How you guys keeping the grocery bills down?

[Alicia64]

You've probably talked this to death, but I'm trying to do better with our grocery bill.

We use Aldis for dairy and nuts.

Kroger is best for fruit and veggies. My husband freaks out at the fruit/veggie prices

We go to Costco as needed

Any tips?

[prairiewindmomma]

We pretty much have stopped buying things that are processed with a few exceptions: pasta sauce, dairy products, and drink powders (electrolytes—needed for a medical thing). We eat very simply, including rice and black beans every week. I dropped my grocery bill from $1500/mo to $800/mo in a HCOL area because we had to. We have not stopped buying fruit and veg, but I do grow my own lettuce with hydroponics. We have downshifted what fruit and veg we buy, and we have had to drastically cut back on fish and nuts…because we had to. (Dh was laid off in Feb.)

Kroger stores and Costco are spendy. We pretty much stopped shopping there. Do you have other shopping options? Can you rework your menu?

[Arcadia]

For some things we have to resort to supplements. The amount of oranges I need for Vit C or the amount of dairy I need for calcium would break the bank. I don’t absorb nutrients well for vegetables, so have to rely on meat and nuts which are costly. 
For those fruits and vegetables that we buy, we shop sales and seasonal. Bing cherries are now $1.99/lb which is the cheapest so far. So now is the best time for us to indulge in a pack of cherries for us. My Safeway supermarket is down the road so it is easy for me to walk there almost every day to check manager specials (store markdowns).

[Pawz4me]

7 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

 

Kroger stores and Costco are spendy. 

Perhaps this is geographical? We save an absolute ton of money at Costco.

[mommyoffive]

For us

There are certain things at Costco that are good buys vs other places.  But for the whole we don't shop there for food unless we are treating ourselves to different food than what other stores have.

We try to shop at Aldi a lot.

We also shop at Walmart.

Some good deals at Dollar Tree

Buy what is on sale especially for fruits and veggies. 

We eat at home 99.9% of the time.    

Also making meals that provide lots of leftovers.  I have a few crockpot meals that I can make huge and then will feed my family of 7 for 4 days via leftovers.    Chili, chicken noodle soup, veggie lasagna, taco chicken.    I haven't really priced it out, but  I bet I am making the meal for maybe $15 and then we have it for 4 days for the 7 of us.  

 

 

[heartlikealion]

I never found much at Aldi that matched my shopping habits so I haven’t really bothered making the drive there (I’ve visited a different Aldi). 

I try to shop on Tuesdays at a nearby Walmart and look for the discounted chicken. It seems Tues/Wed is when I usually see those sale price stickers. Then I buy a couple packs and freeze some.

I buy bags of pretzels from Dollar Tree. Name brand. 

I buy shelf stable milk (dairy and oatmilk) from Dollar Tree. The containers aren’t very big and I don’t use milk a lot so this makes sense. 

At home I almost exclusively drink water (that I run through a pitcher filter). I fill up my thermos and take it in the car. 

I peek at clearance items to see if anything is a good deal that we eat. Usually it’s just junk and I try to stop myself from buying. 

I buy nuts in the baking aisle instead of the ones marketed for salads etc. that are in other aisles. 

This week I bought a pack of English muffins at Dollar Tree. We will make egg sandwiches. 

I bought dry red beans for the next time I make red beans & rice. It will just take more prep time. 

I rarely buy ground beef. I use ground turkey for most things. Tacos, sloppy joes, ragu. 

I don’t have many ideas lol 

[mommyoffive]

@heartlikealion  Good points.  We only drink water and milk.  Oh and tea.

I am not a big meat eater and can go without for sure.  If dh does a lot of the shopping it comes more meat heavy and that is more $$.   

[Scarlett]

44 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

You've probably talked this to death, but I'm trying to do better with our grocery bill.

We use Aldis for dairy and nuts.

Kroger is best for fruit and veggies. My husband freaks out at the fruit/veggie prices

We go to Costco as needed

Any tips?

How many people are you feeding?

[heartlikealion]

Are you buying fresh, canned or frozen produce? 

I buy peaches in cups (cheaper by the box), fresh bananas, strawberries depending on season, and a lot of frozen veggies (~$1.20 a bag store brand). I buy some fresh produce like hearts of romaine. 

I personally never found many deals at Costco or Kroger unless you follow the Kroger mega deals 5 for $5 etc. 

Costco requires you to spend a lot at once and I’m not always prepared to do that… though I did used to get large bags of nuts there. 

[Alicia64]

36 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Perhaps this is geographical? We save an absolute ton of money at Costco.

I'm not sure it's regional. But can you share what you buy at Costco?

[freesia]

I shop the meat sales. I stick up when I hit my price point and don’t buy when not on sale. In my area Walmart has the worst meat prices. 
 

We eat beans or eggs a couple of times a week. We never go out or do carry out. 
 

Block cheese not pre grated. No boxes cereals unless bought at the Amish salvage stores. Mostly just peanuts as nuts. I do make pesto from walnuts. Occasional mixed nuts. Triscuits on sale. Mostly apples and bananas supplemented with whatever fruit is on sale. 
 

I make my own sauces.we eat a lot of rice. I buy potatoes on sale. 
 

we mostly drink water, milk, tea and coffee. I don’t buy juice or soda. I sometimes splurge in seltzer when it’s on sale. 

[prairiewindmomma]

32 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Perhaps this is geographical? We save an absolute ton of money at Costco.

Maybe? Ever since our Costco went to all organic everything a few years ago, prices of products overall are (understandably) higher than when they had conventional produce.  A 2 lb box of strawberries is $7.99 right now. Strawberries are in season here, so if I shop carefully, I can find them at $1.49/lb for conventional. That's a $5 difference just for strawberries.  

I buy a fair bit at Costco--toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. but since we've had to downshift our food budget, I don't buy food there anymore. 

[HomeAgain]

28 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Perhaps this is geographical? We save an absolute ton of money at Costco.

I wish we had one here.  We've had BJ's and Sam's Club memberships, and neither of them are better for a lot of things than our regular grocery store.  We save on very few items there that make it worth it.

 

For us, bear in mind we have 5 adults, including one very athletic growing teen boy.  Our main method of keeping down costs is the rule of 4.  Four items to make a plate, with at least 2 being plant based.  Sometimes the fourth is dessert, sometimes it's an extra form of protein or carbs..like, taco night here, ds14 can put away 10-15 tacos, hands down.  And that's loaded with meat, cheese, pico, avocado, lettuce....but, if I add black beans, cilantro rice, and sweet potato rounds, he's down to about 7 tacos.

We eat a lot of curries and chickpeas in all forms.  Vegetarian twice a week.  We don't eat a lot of beef anymore.  It's insanely expensive here compared to other meats so it's down to about once every 2-3 weeks.

We try to buy in season fruits and veggies.  And I have no problem substituting.  Persimmon is more expensive than a plum.  Mustard greens or dandalion greens work in place of kale in some of our dishes. 

[KungFuPanda]

How good are you at managing leftovers? Do you eat everything or are you loosing stuff to spoilage in the back of the fridge? I’d start with making sure nothing gets wasted even if it makes for some weird side dishes sometimes. If you’re eating a lot of bread, learn to make it. Switching to frozen fruits and veggies will give you just as much (and sometimes more) nutrition for less money. If you have a Latino/Asian grocery near you you can save a ton on fresh veggies, spices, and rice. Learn to make fried rice and curries. They’re filling, flavorful, nutritious, and cheap. 

[Alicia64]

4 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Are you buying fresh, canned or frozen produce? 

I buy peaches in cups (cheaper by the box), fresh bananas, strawberries depending on season, and a lot of frozen veggies (~$1.20 a bag store brand). I buy some fresh produce like hearts of romaine. 

I personally never found many deals at Costco or Kroger unless you follow the Kroger mega deals 5 for $5 etc. 

Costco requires you to spend a lot at once and I’m not always prepared to do that… though I did used to get large bags of nuts there. 

What we buy frozen or fresh is up to the specific item. Great ideas! Thank you! I've never heard of five for five!

Edited May 28 by Alicia64

[Katy]

The higher grocery prices are, the more I add potatoes & beans to everything. 

And I make more of an effort to make daily homemade bread & desserts so it feels like a treat. If there are treats at home, the kids get excited to eat at home. 

[fairfarmhand]

We’re being super careful to eat all th leftovers. I bought new rectangular food storage containers and they stack neatly and perfectly so I’m less likely to lose things in the. Back of the fridge

[prairiewindmomma]

3 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

 

We eat a lot of curries and chickpeas in all forms. 

Yup.  We are a family of six--we have two young adults at home, and two teens. We bulk buy (25# bags) chickpeas, lentils, black beans, rice, oatmeal, etc.  Dh can't handle the starches, so he often eats a separate meal (salad usually, or a couple of cans of tuna), or a larger portion of any meat (usually chicken) we have over rice or another base.  We aren't eating lean protein + veg like we normally do....but we're not trying to give up on nutrition either. 

 

[Alicia64]

11 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

How good are you at managing leftovers? Do you eat everything or are you loosing stuff to spoilage in the back of the fridge? I’d start with making sure nothing gets wasted even if it makes for some weird side dishes sometimes. If you’re eating a lot of bread, learn to make it. Switching to frozen fruits and veggies will give you just as much (and sometimes more) nutrition for less money. If you have a Latino/Asian grocery near you you can save a ton on fresh veggies, spices, and rice. Learn to make fried rice and curries. They’re filling, flavorful, nutritious, and cheap. 

OMG. You win tip of the day!! We live five seconds from a Korean grocery store! Great idea!!

Thank you!

[Alicia64]

7 minutes ago, Katy said:

The higher grocery prices are, the more I add potatoes & beans to everything. 

And I make more of an effort to make daily homemade bread & desserts so it feels like a treat. If there are treats at home, the kids get excited to eat at home. 

Great idea! Now I have to find my bread machine! The air fryer took it's place.  But your idea is a good one.

[Pawz4me]

12 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

I'm not sure it's regional. But can you share what you buy at Costco?

CitriCal Calcium, Tylenol Arthritis, Dove bar soap and body wash, Kirkland Vitamin D, tooth flossers (Plackers or whatever other brand they have), Fair Life protein shakes, Kalamata olives, Better than Bouillon, Charmin toilet paper, Bounty paper towels, their store brand coffee and PB filled pretzels, WildBrine sauerkraut, Tide,  Finish Quantum dishwasher tabs, Kraft cheese (dog cheese), Hillshire Farms honey ham. Those are the things I can remember off the top of my head that we buy there consistently.

12 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Maybe? Ever since our Costco went to all organic everything a few years ago, prices of products overall are (understandably) higher than when they had conventional produce.  A 2 lb box of strawberries is $7.99 right now. Strawberries are in season here, so if I shop carefully, I can find them at $1.49/lb for conventional. That's a $5 difference just for strawberries.  

I buy a fair bit at Costco--toilet paper, laundry detergent, etc. but since we've had to downshift our food budget, I don't buy food there anymore. 

Yeah, I don't buy any produce at our Costco. I don't have a good idea of how the cost compares to the grocery stores here, but the produce quality at our Costco is not good at all. I was disappointed in the first few things I tried (staples like apples, onions, potatoes) so I stopped.

[HomeAgain]

OH, and find your grocery store's hidden savings!

Our cheaper store has a rack of 'just passed' bagged fruits and veggies that are bruised or on their way out.  I can get a bag of 20 limes for $1.50 (usually 2/$1) or a large bag of mixed peppers for a song.  My family loves it when I come home with these sort of treasures because it means some really great food.  The deli there sells the meat and cheese ends for a little over $1/lb in mixed boxes.  You may end up with 6 different types of cheese in one or a few different meats in another, but if you're not picky about it it can be an awesome deal. I'll cube up the meat for ds to snack on, dice for omelettes, or make a kick ass mac & cheese with smoked gouda (without smoked gouda prices).

I use the regular clearance rack for snacks or special things for ds's lunch.  Sometimes I can find good deals there on things we use regularly but were dented.  It's more hit or miss, but worth looking at every time I go.

[Faith-manor]

I gardened heavily last year, broke even on the costs of start up, so this year anything I grow will be saving money. I canned a lot of tomatoes, and tomato based sauces and salsa, plus froze a ton of green beans, carrots, basil, and broccoli, dehydrated apples, bell pepper, garlic, celery, and cherry tomatoes, and also pickled banana peppers and jalapenos. I buy beans in bulk for soups, stews, and refried beans for tacos which is cheaper than buying cans but more time consuming. I am still using up the last of all of this, and plan our meals around it. All winter long, salad greens, citrus, and mushrooms were all we bought from the produce section. We used the dried cherry tomatoes and red pepper on salads plus banana peppers so we didn't have to buy tomatoes.

This year I expanded my garden. I will have sweet corn to freeze, plus more of everything I grew last year, and some chives. We eat fresh on the cukes and radishes, but I might try my hand at pickled radishes in jelly jars, water bath packed, and see if we like them. I am skeptical, but Mark likes all the sour, pickled things. I am also going to make a no sugar raspberry jam as well as blackberry. The recipe calls for a very very small amount of honey, lemon juice, and uses pomona pectin for thickening agent. I prefer recipes that don't go crazy adding sugar. Honey is bad enough with already sweet fruit. But I just can't handle the sheer amount of added cane sugar most recipes require.

We try to eat more eggs, and keep any meats to small servings. We usually have multiple lunches or dinners that are meat free.I make a mean guyere and swiss mac and cheese with roast Brussels sprouts and broccoli which is one of our favorite meals. 

The main issue is controlling Mark's snack tooth. Boy if he gets snacky, next thing you know high priced nuts, chips, and beef jerky come wandering into the pantry!

Edited May 28 by Faith-manor

[fairfarmhand]

8 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

 

This year I expanded my garden. I will have sweet corn to freeze, plus more of everything I grew last year, and some chives. We eat fresh on the cukes and radishes, but I might try my hand at pickled radishes in jelly jars, water bath packed, and see if we like them. I am skeptical, but Mark likes all the sour, pickled things. I am also going to make a no sugar raspberry jam as well as blackberry. The recipe calls for a very very small amount of honey, lemon juice, and uses pomona pectin for thickening agent. I prefer recipes that don't go crazy adding sugar. Honey is bad enough with already sweet fruit. But I just can't handle the sheer amount of added cane sugar most recipes require.

We try to eat more eggs, and keep any meats to small servings. We usually have multiple lunches or dinners that are meat free.I make a mean guyere and swiss mac and cheese with roast Brussels sprouts and broccoli which is one of our favorite meals. 

The main issue is controlling Mark's snack tooth. Boy if he gets snacky, next thing you know high priced nuts, chips, and beef jerky come wandering into the pantry!

Dill pickles are pretty easy with the right cukes.

and my kids used to love it when my dh would grocery shop. All meat beef jerky and corn nuts.

[Alicia64]

Thank you everyone! Great ideas!

[freesia]

Make sure you ask folks local to you, as well. Meat was cheaper where we used to live but it depended on the store. Also, I can buy fresh eggs super cheap around here bc so many folks have chickens. 

[Arcadia]

36 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

We live five seconds from a Korean grocery store!

Ours have apples on sale often at 99cents per lb or less. Napa cabbage when on sale goes for 29 cents per lb and people typically buy 5 or 6 of them to make kimchi. Rice is also cheaper there for the 15lb bags if you don’t eat that much rice to benefit from Costco sizes. Tofu and mushrooms are also cheaper there usually. 
 

[Serenade]

44 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

OH, and find your grocery store's hidden savings!

Our cheaper store has a rack of 'just passed' bagged fruits and veggies that are bruised or on their way out.  I can get a bag of 20 limes for $1.50 (usually 2/$1) or a large bag of mixed peppers for a song.  My family loves it when I come home with these sort of treasures because it means some really great food.  The deli there sells the meat and cheese ends for a little over $1/lb in mixed boxes.  You may end up with 6 different types of cheese in one or a few different meats in another, but if you're not picky about it it can be an awesome deal. I'll cube up the meat for ds to snack on, dice for omelettes, or make a kick ass mac & cheese with smoked gouda (without smoked gouda prices).

I use the regular clearance rack for snacks or special things for ds's lunch.  Sometimes I can find good deals there on things we use regularly but were dented.  It's more hit or miss, but worth looking at every time I go.

The bolded is a big thing for us.  I know which stores reduce veggies, which reduce meat, and which reduce cheese.  It's kind of funny to me that even within a chain, different stores reduce different items. Although, wow, the savings you mention in your second paragraph are phenomenal!  I would love to find a box with mixed cheeses! ❤️

Another thing to look for is salvage food stores.  We only have one near where I live, but I have gotten fantastic deals there -- I just bought a 10 pound bag of pasta for $1, and I've gotten things like gourmet marinated asparagus for $1 a jar.  Sometimes things are dented or close to expiration, but I've gotten many perfect things. there, too, that don't expire for months.

[heartlikealion]

1 hour ago, Alicia64 said:

What we buy frozen or fresh is up to the specific item. Great ideas! Thank you! I've never heard of five for five!

Oops I butchered the deal. It’s been so long. I used to follow coupon pages like the Kr@zy coupon lady. 
You buy 5 (you can mix & match) of select items and save $5 ($1 off each item). 

I am trying to lose weight so sometimes I am having to pick between cheap and what fits my ideal list. For this reason I hesitate to do a lot of rice and pasta dishes though they are real meal stretchers. Tuna might be a good choice for a protein. Periodically I’ll make chicken spaghetti or chicken a la king but the cans of chicken a la king went way up in price. 

[saraha]

Here are some of my strategies:

We have stopped buying any snack foods except saltine crackers. Craving something sweet? Saltine with peanut butter and three or four chocolate chips. Savory? Saltine with a dab of cream cheese and a slice of pepperoni.

I am also being more conscious of serving number and size. Not every meal has to be all we can eat, which hopefully makes a healthy change for someone in my house.

Making dessert, even if it’s just a box cake mix makes everyone happy.

Shopping at save a lot for most things but making sure I hit up Kroger early Wednesday mornings to snag all the mark downs and loss leaders and Only buying those things.

Until it just gets too hot, eating soups and casseroles. Making a white sauce is a whole lot cheaper than cans of cream soup, so being able to make one is very versatile.

staying off Pinterest recipe boards, everything looks so pretty.

Reminding myself that simple meals should be the norm. We don’t need to eat flashy meals with more expensive ingredients on a random Tuesday. Make special meals and party foods special again.

making taco meat with a combination of ground beef and cooked lentils

[mmasc]

Aldi! Rice, bagels, bread, nuts (we love their nuts!), all condiments (mustard, bbq sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, pesto, etc), olives, cheese—all of those things are way cheaper than any regular grocery store in my HCOL area. It’s the one place I can shop and fill bags and when I’m done, look at it and think “Wow. I got all that for $_?!” 
 

As a couple of examples, Thomas plain bagels are about $3.50-$4.00 at a regular store; bagels are $1.50 at Aldi. That’s a crazy difference! Nobody can tell the difference in taste. And their bread selection is really good, too. You can get super cheap white bread stuff (buns, sandwich bread), but even if you want their keto bread or Dave’s knockoff or protein wraps or whatever, it’s still cheaper. 

Edited May 28 by mmasc

[Carrie12345]

I’m not big on cold cuts, but dh and one ds go on sandwich binges. Buying a hunk each of prepared turkey and ham, slicing it at home, and freezing in 1/4-1/2lb portions is WAY cheaper than the deli or presliced. 

Grinding meat at home also tends to beat the per lb price.

Putting anything ON salad, ON pasta, ON potatoes, etc. tends to stretch the pricier items as opposed to chicken *with salad, sausage *with pasta, beef *with potatoes, fish *with rice.

I also like to make multiple meals and freeze for easy nights to reduce the temptation to order out or use something more expensive.

[Kalmia]

We are big on ingredient buying and scratch cooking rather than prepared mixes, sauces, or foods. I'm on the third year of gardening at my new home. I grow some fresh eating vegetables that carry me through summer, tomatoes, peppers, hot peppers, carrots and some storage vegetables to last through the winter, potatoes, garlic, and onions. I also have been ordering bulk organic food from Azure Standard and storing it carefully. I highly recommend them for food with a long shelf life or if you have a big family. The savings are significant on the bulk sizes. If you are gluten free or need uncommon ingredients try Azure for savings in those areas. Finally, I shop sales at my local grocery and and stock up. We only have two real supermarket chains so they don't try to outcompete each other with sales. The youtube channel Under the Median (homeschoolers and frugality teachers) has a lot of good ideas for saving money at the grocery store and they are calm people! The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn is dated, but her articles on cooking from scratch, bulk buying, and most importantly, The Pantry Principle are still spot on.

[City Mouse]

Are you just looking for “regular” tips to cut back, or is this a serious lack of funds?

I shop for clearance items - produce, meats, and bread products. I never buy meat at regular price. Shopping based on sale items and electronic coupons. Even the more expensive stores will have good sales, but I have to be disciplined enough to only buy the specific sale items at those stores. Eating what is cheap and on sale rather than buying items for a set menu, and stocking up when items are on sale like the case sales at my Smith’s/Kroger store. 

When I was a kid and things were very, very tight, my mom rationed food. Generally, people in the US eat more food than they really need. We were only allowed to have one glass of milk with breakfast. Then we got milk for lunch at school. That was it. Almost no snacking. One whole chicken was cut up to feed 8 people. Pasta meals using 1 lb of hamburger meat for 8 people. We had a big (1/2 acre) vegetable garden with lots of canning going on in the summer. The discount bread store was a blessing. We almost always had enough bread products. The downside of such scarcity was that I, and some of my siblings, developed bad habits around overeating when food was more plentiful. 
 

[Lecka]

Here the Wal-Mart produce is good, and much cheaper than at Homeland (which is part of Kroger).  But I have lived in another town where the Wal-Mart near me did not have good produce.  
 

There are two other grocery stores here that have cheaper produce than Homeland.  My choice is Wal-Mart, but one of these I also think has good produce.  The other one we have only been to 2-3 times, it’s a little inconvenient.  

 

Here I feel like a lot of the produce at Aldi’s is about to be overripe, and I am not good about using things quickly.  
 

It can vary, but I think it is worth looking at other stores for produce.  
 

 

[freesia]

18 minutes ago, City Mouse said:

Are you just looking for “regular” tips to cut back, or is this a serious lack of funds?

I shop for clearance items - produce, meats, and bread products. I never buy meat at regular price. Shopping based on sale items and electronic coupons. Even the more expensive stores will have good sales, but I have to be disciplined enough to only buy the specific sale items at those stores. Eating what is cheap and on sale rather than buying items for a set menu, and stocking up when items are on sale like the case sales at my Smith’s/Kroger store. 

When I was a kid and things were very, very tight, my mom rationed food. Generally, people in the US eat more food than they really need. We were only allowed to have one glass of milk with breakfast. Then we got milk for lunch at school. That was it. Almost no snacking. One whole chicken was cut up to feed 8 people. Pasta meals using 1 lb of hamburger meat for 8 people. We had a big (1/2 acre) vegetable garden with lots of canning going on in the summer. The discount bread store was a blessing. We almost always had enough bread products. The downside of such scarcity was that I, and some of my siblings, developed bad habits around overeating when food was more plentiful. 
 

I ration expensive things but allow free eating on apples, bananas, peanuts, peanut butter and bread.

We also always eat our leftovers. Sometimes for lunch, but if there’s enough for a second dinner, they can’t eat it. 

[mommyoffive]

37 minutes ago, mmasc said:

Aldi! Rice, bagels, bread, nuts (we love their nuts!), all condiments (mustard, bbq sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, pesto, etc), olives, cheese—all of those things are way cheaper than any regular grocery store in my HCOL area. It’s the one place I can shop and fill bags and when I’m done, look at it and think “Wow. I got all that for $_?!” 
 

As a couple of examples, Thomas plain bagels are about $3.50-$4.00 at a regular store; they’re $1.50 at Aldi. That’s a crazy difference! Nobody can tell the difference in taste. And their bread selection is really good, too. You can get super cheap white bread stuff (buns, sandwich bread), but even if you want their keto bread or Dave’s knockoff or protein wraps or whatever, it’s still cheaper. 

Yes.  We buy store brand for almost everything.  I can't think of a time that we pay for the name brand over the store brand.  Either Aldi or Walmart generic kind.  We have done it forever and only one time was it bad.  People in my house are cereal eaters to my dismay.  Ok fine.  But we are getting store brand unless I get some name brand at Dollar Tree.  I feel like making work arounds like that help keep the bill down. 

[wintermom]

I've discovered that if I avoid grocery stores altogether, I spend less money there. 😅

Sadly, the dc get hungry and cranky, and someone actually has to go get food. We are more-or-less resigned to spending the $$ at grocery stores so that we can have a good life, and avoid restaurants as they suck up way more $$.

[Heartstrings]

3 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

I personally never found many deals at Costco or Kroger unless you follow the Kroger mega deals 5 for $5 etc. 

I shop at Kroger but you absolutely have to only buy what is on sale and buy the rest somewhere else.  Non sale prices are usually much higher than at Walmart.  It’ takes having time and easy transportation to be able to shop at 2 or 3 stores though.  

Edited May 28 by Heartstrings

[cintinative]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’m not big on cold cuts, but dh and one ds go on sandwich binges. Buying a hunk each of prepared turkey and ham, slicing it at home, and freezing in 1/4-1/2lb portions is WAY cheaper than the deli or presliced. 

 

How do you slice it? Do you own a slicer? I have thought about doing this but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Also, where do you buy the meat?

Edited May 28 by cintinative

[J-rap]

I know times and prices have changed a lot...  But when I was a mother of a handful of children at home, I started by setting a limit that seemed reasonable, and stuck with it.   That was my first step.   Back then (and it's been awhile since ALL of them were home) it was $50/week.  (That only included food items, not including anything dairy because we had a milkman which was an additional expense).  That forced me to change our habits.  For one thing, we didn't have a lot of meat, but ate a lot of legumes...  We did that when our kids were very young, so our kids actually grew up loving them (which helped!).  I made our own bread, and we had lots of soups and stews that used up leftovers but were always very hearty.  Homemade pizza was popular too.  We always had a pot of beans, tortillas and cheese on hand for lunch or between-meals snacks.

I'm not like this about everything, believe me! 😄 -- but for some odd reason I've found it an enjoyable challenge to figure out how to cut food costs.  I don't throw away any food, ever, unless it's moldy/rotten.  

I'm sure I couldn't do it for $50/week anymore (that was in the 90's through about the early 2000's), but I think I could do it for $100 if I had to, for a family our size.

[Carrie12345]

44 minutes ago, cintinative said:

How do you slice it? Do you own a slicer? I have thought about doing this but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Also, where do you buy the meat?

I bought a slicer in the $30-40 range from Amazon. It isn’t top of the line, but gets the job done. Or maybe my experience with commercial slicers spoiled me, lol.  
I’ve gotten ham and turkey from Sam’s. I’ve spotted ham at Walmart, but I’m not sure I’ve seen the nice turkey breast there.

HOWEVER, you really can just make a ham or turkey, chill the parts you want to slice (maybe partially freeze) and go that route!

[KidsHappen]

We hit Aldi's first because it is always cheaper. We used to go to Walmart second because they are also pretty cheap but we have found that they frequently don't have what we are looking for. So now we get whatever we couldn't find at Aldi's at Kroger's. We have a shopping card with them and my hubby always shops at on their sales day plus we get double fuel points which really helps. The other day he filled up the van for $5.29, $.29 per gallon. We also frequently buy their 10 for $10 items.

We only eat one meal a day, usually a protein, two double size servings of vegetables and a double size serving of fruit. For snacks we eat nuts, seeds, popcorn. If we ever do get hungry earlier in the day we might have eggs or oatmeal or maybe some yogurt. We occasionally will have chips or crackers with avocado or hummus but that is about it. We rarely eat most other carbs so practically no bread, pasta, potatoes or sweets. So the stuff we do eat costs a little more but we don't eat very much. We could eat a little cheaper but it would not be as healthy for us as we have found that when we eat like that we gain weight and have other health issues.

[cintinative]

7 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I bought a slicer in the $30-40 range from Amazon. It isn’t top of the line, but gets the job done. Or maybe my experience with commercial slicers spoiled me, lol.  
I’ve gotten ham and turkey from Sam’s. I’ve spotted ham at Walmart, but I’m not sure I’ve seen the nice turkey breast there.

HOWEVER, you really can just make a ham or turkey, chill the parts you want to slice (maybe partially freeze) and go that route!

Could you link the slicer? I have been thinking of doing this for awhile. I wasn't sure where I would buy the meat though, other than a place like GFS. We are members of Sam's though. 

 

[Corraleno]

I don't eat meat or dairy, so that saves a lot of money. I buy organic tofu by the case at Costco, and keep the pantry stocked with a variety of dried beans, lentils, rice, oats, and quinoa. I also make my own sourdough bread. Big bags of potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots are cheap, and I eat a lot of soups, curries, stir-fries, Buddha bowls, chilis, salads, etc. A big advantage of all-in-one-dish type meals is that you can use up a lot of things that you only have a little of — half a pepper, a couple of elderly carrots, a cup of leftover beans, etc. Even vegetable trimmings and limp veg past it's prime can go in a freezer bag and be used to make broth when the bag is full.

When DS is home from college, I also buy eggs and rotisserie chickens.  I can get a LOT of cheap meals from a $5 rotisserie chicken: some of the breast meat gets cubed and the rest gets shredded, and then the carcass gets tossed in the InstaPot with the veggie scraps from the freezer to make ~3 quarts of bone broth. Cubed chicken goes in the broth with lots of potatoes, carrots, and celery to make several days worth of soup. Then the shredded chicken gets used in any of several ways: a little added to a stir fry with lots of veg served over rice; rolled up in a tortilla with brown rice, black beans, and salsa; mixed with BBQ sauce and topped with coleslaw for a sandwich, etc.

Eggs gets scrambled with TJ's soy chorizo ($2.79/lb), plus diced onions, peppers, and lots of potatoes, for breakfast burritos.  I buy the big packs of 40 burrito-size tortillas from Costco, which works out to about 18 cents per tortilla, and I can make a pretty hefty, filling breakfast burrito for a little over a dollar (and even cheaper if I use beans instead of chorizo). Those big tortillas are also great for using up small amounts of leftovers in quesadillas.

For produce, I generally buy the basics at Trader Joe's, plus a few things from Costco, and occasionally I will buy fruit from Whole Foods when it's on sale. They generally offer an extra 10% off the sale prices for Prime members, and then I get another 5% back using my Amazon-branded VISA. Their 365 Organic brand frozen veg is also pretty reasonably priced, so sometimes I will just grab some frozen spinach, kale, or broccoli. I also buy big bags of frozen fruit at Costco.

I buy 5 lb bags of organic rolled oats from Costco and have oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast most mornings — way cheaper and healthier than boxed cereal. Sometimes I'll also make homemade granola or baked oatmeal for DS. 

 

[kbutton]

Sam’s for anything we like there and definitely for (limited) snack items

Markdowns for meat when possible

Lots of Aldi, especially for fresh veggies; one of the kids buys the bagged frozen mixed veggies to eat at lunch, cereal

Trader Joe’s for somewhat healthy treats and for frozen stuff—they have really good frozen Brussels sprouts, peas, and green beans, in particular for decent prices 

Kroger sales—the buy 5, save 5 stuff is usually on sale on top of the extra savings, sometimes really good sales on store brand cereal

Anywhere and everywhere for cheaper bulk cleaning products—Target sometimes has sales plus a gift card if you’re willing to buy $40 or $50 of cleaning stuff at once

Tiptoeing into Costco—similar prices for produce

I try to hit stores that are close to each other or to someplace I’m already headed so that I don’t always have to make a big production of it

 

[Lecka]

Our Kroger-store (Homeland) does have really good sales, I do look at the sales when I go in for the pharmacy.  

[heartlikealion]

6 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

@heartlikealion  Good points.  We only drink water and milk.  Oh and tea.

I am not a big meat eater and can go without for sure.  If dh does a lot of the shopping it comes more meat heavy and that is more $$.   

 

4 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’m not big on cold cuts, but dh and one ds go on sandwich binges. Buying a hunk each of prepared turkey and ham, slicing it at home, and freezing in 1/4-1/2lb portions is WAY cheaper than the deli or presliced. 

Grinding meat at home also tends to beat the per lb price.

Putting anything ON salad, ON pasta, ON potatoes, etc. tends to stretch the pricier items as opposed to chicken *with salad, sausage *with pasta, beef *with potatoes, fish *with rice.

I also like to make multiple meals and freeze for easy nights to reduce the temptation to order out or use something more expensive.

Yup. I buy lettuce and put meat on it. I buy tubs of plain Greek yogurt (add nuts & fruit) and that’s my protein for several meals a week. 

I don’t do loaves of bread every shopping trip. The ones I like are costly. And I was pretty upset when my nearly $8 loaf got mold despite being stored in the fridge. Same thing happened with the less expensive one. Might have to start freezing part of it. 

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, heartlikealion said:

 

Yup. I buy lettuce and put meat on it. I buy tubs of plain Greek yogurt (add nuts & fruit) and that’s my protein for several meals a week. 

I don’t do loaves of bread every shopping trip. The ones I like are costly. And I was pretty upset when my nearly $8 loaf got mold despite being stored in the fridge. Same thing happened with the less expensive one. Might have to start freezing part of it. 

I freeze bread all the time. I am allergic to wheat, and Mark cannot go through a loaf of bread very quickly, so I automatically subdivide fresh loaves into four slices per freezer bag.

[mommyoffive]

I haven't tried it but learned about Ruby's Pantry from here.

https://www.rubyspantry.org/