How Much Flour and Sugar ?

[Hollyhandi]

Do you get each month for your baking?
I have been calculating how much I spend a year on staples
and seeing where i can cut down.
I use about 25 pounds of flour a month and get it for $.99 ( $6.00 a month)
a 5lb bag or$72.00 a year ( all purpose )
Haven't calculated my wheat flour yet.
I use about 25 lbs sugar (for evrything coffee, baking, cereal,
koolaid etc ) at $1.99 (5lbs ) or $120.00 a year ( $10.00 a month )

I also did my laundry soap. I use one bottle a week . The ones I use cost $5.99 a bottle or $311.48 cents a year ( thats without sales. ) I stock pile a years worth at a time
What I do is buy it when its Buy 1 get 2 free or $108.00 a year
a savings of $203.48 (I save $11.98 on the 2 free ones )

I am doing this on all my staples and looking where I can cut more......
Hope this is in the right catagory here.

[Kimberlina]

I don't really know how much flour I use a month- it is erratic. I know we don't use a whole lot of sugar, though.

Have you considered buying it in bulk? I bought two of those big popcorn tins to store my flour in. It might be cheaper to buy it at BJs or a co-op.

I use regular laundry dtergent for some things, but for things like towels or sheets, I use homemade detergent. It all just depends on what I am washing. It is much cheaper and for things that aren't really too dirty (we take showers at night, so the sheets aren't really too dirty) I definitely use the HM. I've not had any problem w/ it so far.

[Hollyhandi]

Can't find all the stuff for HM laundry detergent so thats not an option.
I think its a very frugal savings of $203.48 for a full year.
I don't think BJ's is worth the $40.00 yearly fee.
I don't go there enough and I can use the $40.00 for great deals elsewhere.
I will be able to cut down on shapoo, cutting out buying conditioner completely.
I will by Ivory or Dial soap for myself. The guys like Safeguard.
I don't wear makeup enough to warrant buying that anymore.
( no one will see it but the chickens )
I will use men's shaving cream as $.99 vs $3.99 is more feasiable.

I am finding ways to cut down.
I don't like buying bulk foods out of the stores as your always seeing kids with their hands in the bins. ( ewwwwww )
I will buy 12 cloth napkins and wash them instead of paper
ones.
We have cut drinking coffee to only one pot a day instead of 3.
That will make the coffee go longer.
I will drink more green tea and use the teabag twice...
I drink mostly water now instead of soda ( although I will buy for parties and Holidays )
I am finding all kinds of suble ways to watch my pennies.

[YankeeMom]

For our family of six, I go through about 10-25lbs/month, abd I usually get it for 99c or less per 5lb bag so about $10-25/month. Less in the summer mostly because it's just too hot to bake. Sugar...I can't even measure. I bought 25lbs over a year ago when they were on sale for 99c and only JUST finished the last 5lb bag, so less than $25/year.

Laundry detergent, I go through 3/4 to 1 whole box (120 load) per month. That one box costs me about $9-11/month.

[heidip427]

Flour - 150lb white
50lb wheat
Sugar - less than 3lb
Detergent - about $6/mo, depending on what I buy - lately it's been sale and coupon stuff, still on the same box i bought last month for 4.99

Note : i do baking for three neighbors, also amounts above are monthly usage in our house including the "extra" I do.

[homesteadmamma]

I'm not sure how much grain I go through a year. I purchase in 50 lb. bags (usually 150 lbs. at a time) and grind all my own grain.

Sugar, I cut back by at least a 1/4 c. for every recipe (except bread). I also use honey to replace the sugar in some recipes.

You can also use way less laundry detergent than what is called for. I purchase Tide liquid and it lasts me a very long time. I purchased a number over a year ago on sale and still have 3 left.

Dish soap can be diluted in half. It washes just as well. If you not happy with it, add a bit less water to dilute it until you are.

[SewCrafty]

Originally posted by homesteadmamma

You can also use way less laundry detergent than what is called for. I purchase Tide liquid and it lasts me a very long time. I purchased a number over a year ago on sale and still have 3 left.

Holly, when I buy a bottle of laundry detergent, large one, it can last us for MONTHS!! I'm talking 6 months at least per large bottle and I do about 10-12 loads a week. Although I have a front loading machine, which uses less anyway, I started experimenting when I read on here that you can use way less soap than what the bottle tells you. I am now down to approximately a tablespoon of detergent per load! That big bottle lasts forever now!

Try this, put in a load of just towels, your regular amount of bleach and softner if you use it, but NO soap. Once it starts the washing cycle, go look and see just how much soap is still in those towels, you will be shocked! It took me 3 washings of my towels to get all the soap out!

Just remember to pretreat any stains (I just use liquid detergent Tide or Era full strength on them and let sit anywhere from 10-30 minutes or so) and also use that soak cycle on your washer, that is what it is there for, for really heavily soiled items.

I also dilute my dishwashing soap, a lot for hand washing and about 1/3 soap to 2/3 water for dishes. I use Dawn only as I find it is the best for cutting grease with our water softner system.

HTH and good luck cutting back, little by little you
will do it!

[babetteq]

you get 25lbs of flour for $6? OMG!! I pay 18$ for a 22lb bag. I can get it on BIG SALE (when I buy a whole bunch of them) for 12$-15$. I go through about 22lbs a month. Sometimes a bit more.

laundry detergent.... I use powdered - a bag is 6$ and I mix it 1/2 adn 1/2 with washing soday - 4$ a bag. This will last me most of a year. I only use about a tablespoon of the mixture a load as well.

hmm, sugar? I guess I buy a 22lb bag every 6 months or so. I pretty much only use it for coffee and rising yeast.... occasionally I make sweet stuff, but not often. it costs about 18$.

Food prices are expensive up here. It nearly kills me to pay almost 8$ for 4litres (~gallon) of vinegar. I grow as much as I can and am as frugal as I can but I still don't get a way with much less than about 450$ a month in groceries. We save in other ways though....

babs

[Hollyhandi]

I do cut down the amount of detergent.
When i buy it "s on sale B1 get 2 free and stock up for a year.
Gotta go . bad storm

[Tanya 93]

I have had the same 5 pound bag of flour in the freezer for a year.

I never bake.