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

[diznee25]

OP: I haven't read the entire thread, but I can tell you that your budget sounds reasonable. It's just me, DH, and two dogs and we spend about $100 per week. (That includes food, and non-food products; cleaning products, toileties, dog food, etc.)


diznee25

 

[neatokimmo]

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.

That is a really good idea! I bet it helps with freshness too so you don't feel like you have to eat an entire bag really quick before it goes stale.

 

[shortbun]

I absolutely HATE these threads!!! $100 a week is pretty darn low for a family of 3 with a healthy diet and feeding 2 cats as well. These 'how low can you go' threads seem self destructive. People bragging about cheap cuts of meat and carb loaded diets just makes me crazy. I feel my family of three almost all fresh food, try to buy locally when possible and we don't splurge often but under $100 weekly?....no freakin' way!!! I also consider my time being worth money so constant shopping to save money is an excessive waste of my valuable time. F.Y.I., I am not in debt except for a small mortgage. We grow a small garden, and I buy in bulk but organically.

I had a young woman on my bus tell me once that her mother counted the peices of bread in the loaf and she couldn't even go home and make herself a peice of toast without permission. I sure hope none of you are doing things like that to your children unless it's absolutely necessary because there is no money-thus, no food. If so, you should turn off your internet because your children are starving.

 

[apnep]

I try to keep a goal of $100/week but almost always spend over but not by much...like around $20-30. That includes toiletries and cleaning products. Some weeks are better than others. We eat healthy, I don't buy a lot of junk food or prepared foods at all. Lots of fresh fruits and veggies. The main thing is to plan your meals and stick to a list. I shop Costco for basics like milk, eggs, & bread but never buy fruit there. I would blow half my budget on 10lbs of apples if I did!

I buy my meats on sale at the local stores and fruit as well. Maybe the problem is that you don't have alot of competition in your area?? I live within 2 miles of 5 grocery stores and there is a lot of competition...

 

[neatokimmo]

I don't see anyone on this thread counting slices of bread

The OP asked a question, and several us answered it. If you don't like these types of threads why read them?

I absolutely HATE these threads!!! $100 a week is pretty darn low for a family of 3 with a healthy diet and feeding 2 cats as well. These 'how low can you go' threads seem self destructive. People bragging about cheap cuts of meat and carb loaded diets just makes me crazy. I feel my family of three almost all fresh food, try to buy locally when possible and we don't splurge often but under $100 weekly?....no freakin' way!!! I also consider my time being worth money so constant shopping to save money is an excessive waste of my valuable time. F.Y.I., I am not in debt except for a small mortgage. We grow a small garden, and I buy in bulk but organically.

I had a young woman on my bus tell me once that her mother counted the peices of bread in the loaf and she couldn't even go home and make herself a peice of toast without permission. I sure hope none of you are doing things like that to your children unless it's absolutely necessary because there is no money-thus, no food. If so, you should turn off your internet because your children are starving.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I don't see anyone on this thread counting slices of bread

The OP asked a question, and several us answered it. If you don't like these types of threads why read them?

My thoughts exactly!

OP here, I was asking a question which I thought could be answered by the good folks at the Budget Board. I dont remember anyone bragging about a carb loaded diet or eating expired or sub standard meats. Geez.

It is called the budget board for a reason.....people on here want to save money. If you cant be helpful and supportive, maybe you should skip on over to another thread. Just a thought.....

And by the way, I have never counted slices of bread in the loaf. I think there is a huge difference in wanting to cut down on your grocery bill and starving your children.

 

[Duckyiam71]

I can tell you we have a family of 4. DS10, DS5, DH and me, we managed to keep ours under a $100 each week. One of the biggest things that we changed is I send my husband. I make the menu for the week and make the list based off of that. I then check for any coupons. Then my husband looks it over and ask questions if need be. I used to go and pick up extra stuff that was not on the list and soon I had $200 of stuff. We also shop at the commissary which is a big help too. I know this will not work for everyone. My husband hates grocery shopping and he justs wants out of there! But we want to save money and he is gung ho for that!

 

[jessica52877]

I can tell you we have a family of 4. DS10, DS5, DH and me, we managed to keep ours under a $100 each week. One of the biggest things that we changed is I send my husband. I make the menu for the week and make the list based off of that. I then check for any coupons. Then my husband looks it over and ask questions if need be. I used to go and pick up extra stuff that was not on the list and soon I had $200 of stuff. We also shop at the commissary which is a big help too. I know this will not work for everyone. My husband hates grocery shopping and he justs wants out of there! But we want to save money and he is gung ho for that!

I figured out also that if I send my husband we spend less. He doesn't just toss things in the cart. He wants in and out. Since we don't grocery shop that often I send him for perishables and it works out great!

 

[fakereadhed]

I figured out also that if I send my husband we spend less.

Best tip yet!

 

[marcyinPA]

Just back from our weekly food store trip. We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 boys ages 10 and 14). And a dog. But I don't buy his food at the grocery store, and we buy a big huge bag once every two or three months. I also don't buy toiletries or paper products at the grocery store. Except napkins, but I don't buy those every week.

Our bill today was $101. That included milk, bread, ground beef (6 lbs), Italian sausage (family pack), fruits and veggies for a week, lunch meat, four boxes of cereal and various other staples. I mostly buy store brands, unless I have a coupon for the name brand and it is cheaper. I am not brand loyal. We are not really that picky.

Next Sunday, our bill will probably be $20 lower because I won't need meat. I have plenty of chicken in my freezer, three pork roasts, about 7 lbs of ground beef, and four lbs of Italian sausage.

The key for keeping our food bill down is to make things that stretch, like soup, and chili. Also, lasagna. That will feed us for at least two meals. I often freeze leftovers and pull them out on a busy night. Today I bought the ingredients to make Italian Wedding Soup....I've got a huge pot on the stove so it will definitely be a few meals!

I buy VERY LITTLE prepared food. I buy no frozen meals at all. No meal kits, or anything like that. I do buy frozen veggies and very occassionally fresh ones, if I know exactly when I'll be cooking them. I don't buy a lot of snack foods. Well, I do buy those little bags of chips and Doritos for the kids' lunches, but they only eat them for school lunches. I bought a big box of them from BJ's that had enough for five weeks worth of lunches for both kids.

Nobody here is starving, believe me!

 

[marcyinPA]

I figured out also that if I send my husband we spend less. He doesn't just toss things in the cart. He wants in and out. Since we don't grocery shop that often I send him for perishables and it works out great!

My DH is the same way. Sometimes I send him with a list, and he sticks to the list I tend to look for good deals, which sometimes drives the bill a bit higher. But then again, in the long run, I've saved us some money by getting the deals when I see them!

 

[tinkmom2]

I can't send my DH to the store at all. He will not only forget what I put on the list but he always puts junk food in our cart and our bill can easily go up $20-30 when he goes. We eat pop corn and chips occasionally but aren't really a big junk food family.

As a reply to shortbuns post. If you don't like it don't read it! We are doing just fine economically but choose to budget and spend our money elsewhere. We are by no means starving. Most meals I have left overs and can use them the next day for lunch. I also do not buy a lot of pre packed foods. (Like Lipton noodles) I make my own. I love to cook and this is not a big time consuming process. Most of my meals can be made in the crockpot or take under 30 minutes. The planning probably takes about a hour every Sunday. I cut coupons and present a checkout. Again not a lot of work.

My meals are nutritious and the cuts of meat are pretty decent. We eat steak here too! My store does have a organic section but I only use it if it fits in our budget. I am perfectly fine with normal veggies.

Please by all means do what ever works for your family. The OP was looking for advice and many of her fellow Disers are telling what works in their life. Not meaning YOU have to.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Here are my tips;

For produce - buy what's on sale and in season. The stuff in season also tastes the best too.

For meat - buy in bulk when it's on sale, and freeze it in portions. You can get most meat for $1 or $2 on sale, especially in bulk packs.

For pantry items - Stock up on sales, and use coupons. Do you have a store in your area that doubles coupons? That can create big savings.

Something else that saves some money; I'm able to go to a spice store in Philly once a month or so, and just buy as I need. I don't know if you have anything like that in your area, but buying spices in the amount you need, is much more economical then buying a jar of something you'll only use once or twice.

For toiletries - Same as pantry items, buy on sale, and stock up.

I do all these things myself, and the most I usually spend is $30 a week for just myself, it's usually closer to $20. A lot of items I'm able to get for free, including most toiletries, (I think the most expensive toiletry I bought recently was an 18-roll thing of toilet paper for $4.) And, a lot of pantry items for free too, including pasta, sauce, peanut butter, all kinds of condiments, etc.

 

[brymolmom]

Personally - if you truly want to go lower, a great way to do it is making large batches. Are you already carefully menu planning or 'just going to the store'? Menu planning is huge too.

It often only will cost a couple/few dollars more to make a super-sized batch of a recipe. SOOOO, put somthing on your menu plan and then make it double batched and have enough for a second dinner AND usually a lunch thrown in there.

For example - a double batch of ziti early in the week. Could likely make a big enough batch for 2 - 3 sit downs for about $10 - $12 in most areas - but it could cover 3 meals for the family for that. Add in a salad for $8 or so and it's 3 meals for about $7 total per sitting.

Also - offset the more expensive meals with less expensive. Buy a box of pancake mix, a dozen eggs and a box of frozen sausage links and you've got a dinner plus a breakfast for about $8 or so - $4 per sitting for the whole meal.

Buy a bag of white potatoes for $1.99 and you could have home fries with the pancake dinner PLUS potatoes with a couple of your other dinners.

Good luck!

 

[neatokimmo]

Something else that saves some money; I'm able to go to a spice store in Philly once a month or so, and just buy as I need. I don't know if you have anything like that in your area, but buying spices in the amount you need, is much more economical then buying a jar of something you'll only use once or twice.

Oh that reminds me, if you have an asian market, you can get cool unique stuff super cheap. Spices, sauces, things that really add kick to a plain chicken breast.

And if you have a sysco nearby, they have blocks of yeast for baking instead of packets. It comes out to pennies a teaspoon.

 

[bettymae1121]

If sent my husband I'd be VERY fat and VERY broke!!!!

 

[SnowWhite607]

LOL! Thats what I was thinking. There would be a cart full of chips and ice cream.

 

[DawnM]

http://www.budget101.com/Ebooklet/EBooklet_Fam4.pdf

 

[WDmommyof4]

I am not sure what grocery stores you have around you, but your best bet it to find one that offers store coupons and take competitor coupons. If they double coupons as well that is even better.

At Publix for instance, they offer Publix store coupons quite often and take competitor coupons as store coupons from places such as Target, CVS, Walgreens, Winn Dixie etc. They have great BOGO sales each week and allow you to use one manufacturer coupon and one store coupon on each item, even the one you are getting for free. They take printed coupons and there are some great high value ones available online if you look.

For household goods I usually go to CVS and Walgreens and use register rewards and extra care bucks to get the items we need. The key is to be flexible and not brand loyal. I also stock pile everything when it can be had at a good price. I haven't paid more than $.99 for a name brand box of cereal or more than $.79 for a container of 100% juice in more than two years. Soda, my one addiction can be had for less than $1.50 a 12 pack for Coke or Pepsi several times each year with sales. I just buy 20-30 of something when it is really cheap or free with coupons.

Sometimes at Walgreens or CVS, you will need to buy items that give register rewards or extra care bucks that you really don't need. For instance, if I could get Benefiber for free with coupons and it gave me back $5 in rewards, then I would buy it and donate it, because I could then turn around and use the $5 in rewards to buy anything I like.

I buy my meat at the local IGA which offers any five packages of meat (usually over a pound each) for $20. That $20 of meat will last us a week. Keep in mind that I do not have to buy a balanced amount of food each week because I stockpile items. So if something is not on sale I do not have to buy it because I likely have a pile of it at home. Right not I have no less than 20 boxes of cereal, 30 containers of juice, 10 jars of spaghetti sauce, etc. The goal is to make it so you never have to buy anything at full price.

Here is a sample of what I bought in one week at Publix and what I paid for it.

Publix Shopping Trip:

16 lb. bag of Friskies cat food
4 Bottles of Fantastik cleaner
8 boxes Kelloggs cereal
1 Dishwand scrubber
2 packages of O-cello sponges
2 Dobie dish scrubbers
2 liquid Coffee Mate Creamers
1 Tropicana orange juice container
2 packages of Kraft American singles
2 Large party size boxes of TGIF frozen snacks
8 big bottles of Juicy Juice
8 boxes of Pasta/Rice A Roni
3 6 packs of apple sauce
1 Large bag of cat litter
1 3lb. bag of apples
2 Ritz bits box crackers
2 loaves of Publix white bread

Total paid: $42.30

Total saved as written on the receipt $112.33

Try visiting hotcouponworld. It is a coupon forum that has tons of deals listed by store. Go to the grocery store section and select the store near you to see the deals with coupon matchups each week. It is possible to save a ton and not sacrifice.

 

[apnep]

One of the biggest things that we changed is I send my husband.

I ask my hubby to stop by the store to pick up things for me and it never fails, he always brings the cheap stuff! It drives me nuts! There are some things I just can't by generic for and I think he found that out last time I sent him to the store. But I agree, the men just want in and out. Grocery shopping for me is an experience.

Ang