I just can't get our food bill down...

[PrincessPerky]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

. Look at what you are buying. Are you getting a bunch of snack foods?? If so, you are spending money on sugar to help you gain weight and damage your teeth....
Good luck!

I like that line best.....

[PRICEPLUS]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

Amen!

[LittleGopher]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

My family has been working hard on this very budget item! I can't say we're perfect or have it all down pat, but we've made a sizeable reduction in our grocery bill. Here's what we did that might work for you.

First I started shopping every two weeks instead of weekly. And I don't go backto the store in between those trips. I plan out meals and keep my pantry and freezer stocked, so can usually work out most missing ingredient dilemmas.

I've gotten better at getting what we will use plus a little extra until the next shopping trip to the grocery store and the bakery outlet for bread. I am improving at using the leftovers that I've frozen, and rotating everything in my freezers, so it is all used in a timely fashion.

I try to buy ingredients, rather than anything pre-processed or -packaged. I do admit to buying the 25cent mac & cheese - a cheap convenience that my girls will eat! I buy up ground beef in family packs, and brown it and repackage 1 lb. bags into the freezer, for easy inclusion into many meals.
And I do stock up buying frozen chicken breasts bags on sale. So I'm not perfect, and appreciate some conveniences. I bake treats for my girls' lunches, rather than travel down the snack aisle.

We eat at least two non-meat dinners a week, tend toward cheaper meals - spaghetti, eggs, etc., watch for deals or free (even better!) and keep an eye on reducing waste (freezing or eating leftovers soon, using up the fresh vegies and fruits.)

Good luck!

[getforfree]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

I have stockpile. It helps a lot. I buy things not when I am out and need them this week, I buy most of nonperishables when they are at a good price and I have a coupon on them. When you are out and you need it today, you are in trouble, you might overpay for it because at that specific time you might not have any coupon for it and its not on sale at your favorite store (if you shop only at one).
I look what I have and then plan menu. I might buy a couple items I need for the receipe. I usually check my stock(pile) and see what I am low on and put it on a special list where I put items that I will be out of in a month or less. Then if I get a good deal on it (the really good one only) I stock up again. I usually write dates when I bought it on food stuff, so that way I use up the oldest ones first.
We use lots of milk (about 5 gal a week) Thats bad for the budget but good for the health.
Some weeks I get by with only $20, some weeks I spend 130. On average its like $250 including diapers, clothes and toys, dishes,towels and all that. I buy clothes like a year ahead of time when they are clearance. So my kids have more clothes than they need. Because sometimes they don't use some clothes and its still new with a price tag on it and they outgrew it already, I put it in the speciall baby shower bag. I know some of my friends who have more than one kid and they would rather get clothes for the oldest one than for the baby for the baby shower.
We have 2 kids and 3 adults in the house. My dd is still in diapers, my son uses only for overnight just in case. We also get wic. Without it I would spend another $40 / month if I buy the stuff the way I buy it and substitute some(but I would still buy juice, the apple juice is usually the cheapest from all other kinds).
We almost never eat out. Once we went to mcdonalds (for my ds birthday). Ordered a kids meal, 2 cheeseburgers and some chicken nuggets. That was for 5 people. Everybody had enough. We had to refill that small cup from the kids meal like 10 times or so. We spend like $8 something and thats more than we would spend if we would eat at home, and we would eat more each, but maybe not drink soda at all, some juice, milk, tea, water instead.
Whenever I get mail, I look at every ad that I get. Sometimes they have coupons for something free just for stopping by. I shop at 7 different grossery stores and pick only the good deals. Cairo.com helps a lot to see what they have on special. When I am in the store I collect the coupons smartsorce blikies or whatever they have I might buy maybe at some other store some other time. I always carry my fat everlope of coupons with me.

[thriftymom]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

For our family of 3, (dd is 1yr), we usually spend about $80 per week. One thing that helped a bit was buying milk at the gas station. We are constantly filling up the tank, so once a week we buy 2 gallons of 1% for $1.99 each instead of paying $3.89 each at the grocery store- that's practically half-price! Soon, dd will be drinking whole milk- not sure how much that costs, but it's probably cheaper at the gas station too.

[funnyvalentine]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

Milk wise? I don't touch the stuff,but my S/o does, and I mix a lo-fat powdered milk, reconstituted, with whole milk. The taste (apparantly) is fine, and it costs less.

[debtdude]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

Get your fruits and veggie's at a farmer's market. You will save a lot of money with this tip alone.

[markio26]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

all of the previous posts are just wonderful... everyone is so smart here......... i just wanted to add... i have been on a budget of $25 a week for groceries.... i am stockpiled right now.... i have a surplus of $45 right now.... last week, i did not need anything and this week only milk and ketchup..... anyway, i have been trying something new.... i attach with a staple my old grocery receipt to my new shopping list.... and each week a new receipt is added for a month... this way i can compare prices quick and see what i may want to buy to accomodate what i already have.... do you know what i mean????? the price book is used for alot of major shopping items.. mostly..... this is working well for me. try it.

[katwoman]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

I still can't believe how good the deals can be on food!

Yesterday I went to Big Lots and found a ton of 12 oz packages of low carb/ high fiber pasta for 25 cents each! It seems nobody wants this stuff yet Dreamfields pasta at the grocery store is almost $2 a package.

Big Lots also carries Brownberry bread for cheaper prices than the grocery, but not as cheap as the bakery thrift stores. Since gas is higher and I haven't made it over the the bakery thrift store, I buy a few loaves at Big Lots (since I'm there anyway) to tide me over.

And I'm glad some people have noticed that milk is cheaper at the gas station of all places!

[ummabdullah]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

Hey sweetie.. since getting married to a tight wad indian guy I have been able to cut down on food loads......

you know we eat loads of chicken legs.. try to find a butcher.. he might be cheaper. What really works is that I can buy a chicken for $4 , have it cut in 8 pieces and add a jar of tomato sauce with any loved spices.. taste great and you can eat it with rice with frozen peas.

I try to buy rice in bulk. Oil.. and onions.. I buy the cheapest tomato tin jars I can find. And I never buy frozen ready made foods. Potatoes are great.. Frozen peas are good.

Oatmeal in the morning is great.. and cheaper than cereals. but so is eggs.. I make the hubby sugar eggs.. very bad for the health.

[ummabdullah]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

OH YEAH definately hit the indian/ arabic/ ethnic stores.. ... even chinese..

You can get loads of rice.. and just fry an onion, then add cumin seeds and add some peas and the rice.. and cook.. delicious. and you can eat with everything.

plus semolina is a great treat for the kids.... just dry fry for about 5 min. on medium heat.. add butter and water and cook till thick..


the meat actually works out cheaper in there too ..

[markio26]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

tip:
who do you know that is really frugal??? i have a neighbor who pinches a penny until it screams.. we drove by her house the other day and looked on her clothes line, and she had 3 pairs of pants drying and 3 tops.. i looked at my spouse and commented she must have been to a good garage sale.... lol.. she eats salad, white bread, she calls light bread, soups, applesauce, deer meat, fish, cheap chicken parts.. she gardens and has a herb garden at the end of her back porch.. and i think she is wealthy.. a.g. edwards manages her money for her and pays her other bills, that the local bank does not pay on epay..... anyway she told me she doesn't want to give her info out to anyone, especially on the net.. she has a computer and emails me, she has a home in az too.. her spouse was a pilot and passed away 3 yrs ago.. her mom was a wealthy painter... she is just full of frugal ways to save money... she shops at aldi's...eats a fish sandwich at mcdonald's.. with a glass of water or senior coffee...she will not pay to go out to eat.. it has to be potluck at the vfw or church.

[funnyvalentine]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

call me crazy but I don't want to live this way.....

tip:
who do you know that is really frugal??? i have a neighbor who pinches a penny until it screams.. we drove by her house the other day and looked on her clothes line, and she had 3 pairs of pants drying and 3 tops.. i looked at my spouse and commented she must have been to a good garage sale.... lol.. she eats salad, white bread, she calls light bread, soups, applesauce, deer meat, fish, cheap chicken parts.. she gardens and has a herb garden at the end of her back porch.. and i think she is wealthy.. a.g. edwards manages her money for her and pays her other bills, that the local bank does not pay on epay..... anyway she told me she doesn't want to give her info out to anyone, especially on the net.. she has a computer and emails me, she has a home in az too.. her spouse was a pilot and passed away 3 yrs ago.. her mom was a wealthy painter... she is just full of frugal ways to save money... she shops at aldi's...eats a fish sandwich at mcdonald's.. with a glass of water or senior coffee...she will not pay to go out to eat.. it has to be potluck at the vfw or church.

[ummabdullah]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

you know since I've been saving.. I tend to add veg to my meat.. and my bill has gone down to about £80 a week with nappies and baby formula..

that would be about the same in USA of $80 cuz the price of a can of coke is £1 as the usa is $1.. the only difference is that you guys have coupons out there.

I've been only buying the cheapest stuff in the store.. and my meat and rice and that in ethnic stores..

Like a pizza.. I top with a piece of chicken cut up and some xtra cheese and ragu sauce..
then I cook pasta with 1 chicken breast fillet (larger from the butcher) and use the rest of the ragu.. I buy the really really cheap pasta noodles.. and it tastes the same.. just add a few spices.

I also boil a few eggs and make chicken salad with maynaisse (the cheap kind) and serve some bread on the side.. (the cheapest bread cost 24 cents here)

so it is definately possible..

[flash]

Re: I just can't get our food bill down...

call me crazy but I don't want to live this way.....

But if she's happy, nothing wrong with it!