Ask:
When you have a budget for groc., how do stick w/ it. I have started a thread for this before, but most answered they carry a calc. and pen/paper w/. How do you know you'll get a month's worth of food for your budget? How much does everyone go over budget if they do? I cook frugal meals, but sometimes they're not all frugal and they need to feed 4 w/ possible leftovers. How does everyone do it?
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I guess I do not really have a budget per say. I just know what I usually spend. I buy what I need and do it as cheaply as possible. If I spend less than usual, great!!! If I spend more, then I just know in the back of my mind that maybe we don't want to order a pizza until next payday or something like that!
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I don't have a price book, as many people do, but I know that a pound of ground beef generally costs @$2.59. I know that the bag of frozen chicken I get costs $11.00/bag and that I can get four meals out of it. Based upon this type of knowlege and using my menu, I can figure out meals to fit the amount of money I have in my budget. Buying things on sale and stocking up can help stretch your budget as well. Because I've read the flyers, I usually know what is on sale and have figured these items into my list and my menu. Before I get to the store, I pretty much know how much I am going to spend and what I'm going to get.
I usually hit the canned food sales in the fall with a vengeance. I have been known to go to the store three days in a row and fill my car all three days. It's a lot of money to spend all at once, but the merchandise stretches throughout the rest of the year!
Hope this helps!
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I am really lucky that I have wiggle room in my budget. I spend between $200--250 a month on a family of 4 (2 toddlers though).
I don't keep a true price book either, but I have learned average costs of things I buy frequently and can compare between the 3 larger stores right near me. When I started trying to set a grocery budget I just kept buying as I had been and then tracked my purchases to see where I was spending the most money and how much in coupons. I found that I was wasting money on impulse buys and not really buying food for a real meal. And using coupons for items I wouldn't have bought otherwise. Once I realized that figured what I wanted my budget to be and went from there.
Now, its easier for me to shop weekly and I go with list in hand after checking pantry and sale ads. If there is a great sale and I can stock up on items, I do it and then try and cut it out of the budget for the next month. I also match sale ads w/ my coupns so I can get the best deals possible
I don't go penny by penny in the store, but I do a pre-store estimate and then keep track of everything I spend in a checkbook register I have just for grocery spending
if you have to be spot on your budget, I would say calculator and loads of coupons. Take cash if you must and then you know you aren't going overboard.
Good luck in your grocery saving quest!!!
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i have found i can not go shopping for more than two week at a time or i tend to blow the budget. i also after years of shopping pretty much know the average price of my staple items so i know when its a good sale or not as well. when i first started i used a calculator but now i can pretty much add it at home before i even go to the store so i have a rough idea what i will be spending. the key for me is to pretty much plan out all meals including lunches and breakfast then i don't buy things i don't need. it is really trial and error you have to try different ways until you find what works best for you everyone is different some love coupons i personally don't so try a method that someone else uses and see how it goes for a month if that did not work try another strategy or take the good things from the method and tweak it to work for you.
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Honestly, the last place I cut back is with food. I'll skimp in all sorts of areas: eating out, non-food grocery store purchases, entertainment shopping (mostly clothes) and even our utilities before I get hard-core with food. Now, keep in mind, we already don't spend lots on food. It isn't like we're eating gourmet, but I do want to get the most bang-for-the-buck in the calories that we consume so I make sure the food is fresh, close to the source (we don't buy a lot of processed foods), and good tasting.
When money is tight, I make a list at home and when I go to the store, I only buy to the list.
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OKay for me- I go shopping each week and go according to the ads. If there is a good deal at a few stores, I go to each store and stock up on the sale items. For instance, Smiths had this huge stock up sale (which they have two times a year usually), I got mac n cheese 5/$1, cream of mushroom/chicken/brocoli 46 cents a can, canned veggies 3/$1, ramen 12/$1, hormel canned chili 69 cents a can, condensed soups 3/$1 (chicken noodle, tomato soup), baked beans 3$1, etc. Basically I stocked up on all these items because we use them very regularly in our house. Instead of paying full price later on, I spent a bunch of money on the sale prices.
Yes, that means the budget would seem to be blown for the month, but instead of spending so much each month on groceries, I know that I have a huge stock pile of food and didn't have to fork over all this money. I bought a BUNCH of food from this sale. Our house has PLENTY of food and it feels great. Now I just use up certain items from that pile and make meals from them. It is awesome.
Each week we only buy certain items that are on sale for the most part. So when the ads show roasts on sale buy one get one free and it is about 1.99 a pound (that is the average here in Vegas), I buy a few of them and throw them in the freezer. In our freezer we have roasts, whole chickens (I got them on sale for about 50 cents a pound on this big sale at Albertsons), a few chicken breasts, ribs, ham, turkeys, pork chops, London Broil, and who knows what ever else. (It saves us soooooooo much money stocking up on big sale items and freezing them.)
In our freezer you can also find frozen homemade dough. I make a big huge batch of it and freeze them in ziploc bags. I made two different doughs, one for break and such and the other for pizza. I have made a few pizzas from the dough and it cost us next to nothing. Why waste the money on take out pizza when you can make your own? Plus, you can use your own toppings as you like. Much cheaper and healthier than paying per topping at Pizza Hut or wherever.
I make plenty of leftovers at home so I can bring them during the week for my lunches. I would much rather not waste all this money on take out food. It is so unhealthy for you too. I used to spend sooo much money on lunches in the past. I wasn't making near what I am making now, either. Needless to say, I am glad I opened my eyes to how much money I was wasting.
If you want more tips, feel free to ask. I always save a bundle on grocery shopping.
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Homeade frozen dough - what a great idea. Will you share your recipe?
Thanks!
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I get as much as I can at Aldi's.
Keep a price book.
Stock up pantry when items are on sale, ie ketchup will always go on sale around July 4
Stock up on meat when it goes on sale and freeze it.
Don't buy any convenience food that I can make cheaper from scratch. For example I never buy cookies, cakes, etc.
Coupons
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I have a 6 week rotating cycle of menus complete with shopping lists. I shop weekly or once ever 2 weeks, mostly buy things on sale and/or I have a coupon for. Since I know weeks in advance what i need I can get it on sale and have it on hand.
I clip, and swap coupons with friends and co workers. I get coupons online at wowcoupons.com, and very soon i hope to be aboard a here coupon train.
I shop at 2 or 3 stores to get the best deals, and I get Angel Food every month.