Sure thing. I posted above about some of the tips that have helped me which I'll post here: The tips I have used that really have helped is limiting myself to only shopping 1 time per week. No matter what, every time I break that rule I end up buying things I didn't really need. I plan weekly meals around what is already in the pantry and fridge so my list of things to buy is smaller for the week. We plan 2 meals per week that are "leftover" meals, so we only plan 3-5 dinners per week instead of 7. I don't buy junk food or soda and we make our own desserts. I only buy things if they are on sale at the grocery store and buy what is on sale at costco whenever possible. We eat all our meals at home (except for occasional eating out on the weekends) and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Less processed food, more homemade definitely helps the budget, too. I think the hardest discipline is eating what is already in the house and getting creative with what you have, but it does help the budget.
For stores, I do a combination of Costco, Trader Joes and our local grocery store. I have taken the time to compare prices for similar products and try to buy the items that are the best price for a certain store. I usually buy paper products and cleaning type items from Costco (and usually only when on sale), I also buy diary, eggs, bread, orange juice, lettuce, bananas, coffee and those items that are a way better deal like spices & peanut butter from there.
From Trader Joes, I love to buy their bran cereal & cheerios, rice, mac n' cheese, cereal bars for snacks and we always buy their flour - most of those items are $1.99 and way better ingredients.
I get the rest of my produce based on what's on sale at the grocery store and usually buy our meat from there but I always shop sales and those "need to sell" meats that give you $3 off per package, etc. I do use coupons when I have them but only for items I need / use. Mostly I save by basing everything on sales. I do buy store brands where quality is comparable but it really depends on the product. I'm all about buying simple products with less ingredients so store brands aren't always worth it.
We also make a lot of our own food. My husband loves to cook and makes homemade pancake/waffle mix, our syrups, bbq sauces, and things like brown sugar. A lot of it is much easier than it seems to do and cuts out on all the additives.
We eat rice, oatmeal and use beans but certainly don't eat that all the time.
We eat a lot of vegetables and fruits and meals that can stretch to 2+ dinners. I love to use my crock pot and make bigger dishes when I cook, then save half. I do make my meat stretch further though by trying to add just a small amount of it to meals - so between the 4 of us, we might use 2-3 chicken breasts for a meal instead of 4, and use vegetables or other things to fill in. Honestly, it's what we DON'T buy that helps us save. We don't have half the stuff in our pantry that is typical for many families (my kids think potato chips or soda is a real treat! haha) and making it from scratch is a huge saver. Hope that helps!
