Where do I start on a food budget?

[greekislandgirl]

about the freezer - no deep freezer, but it's going to depend on what you do keep in your freezer. Maybe you fill it with frozen vegetables, or meat, or maybe you don't really use it? Whatever offer the biggest savings when on sale (that you use!!) is what should be taking up space in the freezer. At our supermarket, they sometimes have good sales on frozen vegetables, so if that happens, I plan to fill up the freezer with that - no milk sale would save me as much - so again, you just have to work out what makes the most sense with the stores and eating habits that you have

If you're going through milk that quickly, you probably do need to shop relatively often for it. I can't imagine trying to fit 7 gallons of milk in my refrigerator! But as long as you can walk to the store, you're saving money over driving.

This won't help you but it might help someone else - my parents use skim milk and don't use it very quickly (just in coffee) and they buy gallons and then decant it into four quart-size heavy-duty plastic bottles which they freeze; they take one out the night before and it defrosts enough for them to get enough for their coffee the next morning. I've actually had really good experience with frozen milk - to be totally honest, I think frozen and then defrosted milk tastes BETTER than fresh, maybe it's because it's skim, maybe it's just my tastebuds, but if you decide to do it you might love it or hate it - one thing that holds true for this entire process of learning to be frugal is that you will come across tons of ideas and strategies; keep an open mind, give them a shot, and be ready to adopt or reject them as the case may be - not everything works for everyone and you will develop a plan that works for you. It won't be long before you're giving advice to others, too

[angela1435]

How do you feel the meat at the butchers compared to the meat at the grocery store, price wise? I would like to try it. Also, I always see ads where they have specials at butcher shops with a variety of meat. Are they good deals?

[vm9799]

How do you feel the meat at the butchers compared to the meat at the grocery store, price wise? I would like to try it. Also, I always see ads where they have specials at butcher shops with a variety of meat. Are they good deals?

i'm not sure if this was directed at me, but since i mentioned we get our meat at the butcher i'm happy to take a stab at answering.

in a word YES YES YES! atleast at the butcher shop i go to. they tend to be a bit higher in price than the grocery store, but the quality is not even comparable! not to mention, they don't 'doctor' the meat to make it appear fresh. our butcher has his meat delivered from the local farms & cuts everything that morning. it's as fresh as i can reasonably find......and for that i'm willing to spend a bit more.

i pay roughly $4.49/lb for thick cut bacon (and it's much much longer in length than grocery store bacon), and usually get anywhere from 1/2-1 lb per week. it is honestly the best bacon i've ever had. we also get ribeye (delmonico) steaks once a week. an 8oz steak is $5.99. we get 2 & split them between the 4 of us (so 4oz of steak each). i prefer the 'quality over quantity' method of shopping/cooking/baking/eating......and we definitely eat better for it.

now this past week they had ribeye's for $4.99 each on special.....and while that may not sound like a great deal, i bought 4 instead of 2 as i instantly saved almost the cost of 1 by doing that. plus now i have next weeks ribeye's already purchased.

our butcher also has specials every week, usually going along with the season.....and they also have fresh produce, eggs, milk, etc. in the store this time of year as well.

another way to save money is to purchase a side of beef at a time......but you really need a freezer for that. we've only done that once as we just don't eat enough ground chuck, etc. to make that worth the money. i HAVE wanted to try a 'mix & match' type large order though.....mix of beef, pork & chicken. now THAT might be worth the money for us.

i will never go back to the grocery store meat counter again if i can help it.

[shoiji]

Best thing to do is have a grocery list with the dollar amount next to the item. That way you can know you are purchasing the right item, or can get a raincheck if they are out of an item. Take any coupons with you.

You should start keeping your grocery store receipts. This is the best way to know how much you are spending and where the dollars are going. Knowing where the money is going helps you to figure out ways to save money. Example: Buying lots of soda and chips or lots of sugary cereals. Many people will stop buying soda or only purchase x amount or stock up when it is on sale. Other people will make their own chips or only purchase them once in a while. Some people will stop buying surgary cereals for more healthier cereals or even oatmeal.

Try the couponmom website. She makes it easy to match store sales with coupons.

It will take a while to know what your family always eats. If you are starting a stockpile realize that it will cost more when starting out. Also, be realistic, buy a product you know your family will eat not because it is so cheap to purchase.

On this website you will find a thread on when to purchase produce throughout the year. This will help you to get the best prices. Many people eat seasonally which also saves money.