Is your refrigerator close to empty?

**Nelly** · 01-03-2003, 09:47 AM

Everytime I look in my refrigerator it just looks so empty. Since I'm trying to stick w/a grocery budget, usually $85 or so a week, I usually buy only things that we need. I do buy maybe two or so snacks, like yogurt and apple sauce for my 1yo and 2yo, but other than that it just looks so empty.

If you also have a grocery budget, how do you do it to stock your refrigerator and not have it so empty?

Thanks

**captclearance** · 01-03-2003, 10:33 AM

But it on sale !!!!!!!!

**heaven** · 01-03-2003, 10:36 AM

Mine is really empty i cleaned it yesterday and grocery day is today. I have to go into town. yes use sales flyers and use coupons.

**AmyBoz** · 01-03-2003, 11:40 AM

Ours is pretty bare by the end of the week, but I don't mind. I'd rather have a bare fridge, which shows we've used everything we bought than a fridge full of stuff that might go bad!

**aylasmommy** · 01-03-2003, 11:47 AM

before i used coupons mine always was empty, i remember going out and spending 150$ a week and it'd still look empty

Right now though(now that we use coupons/loss leaders etc and spend 200$/month), I've got about 9 or so packs of sliced cheese (free with coupons) a few quarts of soy milk (.19 each w/ coupons) severeal yogurts, 10+ pounds of potato's, lots of oranges, all my other produce, water filter, i always have about 2 gallons of milk in there from the multi buy deals, then whatever stuff I've opened during the week that needs to be kept cold, refridgerated cookie dough, tortilla's, lot's of butter/margarine bought really cheap or free, lots' of bread(since it stays longer for me in the fridge, jakada coffee drinks i got paid to buy with coupons, and then all the condiments and more i can't see..

girls you made me realize i need to reogrinize my fridge today

**mrscornbread** · 01-03-2003, 12:16 PM

Mine is in that terrible state. Chocked full of junk that needs to be throwm out. It looks like I have lots, but dont really. Need to go grocery shopping, but need to clean that baby out first.

**Mom23boys** · 01-03-2003, 12:41 PM

I buy it with coupons and when it is on sale I stock it up! Before I figured out how to combine coupons with sales, mine was always empty by the end of the week too.

Check your sales papers and stock up when you can. It will save you money in the long run.

**bamamomto4** · 01-03-2003, 12:49 PM

Mine looks empty right now but only because I clean it out LOL!!
I'll have to buy groceries today or tomorrow so it'll be restocked.

I agree with everyone else.Use coupons and stock up on sales!

**guest2** · 01-03-2003, 12:56 PM

Looking into a near empty refrigerator scares me to death! I vividly remember being very young and my mother crying because our refrigerator was almost empty and we only had noodles, tuna, peas and some cream soup left in the cupboards. Mom made a huge pot of tuna casserole and we ate it for days. Whenever money was low, this is what we ate and to this day my father and I HATE tuna casserole!
For me, having a full refrigerator and pantry is a sign of security. My husband finally understands why I will cook huge quantities of food not only so my hungry crew can eat leftovers, but to fill the fridge. The thought of my kids going hungry scares me so badly. We went through a time when I had to go to the foodbank to feed my family (my boys were tiny tots then and my husband had lost a good job and found another paying less than half of what he made before). I made sure those kids ate well and so did my husband, but I "made excuses" about not being hungry or saying I had ate before my husband got home so that they would all get filled up. I survived on one meal a day and only years later did my husband find out about that and he so angry with me for going without.

Blessings

**MANDERS** · 01-03-2003, 02:43 PM

Nope mine's stocked full.Funny thing is it never was before I used coupons and shopped mostly only loss leaders.Now its never empty,unless you count the times when I rarely clean it.Right before christmas you couldn't shut it cause the big 30lb turkey i got for free was in the way.

**Shell** · 01-03-2003, 09:09 PM

I also like to have a full fridge and pantry. It does make me feel secure. I think it is because we didn't have a lot of money when I was little and that my Mom grew up during The Great Depression. I think that is also why I like to use up left-overs. I wish dh felt that way.

**Nelly** · 01-03-2003, 10:59 PM

Thank you all so much for your responses!
I probably shouldn't have posted this since my refrigerator was empty because today was grocery day for us. So of course it was going to look empty. LOL!!

I always look at the flyers ( I get about five) and also use coupons. It just seems like there isn't much of what I like. But besides that, I am so intrigued on how you ladies get so many things for free or close to free. But that is a topic for another new post.

I do agree w/some of the posts about feeling a little scared when seeing an empty refrigerator. When I was younger I also remember seeing the fridge so empty, especially close to the end of the month, right before we got the food stamps. So maybe in a way I wonder why, if we have ok money, my fridge looks empty. But you are all right, it is the most empty when it's near the end of the week. And now w/my 1yo baby boy getting bigger, he is eating and drinking more.

By the way, although $85 might seem quite a bit for one week's worth of groceries, a lot of that is taken up by the diapers and formula. Thank goodness that now that my little boy turns one, I can finally take him off the formula. That is a savings of $14! I dream of what I can do w/that much in my grocery budget LOL!

Thanks again all.