My grocery budget post had several questions posted in the comments, so I will do my best to answer them.
From Wendy: Do your children ask you for food and drink all day long?
Yes and no, I have a few kids who could eat all day and some who barely eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. For many years we had snack time, but then I realized that some of my kids would not eat meals if they had snack. I also noticed that they would eat less at mealtime in order to fill up on snack, which was usually something they liked better. So, for now, we do not have a snack time, but my kids are allowed to get something to eat if they are hungry. The only requirement is that it must be a fruit, vegetable, or cheese. If they are truly hungry they will gobble up fruit and veggies.
From Judy: You mentioned your budget for groceries is $600 a month. How do you find it easiest to divide this up? Do you do $150 a week? Do you stock up at the beginning of the month on certain things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies or do you just buy these when you notice you are about to run out?
I spend about $150 each week. It is easy to track because I shop weekly pull out $150 from the ATM while I am at the store. If I am under $150 then I save the cash in a grocery envelope and use it if I need to run to the store later in the week (I try very hard not to do this) or add it to next week’s $150. I stock up when there is a great sale. So, if I can get shampoo for free or almost free I will buy several bottles even we already have some at home. The same goes for almost anything that is nonperishable. If I see a deal I stock up and then don’t have to buy it for several months.
From Phoebe: What are ECB’s?
ECB stands for Extra Care Bucks, which is the rewards program run by CVS. Extra Care Bucks are like cash you can use for your purchases at CVS. They print out on your receipt and then you can use them to purchase other items at CVS. Each week purchasing certain items earns you ECB’s. My friend Andrea, over at Mommy Snacks has a great CVS summary for those of you who are interested. Walgreens and Rite Aid also have reward programs, but I am not familiar with them.
Another way to stretch the grocery budget a little farther is to wait an extra day before going to the store. I did this a few weeks ago because I didn’t have time to make a list and go to the store. I was able to go an entire week (with the exception of milk and eggs) before I needed to shop. We had a few crazy meals, but it really stretched my budget. Eating out of the pantry or freezer for a week is a great way make the grocery dollars last a little longer.
How about you? If you could give someone your best grocery saving tip what would it be? I’ll share mine on Friday.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I have the same “I am hungry I want a snack” dilema. My kids are picky eaters and I do feel they say the are full just to snack later. I should try the fruit,veg,cheese option only and see if that helps. My best grocery strategy has been to follow your idea of writing a thirty day meal plan. I shop for the meat and other bulk things like cheese etc at Sam’s club and divide it all up for meals and freeze. Then shop weekly for perishables and what is needed that week in the meal plan that I do not buy in bulk. It also really has cut down on wasted food since I have a plan for everything that comes in the door. I don’t thaw meat for one meal and then wonder what to do with the rest. It took a lot of time to figure out how much I needed for each meal but once I had it done it really saves time and money.
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My best tip – shop the loss leaders in the grocery circulars and stock up. We buy things like a certain brand of Mac&Cheese in a box (hubby’s fave food ever) as well as things like whole wheat pasta, pasta sauce, and canned tuna once a year if possible. Sure that means we might spend an extra $60 one week, but we don’t spend more for those items at other times in the year.
Oh, and we only buy enough so that we will use it before the expiration date. So I guess tip #2 is check expiration dates before stocking up. I just tossed 4 jars of grated parmesan cheese that expired in March. I know we bought it in February, so its really frustrating that we didn’t look at the expiration dates when we bought them. Most things have a shelf life of 1-2 years so it doesn’t hurt to get 12 jars of pasta sauce if you know you will use that much in 4 or 5 months.
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-Meal planning
-Using leftovers.
Both things you have mentioned, but I find these are two major areas that really stretch the grocery budget. It helps when you “prepare” the leftovers to make them more appealing to family members, if necessary. If anyone isn’t happy with the choices, they’re welcome to a PB&J!
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We just did the eating out of the pantry thing – but it back fired at the end of the week. Hubby got all mad when he was trying to make lunch on Sunday and we wound up fighting. But we did save our entire grocery budget for that week.
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I love the snack time thoughts… We do the same thing in our house, except they can have yogurt instead of cheese (although I am going to add that to the list) and we usually have nuts on hand as well. Saves me tons of time instead of interupting my day to “make” a snack.
The menu planning is a personal struggle of mine. I have a hard time sticking to it and feel like I am always running to the store for some forgotten item. Drives me nuts! Didn’t even know I could drive myself crazy
I am supposed to grocery shop tomorrow so we will see if I can FINALLY accomplish it without any in between trips!!!
Great post!
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My biggest rule is make a list and stick to it! I let my children have snacks but I have a rule: morning is a fruit and afternoon is a vegetable (like carrot sticks, cukes, pepper strips etc). In the evening we enjoy a less healthy snack!
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GREAT Tips! We eat out of our pantry/freezer every couple of months. Works well to clear some things out. Having a plan is also a good idea. If anyone needs help with a menu / grocery list, that is the business I run. You can check out samples at http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/sample and http://www.menuplanningcentral.com/samples.html
(and if you would be interested in reviewing / giving away a membership for Dine Without Whine, let me know!)
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I often call my mother and say, “I’m out of X. What can I use instead?” This has saved me many trips to the store. Also, my husband and I were terrible about not eating leftovers, even restaurant leftovers. Now, before I buy groceries, I’ll make us finish up the leftovers.
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I like to take the leftover meat from dinner and I do 2 things with it. Alot of leftover I will bag and freeze until I get enought to make BBQ Meat Sandwiches yes I put pork, chicken, or beef all at once. With the sauce you don’t notice.
2nd I take a few slices of leftover meat add a mayo mustard mix (1:1) on a roll or toasted bread then add cheese maybe some tomato or roasted peppers wrap and put in the oven for 10 min whallah a sandwich that is great.
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I can’t pick a best tip but I have several:
Only shop once a week – plan meals in advance or use what you have instead of going to the store every day.
Do not shop while hungry – you will impluse buy like whoa.
Buy an item that can be used for more than one meal – We only buy whole chickens now and we use every part of it. We can make the chicken last for 3-6 meals depending how we use it.
Cook more dinner than you need and promptly package the leftovers into lunch portions for the next day.
Don’t buy prepackaged or processed foods – so many delicious, inexpensive and healthy meals are easy to make without the use of prepared/processed foods. Spinach and other greens are so cheap and are so healthy, fill up on those veggies.
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If you’ll indulge me, I have tips for two different sets of readers.
If you are military, SHOP AT THE COMMISSARY. Trust me on this. I have done the military wife thing for 24 years! This is the best way to save money. I have met people from NC who drive to Fort Meade, MD, every quarter to stock up on beef, milk, bread, etc. They bring ice chests. It’s a big deal – but they save money. If people two states away are saving in spite of the drive, and if you live less than 50 miles from a commissary, make a price book and do the math for yourself. You’ll save money on life’s essentials (milk, diapers, meat, etc.). I am a trained accountant and I make price books at every duty station. The commissary wins on the basics, every time.
If you’re not military, my best tip is: Cook from scratch. Learn to make pasta sauce (tomato puree, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, oregano, a bay leaf, a tiny splash of olive oil!). Bake some bread. Make your own frosting. By all means, make mac and cheese from scratch. Try buying lettuce by the head instead of in a salad bag.
The secret to this is – make what you will really use and use what you make. Over time, you can tweak quantities and adjust seasonings. Eat your leftovers until you figure out how many sausages and potatoes to cook. Cooking from scratch really saves!
(For ex – one 4.0 oz. box of cheesy scalloped potatoes from Betty Crocker is $1.29 at my commissary. A five pound bag of potatoes is less than $3.00. Cheese, shredded, is under $4.00 per pound. Add milk, butter and time…you get the idea.)
My extra bonus grocery saving tip is to say no to anything for sale in the checkout line. Sodas are $1.50, candy can be as high as $.0.89 (Giant Food), magazines are expensive…resist! You can do it!!!! The Borg Continuum is So 1980s!!!)
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I think my tip is nothing new but it’s something I do religiously and it has saved us so much money.
When making my menu and grocery list,I use my inventory lists to help. I shop at home first then add to my list and menu things I will need to purchase. It’s fun to see how many meals I can make with what I have before buying new.
Tammy
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Hi! I am also going to BlogHer (I have a lobbycon ticket) and I am looking to commute with someone. I am catching the train from Wheaton Friday morning and then looking to walk or catch a taxi with someone. Email me if you would like to meetup!
Cher
ckachelmuss@gmail.com
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Hello there! Just found your blog & love it. I can’t wait to read more!
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