Grocery Budget

[Rayne]

I spent 57$ at Sam's yesterday, 80$ at Walmart and 60$ at Aldi's. That is 200$. I need to learn to save on groceries.

Here is what I got: Sam's
1 pk sirloin 10.00
1 pk beef stew 12.00
1pk chicken legs 5.00
rice 25lbs, I think 8.00
pasta 5.00
pizza rolls 9.00
egg rolls 9.00

The meat all made 2 packs

Walmart:
shamoo
conditioner
toothpaste
deoderant
soap
cat food
cat liter
brown rice
black beans
red beans
lentils
soup bean mix
lemonade pks- for work
margarita mix
ginger ale
pencils for my son
note books for my son, these 2 items were about 4.00
taco mix
goya powder
chicken noodle soup- 4 pk
hot sauce

Aldi's:
sugar
tortilla chips
taco shells
meat balls
bread
rolls for meatballs
garlic
brown gravy mix-2
onion soup mix
2 blocks of cheese
1/2 gallon milk
green peppers
onions
potatoes
cucumbers
lettuce
cottage cheese
pickles
freezer bags
6 cans beans
8cans tomato sauce
2 cans corn
frozen corn
frozen brocolli
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cans raviolli
2 cans sphagetti with rings


This is how I shop. I usually cook at home, rarely buy prepackaged foods. The pizza rolls and egg rolls I buy a few times a year. The soup and raviolli is for my 18 yo son, when there aren't leftovers in the fridge.

Husband and I take our lunch to work, breakfast too. We also tak our drinks. He takes juice for breakfast and tea for lunch. I take 1 soda and the packs for water.

How can I save on my groceries? Help.

[ecgsmama]

How long will this last you?

[Rayne]

I have been trying to figure out how long it will last. The rice about 3 months, pasta the same. Everything else maybe 3 weeks, but I will have to buy more meat, veggies, potatoes, sugar, bread, milk, etc.

I honestly don't know how long it will last. I shop every 2 weeks for most things getting others as I run out.

[Missourimom]

Is the chuck roast at your Sams cheaper than the stew meat per pound? If so, you can buy that and cut it up yourself. That's what I do.

[shoiji]

Make a list of what you normally buy. There should be a list of when certain items go on sale on this website. Keep this in mind when stocking up on sale items. Always keep an eye out for manager's specials with meat. Remember that you will need to use it right away or freeze it right away. It is a great way to purchase meat and save.

Right now is a great time for office/school supplies. Also a great time to pick up some x-mas gifts like special pencils, new lamp, new comforter set since the back to school sales are going on.

Pretty soon with the holidays coming will be a good time to stock up on baking products. Also seems as if there are alot of canned produce on sale.

Keeping these things in mind will help to reduce your grocery spending.

I also use the couponmom website. You might want to see if your stores are listed.

[Contrary Housewife]

I'm not sure what quantities of each item you got. When you say the meat made "two packs" do you mean two 1 lb packages? What is the price per pound you pay?

I'm guessing it looks like about 3 weeks worth of food, and for 3 adults I don't think $200 is off the mark. Have you planned out any of this food? Do you have a menu, do you know what meals each of these items will go into?

[Rayne]

missourimom- I usually do buy whatever cut of meat is cheaper and cut it up. Also I don't go to Sam's but every few months. The closest one is about 30 min away.

Countryhousewife- The stewbeef was a little over 4lbs. We usually eat this several times as leftovers, this is a favorite of me and ds. We eat with rice and eggs, sometimes we even eat it for breakfast.

Chicken legs were 8 in one pack and 9 in another. This is also for dinner, husbands lunch and lunch for son within a few days after cooking.

Sirloin was 4 pretty thick pieces. Again it will be more than one meal. I put 2 in one pack and made steak with cream of mushroom soup and noodles. Husband and I ate this, he took some for lunch and there is still enough for the 3 of us to eat again at another meal. The others will probably be grilled. I eat very little steak, so one piece split between ds and I, dh will eat the other for his dinner and take the rest for lunch. Ds will finish the rest of the piece we split for another meal. This is how it usually is anyway.

I don't paln a menu because I fix what I want with what I have, does that make sense?

We will have tacos, stew beef and rice, grilled steak with potatoes and salad, I also bought boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I forgot to put that on the list, so we will have chicken and noodles, chicken tacos, either red beans and rice or black beans and rice with sausage, stuffed pepper casserole with ground beef from freezer.

With the chicken legs, we will have them grilled with maybe lentils and brown rice, chicken stew, dh is Ecuadorian and this is a dish from there. These are the kinds of things we eat.

[my4littlebuffaloes]

I don't think you are doing too badly because a lot of what you got at Walmart was not food. Especially the cat litter and food can really add up quickly. You could possibly get cheaper cuts of meat, but it seems you really stretch what you do get far. Good luck!

[Judi Dial]

I went through your list and wrote comments where I thought they'd help...

1 pk beef stew - someone else said this, but see if you can find beef brisket on sale and cut it up yourself. Freeze the rest for the next time you need it. You don't need a butcher to cut meat into cubes for you, you can do that.

1pk chicken legs If you buy leg quarters (if your family likes chicken) instead of separate thighs and legs, you can usually get them cheaper by cutting them apart yourself.

pizza rolls* Try OAMC and freeze your own "fast foods"?
egg rolls* Try OAMC and freeze your own "fast foods"?

cat liter If you buy "oil dry" at the auto parts store ($10 for 50 lbs here) it's usually a lot cheaper. It doesn't clump, etc.

soup bean mix* Do your own? Esp. with a crock pot, bean soups aren't that hard.

lemonade pks- for work You could buy real lemon or real lime (dried stuff) and mix it with sugar yourself and save a few $$?

chicken noodle soup- 4 pk* Try OAMC and freeze your own "fast foods"?

meat balls* Learn to make your own?
bread - is there a discount bakery near you? Can you stock up on the items you buy a lot on the weeks you don't do the 2 week shopping?
rolls for meatballs - Same as above

brown gravy mix-2 * Making gravy is easy and it really doesn't take that long.
onion soup mix * If you use canned broth, onion soup takes very little time. Saute a whole mess of onions (you can do this ahead of time), add the broth, heat. While it's heating, grate cheese and get your bread ready. Dish up into bowls, add bread, put cheese on top and put under broiler til cheese melts.

8cans tomato sauce - Buy tomato powder (dried tomatoes) and mix your own OR buy tomato paste and mix your own. Tomato sauce's ingredient list is tomato paste & water. Save $$, mix your own!

2 cans raviolli* Try OAMC and freeze your own "fast foods"?
2 cans sphagetti with rings*Try OAMC and freeze your own "fast foods"?

IHTH!

Judi

[spyzvixxen]

Sounds about right to me. Be wary of Walmart's prices. I keep a mental price book and with coupons, I get 1/2 of that stuff for free/cheap at the grocery store. For example, I haven't paid a dime for rice in months. Or toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors or deodorant.