Help me with my grocery bill, pretty please!

[BMW]

Things are a little tight right now because while we did make "purchses" (some on credit cards) for the holidays, dh works less in December every year and so our pay decreases...

 

I will have 4 extra people to feed for 3 days this weekend and 2 extra to our usual 5 until Jan. 9th and I'd like to plan out some ways to save with groceries and I tend to blow it in that area with impulse buys at the store...

 

I am fairly good when it comes to planning, but right now my mind isn't going past "potatoes and tostadas".

 

What are your "go to"s when you have to cut back or be extra careful with the budget?

 

I really, really need ideas for breakfasts and lunches and snacks... that's where I blow it a lot...

 

Thanks!!!

[Blueridge]

I'm exactly where you are, Bee. :grouphug: Our married dd is coming with her hubby for a week...and it's between paydays...So I sat down yesterday and made out a week's menu plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. I kept it simple with homemade granola, muffins, scrambled eggs, pancakes for breakfasts... sandwiches, nachos, homemade soups, baked potato bar for lunches... and big casserole type suppers like spaghetti and meatballs, homemade pizza, taco bar, fancy waffles, etc. for suppers. Snacks are popcorn, and homemade cookies. I shopped at Aldi's today and spent half what I usually have on a regular payday cause I stuck to my list. Enjoy your company!

[MrsH]

I constantly struggle to keep the grocery budget down! For breakfast we do oatmeal (not packets but from a giant container) w/ dried or fresh fruit and made w/ milk or water. Sometimes we'll do a soft-boiled egg w/ toast or a frozen waffle. Cold cereal only when it's on sale, and they can have one bowl, after that it's plain cheerios (store-brand).

 

Snacks - popcorn. We make it in the whirlypop but an airpopper works too. Also carrots (we get a 5lb bag every 1-2 weeks and cut them up) w/ ranch or hummus. A sweet potato is a quick and easy snack though my kids don't believe me on that. My kids also love having a hard-boiled egg w/ fruit. Sometimes we do cheese and triscuits. Homemade muffins are good too, I make a double batch (24) and freeze them, pulling out as needed. Usually I make banana, zucchini, apple, or pumpkin muffins, w/ extra of the fruit/veggie instead of much of the oil, and w/ half the sugar that the recipe calls for (though I do sprinkle a little on top). Good luck!

[fairfarmhand]

chili...

 

Beans, rice, and cornbread.

 

Chicken and dumplings

 

Lasagna

 

Spaghetti

 

Home-made bread, because anything served with homemade bread is amazing.

[ravinlunachick]

Do you have an Aldi nearby? Their produce prices can't be beat (though you won't find organic anything there, if that's what you're looking for). They also have really good prices on frozen sausage links and individual hashbrown patties. Things like that can really extend a breakfast of scrambled eggs, iykwim. If you like frozen pancakes/French toast sticks, they have good store brand versions of those as well.

[DusksAngel]

Biscuits and Gravy, Pancakes, Muffins are some good crowd breakfasts.

Soups/Stews/Chilis are good for lunches too. Especially with yummy bread or cornbread.

[annandatje]

Right now Aldi's has 10 lb. potatoes for 1.99. You could make a double batch of mashed potato casserole. Fry the leftovers in butter for potato pancakes.

 

They also have pineapples for 99 cents again.

 

Black bean soup is a good option for lunch and dinner. Pair it with crusty French bread and either a garden salad or a raw vegetable plate.

[Audrey]

Things are a little tight right now because while we did make "purchses" (some on credit cards) for the holidays, dh works less in December every year and so our pay decreases...

 

I will have 4 extra people to feed for 3 days this weekend and 2 extra to our usual 5 until Jan. 9th and I'd like to plan out some ways to save with groceries and I tend to blow it in that area with impulse buys at the store...

 

I am fairly good when it comes to planning, but right now my mind isn't going past "potatoes and tostadas".

 

What are your "go to"s when you have to cut back or be extra careful with the budget?

 

I really, really need ideas for breakfasts and lunches and snacks... that's where I blow it a lot...

 

Thanks!!!

 

Are eggs still cheap? (Seriously, I don't know. I don't buy eggs). If so... some lovely omelets make a great meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. A bit of chopped meat or veggies for filling, a bit of cheese... it's all good.

 

Squashes are usually cheap now. A roasted squash soup is beautiful and super tasty. Serve with a plate of cheese and sliced fully-cooked sausage (I'm thinking bavarians or garlic sausage, but any that you like are good), and some good crusty bread.

[jennsmile]

Breakfasts : oatmeal, steel cut oats (I buy in bulk so it isn't $$$,) grits or cornmeal mush with syrup, homemade wheat pancakes (I use powdered milk), wheat waffles, german pancake, diced potatoes and scrambled eggs (adding a little green pepper or bacon adds color.) French toast (shop the day old bread store.)

 

Lunch Ramen, homemade pitas with tuna, egg salad or something, homemade bread made into grilled cheese, soup from scratch, left overs, tortilla pizzas, quesadillas (I buy my cheese in bulk) spaghetti with olive oil and maybe some steamed veggies and a little cheese, chili, refried beans and rice.

 

Snacks : Popcorn airpopped with a little butter and sea salt, purchased in bulk, hot cocoa (bulk), apples (again in bulk) & oranges (bulk) or baby carrots. Homemade yogurt smoothies.

 

Most of the stuff I keep on hand all the time, I buy bulk spaghetti, wheat, oatmeal, powdered milk, refried dry bean, cocoa and white rice from our church storehouse, which is open to the public. The prices are low. I also do a coop where I can get bulk cheese, apples and oranges and prebuy for the month, till the next drop. It is also where I get my popcorn and refined flour. I have a freezer full of chicken from a chicken coop I did where the price was half of retail.

 

When I am trying to save money I make everything from scratch. If you need help with bread making or yogurt making or let me know. Pitas are super easy to make too. Yes it takes a little time to make things from scratch but it is worth the savings.

[Myeightkiddies]

Breakfasts:

Oatmeal - Quaker or store-brand in the big cylinder. Brown sugar, butter, syrup, raisins, etc. can be used for topping.

Pancakes - From scratch

Waffles - From scratch

Biscuits - homemade. Serve with jelly, butter, syrup, etc.

Bread - homemade. Use older, good pieces for a baked french toast.

Grits

 

Lunches:

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Soup

Spaghetti

Leftover Meatloaf for sandwiches

 

Dinners:

Spaghetti

Soup and grilled cheese

Meatloaf (use leftovers for sandwiches)

Chili

Breakfast for dinner

Baked potatoes - Add toppings such as butter, sour cream, bacon (if you have some already), hamburger meat, cheese

 

Make a list of local grocery stores. Search up their web addresses. The sales flyer should be posted on the site. Often you can make a shopping list by clicking on the items in the flyer. Many grocery stores have 2 for 1 sales. Be sure to look for things that would be good for meals. Don't buy things you wouldn't use or things that are too pricey anyway. Chicken is often 2 for 1 at some places, so that would be a lot of meals too.

 

Go to various brand name websites (Betty Crocker, General Mills, Nabisco, etc.) and look for coupons. Many offer them. Then when shopping the sales ads online from your grocery stores, see if any of the sale items or 2 for 1s are the items that you have a coupon. You will save even more.

 

If you have to shop at more than one store, just bring a cooler. Go to the store with the most items as that will take the longest. Put cold items in the cooler and go to the next store.

 

If you don't make your own biscuits or breads, there are recipes online. It really isn't too hard and will certainly save some money.

[happi duck]

If your library has Cheap, Fast, Good it's worth looking at. The authors marked recipes that are cheap and super-cheap.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Cheap-Fast-Good-Beverly-Mills/dp/0761131760

[OK Family]

:lurk5:

[Mergath]

I buy bulk grains at our local health food store for dirt cheap. Organic oatmeal for a buck a pound, rice for even less. We've been eating more rice lately. There are a lot of Japanese recipes that are cheap and healthy too, different noodle bowls that just use a bit of meat and vegetables and egg. We do hiyashi chuka a lot. It's supposed to be a summer recipe, but we eat it year-round. :D

 

I make my own soup fairly often, too. A big pot of lentil soup and a couple loaves of homemade bread will stretch really far, and it tastes great in the winter. Makes a nice lunch.

 

Cedric Adams hotdish is a winner here. You take a half a head of cabbage, shred it, spread half in the bottom of a baking dish, then add a layer of one pound of browned hamburger, top with the rest of the cabbage, and pour a can of (stirred) condensed tomato soup over the top. Bake till bubbly. My family loves it, it's super cheap, and really easy to double.

[jennsmile]

I

 

Cedric Adams hotdish is a winner here. You take a half a head of cabbage, shred it, spread half in the bottom of a baking dish, then add a layer of one pound of browned hamburger, top with the rest of the cabbage, and pour a can of (stirred) condensed tomato soup over the top. Bake till bubbly. My family loves it, it's super cheap, and really easy to double.

 

 

That sounds yummy but I can see my kids not eating it.

[Tarreymere]

Hi,

We're good at this!

 

Breakfast: Oatmeal made from those big canisters of oatmeal and cooked on the stovetop. Add sugar and cinnamon to taste. Scrambled eggs and toast work well, or homemade biscuits with homemade milk gravy (you can add ground sausage if you have it) are really cheap, as well as homemade pancakes.

 

Lunch: PB&J, baked potato with whatever is on hand for topping, ramen noodles (you can add in bits of leftover veggies or whatever), soup, leftovers, grilled cheese.

 

Snacks: Air popped popcorn or if you don't have an air popper you can do it in a heavy pot with a lid on the stove and a tablespoon of oil. Homemade muffins with jelly, or any homemade plain muffins or muffins with oatmeal are cheap and good with jelly. Homemade english muffins. Any homemade baked good. Scones, plain cookies like sugar cookies are cheap or you could make peanut butter ones. No bakes are amazing and really easy.

 

Dinners: Make polenta from cornmeal. You can serve it this way in a bowl with tomato topping, cheese, onion or whatever. Or you can chill the cornmeal then slice it and fry it. Then top it.

Potato soup with homemade biscuits, Black Bean soup with homemade biscuits, Lentil soup with homemade biscuits.

Make up some bread dough and make homemade pizza and garlic sticks, or make some spaghetti with marinara sauce (which is just plain tomato sauce that has some seasonings. Or you could add hamburger for a meat sauce or make meatballs if you want) and make some homemade bread and then slice it up and toast it with butter and garlic powder for garlic bread. Pasta with Pesto sauce and add in some sausage, onion and green pepper if you have any of those on hand, make some bread sticks to go with. Cream of Chicken soup over homemade biscuits, add some real chicken if you have it. Stir fried rice, add whatever meat, egg, or veggies you have on hand and add in some soy sauce. Supper Pie with homemade pie crust and filled with potato, onions, any veggies you have and either beans or some kind of meat, you can add in some gravy if you have it before you put the top crust on if you want. Shepard's pie made with either meat or beans and onions and some kind of veggie and topped with mashed potatoes and baked. Pork and beans over homemade cornbread. You can top with shredded cheese if you have it. I have more ideas too.

 

I could go on. PM me if you need recipes

Edited December 16, 2011 by Rainefox

[Tarreymere]

I buy bulk grains at our local health food store for dirt cheap. Organic oatmeal for a buck a pound, rice for even less. We've been eating more rice lately. There are a lot of Japanese recipes that are cheap and healthy too, different noodle bowls that just use a bit of meat and vegetables and egg. We do hiyashi chuka a lot. It's supposed to be a summer recipe, but we eat it year-round. :D

 

I make my own soup fairly often, too. A big pot of lentil soup and a couple loaves of homemade bread will stretch really far, and it tastes great in the winter. Makes a nice lunch.

 

Cedric Adams hotdish is a winner here. You take a half a head of cabbage, shred it, spread half in the bottom of a baking dish, then add a layer of one pound of browned hamburger, top with the rest of the cabbage, and pour a can of (stirred) condensed tomato soup over the top. Bake till bubbly. My family loves it, it's super cheap, and really easy to double.

 

 

You might be interested in 'Lazy Piggies', which is the Cedric Adams hotdish BUT you add in rice with the hamburger and don't brown the hamburger first. You also add some chopped onions. Then you put on the top layer of cabbage leaves and bake. It is called 'Lazy Piggies' because it is a lazy version of the dish in which hamburger is mixed with rice and wrapped in cabbage leaves which then put in a pan and tomato sauce or tomato soup poured over top. The whole is baked. Very good either way.

Edited December 16, 2011 by Rainefox

[ThisIsTheDay]

What are your "go to"s when you have to cut back or be extra careful with the budget?

 

 

I'd use a rotation for breakfast and include oatmeal and pancakes. Baked rice is also good, at the bottom of this post.

 

Lunch or dinner:

 

We had breakfast for dinner tonight, a giant omelet cut into slices, a bag of potatoes, fried, and smoothies.

 

Shredded bbq beef/pork/chicken sandwiches. Whatever meat is on sale, cooked in crockpot, shredded and served on buns. I'm happy to give recipes if you are interested.

 

Meatball subs. This is how I fixed them, but I used a bag of frozen meatballs from the store, cooked on the stove in jarred spaghetti sauce. I fit 4? or is it 6? meatballs per sandwich.

 

Homemade soup.

 

Homemade macaroni and cheese, and cornbread.

 

Burrito bar. There's a great recipe somewhere on the boards for Chipotle-style rice, and I have a wonderful, simple marinade for chicken (or beef) that I'm happy to share.

 

Taco bar.

 

Dirty rice, "Caesar" salad (chopped romaine, bottled Caesar dressing), garlic bread.

 

And the all time, easy favorite, spaghetti.

 

Round out your meals with plain garlic bread and some sort of veggies or green salad (iceberg lettuce is relatively inexpensive).

 

Buy a 3-5 lb. bag of assorted fruit, or whatever's on sale, to have on hand for people to snack. Provide kool-aid for drinks (we make ours with 1/3-1/2 the sugar).

 

(And Ginger, WHERE is an Aldi's? Is it 30+ mins. south of you? I've only heard of them, never been.)

 

-----------------------

BREAKFAST RICE

(from an old WTM post):

 

 

per serving:

3/4 to 1 cup cooked brown rice (or white, freshly made or leftover, either one)

2/3 c. milk

1 T. brown sugar

1/4 t. cinnamon

fresh blueberries, strawberries, or other fruit of your choice (or bananas, or none)

 

In a saucepan, combine rice, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy. (Mine seems to take more than 10 mins.)

 

Remove from heat, pour into bowl, and serve topped with fruit.