Where do you cut back in your grocery budget

[Audrey]

I think I'm going to be stuck in a position I have not dealt with in 15+ years. We had a lot of flooding this spring and my 1/2 acre garden didn't get going until end of May. Since then, we've had more water than is good for anything (besides ducks), and more than half of what was planted is going to be stingy at best. So, I will not have enough to can and freeze enough to keep our food supply going through the winter.

 

Which means... I am going to have to buy more than just lettuce and few bits of produce and cheese this winter. We have plenty of meat, but won't have plenty of fruit and vegetables. I cannot buy tinned fruit and vegetables. My dh can't stand them. We don't use processed foods. (ETA: We also don't eat a lot of starches.) I am willing to cook anything from scratch. Frozen is okay, but when we went shopping this morning, I looked and I can't believe what they charge for a teeny little bag of frozen fruit.

 

Tips are welcome. Growing our own food is the one big budget saver we've always relied upon in the past. Please ease my anxiety. :001_unsure:

[kewb]

Around our house, if it is not seasonal and on sale I don't buy it. Our winter veggies consist of lots of root vegetables and winter squash-acrorn, butternut, and spaghetti, and frozen veggies when they are on sale. If the store is having a really good sale on frozen veggies I stock up. Fruit is apples and pears. All other fruit simply costs too much in the winter.

 

I miss the days when I could just purchase whatever food I wanted. The cost of food in my area just keeps going up. It is very frustrating watching my food $$ buy less and less. Don't even get me started on the skrinking size of everything.

[stansclan89]

Around our house, if it is not seasonal and on sale I don't buy it. Our winter veggies consist of lots of root vegetables and winter squash-acrorn, butternut, and spaghetti, and frozen veggies when they are on sale. If the store is having a really good sale on frozen veggies I stock up. Fruit is apples and pears. All other fruit simply costs too much in the winter.

 

I miss the days when I could just purchase whatever food I wanted. The cost of food in my area just keeps going up. It is very frustrating watching my food $$ buy less and less. Don't even get me started on the skrinking size of everything.

 

:iagree: This is what we do too. It's not ideal, but we live within our income this way.

[starwarsmomma]

Been there. Am there.

 

When things are tight, I stick to the basics. No fancy fruits or veggies.

Right now, that includes grapes, which are ridiculously priced right now (here at least)

 

I stay with the inexpensive items potatoes, cabbage, apples, bananas (if affordable, but we do eat alot of bananas), peppers, onions, garlic, etc...

 

Buy something to fill up the family-- that will make the meat strech and fill everyone up. Cabbage, potatoes, beans, rice, pasta, etc... The fuller they are, the less they crave junk food or other expensive items.

 

I avoid the expensive fruits completely, unless there is an awesome sale.

 

No sodas, alcohol, fancy drinks, juice boxes, or jugs of fruit juice. When times are tight it's water, tea, flavored lemonade (if I can afford it), kool aid for treats...

 

No ice cream or popsicles but I have frozen koolaid if it's super-hot.

 

As a treat, I try to make desert every few days. Nothing fancy. Cookies, coffee cake, pudding, jello, fruit salad, etc... It makes the SIMPLE meals much more special.

Edited July 16, 2011 by joyfulheart

[Cera]

I would go check out your local costco. I bought a membership to ours because of the produce (and meat). Ours stocks a lot of organic and local produce and the prices tend to be very good.

[myfunnybunch]

Can you look for seconds on produce, and u-pick veggies, and can those this summer? I pick and can or freeze a lot of the produce and veg that we can't grow in our small backyard garden. It costs more up front, of course, and you won't be able to completely make up for the loss of the garden, but in the long run it is less expensive than buying the fruits and vegetables at winter prices.

 

Corn, peas, cherries, blueberries, green beans, peaches, apples are all available at fairly reasonable prices in my area if I u-pick. The buckets of seconds of cherries and flats of day-old strawberries are often nearly as good as the first run, with just a few smaller size or they need to be processed right away because they are day-old. We last nearly all winter on the fruits and veg I pick and can/freeze/dry suring the summer. You've already got the jars and freezer space you'd have used for your own garden, so there's little cost there. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry fruits in the oven.

 

ETA: We also buy storage veggies (potatoes, squash, onions, garlic) in bulk at a very reasonable price from a local farm, much less than we'd pay at the grocery store in the winter.

 

Cat

Edited July 16, 2011 by myfunnybunch

[RahRah]

I'm not sure what shopping options are like in Canada, but when crops are at "bumper" stage is when they're cheapest, even at retail....so maybe watch the sales and buy fresh, wash, blanch and freeze or can as if it were your own crop? This time of the year is when everything is going to go into season and then out again quickly, so you may be able to find some great bargains.

 

Do you think one or two of your crops may yield enough for your family and for you to barter some with others who are in a similar situation, just with different crops? Ya know, say you'll wind up with tons of spinach and someone else tons of tomatoes - if you can find someone like that, maybe you can each share some of what you have with the other so you both have some of both?

 

Do you or anyone in your family hunt? I have a friend who last year was crushed when an area of her garden just failed - she asked around and found a few people who wanted venison (that her husband hunted each year), so he hunted two extra to use for those families to have more meat and in return they got canned tomatoes, peaches, pears, blackberry jam, green beans and a an insane amount of walnuts and pecans. They gave half the nuts to another family in exchange for a dozen eggs each week between November and April - that family had chickens that laid more eggs than they could ever use, but not enough to really be able to sell consistently their excess, so it worked out well for them. Might something like that work for you?

[Dobela]

If possible I would begin buying from local farmer's markets and such right now and preserve what you can. It is still cheaper than buying canned products later.

[Audrey]

I would go check out your local costco. I bought a membership to ours because of the produce (and meat). Ours stocks a lot of organic and local produce and the prices tend to be very good.

 

 

I would love it if we had a Costco. The nearest one would be in the City, which is just over 100 miles away.

[Audrey]

Can you look for seconds on produce and u-pick veggies and can those this summer. I pick and can or freeze a lot of the produce and veg that we can't grow in our small backyard garden. It costs more up front, of course, and you won't be able to completely make up for the loss of the garden, but in the long run it is less expensive than buying the fruits and vegetables at winter prices.

 

Corn, peas, cherries, blueberries, green beans, peaches, apples are all available at fairly reasonable prices in my area if I u-pick. The buckets of seconds of cherries and flats of day-old strawberries are often nearly as good as the first run, with just a few smaller size or they need to be processed right away because they are day-old. We last nearly all winter on the fruits and veg I pick and can/freeze/dry suring the summer. You've already got the jars and freezer space you'd have used for your own garden, so there's little cost there. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can dry fruits in the oven.

 

ETA: We also buy storage veggies (potatoes, squash, onions, garlic) in bulk at a very reasonable price from a local farm, much less than we'd pay at the grocery store in the winter.

 

Cat

 

If possible I would begin buying from local farmer's markets and such right now and preserve what you can. It is still cheaper than buying canned products later.

 

I could try, but everyone around here is in a similar boat. I will look for end of season excess, though. I might get lucky. :001_smile: The thing is, I usually SELL at Farmer's Markets. So far, it has been extremely slim pickings on all produce. Lots of baked goods, though.

[Audrey]

I'm not sure what shopping options are like in Canada, but when crops are at "bumper" stage is when they're cheapest, even at retail....so maybe watch the sales and buy fresh, wash, blanch and freeze or can as if it were your own crop? This time of the year is when everything is going to go into season and then out again quickly, so you may be able to find some great bargains.

 

Do you think one or two of your crops may yield enough for your family and for you to barter some with others who are in a similar situation, just with different crops? Ya know, say you'll wind up with tons of spinach and someone else tons of tomatoes - if you can find someone like that, maybe you can each share some of what you have with the other so you both have some of both?

 

Do you or anyone in your family hunt? I have a friend who last year was crushed when an area of her garden just failed - she asked around and found a few people who wanted venison (that her husband hunted each year), so he hunted two extra to use for those families to have more meat and in return they got canned tomatoes, peaches, pears, blackberry jam, green beans and a an insane amount of walnuts and pecans. They gave half the nuts to another family in exchange for a dozen eggs each week between November and April - that family had chickens that laid more eggs than they could ever use, but not enough to really be able to sell consistently their excess, so it worked out well for them. Might something like that work for you?

 

 

No, we don't hunt, but meat isn't an issue. We have our own cattle and hogs, and chickens for eggs. I might be able to work some trade using meat for produce, though. It's certainly worth the try, eh? Thanks for the idea. :001_smile:

[Diana B]

Around our house, if it is not seasonal and on sale I don't buy it. Our winter veggies consist of lots of root vegetables and winter squash-acrorn, butternut, and spaghetti, and frozen veggies when they are on sale. If the store is having a really good sale on frozen veggies I stock up. Fruit is apples and pears. All other fruit simply costs too much in the winter.

 

I miss the days when I could just purchase whatever food I wanted. The cost of food in my area just keeps going up. It is very frustrating watching my food $$ buy less and less. Don't even get me started on the skrinking size of everything.

 

:iagree: As well.

 

Stick the basics. For our area, if it's over $1/lb for fruits, it's too expensive. Bananas are almost always a good buy (and sometimes I can find them in the discount/over ripe area - then I dry or freeze them for later use!) There is usually some variety of apple that is cheap. And we'll buy oranges/grapefruit in the late fall/winter when they are in season.

 

Veggies are even cheaper. I buy the bigger bag of carrots (cut them up for snacking, don't buy baby carrots!). The more you buy in a bag, the cheaper they are per pound. Celery. Broccoli and cauliflower will go on sale in the fall to under a $1/lb. And what ever else is seasonal and on sale (this last week I got huge bunches of kale & mustard greens for a $1/bunch - great price!). Potatoes are always cheap (although I don't consider this a veggie). And in the fall you can get winter squash and sweet potatoes.

 

March is frozen food month. So you should be able to find good prices on frozen fruit and veggies then (I found 12-16oz bags for $.25 this year). This will hold you over until your garden starts producing next spring.

 

And cut out all processed foods. Focus on the higher nutrition/lower priced foods. Eggs are good. Oatmeal is good. Cold cereal is bad. Beans & rice are good. Little boxes of mac & cheese are bad (although they seem cheap - they won't fill you up!).

 

Without knowing what else you buy, I'm not sure what else you can cut out. :)