couponmom.com is a great place to watch grocery ads at and make lists from. Her lists are similar to grocerygame. She will list everything on sale and then match coupons to the items and then telling you what percentage off that is and what to expect as the final price.

 

I odn't know what you spend your budget on and you may want to keep receipts some to see where all the money is going. For us, I only cook one serving of meat per person and the rest is veggies to fillup on. If any veggies are not eaten, then they are frozen for use in a veggie soup later.

 

Coupons are only a good thing if you match them to sales to get the best price. Sometimes, even with a coupon, a different brand is a better price. Sometimes coupons will tempt you to buy something you normally would not buy.

 

There are many, many money saving blogs out there that can help you find sales and make deals. I find them with local interests with google searches periodically.

 

About every other month I will resign myself to using up what I have for a week or 2 before going grocery shopping again. If I need milk I will send my dh because he is excellent about staying on the list and if he goes after work without kids then he can get out faster with less than I can.

 

Cooking for allergies is hard, some ingredients cost more. We alsohave dairy allergies and I try to avoid gluten. But I have that figured into my budget and then watch for coupons from mambo sprouts or health-e-saver for organic and specialty items. Our local health food stores now also accept coupons so that also helps. Sometimes they can order special items for me in bulk which also can make it cheaper.

 

We are a family of 4 and some things I do buy in bulk at Sam's club. You have to be careful and know your prices well. I just bought 20 pounds of dried beans for something like $10 or less (can't remember precisely). Other foods however and not so much of a deal and are actually more expensive than regular grocery prices.

[MelanieM]

I heard an interesting radio interview with a culinary historian who was talking about Canadian recipe books from the times of the wars and the depression & the host was asking if any tips would be useful to people going through economic hardship now & she was saying that while there were some useful recipes, there were also lots of recipes for crab and lobster - because back then it was a cheap &, in some parts of the country, readily available protein source. I can imagine some poor family moaning about having lobster again:)

 

There's a funny story about this from my FIL's family... They lived in a small community in Newfoundland, and a Priest from another province was visiting. The family sat down to lunch and all the children were served lobster sandwiches, the poor man's food, while the Priest was served potted meat (processed meat in a can, basically) because he was the special guest. The poor man! lol!

[Georgia On My Mind]

Hi,

All these mom's have great ideas. My 2 cents worth is regarding the Sam's or membership stores. I have shopped at our local Sam's for many years in conjunction with my local groceries-2 - 3 every other week. I know what I can get at a bargain at Sam's and the list is set. We also have a milk allergy in our home and we like to eat organic as much as possible but can't do everything organic. I buy bulk organic fresh spinach and mixed greens at Sam's for a little over the price of a bag at the local grocery. I can get goat cheese for my milk allergy child for pizza, quiche, salad, etc. for half the price of the grocery. I buy non organic chicken tenders for cheaper at Sam's than the weekly sale price. I divide them into family sized portions when I get home and freeze. They are more versatile in my menus than whole boneless skinless chicken breasts. I buy Sam's apple juice-cheaper than any name brand even with a coupon. I buy butter, Eggland's eggs, half and half and occasionally organic frozen fruits and vegetables when they are stocked. Wild caught frozen salmon is cheaper here than anywhere else and I try to include salmon of some kind at least once a week. I also buy canned salmon, canned chicken and canned tuna at Sam's. I have a great recipe for salmon patties that could pass as crab cakes. Not your grandma's salmon patties. I buy my extra virgin olive oil here also-it is cheaper by the ounce than anywhere and is a product of Italy which is important to me. We are souther so I buy my family sized tea bags for iced tea in a two box at Sam's. They have great take and bake pizza for $7.98 for the day I shop and don't have time to make one from scratch. They probably aren't that healthy but we only eat two a month so everything in moderation. Depending on how pickey you are about nitrates, etc. in lunch meats, they are much cheaper at Sam's. I also buy non free range beef stew, eye of round and occasionally steaks at Sam's cheaper than sale prices in grocery. I don't leave without a rotisserie chicken because theirs are biggest of all and I can get at least two family of 4 men/boys meals out of the $5 chicken. Sometimes I get three meals out of one chicken. Chips, crackers, cereal, coffee and most everything is cheaper in bulk at Sam's.

 

On the milk allergy issue, I use coconut milk in all my baked goods and reduce the sugar a bit since the coconut milk usually has a little sugar naturally. I also use almond, rice and occasionally soy milk. Yes it is cheaper to bake from scratch almost everything. I mill my own grain and bake my bread, tortillas, brownies, muffins, pancakes, rolls, pizza dough, etc. and bread at the last estimate was less than $0.50 a loaf. Buy fruit and vegies in season and sometimes you can find local organic for reasonable prices. You can buy goat milk or sheep's milk feta that doesn't usually bother milk allergy sufferers. We can get fresh goat milk in our area for $6 a gallon. I also buy free range ground beef for $4 pound from our local raw milk dairy and cage free eggs are $3 for breakfast only. I use Eggland's best for baking (just my compromise).

 

Don't forget Big Lots-sign up for their Buzz Club and two or three times a year or more they give you a coupon for 20% off entire order. I used my coupon last week and only bought organic and saved a ton on pickles, olive oil, lemonade, crushed tomatoes, tomatoe sauce with vodka, soba noodles and the best was smoked salmon from their Christmas stash -YUMMIE. On a regular basis I find many organic deals at Big Lots. I've just found out they have started a rewards program also. If you buy $20 month, after 12 months you get a 20% to use when everyone else doesn't have one.

 

I amen the potatoes a hundred ways. I also buy or make chicken stock to used in the mashed potatoes instead of milk and it works great. One of our favorite meat stretchers is chicken pot pie with potatoes, frozen vegies, onion, celery, and crust you make or buy. I use one of my frozen packages of chicken tenders from Sam's. It feeds my hungry guys with an added salad and leftovers, if any, are gobbled up not left in the frig to spoil. There are hundreds of recipes online. I usually find the frozen vegies cheap and the potatoes are cheap and I always keep onion and celery bought on sale chopped and frozen in my freezer.

 

I could go on and on. I also clip coupons and shop our local Publix (I Heart Publix and Southern Savers for we who live down south) for bogo's with coupons which can be next to nothing on some items. You can do it as well. I will add other things I think of later.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Georgia On My Mind

[Wildiris]

I spent the better part of my adult life being an organic food snob, but I am recovering and have been known to shop at Safeway.

 

If you buy in bulk at Whole Foods take the time to compare the cost per pound to buying packaged. My DD and I compared buying flour in bulk to buying flour in 5 pound bags. The 5 pound bags were cheaper.

 

 

• The most cost effective way to shop is to have a meal plan and list that you will not deviate from while shopping.
  
• No pre-packaged food.
  
• Meat is condiment and not a main dish.
  
• Cut back on snaking. An interesting aside: The French do not snack, but they do eat well when they sit down to eat.
  
• Focus on healthy~ ultimately I think it is cheaper to eat healthy food .
  
  
• Be willing to change your lifestyle.
  
  

 

[mom31257]

:bigear:

[Wyndie]

For those of you who coupon, how long do you spend getting, clipping, organizing, etc... all your coupon stuff each week? This is all so interesting, I can't imagine spending less than $1400.00 a month on food and I want to learn but can't spend hours each week hunting bargains and getting coupons in order.

 

:bigear:

[delaney]

For those of you who coupon, how long do you spend getting, clipping, organizing, etc... all your coupon stuff each week? This is all so interesting, I can't imagine spending less than $1400.00 a month on food and I want to learn but can't spend hours each week hunting bargains and getting coupons in order.

 

:bigear:

I get typically $1500 worth of food/household for $1000 or less every month with coupons. On the really good weeks I get up to 10 newspapers. I organize in a plastic file thing I got at Wal-mart. Easy to do.

[joannqn]

For those of you who coupon, how long do you spend getting, clipping, organizing, etc... all your coupon stuff each week? This is all so interesting, I can't imagine spending less than $1400.00 a month on food and I want to learn but can't spend hours each week hunting bargains and getting coupons in order.

 

:bigear:

 

 

I spend 30 minutes tops. I file my coupons inserts by date. Then I cut only the coupons I need the day I shop. I know which flyers to pull because the Grocery Game lists them that way. Each item that has a coupon will say something like SS 1/9, which means the Smart Source insert from January 9th. I used to cut and file coupons into baseball card holders but I just don't have the time for that anymore. So, there are probably a few coupons here and there that I could have used on random purchases (between lists) had I known where to find them but they don't add up enough to pay for my time.

[elfgivas]

if you have a csa around, it makes organic fruit and veggies affordable.

if you have a friend with a sam's club membership, they can take a guest in once. go. buy 50 pounds of flour, and 20 lbs of rice and some sugar and any other ingredients in bulk that you can imagine.

 

don't. buy. mixes.

or prepackaged food.

 

serve 4 ounces of protein a day. all the rest is veggies and fruit and carbs.

buy a hot air popcorn popper. buy kernels. this is snack food.

 

no chips. no soda.

 

you can do this!

ann

[2squared]

I think you can use various strategies to decrease your budget. Some people use coupons successfully, some people shop multiple stores, some people stockpile, etc. I think you need to look at what you're buying and see where your opportunities are:

*If you buy convenience items, could you make more from scratch?

*If you throw a lot of food away, can you make less, learn new ways to remake leftovers, or meal plan better?

*If your family is constantly in the kitchen, can you implement a better meal/snack schedule or select cheaper snacks?

*If you are brand or packaging loyal, can you experiment with different brands or different version of the same food?

*If you aren't couponing or following the sales cycle, can you start taking advantage of the sales cycle and stocking up?

*Can you alternative source some food - gardens, farmer's markets, etc

 

I spend about $550/month on groceries, toiletries, cleaners, and diapers. I used to spend more, but in the last two years I've been able to maintain this budget despite having another baby and my olders consuming more every year. We definitely have snacks and fun food, but not as much as we once did. I should add that I never use coupons. I haven't found them to be beneficial for us.

[Ottakee]

I spend about $80/week on groceries for the 5 of us. It does not count lunches for dh or older dd. We do buy 1/2 cow apart from this about once a year. We also have our own chickens so we get free eggs.

 

My kids don't drink much milk so 1 gallon lasts us a week or more.

 

I make lots of crock pot meals---soups, stews, etc. go a long way and are cheaper to make.

 

Buy stuff ONLY when it is on sale (esp. if you have a coupon) and stock up. I don't pay more than $2/lb for skinless/boneless chicken breasts. When it is that cheap, I buy 10-15 pounds or more and freeze it.