In desperate need of grocery budgeting help

[bethaneyl]

I am in desperate need of some budgeting help, as we are going to be having it quite hard this winter. We are a family of three, our son is a toddler just 2, so I don't see how we are spending so much.
I clip coupons galore, however I really don't have much of a selection of where to shop. It is either Walmart, Kroger, or Save-a-lot....I guess that's small town life for ya....
any tips , lists, planned menus?
thanks
beth

[JanH]

I have just started the grocery budget thing. I have found so far that their advice on menu planning is a big help. I also made an inventory of what I had on my shelves and in my freezer to start. And tried to use as much of that as possible to not spend that week and also, to break myself of the habit of going to the store. I stick to my list in the store and I buy less than a certain amount each time I go in and it is usually for the week. I am new at this so you'll get better advice from the others. They are a big source of good ideas. Good luck!

[LuxLiving]

Bethaneyl -

you don't say - what is your budget for 3 a month?

I do pretty well at Sav-A-Lot myself. Get started collecting some coupons and read the forums here for some good deals, plus start doing the freebies. JanH is right - a good menu plan will help you. Plan to cook as much from scratch as you can.

How far is it to a metro area to shop? With the right planning it might be worthwhile to make a monthly run to the next big city if it isn't too far away.

Tell us a little more about your style of cooking, what the family typically eats, and about what you've got to spend and the folks on here will try to help you out.

Do you have any kind of a pantry with something in it already?

[budgetmom]

Are you just clipping the coupon for say canned fruit so you can get the name brand? I know that when I first started clipping coupons I would use the coupon in that way so I would not have to buy the generic. Often times the generic is still cheeper than the name brand with the coupon. It took me a little while to start buying the generic brands because I thougth they weren't as good and that I was somehow "above" all that. Not saying that you are this way at all. Also, what kind of meals are you planning. That does make a difference. If you make something with a veggie or fruit that's out of season it will cost more. I had to re-evaluate this just last year. I realized I was buying things like cooking sherry and cinnimon sticks and high priced items far too often. I've done a lot of reserch of recipies that require less expensive ingredients since then. It took awhile, but I've finally found recipies that everyone enjoys without breaking the bank.

[PriceLimbo]

I remember my Mother planning out groceries 3 months in advance. She's been doing this for almost 2 decades now! I'm definately not disciplined enough to plan my own meals 24 hours in advance. But she had a family of 6 children and 2 dogs and a husband to maintain. So I learned a few pointers on why she did this.

First, she knew her budget for every week. And since there were more mouths to feed, she was big on left-overs. That saved time on about 2 nights of the week. And it cut back on unneccessary throw-outs. I guess it can be hard for a mother to cook food, only to see almost half of it rot away in the fridge. So, left over nights were very common, and it saved us money.

Also, scratch cooking can have more abundance vs buying premade meals. The only exception is Top Ramen and those cheap frozen burritos. I'd recommend staying with foods you can make by hand. Except DiGiorno Pizza! That pizza's awesome!

Mom kept hundreds of coupons and carried dozens of them with her to the grocery store. I'm not a big coupon user, but I see the benefit.

In the end I can only recommend what I've seen in my own family of 8 + pooches. So, shopping for quantity may be different than your family.

[boefixepa]

Check out www.hillbillyhousewife.com She had a great web site of meal plans, advice, recipies and lots of things you can do to save money. Good luck!

[ChimbleySweep]

I'd love to have more info from you -- what kind of foods does your family like? Do you like to cook? Are you looking for no-fuss meals?

My advice is to watch your meat! I only buy meat when it is on sale for $.99 per pound or under. This usually gets me through until they have the next big sale. Meat is ridiculously expensive! My husband and I try to do one vegetarian meal per week (at least) which is usually a type of soup or chili or something really hearty.

[PrincessPerky]

Cook cheaper....seems simple or scary depending your lifestyle.

I have found that letting my oldest pick the spices well spices cheap food up.

I gather a 2 year old might be a bit less helpful, but try anyway, should make cooking fun even if you do all the picking.

Tonight he wanted carribean jerk on pasta...he also thought I should put in lemon herb spices..hey why not, end result was good, but a tad spicy for me. Turned pasta, vegetable and can o chicken into a fancy meal......

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

Cook cheaper....seems simple or scary depending your lifestyle. I have found that letting my oldest pick the spices well spices cheap food up.

I gotta agree on this one. A well stocked spice rack (or whatever!) can make 'cheap' cooking a pleasure. Chicken and rice with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms can go Mexican, Carribbean, Italian, Asian, Indian, and more, simply based on the spices you put in them.

Maybe even easier: cook said chicken, rice, peppers, and onions with nothing but salt & pepper (if you like) and then freeze them in separate containers. Feel like stir fry tonight? Grab a cup or so of each frozen item, toss in a skillet with soy sauce and Chinese 5 spice and you're good to go. Next day do the same thing with salsa, cumin, and chili powder for Mexican... YUM!

Just my opinion, but if you go this route buy the best quality spicees you can reasonably afford. I have consistently found that 'cheaper' spices are often old and don't have the flavor they should. I wind up using more and still getting inferior flavor, and the value is lost.