Grocery receipts for 1 month $1000 - frustrated

[Cooky]

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[mermaidwannabe]

MrsPete: Well, my DH went ahead and bought the rice, but maybe it was a good thing in the end because it looks really hard! I don't think he'll buy it again, but now he won't be harping on how he wanted to get it. Plus, yeah, I bet is has preservatives in it?
I wish we had a salvage store! I did make a black bean 8-tortilla stacked dinner the other night and was so happy with it. It was pretty, nutritious and cheap, but my kids and DH weren't so thrilled with it. Where's the beef, they were wondering lol. Next time I'll use a 1/2 pound of burger for the whole dish. A work in progress! Thanks for the reminder about the bread store. That somehow didn't make it onto my Word Doc from earlier posts!

Southerbohemian: I like that you get an empty frig. I actually love that when we go on vacation. We really try to eat everything, so nothing gets thrown away. I need to take that feeling and do it every week!! My Mom always jokes that we could live for months on all the food we have in our frig, freezer and pantry. Of course, she's like the McGyver of cooking. She can take a can of this, a few other things and make a great meal. Why didn't I get that gene?

jodifla - Thanks for the tip about sales being every 12 weeks. Someone else said something similar and it will help me remember not to stock up too much.


Question on coupons: If one is going to expire, but you don't need it yet, do you go ahead and buy the item??

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

i'm frustrated this month too i have to so something quick because my situation is new. i knew it would be a bit more this month because we ate EVERYTHING up before our May trip and hadn't bought groceries for a month or so beforehand. The night we got back, we got $80 in essentials. that weekend, i went and stocked us up for $220. THEN dbf loses his job last week, and he will be home all the time and need to eat at home (to avoid $10 a day at fast food). so i went back to the store to buy lunches for him and dinners for us... another $220. OMG $520 for 2 people in 3 weeks???? i admit i have to start using coupons. i'm not against them, if i have one in my wallet, i'll use it... but i need to get better!! i'm enjoying and interested in everyones tips!!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Our grocery bill per month for 3 of us tends to be about $500. It's definitely lower in the summer, when I have all the veggies from the garden.

I do coupon quite a bit, and have found that if I"m careful about it, it does save me money. When I first started with them, I would end up buying junk we never needed, just because I had the coupon for it. Now, I've learned to only get it if we need it, will use it, and the coupon price is good. If I know there is a sale coming up, and there is a good coupon for that item, I'll buy coupons for it.

I don't find many produce or meat coupons, but they do exist They're just not as common.

One thing that helps me save is the clearance grocery racks. Our store has a produce markdown rack, which is usually things that need to be used in the next 2 days or so. They tend to be marked down by about 50%. They also have a dairy clearance rack, where I"ve been getting a lot of milk recently. They have gallons of milk that expire in 2-3 days for $1/gallon. We go through quite a bit of milk, and if I don't think we're going to use it in time, then we make some pudding pops and put them in the freezer for later.

I've also been buying a lot more do-it-yourself snack stuff, and packing that for DH and myself, and pre-packing snack bags for DS. He loves the snack boxes of raisins, so I finally bought the big container of raisins and measure them out myself.

Definitely find if you have a bread outlet near you. We have a Nissen outlet nearby, and can always get bread, rolls, and such pretty cheap. IF you find a great deal on it, bread freezes pretty well too.

Good luck!!

 

[ndloewen]

DD10 has made her lunch all year long. I have to double check on sweets(particularly around Halloween and Easter....), but she does a good job of getting it together (she loves hot stuff like soup, ravioli, etc.) herself. She never has leftovers.

We've done this too for the past year. DD10 and even DS7 both now make their own lunches. They know they have to include one substantial item (a sandwich/wrap or something like soup etc.), and also a fruit. Then they can put in two other small items of their choosing. No half eaten lunches coming home anymore!!

 

[IDoDis]

I've tried in the past to lower our grocery bill after having been inspired by grocery threads like this. I guess I was a failure, because it didn't work for me. I know there were things I could have done like buy in bulk, buy lesser cuts of meat, and buy cheap foods like Mac & Cheese and Ramen Noodles. I even tried Angelfood Ministries one month and was totally grossed out on the Dollar Store quality of the food and the fatty cuts of meat (one steak was not even edible). One month I'd see the bill go down, because I was creative with what food we already had, but then the next month the grocery bill would be twice the normal amount because I had to restock.

I guess what I did take away from it was that I am a bit better about buying meat in large packages when it goes on sale, and I try not to go to the grocery store several times a week because if I'd go in for just a gallon of milk, I'd come out with $30 worth of food.

I don't make food from processed things very often, although I did resort this past winter to lots of crockpot meals due to time constraints. Those meals end up having so much sodium and fat with a majority of the ingredients coming from a can and was really horrible for us health-wise. So now that summer is here we are using the grill more and eating much better -- which also costs more.

 

[MrsPete]

I wish we had a salvage store!

I bet you do! Look around. They're not well advertised. I first learned about one from my mom, who drove by it on her way to work; that one has moved locations twice, but I've been using it for more than 10 years. Then I discovered a second one completely by accident in a strip mall near a used bookstore I frequent. I found another one driving to my grandmother's house, but it wasn't very good and I only stopped in there once -- it went out of business. In addition, there's a food auction near us that operates every other Friday night. I knew of another food auction, but it went out of business. These are the places where you can really save . . . but finding them does take some effort. Keep your eyes open, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you don't discover you've been passing one without knowing it.

And don't forget to start checking into ethnic grocery stores, health food stores, and other options. Many of these places are excellent for just one or two things. For example, I buy all my spices for next to nothing from big bulk bins at the health food store . . . but I can't afford their organic produce or other high-priced stuff.

Going back to something someone else said: I also do not buy food at Big Lots or the Dollar Store. It tends to be out of date, and itjust seems . . . yucky.

i'm frustrated this month too i have to so something quick because my situation is new. i knew it would be a bit more this month because we ate EVERYTHING up before our May trip and hadn't bought groceries for a month or so beforehand

I know what you mean. We tend to try to "eat up everything" before we go out of town -- and I usually take advantage of that opportunity to give the 'fridge a good wash-down. But then when we come back, I always seem to spend a ton on that first grocery trip! I know why: It's that on a normal week, I don't run out of milk AND bread AND butter AND eggs AND other basics all at the same time, but it still bothers me!

 

[MissBritt]

I even tried Angelfood Ministries one month and was totally grossed out on the Dollar Store quality of the food and the fatty cuts of meat (one steak was not even edible).

I agree, I was sorely disappointed in the AFM chicken I got- fatty, mishapen chunks of junk. I guess I got what I paid for. Never again.

 

[sasywtch]

OK OT but...who?

Boyfriend (he's not so much a dear lately). He was married previously. I am changing his way of thinking about grocery shopping.

 

[Carl Fredricksen]

Wow! I thought our grocery bill was high! We average about $400 a month for a family of four. BTW, stay away from Wal-Mart...they are terrible about taking coupons.

We average about $400 for a family of 4 also, but our Walmart is bad about coupons also. We find Kroger not only to be more coupon friendly, but they usually beat Walmart on price as well.

This is my all time favorite site for frugal grocery shopping! It comes down to spending more TIME in the kitchen, but it can save BUNDLES.

http://www.budget101.com/budget101-free-ebook/free-ebook-groceries-200-month-2547.html

Even if you do just a few of her tips it can save you.

Dawn

Thanks for the site! Bookmarked and looks like it can help with being more frugal about everything around the house.

 

[poohfriend77]

I bet you do! Look around. They're not well advertised. I first learned about one from my mom, who drove by it on her way to work; that one has moved locations twice, but I've been using it for more than 10 years. Then I discovered a second one completely by accident in a strip mall near a used bookstore I frequent. I found another one driving to my grandmother's house, but it wasn't very good and I only stopped in there once -- it went out of business. In addition, there's a food auction near us that operates every other Friday night. I knew of another food auction, but it went out of business. These are the places where you can really save . . . but finding them does take some effort. Keep your eyes open, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if you don't discover you've been passing one without knowing it.

You're right! I had never even heard of a salvage food store, but I just googled it. I found a list of stores by state at /www.frugalvillage.com/forums/discount-stores/97055-salvage-grocery-list-state.html

I still don't have one in my town, and the closest one is about 30 miles away. But, it's just off the interstate on the way to my mom's. I'll have to check it out on my way home next time I visit her.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

You're right! I had never even heard of a salvage food store, but I just googled it. I found a list of stores by state at /www.frugalvillage.com/forums/discount-stores/97055-salvage-grocery-list-state.html

I still don't have one in my town, and the closest one is about 30 miles away. But, it's just off the interstate on the way to my mom's. I'll have to check it out on my way home next time I visit her.

Thanks for posting that! There aren't any near me. In fact, there are only 3 in this huge state! Hope the site helps some others though!