ok, so we make our soap, laundry soap, and will be making shampoo soon... yet our bill for monthly is close to 600 for 4 people and 2 dogs!!! i need ways to bring this down... i now i need to cut my meat alot... i am not a big fan of red meat, but dh is... yet we have it like 8 times a month(usually plus some)... we try doing alot of pasta... and love lasagna and stuffed shells, but the cheeses are totally expensive... i didnt buy them and managed to pay about 50 less than usual... thats also minus things like diapers and formula this time!!! now we shop for every 2 weeks... so the 120 was for 2 weeks, but i still think i could get it lower... i just dont know how!!!! please help me!!!! (making my own cheese could be an option, if it is easy enough!!!)
need help with my grocery budget...
- Thread starter ashylove
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Alaska Animal Lover
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This is something that's on everyones mind these days.
If you use the search feature at the top of the page, and type in "grocery budget" there are some great ideas.
There is also a thread or two like this at BYC.
I don't think anyone has the perfect answer for anyone else, but if you can take a bit of advice from everyone and use it to suit yourself, then you are on the right track!
Good luck! AND
If you use the search feature at the top of the page, and type in "grocery budget" there are some great ideas.
There is also a thread or two like this at BYC.
I don't think anyone has the perfect answer for anyone else, but if you can take a bit of advice from everyone and use it to suit yourself, then you are on the right track!
Good luck! AND
My grocery bill is also $600 a month for 4 people and 4 cats. I don't see how I can cut back much further.
I also find it impossible to compare with other people as everyone adds in different things.
E.g., a family may say they have a grocery bill of $200 a month, but then I find out that they buy their lunches out every work day which they don't include in their "grocery budget" whereas we pack all our own lunches.
Or another family may not include paper products or personal care products in their "grocery budget" because it's not food. My grocery budget inlcudes anything that I consider "consumable".
The only that has helped me lately is www.couponclippers.com where I can "order" coupons that I will actually use rather than trolling through the newspapers which usually have prepared foodsa that I don't use.. This has been saving me about $20 per week.
Good luck,
Inchy
I also find it impossible to compare with other people as everyone adds in different things.
E.g., a family may say they have a grocery bill of $200 a month, but then I find out that they buy their lunches out every work day which they don't include in their "grocery budget" whereas we pack all our own lunches.
Or another family may not include paper products or personal care products in their "grocery budget" because it's not food. My grocery budget inlcudes anything that I consider "consumable".
The only that has helped me lately is www.couponclippers.com where I can "order" coupons that I will actually use rather than trolling through the newspapers which usually have prepared foodsa that I don't use.. This has been saving me about $20 per week.
Good luck,
Inchy
patandchickens
Crazy Cat Lady
Well, remember that rolling dogfood and disposable diapers into a grocery bill will really add up -- so if you look just at your FOOD purchases, it may be not quite as high a bill as it might seem 
(e.t.a. - you've considered cloth diapers? Two or three dozen simple rectangular prefolds plus two pairs of Bummis plastic pants would be probalby in the vicinity of 2 months' worth of disposable diaper expenses, and after that it is all FREE other than whatever it costs you for the hot water to launder them in [assuming you have a machine, not using laundromat])
You can make whole-milk ricotta for about half the cost of store-boughten -- if you look in the recipe/kitchen section of this forum, the recipe is there somewhere. For most other cheeses, making your own will cost less than Good Imported Cheese but more than super-cheap-comes-in-giant-bricks-and-bought-on-sale supermarket cheese (Kraft, Black Diamond, etc)
If you like grated-parmesan-type toppings, try substituting dried breadcrumbs (preferably homemade and toasted) in place of half or more of the cheese. Works on pasta (not with spaghetti sauce tho) and on casseroles; also nice as a topping for some vegetables IMO.
It can also be worth learning to cook with the cheaper ingredients that are available, esp. in season. Like this time of year, there are actually a *lot* of good things that can be done with cabbage and potatoes and rice and beans and that sort of thing. If you like lasagna and stuffed shells, you might like things like onions or peppers stuffed with rice-and-lentil stuffing, or cabbage rolls, or things like that? And if you have chickens (sorry, I forget whether you do) eggs can make good dinner-type meals, like egg burritos or cleaning-out-the-fridge frittatas or fried egg sandwiches and soup.
Good luck,
Pat
(e.t.a. - you've considered cloth diapers? Two or three dozen simple rectangular prefolds plus two pairs of Bummis plastic pants would be probalby in the vicinity of 2 months' worth of disposable diaper expenses, and after that it is all FREE other than whatever it costs you for the hot water to launder them in [assuming you have a machine, not using laundromat])
You can make whole-milk ricotta for about half the cost of store-boughten -- if you look in the recipe/kitchen section of this forum, the recipe is there somewhere. For most other cheeses, making your own will cost less than Good Imported Cheese but more than super-cheap-comes-in-giant-bricks-and-bought-on-sale supermarket cheese (Kraft, Black Diamond, etc)
If you like grated-parmesan-type toppings, try substituting dried breadcrumbs (preferably homemade and toasted) in place of half or more of the cheese. Works on pasta (not with spaghetti sauce tho) and on casseroles; also nice as a topping for some vegetables IMO.
It can also be worth learning to cook with the cheaper ingredients that are available, esp. in season. Like this time of year, there are actually a *lot* of good things that can be done with cabbage and potatoes
and rice and beans and that sort of thing. If you like lasagna and stuffed shells, you might like things like onions or peppers stuffed with rice-and-lentil stuffing, or cabbage rolls, or things like that? And if you have chickens (sorry, I forget whether you do) eggs can make good dinner-type meals, like egg burritos or cleaning-out-the-fridge frittatas or fried egg sandwiches and soup.Good luck,
Pat
onebuggirl
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Try making your won bread? That's like $4 a week....if not more depending if you need buns. I have been making all our bread and yogurt and our cost has gone down....this summer with a garden I am hoping to bring it doen even more.ashylove said:
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
Only buy what is on sale (unless you absolutely can't wait).
Stock up when you buy sale items.
Buy store brands.
Eat less. That can be a tough one.
Don't buy convenience things like Hamburger Helper.
Don't buy your sugar in the form of soft drinks.
Raw potatoes instead of potatoes in a box.
Uncooked rice instead of minute rice.
Make some of your own pasta.
Don't shop when you're hungry.
Don't make impulse purchases.
Menus?
Use a shopping list.
The less processed the food item is the lower the cost is generally.
Either leave the kids at home when you shop (this cuts out the Mom I want this) or take them with you and educate them to the cost of food. This could get them involved.
Stock up when you buy sale items.
Buy store brands.
Eat less. That can be a tough one.
Don't buy convenience things like Hamburger Helper.
Don't buy your sugar in the form of soft drinks.
Raw potatoes instead of potatoes in a box.
Uncooked rice instead of minute rice.
Make some of your own pasta.
Don't shop when you're hungry.
Don't make impulse purchases.
Menus?
Use a shopping list.
The less processed the food item is the lower the cost is generally.
Either leave the kids at home when you shop (this cuts out the Mom I want this) or take them with you and educate them to the cost of food. This could get them involved.
Beekissed
Mountain Sage
It is very hard to advise someone on how to cut a grocery budget, as we don't know what your eating habits are. That's a tough one.
We don't eat dairy or store bought meats, pop, processed foods, etc. So this knocks out a large portion of the grocery costs. We buy exactly the same items every time we shop....have done so for years. We only vary this if we have to buy foods for entertaining guests.
Yeah, it sounds like our diet is pretty boring, but we like the foods we fix and have grown accustomed to eating cheap. Some things I will splurge on...like fresh produce. But, for the most part, we know what types of food we can afford and that we still enjoy eating and we stick with it. I don't clip coupons because they very rarely have coupons for the types of foods we normally buy and consume. If my food items are on sale, great! If they aren't, they are still the cheapest foods on which you can survive, so I'm pretty satisfied.
Cutting out the dairy and meats and just drinking water has greatly improved our health, which also contributes to a savings for us.
Hope you find some good ideas!
We don't eat dairy or store bought meats, pop, processed foods, etc. So this knocks out a large portion of the grocery costs. We buy exactly the same items every time we shop....have done so for years. We only vary this if we have to buy foods for entertaining guests.
Yeah, it sounds like our diet is pretty boring, but we like the foods we fix and have grown accustomed to eating cheap. Some things I will splurge on...like fresh produce. But, for the most part, we know what types of food we can afford and that we still enjoy eating and we stick with it. I don't clip coupons because they very rarely have coupons for the types of foods we normally buy and consume. If my food items are on sale, great! If they aren't, they are still the cheapest foods on which you can survive, so I'm pretty satisfied.
Cutting out the dairy and meats and just drinking water has greatly improved our health, which also contributes to a savings for us.
Hope you find some good ideas!
ams3651
Lovin' The Homestead
I plan my meals by what is on sale that week at the grocery store. Lasagna if the cheeses are on sale. Roast chicken if they are on sale which you can easily get 2 meals from (soup or chicken and biscuits with gravy the next day). My son hunts, I will this year, so we have venison in the freezer. We do some convenience foods. Hamburger helper on sale for $1 is hard to beat. I put extra veggies in it. Stock up on staples when they are on sale. Potatoes are very versatile. When Im home alone during the day I have soup and sandwiches mostly. I have a pantry with pastas, rice, tuna, canned salmon, cereals, spices, canned gravy, canned fruit, some canned veggies most are frozen. In my freezer I have a turkey I got free at thanksgiving for spending X amount at that store. Lots of venison in different forms, fish I stocked up on last week because its on sale this time of year. Veggies on sale. My son said last week, why do we always have baked corn - its easy and we have corn in the freezer from my dads garden last year. Pancake sandwiches I make for my oldest to pop in the microwave for an easy breakfast. We do splurge on a few things but for the most part its all about the sales. Also, shop with a detailed list. I dont have a real menu but I have several meals written down I want to make that week. And shop alone if possible, its alot faster and easier to focus with out the kids. I do use coupons if i have them, its great when you have a coupon the store doubles it and the item is on sale.
justusnak
Almost Self-Reliant
Well...Like others have said, its hard to help someone get the grocery bill down, unless they live close, and see what you are buying. Prepared foods...OUT...sweets, ( soda, hostess cakes,cookies) OUT...prepackaged snacks...( chips, crackers etc. ) OUT...Buy meats in bulk and repackage them for your family size. My theory.....Raise it, grow it...preserve it...and eat it! You cant go wrong there!
edited to say... Even tho its just DH and I...and our 4 dogs, and many animals.....with good hard work...preserving the food we raise/grow...our monthly grocery bill, dogfood and paper/cleaners included...is just about $100 a month. ( NOT includeing animal feeds of course) It CAN be done, you just have to commit to it.
edited to say... Even tho its just DH and I...and our 4 dogs, and many animals.....with good hard work...preserving the food we raise/grow...our monthly grocery bill, dogfood and paper/cleaners included...is just about $100 a month. ( NOT includeing animal feeds of course) It CAN be done, you just have to commit to it.
Bettacreek
Almost Self-Reliant
We must live in an excellent area. Hubby, our 15 month old and myself spend maybe $100 or so on groceries, and that includes pre-packaged junk for hubby at work, lots of chicken, sausage, ground beef AND that includes diapers, wipes, toiletries, etc, etc.
We simply buy store-brands, buy in bulk, and try to avoid the super expensive items (who needs to spend $10 on a tiny ring of bologna?!) I always check Sam's club out though, I'm always watching their chicken leg quarters. If I notice that some are going to be near the "sell by" date, I'll wait and come back the next day (it's right by hubby's work) to get them on sale instead. We really save a lot of money with our new freezer from my dad though, not sure how we lived without it.
We simply buy store-brands, buy in bulk, and try to avoid the super expensive items (who needs to spend $10 on a tiny ring of bologna?!) I always check Sam's club out though, I'm always watching their chicken leg quarters. If I notice that some are going to be near the "sell by" date, I'll wait and come back the next day (it's right by hubby's work) to get them on sale instead. We really save a lot of money with our new freezer from my dad though, not sure how we lived without it.
