Slashing Grocery Bills
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- The_moose
- Wen
- Rachel_Paxton
- ShurMay
- CFOvard
- milly
- Rachel_Paxton
- TCharanza
- Tekflower
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» Wen - Grocery bills
We spend so much money on grocery bills...or rather at the grocery store that it is horrific.We have been revamping our spending habits, and are doing better, but our grocery bills are still sky high. Cat food and dog food are a big culprit. We still rely on a small amount of convenience foods as well. I think the other reason are bills are so high is that we almost exclusively use fresh produce. As we eat 4-5 servings of fruit and 4 servings of vegetables a day, that tends to add up. We are the cashiers worst nightmare. =)
One thing that we discovered that helped a lot was re-analyzing what we did with the items when we brought them home. We eat a lot of ground turkey and chicken. We were buying fresh ground turkey and chicken breasts and then taking them home and throwing them in the freezer. We discovered that when we bought frozen ground turkey and frozen chicken breasts we saved lots of money. The ground turkey is 1/3 of the price frozen as it was fresh! The chicken is about half price. We buy it in bulk this way as well which accounts for part of the extra savings. We also do not have to go through the expense of unpacking the meat and re-packing it in freezer bags. Beyond saving on the expense and time, no more icky chicken coated hands. Bleh.
We still have not gotten into the habit of shopping around. One grocery store out here has a much better selection of stuff and much better service. Prices are a little bit higher at this chain if you don't watch the sales...but we think it is worth it.
We also go to the store almost every day to pick up something that we forgot to get. Today it is to return a game rental, pick up dishwasher detergent, cheese, and something else which I have forgotten but will remember later on I'm sure...just in time to go back to the grocery store. (Ah ha! It was luncheon meat! =)
Wen
-- posted by Wen
» Rachel_Paxton - Meat savings...
Hi Wen! I'd never thought about the difference between fresh and frozen meat. I don't know that our grocery stores even offer us a choice--I know once in awhile I pick up chicken and turkey that are already frozen, but I don't find it very often.You did remind me of one of my greatest meat discoveries, though! I never realized how much cheaper turkey breasts are than chicken breasts. We love to eat chicken, but the prices for the chicken breasts are often outrageous! I started substituting turkey breast for chicken in soups, enchiladas, casseroles, anything where the meat was blended with something else, and you can't even tell the difference! The turkey breasts I buy are often less expensive than hamburger, even, and come to think of it I guess a lot of the turkey I do buy is frozen--just not the chicken (and you can't even compare the price)!
-- posted by Rachel_Paxton
» ShurMay - Grocery bills
I'm curious...how much does a normal family of 5 which includes 2 teenage boys and and a daughter usually spend on groceries? I feel that our bill is astronomical, yet I try to be frugal.I think that time is a huge factor....not enough time to comparison shop, etc.
Anyone want to share their average cost?
Thanks
Shurmay
-- posted by ShurMay
» CFOvard - This is great!
If I tell you my grocery bill I think my husband will die, but I'm going to tell anyway! He put me on a budget about a year ago and I couldn't stay on it. For a family of 4, (two kids under 10, two adults) he put me at $300. I could NO way even come close to that. I went over by about twice that amount each month. I finally decided to buckle down and get serious if he'd let me have at least $450. I have stayed within that budget ONE month so far. But most of the reason is No fast food and a lot of convience foods are out. I have found myself baking and cooking so much more. But I also found the flavor of our things are a lot better. We do try to eat fresh fruits and veggies, but like someone said earlier, they do cost so much more. I buy in Bulk content. I make my own bread and that way I do save more money and if I can't think of anything for dinner, I just whip up a batch of scones and have soup or something with it.Anyway..email me if you have some better ideas or ideas I might help anyone with!
I'd love to save even more and bake more!
-- posted by CFOvard
» milly - frozen veggies
i don't know about where you are ,but in Scotland we have freezer shops where we can buy most food frozen.if you use alot of veggies in stews or soup why not use frozen nutritionally its about the same as fresh.
the same goes for fruit if you cook the fruit ,why not save some money and use frozen or canned.
-- posted by milly
» Rachel_Paxton - my food budget
Our family of 3 (including one growing 12-yr-old daughter) has a food budget of $320 month ($80/week). That number I just kind of pulled out of the air, but I spent up to $100 a week several years ago and we just couldn't afford it. $80 seemed to be the most we could afford while also taking into consideration that I work full time outside the home.Our biggest cut-backs were on pop, junk food (Doritos, etc.) and convenience foods in general (unless they're on sale). I do buy convenience foods when they're on sale for nights when I just don't have very much time to cook, which is about 1-2 nights a week.
I NEVER feel like cooking when I get home and it would be very easy to opt for the convenience foods, but the money we are saving in the process has more than changed my mind about the time I spend in the kitchen. It's definitely worth it.
For some very helpful, frugal cooking hints and recipes, you have to check out a cookbook called Not Just Beans: Fifty Years of Frugal Family Favorites. I have a copy and it's really, really great. I can't say enough good things about it. You have to order it from the author, but it's very professional and well written. Definitely worth the money. You can find out more at http://www.notjustbeans.com.
-- posted by Rachel_Paxton
» TCharanza - Some ways to save $$
here are some of my ideas to help you save if this helps you great!- by powdered milk and save your milk gallon. Buy large boxes of powdered milk. mix the milk
and pour it in the milk gallon and put it in the fridge. (Family will never know) and don't tell them.
- Women.. stop buying disposable douche. Make your own with vinegar and distilled water. Buy a large gallon of vinegar you can also use it for window cleaner just mix equal part of vinegar with water. You can also use vinegar for cooking.
-Don't buy those expensive cleaners. Just buy a large gallon of bleach. It can use as multi uses.
-COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS. you can get great coupons you can really use and u can print them out by your printer. just go to www.valuepage.com.
-- posted by TCharanza
» Tekflower - Major Cost Cutting Tips
Be sure to check out smaller local or family-owned grocery stores. They are very often much less expensive overall than the chains. Especially in the meat department, and especially if you follow specials and "cherry pick", since the smaller stores have to be competitive to survive.Even if you're too busy or unmotivated to research specials, these smaller stores are usually cheaper - also, in a smaller store, there is less temptation to impulse purchases.
One arguement is that a smaller store will not necessarily have a lot of things that you're used to buying - especially import or specialty items. Maybe, but a smaller store is usually more than happy to order a product for a customer who wants it.
An arguement against cherry picking (going to several stores and shopping only the specials), is that you waste money on gas driving around. That's only a valid arguement if you A)drive a gas guzzler, and B) live in an area where you have to drive long distances between stores. Is $2-4 of gas worth saving $10 or more on your grocery bill? The arguement that it takes too much time is a more valid arguement - but only if you don't have the time to spare. If you're retired/unemployed or a stay-at-home parent, you probably have the time to devote to this.
Avoid chain stores that institute "buyer savings" cards. They mark everything up in order to make it look like you're saving money with one of those cards, but the truth is, you don't save anything. I saw this actually documented somewhere online, but I'm too lazy to look for the article now.
EX. from this week's paper - Hawaiian Punch, 64 oz., weekly advertised special at smaller store - $1.19 (b & w half-page ad), weekly advertised "special" at chain store with "saver card" in the same newspaper - 2 for $4, regular $2.69 without card (full color pull-out ad). Everyday, unadvertised price at another smaller store where I shop regularly - $1.69.
Look into a warehouse "club". If you stick to buying non-perishables and items you use a lot of, you can save a lot by buying in bulk - especially on things like laundry detergent and papertowels and frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts. Canned goods and cereal are good bets, too. My kids' favorite cereal costs about half as much at the warehouse.
Another thing that's great about a warehouse membership - auto maintenance. I learned the real value of my $35 membership just a few days ago. I went in at 1:45 in the afternoon, had two tires replaced on my car at a total cost of $98.96 (brand new tires - not retreads), and had a third tire repaired for free because I'd bought it there (it had two nails in it), and had the receipt in the glove compartment. They also rotated/balanced/or whatever it is they were supposed to do. I was out of there by 2:10 pm. So, about 25 minutes, friendly and very affordable service.
I'd say that alone was worth the membership fee, because I used to work at a car dealership, and there's no way this would have happened there. I'm fortunate in that I live in a major metropolitan area, and there is a warehouse club about 3 minutes from my house.
-- posted by Tekflower
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