3rd Trimester
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saving money on groceries
So I've become obsessed with this. I can't stand seeing my grocery bill rise. I spend over a hundred bucks a week in just basic groceries these days. I was home sick watching Oprah yesterday and saw they were having a special on a woman that only spends 37 dollars a week! What are some tricks you use to cut the costs?
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Re: saving money on groceries
For one I don't buy groceries every week, I buy them every 2 weeks which saves me money right there. I only spend $250-$300 per month on groceries, toiletries, and pet supplies.
Buy store brands or off brands of a majority of your products, that saves me a lot of $$ too. I don't really clip coupons as there aren't any in my area to clip.
DONT TAKE MY DH WITH ME!
I only spend about 40-50 a week on groceries and 65 if having to buy cleaning products/toilet paper/ paper towls etc. Like PP I plan out our meals, look for the sales and stock up on that.
I also started bulk buying- This might mean I spend 65- 75 my first week of groceries but the meat I buy like this last us all month so I can reduce the spending the rest of the month.
I don't let DH go shopping alone.
We've been averaging about $50 - $60 per week on groceries lately. Since I was sick this week I sent DH on his own. He ended up spending $95. He kept trying to tell me it was because we needed some of the bigger things this week, like cat food and some toiletries, but I don't think the grape juice, queso cheese, or other snacks he got helped either.
Shop around and actually look at prices. I've noticed that since the economy has gone down the drains the prices on store brand items are actually HIGHER than the name brands in many cases. I think people just assume that the store brand will be cheaper and so they just grab the item and throw it into their cart with out actually comparing prices. My dh just assumes that super walmart has the best prices of all of the stores in the area, not so. I look at the weekly ads and cupons and I do so much better at the other stores in our town than at walmart. Again, I think people just assume that they are going to get the best price with out actually doing some research.
Another big thing for us is planning out our meals for the week. If we know we are going to use tomato sauce twice then buying a big jar is a better deal than 2 smaller jars. Sounds like pretty basic stuff but it really makes a difference.
I keep two shopping lists. One for Sam's (or your local wholesale chain -- we use MIL's membership) and one for the grocery store (we use Walmart since it's closest). Anything that I use a lot and can buy in bulk, I get in a semi-annual massive shopping trip at Sam's (kleenex, paper towels, napkins, pasta, canned corn, frozen chicken, pork loin, etc.). I keep a lot of meat frozen, which saves us a ton.
I also plan out my meals and do one trip to the grocery store every week or two. These trips are pretty much just for perishables like milk, bread, veggies, and fruit. All said and done, DH and I spend less than $200 per month on groceries.
It's so funny that you post this because I'm obsessed with saving money when I grocery shop...seriously my DH looks at me like I'm crazy when I get excited about how much I saved
I plan my meals out two weeks at a time which helps when buying fresh ingredients. I also stock up on non-perishable items/staples when they are BOGO. Publix and Winn-Dixie do this a lot with my cereal, taco dinner kits, juice, etc. If I find a good deal on meat, I'll stock up on it too. It helps me to look at the store flyers online as I make my list so I can see what's on sale, etc. I hardly buy anything not on sale or without a coupon.
I also just realized that it is WAY cheaper to buy a bag of regular carrots and peel/cut them myself vs. buying a bag of baby carrots (89 cents vs. $2.50!) Plus, I just learned that they use chlorine to keep the baby carrots looking fresh in the bag since they don't have their skin..yuck!
As far as paper goods like TP and paper towels, I buy name brand and use coupons. Ziploc bags and things like napkins I buy store brand.
I use couponmom.com. It is awesome. I save so much money. ?This past weekend I got $150.00 worth of stuff for $80.00 which includes fresh fruit and some deli meat for DH's lunches.
?That lasts about 2 weeks usually.
I also plan my meals out on a menu.?
I'm a coupon whore. I only shop when things are free/super-cheap. Kind of the like the $37 a week lady.
Try this website:
www.hotcouponworld.com
We only do 1 grocery shop a month in our house. On the off weeks I only buy things things that are free/super-cheap (including fruits and veggies).
I also stock-pile. Meaning, if Campbell's tomato soup is on sale one week and I have coupons that make it free/cheap I buy 50 cans of it, not 5 like everyone else. That way we don't have to buy it when it's not on sale.
Rinse and repeat for other things
GL!