Comments on: Grocery Bill Savings?

By: The Secret Life of Kat

The Secret Life of Kat — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:09:31 +0000

The only way I’m currently saving a bit on groceries is by
!. planning my weekly menu
2. creating a detailed list on my smartphone

I’ve found I often feel compelled to buy more because it doesn’t “seem” like I have enough in the cart. But I’ve learned to “trust the phone.”

I’ve actually also logged the costs of each item (it took about 3 trips to get 90% of my items) into my shopping program (splashshopper).

Now I know how much I’m spending before I even go to the store. That way, I have a better idea of whether or not I can add a few impulse items.

I’d love to hear what you learn!

By: Kristin

Kristin — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:16:37 +0000

soup, beans, and pasta… the cheapest meals!

By: Pokinatcha

Pokinatcha — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 10:59:43 +0000

With a family of 9 & living in HI, our grocery bill is outrageous. We don’t have the great dbl or triple coupon deals here. The best way I’ve found to save money is to STAY AWAY from the store & to know what our meals will be ahead of time. I buy mostly in bulk, & have to get milk every 4 days. If I could get them to quit drinking milk, I’d save so much money, we spend about $140 on milk alone!

By: Texas in Africa

Texas in Africa — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 04:33:56 +0000

LOL, truevyne! Hang in there!

It’s not so hard here because it’s just me, but since I’m a graduate student, my budget is tight. I usually make a casserole or something once a week and then freeze half of it in individual meal portions. I think sometimes it’s cheaper to double a recipe all at once (eg, buy the big thing of spinach, which costs $2 more rather than buying two little ones for $4 each at separate times).

I love the More-with-Less Cookbooks sold by the Mennonite Central Committee. They’re all about simplicity and feeding large families on a budget. The recipes also all involve fresh, natural ingredients and mostly avoid the use of processed foods. You can buy them at 10,000 Villages, or online.

Also, I stick to a budget without shopping at Wal-Mart. A few years ago I learned about their labor practices and decided that I could do without clothes made by small children in 3rd world sweatshops and food picked by migrant farm workers who are paid very little. The film “Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Prices” is a good place to learn more about these issues.

By: truevyne

truevyne — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 15:31:56 +0000

That is NOT a question for a woman with three teen aged boys….

By: bryan

bryan — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 12:27:48 +0000

Aldi http://www.aldifoods.com
&
Walmart
&
Coupons (when I am motivated)

For the four of us on one income.

By: Beth

Beth — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:28:23 +0000

I do my “big shop” at the Commissary. That’s the grocery store on the military base. Prices are 30% lower on average. Some things are about the same as in town, but most are cheaper. No sales tax either. Just a 5% surcharge on grocery items that goes toward building new commissaries. Next to healthcare, this is our biggest benefit for families.

By: annie

annie — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 01:53:24 +0000

I have found lately that it “saves” to shop around. Now that gas isn’t through the roof, I don’t mind hitting three or four stores when I’m doing a big grocery shopping trip. Some things are cheaper at Target; others at Longs, etc… But I always start at Grocery Outlet; they have a lot of organic stuff and most of their items are way less than regular grocery stores.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:43:09 +0000

Take some notes for me! I wish I could say my bill was going down, but it’s actually going up. With my girls getting older, gone are the days where 1 lb. of ground turkey can make a meal. It now takes two lbs. That’s a lot more $ over the course of a month. I need to take a class like that.
I shop at Aldi to try to keep our food bill low. I don’t know if they’re all over the country or not. I also buy mostly store brand, not name brand, and I clip coupons because sometimes that makes the name brand cheaper.
I’d love to hear what you learn!

By: Mr. (w)Right

Mr. (w)Right — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:17:57 +0000

My wife just blogged this!
http://amywrotethis.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-new-job.html

Also – here is a cool site (in beta testing now) where you can track your progress. http://www.spendlessgivemore.org

Great topic! Look forward to hearing what you learn.