Speaking of food bills.........

[ChiTownZee]

What are your tips for saving money on groceries?
I was just talking to a friend, who, after I told her she needs to right out a serious budget (they are building a house and she says she spends too much and wants to save money) found out she spent over $900 on groceries in Sept. I was like "What the -bleep- are you eating?!" I can't imagine spending anywhere near that much. So here's her deal, she has 3 kids (3, 9, 11), dh, dog and a cat. I know they like steaks LOL, and she often shops at a more expensive store in Boca (Whole Foods) because they have more variety of healthy stuff with less additives (her youngest is on the Feingold diet)

Give me your best tips to help her. She doesn't seem to think she can get it down much less than that "including lunches" And she says she NEEDS to shop at Whole Foods because of her son.

Oh she also says some of that is things like detergent, etc. I said to buy that at a seperate store because cleanign stuff is so much more expensive at the grocery store. She says she can't go buy that stuff at Wal-Mart because then she would end up buying extra things and end up spending more there than she would at the grocery store.

 

[Kermit]

If she really wants to save money, then she's just going to have to start acting more responsibly. I can't stand going to Wal-Mart, but I'll do it for basics (unless there's a good sale at the grocery store that I can use to stock up) because I know I save money. If you stock up, instead of just buying what you have to have right then, it does at least reduce the number of trips. And obviously, you do end up spending less if you make less trips, since you don't have as many chances to buy extra stuff.

Shopping at health food stores doesn't have to be much more expensive. We don't have Whole Foods, but I buy some of our stuff at health food stores. All grains should be bought from the bulk bins. That's a great way to save money. In fact, I can buy some stuff in bulk for the same price that I would pay buying it packaged at the regular store, and the stuff from the health food store is organic.

Eating your meat as part of a dish, rather than as the star attraction, can save a lot of money. So instead of having steak, she should consider making dishes that have meat but less of it. When they want to eat just meat, but cheaper roasts and cook them in the crock pot. They come out nice and tender. Vegetarian is always a good option. You don't even miss the meat in some dishes, like lasagna and enchiladas.

And anyone trying to save money should cut down on the amount of packaged food they buy. It's especially expensive when you buy natural packaged food, since natural foods are more expensive anyway, and you're paying for the processing and the packaging as well. Just about anything can be cooked from scratch. Even the snacks you put in kids' lunches can be made with healthy grains you buy in bulk.

You can get the most bang for your buck if you shop at somewhere like Whole Foods plus a regular grocery store. It sounds like she's more concerned about additives and preservatives than pesticides. In that case, she can buy her produce from the grocery store, and possibly even her meat. (She'll notice a huge savings with the meat.) There are healthy foods available at the grocery store, and it only takes a little more time to shop at 2 stores. This is especially true if she can manage to buy all of the cold food at one store and go there last, or if she takes an ice chest with her so that she doesn't have to go home in between stops.

 

[doxdogy]

She may need to start shopping at different grocery stores for different items and start using coupons for some items. The Harris Teeter here will run triple coupons up to fifty cents. I will go there to stock up on items that I have coupons for and take advantage of the savings. Went there today to buy items for Thanksgiving and replenish the canned goods, etc. The bill before their savings card and the coupons was 132.00. After coupons and their savings card applied the total was 82.00.

 

[beansmom]

Oh she also says some of that is things like detergent, etc. I said to buy that at a seperate store because cleanign stuff is so much more expensive at the grocery store. She says she can't go buy that stuff at Wal-Mart because then she would end up buying extra things and end up spending more there than she would at the grocery store.

Roll your eyes if you want but I can't go to WM for the same reason! I end up buying so much more than what I need.

If she is that brand-loyal, and picky about what she buys, there may no be much help for her. Frugality is a mind set and you can't make someone change their thinking. The best you can do is set an example. I often bring in my receipts to work where I save 50% and more and, while everyone shakes their head and oooohs and aaahs over it, none of them have changed their buying habits to mimic mine. Often, it takes a good hard knock from life to make that kind of change.

 

[Cindy B]

Some people never change no matter what.

If she doesn't want to go to Walmart or whatever for detergent, thats her business.

She could make her own homemade laundry detergent without additives/etc.. if she so desired. I do that occasionally, and see how much I save when I do that..

My homemade Oxiclean worked just as well as my "bought" Oxiclean.


As for the whole aspect, reputable grocery stores are now carrying very nice whole food options, or free range options.


We dont' eat much meat now. We do a lot of pasta, eggs, and vegetables.