Reducing the grocery bill question?

[PRICEPLUS]

Can you save more by eliminating things, buying generics, or using coupons.

I think that by eliminating cakes,cookies, and other such items the food budget can be helped a lot more than by the other methods. The other methods help save money too but I think elimination saves the most. Am I off base here?

[baselle]

I don't think that you are off base at all. It'll also save your weight, too!

[robex]

I agree with you. I do buy lots of generics, but eliminating the non essentials is the best money saver. I usually go grocery shopping without dh and kids--the results at the check out show a huge difference!

[PrincessPerky]

hmm I think it would help dramatically, and since my house is out of choclolte chips I am gonna say it is the HARDEST! I WANT CHOCOLATE!!!

[jodi]

In my experience, buying generics has saved me the most (especially at places like Aldis). I have eliminated virtually all prepared foods (cakes, cookies, doughnuts, crackers, etc.) from my grocery list as a result of going on the South Beach diet - and my grocery bill has skyrocketed because I have replaced them with fresh fruits and veggies and whole grain products, which are so much more expensive than highly processed foods. But it's worth the extra money to see those pounds slip away and know that I will be so much more healthier for it. I rarely use coupons because they tend to be for prepared food, and I cook nearly every meal from scratch.

[shadon]

I've found the same thing as jodi m. DH has been on a very low carb, high protein diet for the past few months and it's a battle to keep to our grocery bill under budget because of the extra fruit and veg (plus potato, rice and pasta is off the menu and these things are super cheap and you get a lot of meals from them).

I shop for most of what I can at Aldi, it's sooo cheap, especially for the kids lunch items (compared to name brands at the regular supermarkets). I think elimination is the key money saver, though. My girls are on Summer school holidays and on Monday they left to spend 3 weeks with their Dad. I went grocery shopping yesterday and came in at $77.xx under budget for the week because I didn't have to buy all those lunchbox snacks, extra milk, extra fruit, etc.

[Ima saver]

Do you notice that food that is low fat, no sugar seems to cost a lot more than it's counterpart? I am on a diet too and we are avoiding sugar. sugarfree food seems to cost a lot more.

[LittleGopher]

Eliminating certain items (readymade and processed for the most part) has helped us a lot. I cook mostly from scratch too, as others have mentioned. I do use generics and store brands on a lot of foods in those inner aisles. Coupons only occasionally - store brands are cheaper where I shop and we try to use less processed foods (I too am trying out the South Beach diet with great success thus far, and fresh is the word!). I try to go alone and I make a list and try to stick to it (not fanatical, if there's a great buy on something we use, I'll get it.) I plan meals for the week, keep a stocked pantry, freezer and frig. Well, let's just say we will never starve. We can, and have, lived off of what we have for a month, when an unexpected money event happens, etc. (Of course, that was before South Beach- frozen vegies, I guess, for me.)

[locolorenzo24]

I'm going to try to live off the meat/etc pantry stuff for a few weeks, maybe not hit the grocery store right away....except for snacks and drinks....Meal-wise, I should be set for a while...
I shop one store for meat, another for pantry, another for produce.
Also, I go to the store that lets you bag your own groceries and they usually are cheaper with better sales. I see a special on something I'm low on or something I usually get I stock up....A 6-pack of PS 94%FF popcorn usually runs 3.65, it was 1.86 last week!! (I bought 4 boxes!)
I need to start keeping coupons in my car....I keep forgetting to take them with me!

[chrysnblue]

Why is it that the good stuff, ie fruits and veggies are sooo expensive? I cook from scratch too, with a family of four I have to get creative in meals, little ones are so picky! I rarely buy processed foods or snacks, usually the only things are cereal and crackers. I make cookies, cakes, waffles, etc from scratch with the kids. Sweets are treats an usually once every other month. As a little project we've started a little garden for easy to grow veggies that cost a bit more. The benefit we use organic seeds and soil, no chemicals. We don't have an organics section with a lot of choices near me. Plus the kids love it!

[Ima saver]

I hate to say it , but I eat most of my dinners out, so I don't buy a lot of groceries. I did finally convinced my husband to give up his 6 bags of potato chips every week. Now he just has peanuts or pretzels. I brand the store brand pretzels for 97 cents. He has lost 35 pounds and I have saved money.

[katwoman]

The key to all of this is consistency.

If you're going to coupon, it has to be consistent.

If you're going to do generics...be consistent.



I think the real problem is that everyone wants to find a way to save money on grocery, but can't figure out a way to start. Here's how I started: figure out what it is you like to eat daily/weekly. For me, I have to have cereal in the house so I cut out the cereal coups I like and waited for sales to use them. Do you know that since last year I haven't had to buy any more UNLESS it was the absolute cheapest price I had ever seen and was never likely to see again. As of this day, I can go another year on my stockpile!

The same thing can be done for soda and canned goods. Even frozen items like Lean Cuisine, ice cream, etc. This takes some dedication, but the payoff is definately there.

[PRICEPLUS]

I thinl consistancy has a great dela to do with reducing the bills!

[PrincessPerky]

you don't notice stale cereal? Some people don't, but I do, I have to have it fresh.

[katwoman]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

you don't notice stale cereal? Some people don't, but I do, I have to have it fresh.

Honestly, no. I keep them in a colder room and since I like a lot of texture, I use a mixture of at least 4 different cereals in one bowl.

Really, I can't tell if there is a difference.

[Ima saver]

When I was a kid, cereal and soup were what poor people ate. Now they are so expensive!

[flash]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

you don't notice stale cereal? Some people don't, but I do, I have to have it fresh.

I agree with Katwoman. With coupons and sales, I never pay more than 50 cents for a large box of cereal, or FREE for soup.

Cereal, I freeze, or keep it in the garage in the winter. I use stale cereal in muffin recipes. I have a B&B recipe that uses a box of flake cereal, like raisin bran, and they get frozen, too!

[lrjohnson]

I agree that eliminating certain foods can dramatically reduce a grocery bill, and so can generics. I am not a coupon user-if I didn't like generics and I ate convenience food I might, but it hasn't felt right for me. I think you can do generic/reduce certain foods half-heartedly and still save, but I'm not sure you can half do coupons well. I try to do the Amy D. Pantry Principle-have a well stocked set of basics, and buy great deals when I see them, and cook with that-I rarely (once or twice a year) actually buy6 special ingredients for a recipe. I buy from bulk bins at WinCo when the bulk bins are cheaper. I don't mind certain foods being stale, like cereal-I don't like it when it's mushy stale, but I am not as advanced in tastebuds as some. Dry cereal for me is a treat, actually-I do oatmeal, or home baked muffins. With a stocked pantry I can do simple meals anytime. I prefer shopping once a month for a big run, with maybe one or two produce runs in between. My battle is using up fresh foods especially produce-we are getting better at using more/buying less, but I hate composting a whole head of lettuce! I've had to get over that certain higher priced produce will get eaten faster-I will eat green beans and cherry tomatoes, but lettuce or radishes or celery will sit. So I bite the health bullet and figure a healthy item I eat is a better deal than any item I toss, regardless of original price.

A hard one for me, with a weight battle going, is just to eat less. Of everything. It would be frugal, and healthy. Or, deal with eating a "real" portion of a healthy food that is twice the price of the unhealthy counterpart, instead of a huge triple portion of the cheap stuff. For example, bread: either have one sandwich with smaller slices of dense hearty whole grain stuff with great ingredients, than two sandwiches with the super cheap kinda whole wheat fluffy large slice stuff.

[locolorenzo24]

I'm fighting off the urge to go back to the store as soon as I get my paycheck..but I think I can live on what I have for a week or two...

[acezz4e_tish]

i have saved lots by buying always save stuff instead of others or premade stuff. i have a propane oven so expense is minimal. an always save bag of cake mix here is 69 cents. its one third size bigger then most and all it takes is eggs and water, except the white. i make two round cakes and 12 cupcakes with one mix. thats desert for a week for at home and daves lunches at work. i make a yellow and a chocolate and switch back and forth and i let the kids decorate them all. they enjoy it. which i bought all the toppings at the dollar tree. big bottles too of one color and multicolors, a four pack with diff color dinosaurs and all. dollar tree would have to be my first choice, second is family dollar. i buy my tide coldwater there for 5 dollars. well except this week, i bought a 125 oz bottle on sale at walmart for 5.94. i use vinegar too in the rinse cycle, saved me 20 dollars already in one month. i saved 40 dollars this month on laundry alone. bought sponges, a bag of asst ones a dollar tree, used a shaker cup, put my liquid softener in there and used the sponges in the dryer, then put those in the dresser. and next week ill switch those out for a fresh one and then reuse the last one in the cup again.i use coldwater on my front loading washer and it saving 63 dollars is true too. i use the warm setting on wash only for whites and i use ammonia vs bleach and baking soda. cheaper and safer on clothes. i bought my front loader over a year ago and have not had to replace any clothing from washing. my old washer i had to replace stuff monthly. i hate the old agitators. lol