Names have been changed to protect the innocent...and my husband...and me...but not the dog. His name is Dexter.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Tip Tuesday-Grocery Smarts

As I've shared before, I was trying to feed my family of four for under $200.  We did okay at first, but then I found that our food storage was going down and not being replenished.  So I increased our monthly grocery budget to $250 a month.

Truth be told.....I'm struggling.  A lot. 
If we ate mainly pasta and processed foods, I could probably make it work pretty easily.  But I'm trying to feed my family the healthiest, most well rounded diet that we can manage.  In case you didn't know, fresh fruit and vegetables are expensive in the winter.  And if you forget about them, they go bad even in the fridge. **sigh**  But I cleaned out my fridge a while back so hopefully that will help with that. 

I have found that for the $200-$250 budget to really work, I need to do the coupon thing.  It does help, but not on everything.  I've tried using the Grocery Smarts website, but haven't spent much time figuring it all out.  Another thing to add to my to do list. **and another sigh**

But today we're not going to dwell on my failures as a grocery shopper.  Instead, we are going to focus on a few little tips that make it easier to cook dinner and hopefully less expensive.  Because I'm such a positive person and all. 

First of all, I shop the ads whenever possible.  When I find certain products on a really good sale, I try to stock up.  Especially things like meat.  It's not such a great idea for fresh fruits or veggies.  Because of the aforementioned "going bad in the fridge" reason.  Also, cereal is a great item to stock up on.  You can frequently combine a coupon with a great sale price and pay less than $2.00 a box.  And it's a lot harder for cereal to go bad.  I have managed to do that, but it's more of a challenge. 

This next tip isn't so much of a money saver as it is a time saver.  When ground beef goes on sale, it's often for a large package.  Sometimes it's called a "chub".  Which makes me laugh and make jokes at the ground beef's expense.  One option is to divide it raw, assuming that it comes in a format that makes this reasonable.  OR you can cook it all up at once.  I then divide it into freezer bags in one pound (or so) divisions.  The wonderful thing about this is that when it's time for dinner, I just pull some out of the freezer, run the bag under warm water until it loosens and pop it into a frying pan.  Frozen.  I add the seasoning and some water and it defrosts, "cooks" and seasons all at once.  It's a huge time saver and makes dinner time so much easier.  Which is nice because by dinner, I'm tired and the kids are tired and a fast dinner is the only thing that will save us from the deliciously enticing drive thru.  Or a breakdown.

The one thing that has really helped me to become more aware of our grocery budget and how quickly it's depleting is by using cash.  You have probably all heard of the envelope method for budgeting and, although I don't think it's very realistic for your entire budget, it has worked well for our grocery budget.  We've also used it for the eating out budget and entertainment budget.

I also make a pretty specific list and stick to it.  That's the hardest part.  Learning to stick to the list.  Which is hard when you've had a rough week and you really need some sort of food related coping mechanism.  Not that I ever do that....ahem......

I also hear that avoiding Costco at all costs is really good for the budget as well.  Thankfully, I don't have a Costco card and only go when I coerce my sister into taking me so I can get clothes for my girls.  And mango salsa.  

Now, my bloggy friends, it's your turn.  Clearly, I'm needing some of your tips for staying on a budget.  Or fun stories about completely blowing your grocery budget.  Or you can just tell me I'm pretty.  I'm not too picky.
  

9 comments:

Suzie said...

HOnestly, Costco helps our budget. Not everything is a great deal. I go every other month and stock up on staples like meats, protein powder, frozen broccoli, stir-fry veggies, etc. that make for quick healthy meals. And don't forget the mango salsa!

Kristina P. said...

I can't believe how much we spend on eating out. But with only two of us, who work full time, and have different schedules, we choose convenience over budget. I would love to learn how to coupon more, if I had more time.

Carrie said...

Pretty, hmm. Beautiful would be more like it!
I have a hard time with Costco since it's just me.
One thing I've found recently is Bountiful Baskets. Get my produce for 2 weeks. I'm going to split it with someone this week (last time was the first and it was too much for one person). We'll see how splitting it goes. I definitely loved all the fresh fruits and veg I got.

Emily said...

Couponing has never been my thing. It should be, I know, and I could come out of Walmart with their paying me for my groceries, but I just don't have the time. I do like the idea of buying the ground beef in bulk, but we do the ground turkey thing so Costco is great for that--and it's already divided up in about 1-pound packages. I do Costco once every couple months for the basics. Other than that, it's Walmart and generic brands. (Unless it's graham crackers or peanut butter--yuck.)

Barbaloot said...

I have no grocery tips. You're pretty:)

Scottkids said...

Wow! That is such a great budget on Groceries! Thats pretty awesome! We spend like 600. thats counting eating out. I guess if I cooked less, it wouldn't be so bad. Now I want to discuss this more. Maybe I should be spending less!

does this count your personal care items as well?

Missy said...

Our food costs are scary high! It is so sad that healthy foods are so expensive. We are trying to do the garden thing this year!

buttercup said...

I think you're Pretty...

I am not a good help for budgeting, but I really Love Bountiful Baskets. There should be one in your area. For $15 a wekk you get about $50 of fruits and veggies. There should be one not too far from you. You should give it a try. we LOVE it. www.bountifulbaskets.org

Anonymous said...

Target and Bed Bath and Beyond sell Debbie Meyer Green Bags. They're around 10.00 for 20 bags. You put your fresh produce in them and it honestly keeps it fresher waaayyyy longer than without them. I recently used 3 week old strawberries that were as firm and fresh as the day I bought them. Honestly. You can also wash them out and reuse them. They pay for themselves right away.

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