Newbie taking baby steps...

[jax]

My goal this year is to begin to get a grip on our extreme grocery shopping ways.

I'd say I spend about $700 a month for a family of 3. You know the drill. Plan poorly, need something for dinner, run out to the Safeway at the corner of my street. 16 year old says she needs a new razor or something, oooo look at those nice fresh loaves of bread that just came out of the oven, hey I want a bottle of wine, too ---- and you have a $60 grocery trip. Nearly EVERY night.

I'm broke!!

I'm in awe of you all but I'm studying up and am going to start slowly!

I have to do a grocery run on Friday and am compiling a list of meals everybody will eat. Already have a lot of food stockpiled all over this house... (should I clean out the stuff we probably won't eat and donate it? possibly!)

Anyway, I know I need toilet paper, paper towels, shampoo, conditioner, coffee, etc....

I've joined all the coupon sites and poured all over frugalsuz's blog.

First I go to I Heart CVS, and see that a 12 pack of toilet paper is going on sale for $10. Sweet! It's $14.99 at my Safeway, with card.

Then I go to the CVS website and look through the flier of coupons that's valid through Saturday.

If I get a card, I can pay .99 for a tube of toothpaste. $6 for TWO 11oz cans of Folgers (6.99 each at Safeway), .99 for a can of solid white Albacore tuna (1.29 on sale at Safeway and I go through it!!) and on and on!

Ok, I'm getting excited now. I can even see where I'll earn Extra Bucks with some of these items, to be used later.

Friday is payday, and I'm heading to my CVS to get my card and buy what's needed, with careful planning and a list.

Is this how this starts? SQUEEEE! Starting off small here, but I'm going to post what I saved, vs what I would have spent if I'd just gotten those items at my Safeway as I normally would.

[shanendoah]

jax: I am not one to talk. We spend $450 a month for 2 people and 2 dogs. (I don't seperate out dog food and household items.) But I know the people who are really good make a meal plan for the next week before they go shopping. They then go through thier pantry and see what they have and what they need to make the meals on their plan. Saves time and money, and you always know what's for dinner.
Another option for your pantry might be to do a pantry purge. There are a number of ladies who have made commitments to buy no groceries for x amount of weeks, save fresh fruit/veggies and eat only what's already in their pantry.
But if you really won't eat it, please, please, donate it to a local food bank.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I'm not nearly as adept at finding deals as the people here, but here's some baby steps I've managed to accomplish:
I plan every meal down to the side dish.
I only shop once per week, except for milk because we go through a gallon per day and I can't fit seven gallons in my fridge.
I take out cash for food and have it sitting in weekly envelopes.
While this is more to curb my husband's spending, we too would go to the grocery store--even after I'd planned meals--to get good bread, soda, ice cream, etc. just because people were in the mood for it. We're less apt to do those trips now because my husband and oldest son knows when the money is gone, there's no more food to be purchased for the remainder of the week and they have to eat what's in the house.

We do spend $750 per month for a family of five.

[ses]

jax--you need to read the grocery challenge thread. They are SUPER planners and shoppers, and are great about helping the newbies get started.

[suziq38]

Yes Please come visit our thread.
We like to help others save money on groceries, toiletries, and cleaning products like we do.

[suziq38]

1. Start collecting coupons
2. Visit a few couponing sites:
Coupon mom.com, I heart CVS, Hounding with Frugalsuz, I heart WAGS
3. Buy what is on sale and choose your meals with what protein is on sale.
4. If Whole chickens are on sale for 80- cents a pound, buy 2 or 3.
cook one that evening, then freeze the other two for cheap meals.
One chicken can feed 2 people for 3 nights, or 4 people for dinner and maybe a small lunch.

5. Check out the sales flyers, and map out the sales, plus manufacturer's coupon plus other discounts and incentives.

[jax]

Oh I am ALL OVER the grocery challenge thread!

So, I just about have my meals planned out (my family is SUCH a pain, lol), checked out the sales fliers, and already found a few coupons - not many though unless we want to eat hand lotion and snickers.

Shoot, forgot dog food. We buy a very good holistic brand and won't compromise on that. But Petsmart often gives away rebates for our brand which I never cash in.

I know this is going to take time, dedication and perseverance. However, I was looking at my bank statements for last year - guess what I spent on groceries last January? $1,223.

[jdnstl]

$1,223...that is just for one month!?!?! holy guacamole, batman! i am so glad you joined the GC thread. you will get that down in no time.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

For a family of three, that does seem high, but it depends on what you're including: formula, diapers, wipes, exceptionally good dog food, coffee, alcohol??? My $750 per month budget doesn't include any of that, and it doesn't include paper products or cleaning supplies. If I had to add in that list of stuff, I could see it going that high.

[NastyWoman]

I don't plan my meals in much detai but I find that rigorously sticking to one trip to the grocery store a week helps a lot. If I want something that is not in the house and it's not shopping day: though luck. I have noticed though that this approach has led to me being much more thorough when I go shopping. LOL

[dancinmama]

Dec 30, 2010 12:40:48 GMT -5 @jax said:

I have to do a grocery run on Friday and am compiling a list of meals everybody will eat. Already have a lot of food stockpiled all over this house... (should I clean out the stuff we probably won't eat and donate it? possibly!

jax: I wouldn't throw ANYTHING away unless it is beyond its expiration date or is no longer safe to consume (some items ARE safe to consume months past the expiration date given on the carton). Everything you already have and use is going to save you money. Start by having a pantry pot luck meal once or twice a week.

The gals on the Grocery Challenge do this all the time. They plan their meals around what they already have and WHAT IS ON SALE at the store that particular week. For example, when the Safeway ad comes out and you see that pork chops are on sale for a great price, you add pork chops to your meal plan for that week. You also pick up an extra package of chops to freeze and incorporate in your meal plan in a later week.

You have already figured out that the days when you go to the store and just throw whatever looks good into your cart are gone. Make a list of the items that you use most in your meal planning and start watching for them to go on sale so that you never (or rarely) pay full price for them ever again. In the meantime, eat off of what you already have in your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer as much as possible. You're going to need the space for when you find those killer deals!!

Okay, how does your family feel about what you are about to embark on? If you have been spending that much on groceries, chances are they are pretty used to eating what they want and when they want it. They are not going to like what you are about to do one little bit. You have to get them on board or you are going to be "in the doghouse" so to speak.

When my DH wants something, he'll say, "Could you start looking for X to go on sale?" That means that he hasn't had X in a while (probably cuz I haven't found it at a price that I was willing to pay) and he's wanting it. Sometimes he has to be patient cuz I won't find it on sale for a week or two. Sometimes (if it's meat), I get lucky and find it in the clearance meat bin at Safeway that very day. But I am very lucky because my DH realizes that value of what I do and really appreciates it even if it does mean that he sometimes has to wait to have that ribeye steak (for example).

[upstatemom]

I read this thread yesterday before I left for the grocery store. As I was shopping I planned the meals for the week based on good buys I found. Next week I will try to plan before.
I buy most of my groceries at Aldi's and BJ's so its hard to plan from flyers
What are the thoughts on purchasing bulk pork and beef from local farmers? We just bought a half an organic pig for 4.40lb after processing and are thinking of getting a half a cow this spring.

[jax]

Hiya Dancinmama - my SO thinks it's REAL funny to tell me, "I don't care what you do as long as it doesn't affect me; I want what I want." Then he giggles. So funny (not).

I created a monster with him! Honestly, he's ok with it (and he actually does a good bit of the cooking, depending on what it is), it just means I have to plan. Because honestly, we just don't always know what we'll feel like doing for dinner.

So today I went shopping, with an actual MEAL PLAN! I have a lot of food already in the house, I just needed to organize what I had and pick up what was missing. Things for nicer dinners, things for easier dinners, but all things healthy.

An added complication for us, on top of a meat & taters craving Brit, is that I'm about to start a heavy cycle of weight lifting and cardio again. That's a lot of very specific food (I'll eat 5 to 6 times a day!) and I've gotten pretty smooth about managing a dinner everybody will eat, though I usually wind up tossing a spud in the oven for Mr Picky!

I'm really kicking my own wasteful butt. How much money have I thrown down the drain by not planning meals, watching sales, and stockpiling? How much food have we wasted?

So I saved $15 at CVS, and at Target, I got an entire cart of food that will fill in the meal gaps for $77. I could have fallen over dead in shock right there.

I'll hit Costco for a few things tomorrow, but that's about it.

[constanz22]

Jan 1, 2011 17:18:16 GMT -5 upstatemom said:

I read this thread yesterday before I left for the grocery store. As I was shopping I planned the meals for the week based on good buys I found. Next week I will try to plan before.
I buy most of my groceries at Aldi's and BJ's so its hard to plan from flyers
What are the thoughts on purchasing bulk pork and beef from local farmers? We just bought a half an organic pig for 4.40lb after processing and are thinking of getting a half a cow this spring.

I don't know how frugal it is to purchase the half cow/pig, but, my father and I split a quarter cow every year. I can not eat most beef out of a grocery store anymore...blech...we have done this for years. The beef lasts an entire year for us, so, this definitely helps with my grocery budget elsewhere.
Do you have other grocery store options where you live? If you do, you might want to start watching their sales flyer and watching what coupons are out to see what you can get cheap or free. Aldi's is ok for some items, but, you can often get food and other items way cheaper by combining store sales and coupons. If you haven't yet, please join us over on the Grocery Challenge thread!

[dancinmama]

Jan 1, 2011 17:26:48 GMT -5 @jax said:

Hiya Dancinmama - my SO thinks it's REAL funny to tell me, "I don't care what you do as long as it doesn't affect me; I want what I want." Then he giggles. So funny (not).

I created a monster with him! Honestly, he's ok with it (and he actually does a good bit of the cooking, depending on what it is), it just means I have to plan. Because honestly, we just don't always know what we'll feel like doing for dinner.

So today I went shopping, with an actual MEAL PLAN! I have a lot of food already in the house, I just needed to organize what I had and pick up what was missing. Things for nicer dinners, things for easier dinners, but all things healthy.

An added complication for us, on top of a meat & taters craving Brit, is that I'm about to start a heavy cycle of weight lifting and cardio again. That's a lot of very specific food (I'll eat 5 to 6 times a day!) and I've gotten pretty smooth about managing a dinner everybody will eat, though I usually wind up tossing a spud in the oven for Mr Picky!

I'm really kicking my own wasteful butt. How much money have I thrown down the drain by not planning meals, watching sales, and stockpiling? How much food have we wasted?

So I saved $15 at CVS, and at Target, I got an entire cart of food that will fill in the meal gaps for $77. I could have fallen over dead in shock right there.

I'll hit Costco for a few things tomorrow, but that's about it.

jax: Don't beat yourself up. You're starting anew now and that's what matters!!

[upstatemom]

There are no grocery stores in our town, Its about a 25 minute drive and I can get to Aldi's, BJ, Price Chopper or Wegmans. I will look at the grocery thread. I do look at coupons every week but rawly find any I would use. I do not buy many processed items and am not hooked on brand names. I do have a second freezer and when I buy meat in bulk from BJ's I freeze in meal portions.

[ses]

I have learned very careful and specific planning saves me more than anything. I also tend to shop based on a very general monthly menu plan on the nonperishable items. Not so much meats and perishables due to a small refridgerator. The more i can stay out of the stores the more I save. Check your local library for Annette Economides' book about cutting you grocery bill in half. some of the ideas are a bit extreme but others are quite workable

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

....."But I am very lucky because my DH realizes that value of what I do and really appreciates it even if it does mean that he sometimes has to wait to have that ribeye steak (for example). ".....

We're about half-way there, but as I type this, dh went to the local (expensive) market to get good bread to go with dinner.

I've/We've purchased sides of beef and pig. I do prefer that both economically and healthfully, but the last side of pig we got wasn't the best ever. I'm not sure what we'll do the next time that opportunity comes up.

[jax]

Oh, I wanted to say - I know I paid too much for some things today, and better for others - but - I started a little spreadsheet.

It's the items we go through, and/or items we we've found quality with certain brands and won't compromise on.

The price I paid, the date and the store. What I'd like to learn is how to find the lowest price, regardless. For example, I eat a LOT of chicken; nearly every meal includes a chicken protein (this increases as I work out; 2 to 3 meals a day out of 5 or 6 will include a fist sized portion of chicken). And I have curly coarse hair and like a very specific conditioner, or I look like Buckwheat.

So those are the prices I want to track, along with a few other "staples" in my house. I figured it was best to begin tracking prices and looking for deals with the stuff we consume the most.

I'm a bit excited about that! Now I have some kind of basis to go on.

[moneywhisperer]

I need to get back to meal planning. I saved huge when I did that before. You wouldn't think that wandering the grocery store would result in financial devastation, but, well, ummm . . . one trip for roasted garlic at the organic market ended up in $70 spent on cheese, crackers and salami (how the heck did I do that!)

On the Good Bread thought. There is a Rosemary bread at Costco that I just love, but one of my new years resolutions was to stop grocery shopping at Costco (due to massive size of everything & spending more than I should there). I think this resolution might lose me some weight too because I don't gratuitously eat regular bread, just those yummy bakery specialty ones. I just HAVE TO stay away!!!

[suziq38]

I'll hit Costco for a few things tomorrow, but that's about it.


Be careful about going to Costco.
Don't get me wrong, I like that store.
The problem is that there is so much "temptation" and "impulse buying"
That can occur there, LOL.
The quantities are somewhat large, and not all gets eaten before it spoils or goes out of date.
They do not accept manufacturers coupons.

[suziq38]

I'm really kicking my own wasteful butt. How much money have I thrown down the drain by not planning meals, watching sales, and stockpiling? How much food have we wasted?
I used to ask myself the same question.
If people let good food spoil (fruits and veggies), I just buy half that amount the next time. For example, if I buy 1 pound of sliced turkey meat for $5.00 a pound, and DD allows it to go bad, I will only but 1/2 a pound on the next shopping trip.
Ditto for bananas, apples, etc.

[suziq38]

I spend between $150.00 to $200.00 for the two of us. When I spend $200.00, it is because I am stockpiling stuff for future use.

[jax]

Oh, no worries there - I am a Costco pro. I only buy what I need there; learned that lesson a long time ago!

Jan 3, 2011 0:58:24 GMT -5 suziq38 said:

I'll hit Costco for a few things tomorrow, but that's about it.


Be careful about going to Costco.
Don't get me wrong, I like that store.
The problem is that there is so much "temptation" and "impulse buying"
That can occur there, LOL.
The quantities are somewhat large, and not all gets eaten before it spoils or goes out of date.
They do not accept manufacturers coupons.

[The J]

I remember something posted back in the day about a "grocery challenge handbook" that someone(s) put together. If that could be converted to post form, I could put it as a locked sticky, so people coming here can get the basics, without feeling overwhelmed by the ~8,000,000,000 post GC thread. It would be massively helpful for a lot of people (myself included).

[jax]

I've got the handbook - it's just a word doc! I'd be happy to post it & format it if you want to make it it a sticky.

Jan 3, 2011 11:27:13 GMT -5 The J said:

I remember something posted back in the day about a "grocery challenge handbook" that someone(s) put together. If that could be converted to post form, I could put it as a locked sticky, so people coming here can get the basics, without feeling overwhelmed by the ~8,000,000,000 post GC thread. It would be massively helpful for a lot of people (myself included).

[The J]

Great!

[Poppet]

Congratulatons, Jax, on developing new strategies for shopping.

You sound really amped.
Take those baby steps slowly and steadily so you don't burn out in about 3 weeks.

Maybe its just me, but I never liked planning and grocery shopping. It's a chore. Hence lots of times I've gone to the store and just bought what looked good and ended up with some Hot Cheetos, a gallon of milk, and some Cool Whip for $80. YKWIM?

So I'd get all motivated and start creating awesome dinners. The men folk in the house were thrilled.I'd go to the store and succeed in falling within the budget--hooray for me.

and then I'd have to do it all over again the next week.

It's hard work, this grocery budget. It takes creativity and some ingenuity and some willpower and some careful study.

I can't imagine what'd it be like having to change coupon deals too.

Finally I just settled on a weekly dollar amount and I follow the pantry principle. I shop at three different stores, but not all in the same week. When we run out of something, 98% of the time we do without. Like I've shared elsewhere on other forums, I cook from scratch a lot too and this makes a huge difference.

Simple enough.

Anyway, take it slow. Don't try to do all those baby steps at once.

Wishing you tremendous success in your frugal endeavors.

[upstatemom]

Jan 3, 2011 0:58:24 GMT -5 suziq38 said:

I'll hit Costco for a few things tomorrow, but that's about it.


Be careful about going to Costco.
Don't get me wrong, I like that store.
The problem is that there is so much "temptation" and "impulse buying"
That can occur there, LOL.
The quantities are somewhat large, and not all gets eaten before it spoils or goes out of date.
They do not accept manufacturers coupons.

Never shopped at Costcos but I have had a BJ's membership thru work for 15 years. The annual cost with a work membership is around 21 a yr. I save that in just discounted gas prices
I feed a family of four , two of which are growing boys so the bulk sizes are perfect. I save a great deal of money on the large boxes of cereals which we go through in about a week. Our BJ's has a great deli and the prices are typically a few dollars cheaper per lb than the local grocer. In addition their fresh bagels are yummy and much more reasonably priced than the local stores (wegmans and Price chopper)
BJ's does take manufactures coupons and has monthly coupon mailings.

[dancinmama]

Jan 3, 2011 11:27:13 GMT -5 The J said:

I remember something posted back in the day about a "grocery challenge handbook" that someone(s) put together. If that could be converted to post form, I could put it as a locked sticky, so people coming here can get the basics, without feeling overwhelmed by the ~8,000,000,000 post GC thread. It would be massively helpful for a lot of people (myself included).

thej: I wrote it with the help of the gals on the Grocery Challenge. There is a link to it on Pg. 3/Post 85 of the Grocery Challenge thread for anyone who wants to download a copy.

I just thought I'd let you know PERSONALLY since you set my avatar for me.