Gosh it is so hard to keep the grocery bill down

**kettlecorn** · 05-21-2008, 03:04 AM

It seems so hard. I feel like I am doing everything I can, shopping sales, loss leaders, coupons, making menus, only sticking to my shopping lists, etc. I shop Aldi as much as I can, unless I find cheaper elsewhere and we basically go through everything so we definitely are not wasting. Plus I am trying to stockpile but whoa! I have already increased my budget and it is the 20th and I still have to stock up again. It just seems like it won't get better! And as far as coupons, I used to love them but am not sure if I want to bother anymore. Sales don't seem that great either. Guess I better up the stockpile. Anyone feel the same way?

**Its_Donna** · 05-21-2008, 05:17 AM

Yes it has been hard and with the price of fuel and the droughts - well - it's gonna get worse IMHO. I have noticed a definite increase in flour, pasta and rice.

I keep stocking up on the staples and have started to bake bread on the weekends. I have managed to stay within my monthly budget but it's getting harder to do.

**Dancing Lotus** · 05-21-2008, 07:40 AM

I have noticed that my beloved coupons are becoming more work then they are worth. For at least two months I haven't been using half what I used to because they just don't match up to the sales.
I won't stop using them, I think it will get back to normal.

**frugalfoster** · 05-21-2008, 10:04 AM

There was a post, a few months back, about bent and dent stores. I checked out the ones in my area and was pleasantly surprised. This has helped my grocery bill and stockpile greatly. I am buying some foods for a mere fraction of the price at a grocery store. If you have one, check it out, you may find your savings there. Some of the deals I have found are pasta for .25 a pound, bush's baked beans for .25 a can (not past pull dates) cereal that I would usually pay a premium price for (4.39 for fiber one flakes with granola) for $1.50. Hopefully you will see some of the same savings. Good luck!!!!

**Frugal Nurse** · 05-21-2008, 10:13 AM

oh boy.. sore spot with lots.

Indeed this is a bone of contention- the rising cost at the grocery store.

I'm in a panic because my kids are home from college and spending the grocery money like crazy!

I need to put a hold on the card.

**ukbb** · 05-21-2008, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by frugalfoster

There was a post, a few months back, about bent and dent stores.

One opened up by me and it was horrible. I wasn't surprised when it shut down. Their prices weren't that much lower than the grocery store either.

UKBB

**themartins903** · 05-21-2008, 01:19 PM

Like the other poster, I'm in a panic because the summer is approaching... my step son who is 11 and the twins both 9 will be at home. I'm finding that feeding them healthy food is becoming impossible. I have to buy what's on sale and even though it's quick and cheap, it's just not healthy! For example (hot dogs are PACKED with sodium), Mac 'n cheese is cheap but also fattening.

Fruits and vegetables are EXTREMELY high. I can only purchase frozen fruit and I can make smoothies so we're okay there.

The only thing on sale in the meat section this week is beef brisket (.99lb) which I can spread out for a good 3 days.

**GOING INTO PANIC MODE**

**Odilia** · 05-21-2008, 01:56 PM

Prices are getting higher all the time.

Staying under budget used to be almost like a fun game, and now it's stressful. Sigh...

I would really encourage people to not sacrifice healthy foods for cheap processed foods. I know it's extremely difficult, but with diabetes, obesity, heart disease, etc... becoming epidemic in proportion among our children, it's really not worth it!

You may not be able to afford the cheese portion to make homemade mac and cheese, but noodles with a simple white sauce are delicious. Noodles with a light drizzle of olive oil and seasonings that you control with homegrown herbs (grow them in pots on a windowsill or on the porch) or tossed with whatever veggies are on hand (fresh or frozen) lightly sauted. When you consider how little noodles you get in a box of mac and cheese, you can make more of a noodle dish at home. It won't be just the same, so it may take the kids some time to get used to it, but it'll be inexpensive and much healthier.

HM noodles are cheap to make -- flour, water, egg, salt optional. You can use whole grain flours.

If noodles aren't on hand, use potato shreds. Dry shreds reconstituted/cooked in HM stock (save your bones and scraps) are very good and when baked in a homemade sauce, they're delicious.

Hotdogs are cheap, but at what price to health? An occasional treat is one thing, but PB&J or egg salad on whole grain bread will be close in price and so much healthier.

There are items we used to buy that have been priced out of my budget, too. It stinks. It takes all my creativity to come up with delicious, healthy meals with the items I can afford.

I try to keep hard-boiled eggs, whole grain muffins and quick breads, cheaper fruits like apples and bananas and seasonal fruits, carrot sticks, celery sticks, homemade crackers, etc... on hand to deal with munchies and tame those crazy huge boy appetites. My oldest is 11, too, so I know he's approaching those teen years. I used to watch in awe at the quantity of food my brothers ate, and I know that's my near future.

I have 4 boys (and 1 princess!), so I'm probably going to have to raise my grocery budget somehow.

**Jeanna** · 05-21-2008, 02:06 PM

I noticed King Arthur Flour had doubled in price from about 2 months ago when I stocked up. It is up to $4.68 a 5lb. bag. That is outrageous. I try to only buy non bleached white flour and then whole wheat. Anyway everything is on the rise. I decided last Friday that I "had" to have fresh fruits and vegetables and my grocery bill went through the roof. But I feel so much better eating fresh raw foods this week that it is worth it to me. Hope to grow some of our own but we are getting a very slow start this year. We are lucky because we do have a pretty long growing season here.

**brennasmom** · 05-21-2008, 02:27 PM

Yes, we are feeling it too. Last Sunday I spent $120 and didn't seem like I got that much. Stuck to my list with coupons. Sigh. I fear it is going to get worse. Will continue to buy fresh fruits and try to buy seasonally as much as possible. Supplementing with some frozen fruits and veggies as needed.

**The Muse** · 05-21-2008, 02:36 PM

Dried beans just jumped from $.79/bag to $1/bag. $.20 isn't a lot, but when you look at the percentage increase, it sure is!

It seems like everytime I go to the market, I leave thinking they must've made a mistake on my order, but everytime it adds up correctly.

I'm fortuante that I'm just shopping for DH and me, and that we're vegetarians, which keeps the cost down.

**themartins903** · 05-21-2008, 02:54 PM

My manager made a comment last week that his life partner and him spend about $700.00 per month.... for TWO people!!!

They make gourmet "foo foo" meals and I just looked at him like a deer in front of bright lights.... UNREAL

I looked at my grocery list and just started deleting the bad foods. If I have to give up some things then so be it.

Anyone have any good ideas for healthy lunches (summertime)? My kids like alot of things.....

Thank you all

**peanut** · 05-21-2008, 03:20 PM

Well I figure out how much it costs me per bag when I leave the grocery store. When we moved here 13 years ago, I was spending $10/bag - my pre-frugal days. Now I'm being frugal and I've reached the break even point - $10 a bag.

I'm still buying healthy, but I'm sure taking advantage of sales when I find them. Some food, like salmon, is not going on sale anymore. Tuna is .78/can - on sale, instead of the sale .50/can we got in January. I stocked up then, but we're out again.

I think it will take awhile to adjust to these new prices. For now, I am wandering through the store with a strict list and, if I have any money leftover in the budget (happening less and less), then I will pick up things that are on sale. I am changing my diet to eat sale items...as long as the sale items are healthy! I'm definitely checking out the cost of frozen versus fresh in the produce department.

I will not eat an unhealthy diet. I'd rather grow my own...which may become a reality before long. The neighbor and DH have agreed that one of the trees we share has to come down. That will give us a bit more sunlight in the yard to grow food. I'm thinking if the guys have to redo the roof this summer (long story), I'll suggest another 2 or 3 trees come down and we put up solar heating panels.

Jean

**FrugalWitch** · 05-21-2008, 03:40 PM

What really burns my fuzz is that the AL legislature didn't pass the repeal of the state's 4% tax on groceries. You can bet that they never miss a chance to vote themselves raises, better benefit and retirement packages.

I'd like to nail the whole passel of the greedy $%#@! to the wall.

**redandlukesmom** · 05-22-2008, 06:35 AM

I know I brought this up before, but I've been actually saving on my groceries more than ever. I'm averaging about 45%-50% on my grocery spending each week and this month, for the first time, I'm actually under budget (and we reduced it by $100 this month because of our stockpile). I'm using grocerygame dot com and it's been great for helping use my couopns and matching them with the sales.

I've also recently started checking the meat department for those "manager specials" (thanks to a post here) and have found some great deals. I was able to match the manager discount with some coupons for meat and got packs of hormone-free chicken for about $0.50/pack.

I've been in the grocery game long enough to see the sales cycles and while it's taken about 3 months to see the real savings, it's been worth it - especially since starting Dave Ramsey.

There are times, though, when I can't get any coupons to match with the sales and it is frustrating or I've been out of something I need and have to buy it full price, which is painful!