How To Save Money On Food?

[bookfiend]

In addition to the other suggestions, have a couple of "go-to" meals that are supper easy and your kids love. Always stock the ingredients for these meals. Then when the day is overwhelming, dinner doesn't get planned or started, you have an alternative to eating out. One restaurant meal a week (even fast food lunches) can wreck your budget.

[brasilmom]

Just recently I started clipping coupons and am happy I did. I have gotten some great sales/coupons combos that helped me bring home many basic items for free or near free. I am talking pasta, yogurt, cereals, some healthy snack bars for my dh, etc. I am also doing the same for cleaning and toilleteries. Paying little money to tooth paste, tooth brush, deodorant, body wash, etc. I find it worth my time to do it.

I also buy bulk for items that are on sale but have no coupons for it. Right now, my grocery has chicken breast for $1.99. So, tomorrow I go get several pounds so I can separate and freeze. Those I will use to make lots of dishes and then freeze. I guess if I spend some extra cash to stock up, it will balance out as I will not buy the same items for a while.

Check out the couponmom.com site as she has grocery stores listed as well as Target, Walgreens, CVs etc listed with their weekly sale. You can make a comparison, make a list and then go shopping. It has helped me a lot too.

 

Be well

 

Miriam

[annlaura]

One thing I've done is to stay away from the big chain groceries. Instead, I go to a mom & pop store with a fantastic selection of produce, a great butcher, and a great deli counter. These items are fresher and cheaper than the chain stores. This store stocks fewer non-perishables and charges a bit more for them, so I only get exactly what we need. About every 8 weeks I go to Target and stock any pantry items, and about once a month I hit Aldi for a few items I like from there. I also had to get over the mindset that cooking had took lots of time. Chopping a few carrots and throwing them, peas, and noodles into chicken broth really only takes 2 minutes, and it's cheaper and healthier than canned. And cooking up chicken breasts and green beans is actually faster than sending DH out for take-out. I tend to plan 4-5 meals, and have basics on hand for old standbys. I am planning to start making more meals to freeze.

[purduemeche]

A couple ways our family of 9 goes cheap:

 

1. Go vegetarian. Getting your protein from beans, lentils, and nuts is much cheaper than meat.

 

2. Do not coupon. You spend a lot of time (that you don't have since you're a homeschooler), and you end up buying items you don't need just because they're on sale.

 

3. Stay out of the store as much as possible. Shop twice a month if you can manage.

 

4. Plant a garden - a great way to have home science projects.

[Wyndie]

I didn't find that to be true here. I LOVED my CSA membership, but it definitely cost more.

 

Awww that's a shame. :( Perhaps it's just the way we eat... the CSA provides exactly what we normally eat at $25.00 a week, whereas I paid over $100.00 a week for the same exact groceries at the store. I thought CSAs were money savers across the board, I'm sorry it wasn't for you.

[Scarlett]

....but I have a summer menu and a winter menu that I've stuck to for a few years now and it's *so nice* to not have to worry about what to make or what to buy. I just operate off of a list and have freed up a huge portion of my brain to worry about other stuff. To keep from rebelling against the menu, I leave Saturdays open--we either eat out or I make something new and fun.

 

Would you mind posting your summer/winter menus?

 

I am now feeding 3 big boys (10,11,14) and my big dh. I have never had to cook big quantities!

 

 

I love operating off of pre-set menus.

[livingnlearning]

That is *so* my style! Were we separated at birth? :lol:

 

Maybe so! I'm glad I'm not the only one without a meal plan!

 

even last night I changed the "plan" that I did have!

[Scarlett]

Maybe so! I'm glad I'm not the only one without a meal plan!

 

even last night I changed the "plan" that I did have!

 

LOL You two are funny.

[Susan C.]

 

A question I ask myself every time I walk out of a grocery store. I shop sales, comparison shop, coupon what I can (not highly effective if you don't buy a lot of packaged foods :glare:), and buy what I can at Aldi.

 

DH thinks we should get into hard core couponing. Sounds great, except I refuse to sacrifice fresh foods in favor of packaged crap.

:iagree:

 

Perimeter shop (produce, dairy, eggs, meat), buy healthy food, even if it costs more. The junk is what costs so much, and if you eat well, you won't even need snacks. I rarely use coupons, I try, but what I get rarely has coupons.

 

I make a list for only what I've run out of, and then make meals as I shop from the sale flyer.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Susan C.

[twoforjoy]

One thing I've noticed for us is that "extras"--snacks, stuff for lunch, drinks--can end up adding a lot to our grocery bill. It helps if I just plan one lunch for the week, that we eat every weekday that week (we'll have something different the next week). That way I'm not picking up a dozen different lunch items, a bunch of which will go bad before we get a chance to finish them. Same with snacks. Rather than feeling like I need to have two dozen different snacks to offer my kids during the week, I just pick a few of things we'll snack on that week--maybe graham crackers, apples, and yogurt one week, carrots, hummus, and granola bars another--and we stick to that, just adding in fruit we have in the house if we want other snacks.

 

Otherwise, I feel like it's very easy for me to be really good about having dinners planned out and budgeted, but then to end up having lunches and snacks be totally disorganized and costing way more than they should for the week.

[missmoe]

Don't shop at the grocery store. Look for co ops, farmers, outlets, ect you can shop at.

 

The grocery store is not your friend for inexpensive foods.

 

Also, making snacks instead of buying saves us lots of money. Crackers can be 2-4 a box, but I can make a snack cake for my family that is healthy and more filling for about a $1.

[FloridaLisa]

I'm just don't understand how this would save. I'm clearly not "getting it."

 

Valerie, haven't seen a reply. Do think the savings comes from simply staying out of the store and using up what's in the pantry? I usually shop weekly for at least milk and produce. But, I find that if I stay out of the store (usually from sheer busy-ness) for 2 weeks, my grocery dollars really stretch.

 

I do think if I ever cut back to once monthly shopping, I'd miss out on some great loss leaders.

 

You don't consider casseroles frugal? I'm curious why.

 

Well, I actually do make casseroles, and I've learned to make them frugally (chicken pot pie and chicken broccoli are favorites here). But the typical casserole recipe can be pretty costly if you're not used to frugal substitutes.

 

As for the price book, I've tried to do that, but have found that prices have been fluctuating wildly the last few years, so it's not as helpful.

 

Not so much fluctuting around here as going straight up. :tongue_smilie:

 

Lisa

[cathmom]

For the Amy fans, a 2010 interview:

 

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/05/amy-dacyczyn-of-the-tightwad-gazette/

 

And this one from the old days (1992)--timeless--same issues as today:

 

 

 

Thanks for those! I had never seen her "live" and that house is gorgeous! Now if I could only get my dh to see her wisdom about lunches out...

[Peela]

For the Amy fans, a 2010 interview:

 

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.com/2010/05/amy-dacyczyn-of-the-tightwad-gazette/

 

And this one from the old days (1992)--timeless--same issues as today:

 

 

 

I had heard of her- but now that I have seen those clips- that's how we have been living for years! All our furniture and ornaments, most of our clothes are all 2nd hand. It is fun to live like that and find bargains. Even when we want to buy something new, like a computer (although my Mac is the only new computer we have, and we have 8), we will research and find the best deal we can and the price difference can be a lot. Today in fact I wanted a really good pair of walking boots for winter, and I didn't want 2nd hand ones this time- I found the ones I wanted for 20% off the retail.

I think you need to be time rich to do that- same with finding food bargains. I can imagine someone who works full time doesn't have time to shop around, find the bargains etc But if you have the time, it can be a very creative way to live.

[hiveHolly]

I saw someone mentioned couponmom's site. She also has a book I found at my library. She details an overall strategy for lowering your food budget of which coupons are just a part. Reading about an overall strategy in book form has been more helpful than getting bits and pieces of good advice from the Internet. Despite her blog name, Couponmom doesn't hesitate to let you know for what items you should give up on coupons and head to Costco.

[Lady Florida.]

Stock up as much as possible on sale items - especially meats.

 

Menu plan using either your stock-up items or current sale items.

 

Use coupons for household items and toiletries if you don't eat the kind of food there are coupons for. It only takes about a half hour a week to go through coupons or look online for coupons. Just do a search for <item or brand name> coupon.

 

Comparison shop using a price book. Yes, everything is going up, but using a price book will help you see when a sale price is really a sale price. Don't make yourself crazy trying to put everything in your price book. Just keep a list of the things your family uses most, or the highest price items, or your favorite meat per pound price. IOW, start small.

 

For those with an iPhone or iPod Touch, I like this app.

http://www.ishopare.com/shopare/shopare.aspx

[HistoryMom]

Floridamom, you reminded me of this app that I like:

 

http://shopsavvy.mobi/

 

You can use your iPhone to scan barcodes of items and it tells you the prices in your local area. I've found some things are out of date, because it depends on users uploading new data, but it's still pretty cool. I was about to buy fancy coffee at Walmart yesterday, but found out that Target had it for a dollar less, so I asked DH to pick it up on his way home instead.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

I shop alot at WinnDixie....They have alot of buy1 get1 free deals....that helps...I only use coupons for what I would normally buy-meaning just because I have a coupon if I don't use that product I won't buy it just to use coupon....We don't eat alot of processed foods either....

[BeckyFL]

Wow! I am loving this thread. I have numerous books ordered from the library, a new Iphone app that has already saved me money and an ebook to read as well. This thread was a great follow-up to the retirement thread for me. We need to get very serious about putting more money aside. These ideas will help us to do just that. Thank you, everyone!

 

One thing I can contribute (although it costs money), is that it's been really helpful to have a coupon book that allows me to really see the coupons as I go through the store. I purchased this a few years ago and I love it...

 

http://mrsascouponorganizer.com/

[Kalmia]

Using the supermarket circulars can often save you more money than cupons especially if you shop at several stores and buy in bulk. Some supermarkets have limits on number of sale items, but I've been told at my supermarket, that this is the limit per order. So I just go several times (it is on my way to everything). Other people just put a divider between their sets of sale items and have them rung up separately as different orders.

 

1. The Supermarket Sales: The grocery store fliers are your best source of information for stocking up on items at the lowest possible prices. Often products go on sale for 33%-50% off at the more expensive supermarkets. These prices usually beat the warehouse stores. Stock up at these prices and you may cut your food bill in half. Remember, you can freeze meats, bread, and cheese. In areas with limits on sale goods, the limit is usually per purchase, so if you just go back and forth from the parking lot, you can get more than the limit. Or if you live close enough, stop in on subsequent days. Buy enough to take you to the next sale but be aware of expiration dates. I don’t blink at buying 30 jars of pasta sauce on sale or 20 boxes of cheerios. Remember you may need a savings card to get the sale prices. Watch your consumption habits, and you will learn how much to buy at a time. Also you will find that sales occur at the same time every year. Baking goods that rarely go on sale are advertised right before Thanksgiving (ground pepper does too - I got a five year supply for 99 cents a box rather than the usual $4). Remember that flour can be stored in airtight containers in the freezer as well.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I know this is an old thread, but I want to jump in with those who recommended couponmom.com! Even if you don't use it for actual food, you can use coupons for condiments, cleaners, toiletries, etc., and have much more room in your food budget.

 

Last week I got a big bottle of mustard for $0.40. That's cheap! Then yesterday I scored Nivea lotion (16 0z bottle, NOT trial size, lol) for $0.45!!! Naturally I picked up more than one :D

 

With savings like that on toiletries (I've know people who pay pennies for deoderant and toothpaste--the brands they like!) you can spend more on fresh produce, etc.