can you help me spend less on food?? - Page 3

[AmandasMom]

I've been able to get our bill down from $800+ a month to $500 a month by making more from scratch, and by putting our grocery budget on a shopping card. I shop at a place that most everyone here hates, because it is WAY less expensive then the Publix and 2 Kroger stores that are in the same area. Plus they do double coupons. Also, putting my monthly food budget on the stores reloadable shopping card vs my debit card has made a huge difference in the way I shop. It's like the "envelope method" without having to carry cash around.

[sarah_bella1050]

Originally Posted by EricaLeigh

That's an awesome link, thanks for sharing! I'm wondering if they get you with shipping? I would be ordering a heavy order, flours, a gal of honey, blah, blah. I'm not on the truck route, so I would be getting it through UPS, any idea? I couldn't find any info on the site.

I have been increasing what I purchase organic, however, my pocket book hurts & my DH complains that we're spending too much now). I will be taking a trip to check out whole foods & Trader Joes. MAybe I can get an few friends to order from the above link with me. I'm using you for inspiration sara_bella! Do you eat meat? Do you buy that from TJ's? I have lots of price comparisons to do!

The ups can be pretty expensive, but if honey as expensive there as it is here, then it's worth it to pay the ups. I remeber in another thread that there was a similar no-related site covering some of the other states, I see if I can find the thread. We do eat meat and we buy most of it at Trader Joe's. We make things like stir fries or casseroles so that there is meat in it, but we rarely ever have it alone. We but the natural frozen chicken tenders from trader Joes and we buy either salmon or shrimp. I go to a local natural foods butcher shop if I want to buy a whole chicken though. The shrimp is like $5 a bag and makes 2-3 stir fries. I make a meat loaf ever once in while, but I do the recipe where you add a cup of milk, an egg, and 3 heals of bread (ripped up) so it makes it bigger, and that makes one dinner and one lunch of meat loaf sandwiches. We eat meat about once a day 5-6 days week, and we don't really eat soy.

Keeping a price book is a good idea to, I'm trying but it's hard. I'm one of those people that just remebers prices, like frugality is just engraved into me

[EricaLeigh]

Thanks sarahbella, I'd appreciate you checking into another cheap bulk place on the East coast. I'm really trying to make this happen!

[Bearsmama]

Still getting a lot out of this thread. Thanks again, ladies.

A few things have been helping me lately:

Although it might seem counter-intuitive, I've been finding that going to the store for just a few things here and there is actually *helping* me. Go figure. For instance, I used to just wait to go to the store until I had a big list. But I've found that when something is on sale somewhere it's been working for me to go there and just for that. I don't know if it's that the bigger order/list has me thinking too "big", like not focused on what is really needed. Hmmmmm?

Also, really using up everything before I get something else. And having regular "Mustgo" night. You know, having a leftover mish-mosh dinner.

I cook all our meals--except for the occasional night out (tonight we spent $40 out for Tex Mex),or take-out (maybe 1x/every two weeks). I haven't made the yogurt, yet, Erica, but I'm chomping at the bit to do it!

Oh, and I will NOT buy any spice or baking ingredient any other place then this bulk spice/nuts place. I just went there today for only 3 things, and it's a bit of a hike, but SOOOO worth it. Quick oats-which we use all the time, for breakfast, bread, and cookies-is $.65cents/lb. Which I think is pretty good. All the spices are WAY lower. Chocolate chips, nuts, etc. anything that you would need to really bake a lot and cook a lot.

Also, anyone have a resource for soymilk? We buy ours at our local warehouse club, but it's still pricey (I think it's $13 or thereabouts for 12 containers-which, as I write this, seems okay!). Also, what do you all do about snax? We don't eat a lot of sugary snacks, but the kids love pretzels and crackers. Any good ideas? I'd much rather make my own cookies, scones, muffins, etc., when we really want them then buy the store-bought crud.

I'm sure I have other questions, but just wanted to check in. Thanks again!

[thedevinemissm]

Originally Posted by tahini17

We have been dealing with the same issues, and I buy in bulk, cook from scratch, yada yada, but we ultimately realize that what we put in our bodies is much more important than many of the other expenses in our life, and the commitment to organics is important to us also from the perspective of eventually decreasing the price as it becomes more widely available. So we actually cut out digital cable and our land-line phone instead of stressing too much about our expensive food choices! Oh, and only drinking coffee from home has DRASTICALLY improved our situation- we were starbucksaholics.

This was exactly what I was going to say. After you cut out eating out, etc. At some point you are spending more time/energy than what you are saving in money. I would spend hours shopping many different stores trying to save 1% of my bill. I took a look at other parts of our budget and was able to DRASTICALLY cut costs consistantly in one fail swoop! We turned in leased vehicles (payments totalling almost $900) for two used reliable vehicles and monthly payments (on 3yr terms) of little less than $250. We stopped buying DVD's (who has time to watch 'em with the little ones anyway!), curbed our cable bill, piggy-backed off my parents cell-phone plan, etc.

I noticed you mentioned credit cards. You gotta get rid of those things. They are a black hole from which many never return!!!! At the same time that I quit my job to be a SAHM we were determined to not charge anything new. It's hard and we've had some slips ~ but we've paid off 20K in the last 3 years. Just a thought...

[MamaHippo]

I've dramatically cut our food bills by:
-not buying processed, 'convenience' foods (like hamburger helper)
-waiting to shop until the grocery fliers come, then planning the week's menu based around whats on sale and what I have in the pantry
-staying out of the stores except for on shopping day (the rule is, I can go to any grocery store on shopping day but when that day is over I can't go into the grocery store until next week, unless its a major emergency). This cuts down on impulse buying.
-Eating a lot of rice (not instant), lots of beans, baking my own baked goods instead of buying the pre-made cookie dough or prebaked muffins


-Miserly Moms is a great resource for good ideas. Miserly Meals is by the same author and is full of great recipes for really cheap.