I simply cannot, no matter how hard I try, get my grocery bill............

[dvcnewgirl]

You all are great. I have had a a hard time staying under $180. It is so frustrating at times.

 

[scard192]

As a PP suggested, I make my own floor cleaner-water, vinegar and a squirt of dish detergent. I don't buy paper towels for cleaning, when a face cloth becomes so worn that I would throw it out, it becomes a cleaning rag and goes in the wash to reuse. I recently made my own spaghetti sauce from scratch and it was SO good, healthy and really easy to do.

I also buy the Angel Food Ministry box of food when the menu is one that I know I will use just about everything in it. $30 and it's supposed to feed a family of 4 for a week. This month's box had baby back ribs which I never buy.

Cat litter(clumping) is $8.99 for a 40# box at BJ's and dry food is $13 for an 18 pound bag; he's never had canned food so he's not looking for it.

 

[Nik's Mom]

What is an Angel Food Ministry box?

Oh, nevermind. Someone else has a thread about that. Carry on, everyone.

 

[winniedapooh]

When I began adjunct teaching I figured out what we would go through on average for the next 6 months of: toilet paper, paper towels, detergent, dryer sheets, dishwashing supplies, all toiletries, and anything other than food including cat litter. I get 6 checks over the span of 3 months and use that and lots of coupons to stock up. The kids are fantastic at updating my inventory sheet for me. When there is a sale and I have coupons, I may purchase a little extra. By the time I am getting paid again for the next semester, I stock up for summer and vice versa. This has worked well for us for almost 3 years now and brought our weekly grocery shopping down.

 

[bettymae1121]

DH and I spend about $100 a week on average just for food, this does not include household items. But organic fresh fruit, veggies, dairy, and high quality meats aren't cheap. I cook from scratch, right down to pizza dough. We don't buy soda or bottled water (I do buy organic ice tea though). We don't buy chips, cookies, candy or other junk food. Because I don't buy a lot of processed foods, I can't use coupons too often as coupons for fresh foods are few and far between in my area. But eating well is important to DH and I (as I'm sure it is to all of you)and we're willing to cut in other areas to afford the foods we prefer to eat.

Where I do save is by using wash cloths instead of paper towels, cloth napikins instead of paper, real plates/cups/utensils instead of disposable, vineager and baking soda for virtually all cleaning, a steam mop instead of a regular mop with cleaner, a washable cloth instead of swiffer cloths for dusting/floor cleaning. I use half the recomended amount of laundry soap (I find it gets clothes just as clean and I don't need an extra rinse cycle). I tear dryer sheets in half and only use them in winter when static is a problem. All of this is more an effort to be green, but the obvious cost savings can't be missed!

 

[jessica52877]

We easily stay under $100/wk but I buy all my paper supplies and cleaning and toiletries at CVS (or rite aid or walgreens) and pretty much pay nothing for it all. I have about $20 OOP costs the first time then it is usually at most $3 and more often then not I have to buy something small to make it not a negative amount. I only do CVS for maybe 4 months out of the year and have plenty to last us and to donate.

I also coupon, but can't stack and do some of the things the websites say but I still do really good with coupons. We eat tons of meat! In fact, too often we only worry about meat! LOL! But I will only buy it if it is on sale and I stock up when it is. I do belong to Costco, but not for the savings, it is more entertaining to go in and look around. I do buy some meat there (but not all) because some of it is cheaper on sale at the grocery. But I love being able to go to Costco if I want. We hardly buy anything else perishable besides fruits and veggies because I can get it cheaper elsewhere.

I have started keeping track how much I spend this year but I know it is well under $100 for me, DH and DS7 (who loves to eat). I eat all 3 meals at home and usually DS also (well I pack his lunch for school). DH skips breakfast and eats dinner at home. Sometimes he'll eat out for lunch. We eat out at most once a week and no more then $20. I am sure atmost we usually eat out as a family only 2x a month though and the other 2 are DS and I. Usuaully Olive Garden or Zaxby's, otherwise I have a gift card.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

That's what I thought. In the winter (off season) Strawberries are $2.50 here, blueberries $2.00, pineapples $2.50, apples .99 lb, bananas .49 lb. Melons were $1.50 this week, honeydews $3.00, pears .88 lb. Grapefruit and oranges $3.99 a bag.

Wow those are some good prices for fruit Bananas are easily $0.69 a pound here when on sale and we eat tons of them now

 

[KKB]

I agree...eating healthy is a bit more. We only buy ww pasta/bread products (I could get regular pasta for .33-.50 on sale...ww is $1). We eat chicken breasts and 93% lean beef. We buy fresh fruits & veggies every week.
BUT I ONLY buy produce that is in season/on sale. Bananas are always a deal, even at .69/lb. Right now apple & oranges, and pineapple when I can get them for $2.99 or less.
I ONLY buy meat when it is on sale...stock up on that chicken/burger/talapia/salmon. Our Super Target marks down meat that is soon to be expiring & I have gotten porkchops, sirlion, chuck & roasts at tremendous deals this way. Throw them all in the freezer.
I watch the sales like a hawk. If items we use regularly go on sale, I buy half a dozen. I use coupons as much as I can, but nowhere near offers double, and we don't use that much package food, so not too many used.
I watch Walgreens & CVS for items we use regularly that are on sale/offer extra bucks/I have coupons for. I have actually made a profit this way sometimes! (but I don't go overboard on these items...only things we really use).
I also RARELY throw anything out. I make menus on Sunday & try to stick with them.

 

[fakereadhed]

Eat fruit in season, and substitute frozen and canned in fruit juice where you can. Buy meat in bulk at costco and slice steaks and chops in half for a thinner portion. Use press and seal wrap(don't buy the expensive freezer kind) and freeze individual portions to thaw just what you need. Use all of your leftovers- pack them for lunches, or make soup or a casserole.

 

[StitchFanZ]

I keep it just under $100 for a family of 4 - and I have two teenagers plus thier friends hanging around.
My DH likes soda and chips to it would be lower if I cut that out. Our solution was to buy a huge chest freezer for the garage. It enables us to buy on sale and in bulk. I buy or grow lots of berries, beans, and peppers in season and freeze them. Frozen berries are great for smoothies or with cereal. The peppers are good for pizza topping or mixed in with other things. I had an abundance of canteloupe in our garden one summer so I chopped them up and froze them. Partially frozen melon is a super sweet snack. We are able to store a whole or half beef and and an elk. This is a huge savings plus we know where the meat came from and how it was processed.

 

[minnie1928]

OP here....I have a question if someone can help......lunch meat is WAY expensive. Hubby brings a sandwich daily to work and DD does sometimes to school. If I happen to have lunch meat left over ( I shop Friday afternoons as it is my half day at work and I get off at noon), can I freeze it? I hate to throw it away if I have enough left for a few more sandwiches.

I freeze lunch meat all the time, it's perfectly fine. I buy the big packs of it at BJs and there's no way we'd be able to eat it all in time otherwise.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I freeze lunch meat all the time, it's perfectly fine. I buy the big packs of it at BJs and there's no way we'd be able to eat it all in time otherwise.

Thank you! I know I can freeze cheese if I have leftovers and then just pull out what I need but I didnt know about the lunch meat.

I guess the frozen lasagne was a budget buster at 5.94, along with the bagged salad for 3.88 and half a box of garlic bread for .71.

 

[mjantz]

Look in your area for discount food stores or other places that might have bargains. I will visit the Mrs. Bairds outlet & Big Lots near my kids school about once a month. We also live in an area with several grocery stores & I can tell you that Kroger has better deals on produce and Tom Thumb has great deals on meat (I've picked up ground sirloin for $1/1lb pkg there).
We also get Angel Food. Its not for everyone but we like it. Hope this helps!

 

[kathie859]

OP, I don't think that your weekly food costs are outrageous. I'm pretty thrifty when it comes to buying groceries and I've had extra mouths to feed for over 6 months....that's two ADULT mouths!!! It looks like we'll go back to just me and DH, a dog and a cat in a few weeks and I'm thrilled.

I'll be glad to get back to regular grocery bills

A few things I do that I think helps me not overspend:

Make a list/plan meals based on sale items
Buy things that you normally use that are on sale and for which you have a coupon (my regular grocery doubles coupons and that's great!) i.e., if I see dishwasher detergent on sale AND I have a coupon, I'll buy it even if I won't need it for a few weeks.
Know what you have in your pantry and freezer and USE it
and buy things in season. I'd never pay $5 for strawberries in the dead of winter. On sale for $2, I may be tempted--but not for $5. Bananas, pears, apples are the usual 'go to' fruits. And I'll pick up any specials on fresh items.
The little market down the street has honeybelles for 5 @ $1.00 this week and they're yummy. Now that I know they're good, I'll probably pick up another 5 or 10 for the week.

I also have a few budget meals that are pasta based and that don't use a lot of meat but are filling and delish!

 

[SnowWhite607]

I think I have been going wrong by making a menu of what we want to eat and buying things to fill it, rather than making a menu based on whats on sale. The flyers come out Thursdays so maybe I can sit down this Thurs nite and make a menu/list for my Friday shopping trip!

 

[QVCshopper]

I read in a magazine to shop every 10 days instead of weekly. For some reason, you'll still spend about the same--probably because you're entering the store less. Try it; it may work for you. I have found it beneficial. Some weeks, I try hard not to do a big order (especially if I stocked up on meat) and only do a few orders of $10. We're a family of 4.

 

[neatokimmo]

I think I have been going wrong by making a menu of what we want to eat and buying things to fill it, rather than making a menu based on whats on sale. The flyers come out Thursdays so maybe I can sit down this Thurs nite and make a menu/list for my Friday shopping trip!

You will save a ton that way. If something I want to buy isn't on sale, I don't get it. I find a substitute, I'm not horribly picky.

 

[tlh0726]

What really helped me trim down the budget was tracking my purchases over an entire month.
I did an excel spreadsheet, listed everything I bought by item for the entire month.
column A- each item was marked food, household supply (laundry det, toilet paper etc), or treat (ice cream, soda, chips, etc )
column B was the item name
Column C was week 1 price, column D was week 2 price for that item, and so on.
total the weeks up for each item
I also sorted the list by column A (food, supply, & treat) and got a total for for each of these for the month.
Relized half of what I spending was going for household supplies not food.

We also cut down on treats, serving sizes are now followed in our house instead of just grabbing a box or bag and eating directly from it.

Bought a pack of cheap washcloths (18 pk) to use instead of using paper towels for kids spills. Don't take up much room in a load of laundry and I hang clothes out to dry every chance I get.

I tried Sams and BJ's but when I actually stand there with the calculator and break the prices down by the size you can get in the store, the majority of things actually cost more per lb than buying the smaller size on sale in the store. Really couldn't justify spending the $$ each year for the fee to belong. You really need to know your prices to tell if you are getting a good deal or not. It may be convienent but are you saving money? I have received free 60 day BJ memberships in the past that I will take advantage of. But even then, I come out of the store with just a few things.

I also do alot of freezing of both cooked and uncooked meats. For example, I will make a turkey and then freeze the lefteovers in meal size portions for future use. I cover the meat with broth to keep it from drying out and to use to make gravy. It is nothing to making a big meal in the middle of the week when all you need to do is pull the main ingredient from the freezer to reheat and to cook a few vegetables. It has really cut down on us eating out due to hectic schedules certain nights.

I always go through the meat section and it something is marked down for quick sale I will pick it up and put it in the freezer. This week I grabbed 3 big beef roasts for less than 1/2 the normal price per lb., One roast will feed our family twice. At thanksgiving I grabbed 3 -22lb turkeys at 19cents per lb.

I freeze every leftover that can be frozen (you will learn what can and cannot be frozen and still taste good) mostly it is just the main dish. When I get a selection, we will do a your choice/pot luck night. We all select something and I will make fresh vegetables and fruit to go with it.

We also do a breakfast for dinner night. Pack of bacon or sausage, waffles/pancakes/ or eggs. When I make pancakes and waffles I make extras and throw them in the freezer to reheat in the microwave.


When making lasagna, I use a smaller pan than what is called for so I actually get 2 meals out of it. One I put in the oven, the other I cover and put into the freezer to cook another day.

I make up cupcakes, icing them, and put them in the freezer. Quick easy dessert for the future and keeps the family from eating them till they are gone.

I also make up cookie dough, drop the dough onto a cookie sheet and pop into the freezer till dough is hard, I then dump all the little dough balls into a freezer bag. When I use the oven, I grabbed some of the dough balls and bake them on a rack under or over what I am cooking. Kids get a treat and it doesn't cost me any extra utilities.

We also do a soup and sandwhich night from time to time. Soup from the freezer and cold cut sub.

Looking back at my post (and others posts), the key seems to be having a freezer, making large quantities of something and then freezing the leftovers in single or family size portions for future use.

 

[neatokimmo]

I thought of something else I do that cuts down on the bill.

When I shop, I don't put down 2 pounds of boneless chicken. My list looks like this:

3 pounds whole meat (bone in chicken, boneless chicken, fish, pork chops...)
2 pounds ground meat (this could be turkey, chicken or ground beef)
4 pound veggies (I start in produce and work my way to frozen)
21 pieces of fruit (we both eat one whole piece and usually share something like a grapefruit)
2 breads (bread, rolls, bagels...)

All my meats interchange with the veggies and starch. It is MUCH easier and cheaper if you stick with single or two ingredient dishes.

 

[Graciesmom77]

One thing I have been doing lately, as soon as I get back from the grocery, I take snacks and portion them out into single serve baggies and put them in our snack drawer. Its easy for lunches, the girls get to pick one, healthier, and we don't sit and munch an entire bag of chips or crackers.