Grocery shopping update

[FarmerChick]

remember I said I would shoot for like $60 a week for us and use what I have in the house........

I am not doing too well at all.

the other day was $118

and honestly there wasn't much "extra" in there and I did buy $15 of TP that was on sale. But still?????

I can't seem to keep that bill down.

ARGH

I even walked back and put a few things back from the cart....before check I scanned all I had and knew a few things could go back...I put back like $15 worth of stuff at least.

Hmm...even with my coupons, I just can't seem to keep it under $100. Trying and I certainly am not getting to that $60 range!

ARGH


Hmm....I seem to be saying that alot lately...ARGHhhhh...


How is everyone else doing on this bill? Just curious if you noticed you are spending more and getting less like me. It is getting nerve racking in a way..>LOL

 

[TanksHill]

My biggest peeve is the small packaging at the same price if not more. It seems from laundry soap to peanut butter the same thing is happening. You know since you started you budget I have reviewed mine an tried cutting back. It works ok, but after my initial monthly meat purchase I just try to stay home. I figure it is the ultimate test to use what I have. The hard part is fresh fruit and veggies. I do have a healthy store that has great weekly deals but I find myself straying off the list. I am packing lunches still. Fruit, sandwich meat etc,,, It's a weekly thing.

I do envy all of you with your hunting and fields for cows. I think that would help my bill go down big time.

 

[keljonma]

By using our home-canned and frozen foods plus the bulk grains (lentils, beans, flours etc) we purchase quarterly, we have been able to cut back some.

Of course, there are just two of us and no little ones to feed (unless you count Titan and the chickens), and we don't eat a lot of meat.

We spent $100 in total for the month of November. Of that $100, $45.90 was spent on lunches out (including the tips) and items that were purchased to make food that was donated.

We spent $50 in November at the feed store for dog and chicken food.


I think you're doing a good job, FC, just by realizing you had $15 worth of items you didn't need. I don't count the toilet paper in my food bill. I count it under miscellaneous expenses.

 

[inchworm]

Can I put chocolate, pizza, and ice cream under miscellaneous expenses?

 

[PamsPride]

I don't know what my monthly grocery bill is because I go so sparadiocly plus DH picks up stuff once in a while...like once a week. We also get WIC and foodbank (we qualified for foodbank when we had custody of my sisters three kids and when they went back we still qualified.) Then we put chickens in the freezer...not sure that that was a $$ saver but OHHH they taste so much better than store bought. We canned up a LOT of applesuace so we use that as a regular side dish...neighbors gave us the apples. We froze up a TON of corn...friends that gave us the deer gave us the corn. Good thing my kids like applesauce and corn. I am making my own laundry detergent now so that is not in the budget anymore, as well as napkins because I made up some cloth ones. Now we are just going when we want something special or run out of something...which I hate doing because I like being stocked up! I need to start keeping track of all of our little trips and add that to my big one to get an accurate account of how much we do spend.

 

[keljonma]

Can I put chocolate, pizza, and ice cream under miscellaneous expenses?

Chocolate is medicinal supplies

 

[PamsPride]

Can I put chocolate, pizza, and ice cream under miscellaneous expenses?

Chocolate is medicinal supplies

ITA!!! LOL!!! It keeps my DH alive!!

 

[keljonma]

I don't know what my monthly grocery bill is because I go so sparadiocly plus DH picks up stuff once in a while...like once a week. We also get WIC and foodbank (we qualified for foodbank when we had custody of my sisters three kids and when they went back we still qualified.) Then we put chickens in the freezer...not sure that that was a $$ saver but OHHH they taste so much better than store bought. We canned up a LOT of applesuace so we use that as a regular side dish...neighbors gave us the apples. We froze up a TON of corn...friends that gave us the deer gave us the corn. Good thing my kids like applesauce and corn. I am making my own laundry detergent now so that is not in the budget anymore, as well as napkins because I made up some cloth ones. Now we are just going when we want something special or run out of something...which I hate doing because I like being stocked up! I need to start keeping track of all of our little trips and add that to my big one to get an accurate account of how much we do spend.

PP, I just keep all the receipts for the month and then add them up. I keep a journal of the meals we eat out (rare) and foods specially purchased for something being donated. For instance, we purchased chili from a local restaurant for our church's soup fund raiser.

ETA: If you find an easy way to keep track yourself, then it is easier to follow. I tried to follow someone's suggestion on "how it should be done" but it was too time consuming for me at the time.

 

[Cassandra]

HA! Chocolate medicine

Best thing i have done lately to save money on groceries is to start shopping once a month. I don't know how it works, but it does. The first time we did this, we bought everything we would normaly buy over the course of 4 weeks.

We still haven't eaten it all. For some reason it makes it stretch farther. I had to stop buying "extra" food for my emergency stockpile because we were having so much food left over.

So, we have started buying a lot LESS once each month. Plus I go once a week and buy things that I don't have room to store a months worth of (or stuff that wouldn't last a month) like milk, bread, fresh veggies.

I have probably only saved about $100 a month, but I am still ending up with a lot more food than we need. So if every something happened where we had to skip buying groceries for a short while, we are good. And we have room now to reduce our grocery spending further when we need to.

Cassandra

 

[PamsPride]

I don't know what my monthly grocery bill is because I go so sparadiocly plus DH picks up stuff once in a while...like once a week. We also get WIC and foodbank (we qualified for foodbank when we had custody of my sisters three kids and when they went back we still qualified.) Then we put chickens in the freezer...not sure that that was a $$ saver but OHHH they taste so much better than store bought. We canned up a LOT of applesuace so we use that as a regular side dish...neighbors gave us the apples. We froze up a TON of corn...friends that gave us the deer gave us the corn. Good thing my kids like applesauce and corn. I am making my own laundry detergent now so that is not in the budget anymore, as well as napkins because I made up some cloth ones. Now we are just going when we want something special or run out of something...which I hate doing because I like being stocked up! I need to start keeping track of all of our little trips and add that to my big one to get an accurate account of how much we do spend.

PP, I just keep all the receipts for the month and then add them up. I keep a journal of the meals we eat out (rare) and foods specially purchased for something being donated. For instance, we purchased chili from a local restaurant for our church's soup fund raiser.

ETA: If you find an easy way to keep track yourself, then it is easier to follow. I tried to follow someone's suggestion on "how it should be done" but it was too time consuming for me at the time.

Oh, I know 'how' to do it...I just don't! I have been to all of the church's financial and budgeting classes. Heck I could teach most of them! Most of the time I actually think I should teach them!!! If DH and I can make it on just his income, with 5 almost 6 kiddos, pay cash for both of our vehicles, have no credit card debt, little bit set aside (a lot more than most of our friends actually)...have DH loose his job and it not put us under, ect! I just mentally know when all of my bills are due and which pay I have to go grocery shopping with.