Grocery Budget for 2 - How are we doing?

[loveshak22]

That's all part of couponing and stockpiling. There are going to be some weeks where you spend more than your usual budget and other weeks where you really don't need to do a major shop at all. I've reached a point where I can skip an entire week without shopping if I use frozen vegetables to supplement the fresh ones. The only must-buy would be milk. My husband eats cereal twice a day (breakfast and as a bedtime snack). He refuses to use soy milk, which has a longer expiration time.

Good to know that there are ups and downs! I'll be interested to see how I'm doing after I've been doing this for a few months to see what the average expenses drop to weekly!

 

[Marionnette]

I have to ask. How many of you who go to multiple locations to get "deals" figure out how much extra you are spending in gas to do so (not to mention wear and tear on your car)? Not everyone lives in a community where all these stores are within a mile of each other. Even here, in the suburbs of DC, for me to hit Target, Wegmans, CVS, etc means driving an additional 10 or so miles because the stores aren't near each other nor are they on the way to each other. My point is, what you're "saving" is probably being eaten up by the cost of getting to these deals. Not to mention the time involved. My time is worth more than stopping at 3-4 different locations to do what I can in 1 for just a little bit more. There's more to saving money than just price of the items.

You're making the assumption that nearly everyone has the same geographical issues that you have. I guess that I'm lucky. The nearest grocery store to my house is actually closer than any convenience store (less than 2 miles - I can walk on a nice day!). I can draw a circle with a 5-mile radius around my house and there are 2 Acme grocery stores, a Giant Food Market, a Whole Foods, a Fresh Market, a Safeway store, two Target stores, a Pathmark, one Walmart, 4 CVS stores, 3 Walgreen's and a farmer's market. There is also a Shoprite less than 10 miles from my house and that is the furthest that I will travel in order to grocery shop.

I combine trips so that I'm not crisscrossing the county in order grab the loss leaders. Each one of those stores is in the same location as two or more other stores or it is on the way to/from the furthest from my home.

I print and clip my coupons while watching TV in the evening. I use the coupon matchup websites to create my shopping lists and print them out. It only takes a few clicks. My shopping trips take less than 3 hours from the time I leave the house until the time I put the last grocery away. That includes repackaging bulk meat purchases into vacuum-sealed bags and labeling for freezing and "rotating" any canned goods that I stocked up on. And I do that without any help from my husband or kids. For the amount that I save, it's well worth the time spent.

Obviously, this doesn't work for everyone. That doesn't mean that you still cannot save something by couponing a little bit. Those pork coupons that I printed were for ANY fresh pork product, organic was not excluded. The broccoli, banana and milk rebates were for ANY of those items as long as the PLU# or SKU# on the receipt matched up. The baby food was just a great way to give to those in my community who can use a little help. The grocery store has a donation bin right by the exit. The effort it took on my part was minimal.

 

[Roma]

Good to know that there are ups and downs! I'll be interested to see how I'm doing after I've been doing this for a few months to see what the average expenses drop to weekly!

There are definitely ups and downs, but once you have a stockpile you'll stun yourself on at least one occasion over how your grocery trips have decreased. This past week I went to the store and only picked up milk, bread, fresh fruit, vegetables and some cereal that was on super sale (.11 cents an ounce). Since my husband and I go through a lot of cereal, I have to be on top of all of those sales. Other than those items, we have lived off the stockpile for two weeks. The initial cost of stockpiling will cancel itself out later when you don't have to buy those items at full price.

Also, I almost exclusively shop at two stores that are within two miles of my house. Every once and a while I will go to CVS or something but I don't plan special trips. I will stop on the way to or from work or coordinate the trip with another errand. It takes me maybe an hour a week max to plan out my meals, coupons, and shopping trips. I also maximize the space in my freezer so that I can freeze meats, fruits, vegetables, sauces, and other items that we can't eat but don't want to waste. For example, I will use part of a jar of spaghetti sauce and then put the rest in an ice cube tray to freeze. I will then bag and label the frozen cubes to defrost for another time. I do the same with chicken broth.

 

[KaLyn]

You're making the assumption that nearly everyone has the same geographical issues that you have. I guess that I'm lucky....

Exactly. In a half mile stretch I have a Giant Eagle, Sam's Club, Bottom Dollar, Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens. Extend a circle maybe 3 miles in diameter from that and I have 2 Friedman's stores and a Butcher shop, another Bottom Dollar and another Giant Eagle. It's all within 5 miles of my home.

 

[bdcp]

Exactly. In a half mile stretch I have a Giant Eagle, Sam's Club, Bottom Dollar, Wal-Mart, Target and Walgreens. Extend a circle maybe 3 miles in diameter from that and I have 2 Friedman's stores and a Butcher shop, another Bottom Dollar and another Giant Eagle. It's all within 5 miles of my home.

The reality is, a lot of people in this country do not live within 5 miles of more than one food store. While we have Target and Wegman's right next to each other about 4 miles from my home, CVS is 5 miles away from them and the three Costco's in my area are all about 10 miles farther away. WalMart is over 10, but I never shop there. There are other grocery stores here, but the reality is, Wegman's is cheaper for just about everything. I do not use coupons as I have found that I buy things I never would have if I didn't have them. We're in a highly populated area of the country, but there isn't a "strip" with all multiple food stores like there are in smaller towns or even in some urban areas. Just not worth my time to spend hours shopping for food. I'm in reality playing devil's advocate, because I buy what we want to eat, not what's on sale or what I happen to have a coupon for.

I do know people look at me like a deer in the headlights when the cost of gas and wear and tear on their cars come up. I work with some people who drive 40+ miles to work everyday because they say they can't afford to live closer. Um, yeah, if you calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear and mileage on your vehicle, and how often you have to replace your car, then you can easily afford to live in closer. The cost of mortgage/rent is offset by the cost of transportation. Some just can't see that.

 

[QVCshopper]

I have to ask. How many of you who go to multiple locations to get "deals" figure out how much extra you are spending in gas to do so (not to mention wear and tear on your car)? Not everyone lives in a community where all these stores are within a mile of each other. Even here, in the suburbs of DC, for me to hit Target, Wegmans, CVS, etc means driving an additional 10 or so miles because the stores aren't near each other nor are they on the way to each other. My point is, what you're "saving" is probably being eaten up by the cost of getting to these deals. Not to mention the time involved. My time is worth more than stopping at 3-4 different locations to do what I can in 1 for just a little bit more. There's more to saving money than just price of the items.

Since you asked, I go to many different places but really don't spend any extra in gas. I can walk to an Acme, CVS, Walgreens, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Wawa, Petco, and a whole shopping center. I have a super Wegmans and Target less than two miles away, and I often walk between the two. I also have a Giant and Pathmark fairly close, but I only go to the Giant for their gas deals--which basically makes any food free after gas.

I stay home with my toddler, and work at night, so I have time to frequent various places. For me, the most challenging part is getting my toddler in and out of the car all the time, which can be a pain.

Btw, I agree with living close to work. We just moved about 8 months ago. My DH's commute is now 1.5 miles, but he sometimes walks to the train and takes the shuttle down to work. Since I now walk to so many places, our gas usage has gone way down, too.

 

[Marionnette]

The reality is, a lot of people in this country do not live within 5 miles of more than one food store. While we have Target and Wegman's right next to each other about 4 miles from my home, CVS is 5 miles away from them and the three Costco's in my area are all about 10 miles farther away. WalMart is over 10, but I never shop there. There are other grocery stores here, but the reality is, Wegman's is cheaper for just about everything. I do not use coupons as I have found that I buy things I never would have if I didn't have them. We're in a highly populated area of the country, but there isn't a "strip" with all multiple food stores like there are in smaller towns or even in some urban areas. Just not worth my time to spend hours shopping for food. I'm in reality playing devil's advocate, because I buy what we want to eat, not what's on sale or what I happen to have a coupon for.

I do know people look at me like a deer in the headlights when the cost of gas and wear and tear on their cars come up. I work with some people who drive 40+ miles to work everyday because they say they can't afford to live closer. Um, yeah, if you calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear and mileage on your vehicle, and how often you have to replace your car, then you can easily afford to live in closer. The cost of mortgage/rent is offset by the cost of transportation. Some just can't see that.

In my case, there's not a whole lot of "wear & tear" going on. I have a 2001 vehicle with under 78K miles on it, the majority of which were racked up in the first few years because I had a 35-mile RT commute for work.

Like I said before, couponing and chasing down sales is not going to work for everyone or to the extent that it works for those extreme couponers. I happen to do quite well with it but even applying a few if the strategies posted can help anyone who is looking to reduce their grocery budget. If you choose not to try them, that's okay. There are plenty of money-saving strategies that I have either abandoned or ignored because I did not feel that they were workable for me.

 

[loveshak22]

The reality is, a lot of people in this country do not live within 5 miles of more than one food store. While we have Target and Wegman's right next to each other about 4 miles from my home, CVS is 5 miles away from them and the three Costco's in my area are all about 10 miles farther away. WalMart is over 10, but I never shop there. There are other grocery stores here, but the reality is, Wegman's is cheaper for just about everything. I do not use coupons as I have found that I buy things I never would have if I didn't have them. We're in a highly populated area of the country, but there isn't a "strip" with all multiple food stores like there are in smaller towns or even in some urban areas. Just not worth my time to spend hours shopping for food. I'm in reality playing devil's advocate, because I buy what we want to eat, not what's on sale or what I happen to have a coupon for.

I do know people look at me like a deer in the headlights when the cost of gas and wear and tear on their cars come up. I work with some people who drive 40+ miles to work everyday because they say they can't afford to live closer. Um, yeah, if you calculate the cost of gas, wear and tear and mileage on your vehicle, and how often you have to replace your car, then you can easily afford to live in closer. The cost of mortgage/rent is offset by the cost of transportation. Some just can't see that.

I agree that a lot of people don't consider gas and wear and tear of their vehicle in the cost of day-to-day life in general and it can add up to lots of dollars. And I would never add another shopping location to my routine. However, with proper planning, I think most people live within close enough distance to plan a trip to someplace like a Target (substitute Costcos, Wal-Mart, Sams Club, etc.) or CVS (substitute Walgreens, RiteAid, etc.) once a month. For grocery shopping definitely go wherever is closest for your weekly needs. 10-15 miles RT once a month is not that much gas or wear or tear on the car. If you are going shopping once or twice a week to all of those stores then definitely not worth the effort like you said.

Like I mentioned, I live in DC and in 15 minutes I could get to several spots in MD and VA that have multiple options for groceries and toiletries all within a few minutes of each other. By taking a few minutes to look at the weekly flyer on the stores websites and deciding when I have time to hit any of those spots is pretty easy.

I've also lived in FL, OH, TN, VA, and KS and every place I've ever lived has had some central location for shopping with options where once a month I could hit multiple spots pretty easily.

I think each person just has to do what works for them and actually look at the math and time for their life. Not only car/gas money but time. I couldn't make changes that took up a ton of my time because for me it's crazy to save $5 for an hour of time. Now $50 for an hour of my time would be worth it. It sounds like in your case you have your routine and are happy with it so that works best for you. I haven't changed anything in what I eat (maybe when I eat it based on my weekly menus) and have made a few easy changes that have saved me money and that works best for me.