Food/Grocery Budget

[Jacoby 46]

$100 a week for 6 people and 2 Golden Retrievers! I use a lot of coupons, go to some stores that double and have a nice stockpile of different things. I check sales flyers every week, compare prices and shop where it is cheapest!

Places we shop are:
Food Lion
Walmart
Freds
Walgreens
CVS
Rite Aid
Kroger

 

[stahshee]

You should really check out CVS for hair products/shampoo/ etc. I haven't paid for that stuff in forever. We've got everything right down to feminine needs covered for years and years.

I've stopped shopping CVS because really I have no more room for the stuff I already have and I'm tired of shopping (seriously) and I could go years w/o purchasing any HBA stuff again and be just fine.

We also do not buy juice boxes/snack type foods, rarely anything like lunch meat. Sandwiches are not a hit here so it would be wasted money. And I can just pour a glass of juice or make one when the kids want it. It would be cheaper even for sending to school to buy a re-useable small bottle for juice/water and send that in everyday instead of buying boxes.

I would but, CVS is 45 min away

 

[delmar411]

I would but, CVS is 45 min away

do you have a Walgreens closer? They have good deals too, not as good as CVS but still less expensive than paying retail. Also Rite Aid does deals as well but I'm not really familiar with them as they are not in this market.

 

[stahshee]

do you have a Walgreens closer? They have good deals too, not as good as CVS but still less expensive than paying retail. Also Rite Aid does deals as well but I'm not really familiar with them as they are not in this market.

nope they are 35 min . I do have a rite aid

 

[DisneyKT]

nope they are 35 min . I do have a rite aid

You can get some good deals at rite aid. They have a rebate book at the beginning of the month. Then you have to sign up for the rebates. I did mine thru the computer. I have gotten some stuff free and close to free. I think that would be good for a teenage girl.

 

[stahshee]

You can get some good deals at rite aid. They have a rebate book at the beginning of the month. Then you have to sign up for the rebates. I did mine thru the computer. I have gotten some stuff free and close to free. I think that would be good for a teenage girl.

oh please tell me the tricks. Is the book still aval?

 

[rentayenta]

I forgot to add that does not include weekday lunches for the kids. They prefer school lunch and that's $4.80 per day total.

 

[mjantz]

I have a few more (this is one of my hobbies/obsessions):

-Make large batches of foods you use a lot & freeze them. I make batches of waffles and chicken taco meat to freeze for later. The great thing is that you can control what goes into them & add those sneaky little healthy things. For example, I put ground flaxseed in my waffles & I've also made banana, chocolate chip & applesauce waffles. The mix usually comes from Angel Food or Big Lots. From a bag of boneless, skinless chicken breasts I can get at least 4 meals plus several lunches.
-Keep a careful inventory of what you have in your pantry. I try really hard to do this but occasionally I'm surprised by what I find. I didn't realize I had as many cans of cream soup as I did & my bags of sugar seem to breed if I'm not careful. If you don't know what to do with something, the internet is your friend.

 

[fiveforall]

Due to some serious student loan debt, DH and I decided to cut back and grocery shopping was one of our areas. We went from about 600.00 a month to 400.00. I'm trying to slash it even more. We're a family of five---me (36), DH (50), DD (13), DD (11), and DS (8). Plus, we have a large dog and a small cat. One DD has lots of food allergies. Due to the food allergies, we've cut out most processed foods and depend on soy items and fresh fruits and veggies. They can get pricey, so I have to really study the ads.

I depend on CVS for shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, and medicines.

DH, the girls, and I bring our lunches to work/school. DS prefers to buy his.

 

[srandsr76]

My budget for a family of three (me, DH, DD6) is $350 - that includes one trip to BJs per month to spend about $180.00 (includes pet stuff, non grocery stuff, and personal items) and then $42.50 per week for more fruits/ veggies/ milk/ bread.

I went to BJs today and spend $260, however I only spend $23 at grocery store for non bulk stuff.

In 2008, my budget was $400 per month - after reviewing the actual numbers from 2008 - I think I can do better, so I have lowered!!! Let's see how I do!!

ONE TRICK - I plan our meals for the entire MONTH before going shopping @ BJs!!!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[sunshine1178]

oh please tell me the tricks. Is the book still aval?

You can find a lot of information about the deals at Rite Aid at http://iheartriteaid.com/.

(For those of you near Walgreens or CVS, iheartwags.com and iheartcvs.com are great resources.)

All three of these sites feature scans of the ads for upcoming weeks, as well as information about coupon matches and rebate opportunities.

 

[2Tiggers]

You should really check out CVS for hair products/shampoo/ etc. I haven't paid for that stuff in forever. We've got everything right down to feminine needs covered for years and years.

I've stopped shopping CVS because really I have no more room for the stuff I already have and I'm tired of shopping (seriously) and I could go years w/o purchasing any HBA stuff again and be just fine.

We also do not buy juice boxes/snack type foods, rarely anything like lunch meat. Sandwiches are not a hit here so it would be wasted money. And I can just pour a glass of juice or make one when the kids want it. It would be cheaper even for sending to school to buy a re-useable small bottle for juice/water and send that in everyday instead of buying boxes.

Hi! Just reading all of the posts. How do you not pay for items at CVS? Please share. I love it when I find out new things. Is it coupons? I am a coupon user and you are inspiring me to do better and save more.

 

[LoriNSC]

I find great deals from websites like hotcouponworld, couponmom & afullcup. I stockpile using coupons & going to CVS. We have about 120 rolls of toilet paper, 6 bottles dish deter., 12 pks. Kotex, 12 bottles shampoo, 6 jars spaghetti sauce & lots more stuff right now. I don't spend a lot to stockpile either. I get most for free or very cheap with sales, clearances & coupons. One grocery store here, Blooms offers triple coupon days once a month. I usually get over $200 worth of groceries for about $40-50. The other times I shop at stores that double coupons up to .50 daily. We were averaging about $75-80/wk. for me, DH, a teenage boy & 2 younger kids. But it's been dropping since I've started stockpiling. We rarely eat out anymore. I suggest getting on the couponing message boards I mentioned above & attend couponing classes if offered in your area. DH has been so pleased with my savings.

 

[Kycha]

I don't really have a budget(2 adults). We stock up once a quarter on pantry items(rice, canned goods, pasta, etc), spending between $100-200. Then supplement each week with fresh meats, fruits and veggies, milk and bread. Spending between $10-30/week. And if there is a good sale on meat, I will stock up. Like last week, pork tenderloin was on sale for $1.47/lb. I bought 10 lbs. I would have bought more, but I had just bought another 10 lbs 2 weeks prior to that. So, the freezer is full.

Right now, my pantry and freezer are well stocked. So, unless there is a good sale for stocking up, I don't anticipate buying anything for the next 2 months.

 

[delmar411]

Hi! Just reading all of the posts. How do you not pay for items at CVS? Please share. I love it when I find out new things. Is it coupons? I am a coupon user and you are inspiring me to do better and save more.

I'll point you to the sites mentioned:

www.hotcouponworld.com

www.iheartcvs.com

Those will be your best bet to get step by step instructions and up to date senarios and ad scans.

I dont' shop much anymore and haven't done an ECB deal since Oct so I'm a bit out of the loop to what might on sale or free after extra care bucks right now.

 

[almburr]

family of 7 Me, DH,DD14,DD10,DS8,DD6,DS4 I just got back from the store. I spent $189.73. for a total of 14 diffrent meals, DH lunches. I had a few items on hand. But got a few good bargins. 2# bags of baby carrots for 79c ea. 2 gals of milk for $1.99 ea (had coupon). 3pkgs of fresh organic herbs .25c ea. 5 1# tubs of organic salad mix .79c ea. sara lee bread 2/$3 I didnt have any coupons to use except for milk buy sara lee bread and get $1 off gal of milk.

We go to a bread store and buy a ton of bread and freeze it. kids love the sara lee blueberry,cinnamon, cinnamon rasin bread. I buy alot of 7grain bread (fills ya up)

I make alot from scratch, do have a few ready made foods on hand. Once a month I inventory everthing and re-stock.

 

[nsmith]

I would highly recommend using the grocery game . com site to save money at the grocery store. Starting today (4 - 5 coupons inserts) start saving your major newspaper inserts for the next month. Just staple them and put the week date on the front. After you have 1 months worth, subscribe to
thegrocerygame.com service. It is a online data base that cross references the store you subscribe to with all of the coupons that are active. The first month is free and then $5.00 a month after. It has changed the way I shop.

I now have a stockpile of all of the items we use including food, toiletries, cleaning products even cold meds. The idea is you buy more than you need of an item when it is at a rock bottom price so that you have a stock pile of it when you need it. This first few weeks you will spend more at the store. As you don't have anythinkg stockpiled and you have to buy what you need as well as what you are stock piling. I buy milk, and eggs weekly but everything else I am buying at rock bottom prices.

I also check the meat isle each week for the manager specials. If they are 50% off I buy and freeze. I just made a delish meal in the crock pot with .99 a pound pork roast, a can of saurekraut and some brown sugar all for $3.50 we ate it for 2 nites and I took it to work for lunch 2 Xs.

 

[nsmith]

I would highly recommend using the grocery game . com site to save money at the grocery store. Starting today (4 - 5 coupons inserts) start saving your major newspaper inserts for the next month. Just staple them and put the week date on the front. After you have 1 months worth, subscribe to
thegrocerygame.com service. It is a online data base that cross references the store you subscribe to with all of the coupons that are active. The first month is free and then $5.00 a month after. It has changed the way I shop.

I now have a stockpile of all of the items we use including food, toiletries, cleaning products even cold meds. The idea is you buy more than you need of an item when it is at a rock bottom price so that you have a stock pile of it when you need it. The first few weeks you will spend more at the store, as you don't have anythinkg stockpiled and you have to buy what you need as well as what you are stock piling. I buy milk, and eggs weekly but everything else I am buying at rock bottom prices.

I also check the meat isle each week for the manager specials. If they are 50% off I buy and freeze. I just made a delish meal in the crock pot with .99 a pound pork roast, a can of saurekraut and some brown sugar all for $3.50 we ate it for 2 nites and I took it to work for lunch 2 Xs.

 

[cndij]

I hardly have to buy HBA anymore either after 6 months with Hot Coupon World. Just an example for this week at Walgreens (starting today), I had the ads on Hot Coupon World a couple of weeks ahead of time and ordered extra coupons on Ebay. I plan to get 10 bottles of Fructis shampoo for free (on sale for 2.99 - 2.00 off coupon in easy saver book and 1.00 off coupon from newspaper insert a couple weeks ago), 20 boxes of Special K/Frosted Mini Wheats at .75 a box (on sale 4/$10 - $1 off coupons from newspaper inserts - $3 Register Reward instant rebate off every 4) I will have to make 5 trips or transactions to get all the register rewards, but I won't be buying any more cereal for awhile. I have been out of work for 9 months now, and the only way I have survived is by using these coupon boards to cut my grocery bill in half, while cutting out almost all eating out at the same time. I have a full chest freezer now and an almost full upright, as well as a well stocked pantry.

 

[neatokimmo]

That is a fantastic price! That #1 tub is $6.99 here. Sometimes you can get the 5oz tubs marked down to $1 but that is rare. It's so expensive I'm looking into grow lights to set up my own indooor garden.

I spend $40 a week on an adult and child that rarely eats lol I don't buy a lot of processed food. I am able to get milk for $3 a gallon and a variety of meats for under $2 a pound. Produce prices didn't come down with oil prices but I can still get a great variety for under $1.50 a pound (minus that lettuce - too bad the regular stuff makes me sick!).

I stockpile some, like I was able to get 10 boxes of honey flake stuff, smart start and all bran yogurt boxes of cereal for 50-65 cents each. It was on clearance then there were $1 off blinkies.

family of 7 Me, DH,DD14,DD10,DS8,DD6,DS4 I just got back from the store. I spent $189.73. for a total of 14 diffrent meals, DH lunches. I had a few items on hand. But got a few good bargins. 2# bags of baby carrots for 79c ea. 2 gals of milk for $1.99 ea (had coupon). 3pkgs of fresh organic herbs .25c ea. 5 1# tubs of organic salad mix .79c ea. sara lee bread 2/$3 I didnt have any coupons to use except for milk buy sara lee bread and get $1 off gal of milk.

We go to a bread store and buy a ton of bread and freeze it. kids love the sara lee blueberry,cinnamon, cinnamon rasin bread. I buy alot of 7grain bread (fills ya up)

I make alot from scratch, do have a few ready made foods on hand. Once a month I inventory everthing and re-stock.