not to be a pest

**schellie69** · 10-02-2005, 09:46 AM

Okay not to be a pest but I have another question. Where do You start saving on groceries I am trying to figure out the best way to cut things out of my grocery bill but i don't even know where to start I have been using coupons and watching sales I have family of 7 so the bulk meat at sames is usally just a meal for my family does any have any ideas where i can start
thank you all for your help and I really don't mean to be a pest

Pam

**sarathom** · 10-02-2005, 10:55 AM

One thing I started doing was looking at meat (on most days) as a side dish. This works well in soups, casseroles, pasta dishes etc. Then we don't use as much. I can make 1 chicken breast feed our entire family. Start by halving the amount of meat you use and then slowly decrease it. I use lots of fillers like pasta, oatmeal, wheat germ, beans etc. to replace the "lost meat".

The other thing we do is try to eat one or two meatless nights a week.

My dh is a biiiiiiiiiig meat eater and he doesn't even notice that he is eating less meat.

Hope this helps!

**Kimberlina** · 10-02-2005, 11:22 AM

You're not being a pest- this is what we are all here for!

I hardly EVER buy anything that isn't store-brand. The few things I buy that are name brand, I look for coupons for (like DD's juice, my soy milk.) I try to use less of these things that I might if they were cheaper. DD's 100% juice gets mixed with water, and she gets no more than about 8 ounces juice total in a day, and many days she drinks nothing but water, which is our beverage of choice around here.

I make as much from scratch as possible. With a family of 7, this might be hard, but it is even more important for saving money, so maybe the older kids can help with that. I haven't purchased bread in a long time. I make my own frozen waffles, and anything else I can- it tastes better, I can control nutrition, and it is generally cheaper.

Try to use less meat in ways that aren't all that noticeable. If the recipe you use calls for a pound, use 3/4 of a pound. Make more casseroles where you can use less meat and add TVP to make up for the protein and add some texture. (TVP is a cheap, healthy, organic- in the US- soy meat substitute. It is maybe $1.99 pound dry, which makes a LOT more when reconstituted.)

Think in terms of nutrition- keep the most nutritious foods, dump the least nutritious. Amy has a good article in the TWG about this, although I'm not sure exactly which book it is in. Around here the only snacks generally available are graham crackers, air-popped popcorn, yogurt, corn chips (our least healthy treat) and fruits and veggies. I make DD "juicy bars" with the fruit and yogurt.

I'm sure I have more insight that might be helpful, but DD is finally ready to go to the store!

**Early Bird** · 10-02-2005, 11:28 AM

1. Take a look at www.sharecolorado.com . For $11, I can order a produce package that has a LOT of produce:

September Produce Package $11

1 lb. Carrots

1 Bunch celery

1 Head lettuce

1 Bunch green top onion

2 lb. Yellow onion

6 ea. Russets

2 ea. Tomatoes

5 ea. Gala apples

5 ea. Bartlett pears

1 lb. Red seedless grapes

3 pk. Romaine Lettuce hearts

1 ea. Cantaloupe

SHARE has lots of other food beside produce; everything from hamburger chubs to chicken cordon blue. If there doesn't seem to be a SHARE office in your area, try SHARE Colorado's 800 #; they might be able to direct you.

Here are some other things SHARE's offering for Oct:

October Choice

1 lb. Pollock fillet $2.50

15 oz. Boneless chicken breast $2.50

1.5 lb. Boneless pork roast $4.00

1 lb. Italian meatballs $2.40

*Variety steak box $18.00

*Grill box $17.00

Chicken cordon blue (8) 6 oz. fillets $13.00

12 oz. Bratwurst $2.25

1 lb. Chicken fajita meat $2.50

2. Check out your grocer's sale ads. Keep tabs on what is a good price, so you know when to stock up.

3. Plan a pantry & freezer if possible. Pantries and freezers allow you to stockpile when groceries are on a great sale. For example, pasta sauce, pasta, canned veg, juices, soups, canned beans, spices, flour, sugar, etc. can all be kept in a pantry. Freezers are wonderful money savers: When spiral ham went on sell-by-today sale, I bought 4 and froze 3 of them. Instead of paying $2.50/lb, I got them for $0.99/lb. Cheaper than lunchmeat. And once I bought 50 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast when too much was sent to our grocer. It was Tyson, so the regular price was $4.99/lb. They marked it down to $0.99/lb to sell their overstock. My lucky day!

**Mamaw** · 10-02-2005, 11:50 AM

Try shopping at Aldis and Save a Lot if they are in your area. They sell their own label brands. The food itself is made by the same "big name brand companies", it just has a different label on it. My DH is a save a lot manager which is why I know this for certain. I also use ALOT of coupons but I compare the price after the coupon to the price at Save a lot. When it is cheaper with double coupons, I will buy it and stock up. Otherwise it is Aldi and Save a Lot for me!

I am finding that using all my leftovers is also helping. Use the leftovers in casseroles and soups to use it up.

Work on a stockpile for items that are on sale that you can get cheaply. Also make a price book so you know the best price on everything you buy. That way, when the price is right you can stock up!

A friend of mine has 10 children and she has declared one night a week to be dessert night. On that day, she will make a home baked dessert for her family to enjoy. The rest of the week, no desserts except fruit or yogurt. She also makes alot of casseroles, soups, stews, stir fry and pasta dishes.

Good luck! I can barely cook for DH, DD and myself so I cant imagine cooking in your house!

**FreesiaE** · 10-02-2005, 02:26 PM

Hi!
Good question! I love learning new "tips and tricks" when it comes to saving on grocery bills. I plan our meals on whatever I get on sale for the week (or two). If those "red blinky"coupons are good at a store, I'll take 2 or 3 extra for later use. I cut coupons on Sunday mornings from the paper. We only grocery shop at one store b/c for us, the time and gas it would take to get to a competitor is not worth it. If something is not on sale, I usually will not buy it (unless it is milk, eggs, etc). I hold off on certain items until they are on sale-for example, I wanted to make a pumpkin bread recipe I saw on here, but the pumpkin and chocolate were not on sale and I had no coupons. They probably will be around Thanksgiving. I also look for coupons on packages of items. For example, this week boil in bag rice was on sale for $1.79 a box, but some boxes had coupons for .50 on them which doubled to $1.00 for a box. I bought all 4 boxes of brown rice, and 2 of white with the coupons on them for $.79 a box with 4 bags per box that easily serve my husband and myself. Could we probably found a better deal on bulk rice? Sure, but we both work, so it is a balance between convience and savings. Tonight, I'm going to roast a chicken, which will serve us tonight, and most likely another dinner and some lunches as well. Have fun!

**forestdale** · 10-02-2005, 02:41 PM

Start stockpiling. You can do this with $5 a week buying the best loss leader that you can find. Buy $5's worth. This is a slow process, it is for all of us, but when you've built a good stockpile you can "shop" from your stockpile, top up what you need that week in the grocery store (if anything) and use most of your grocery budget for keeping the stockpile full. That way you'll be using loss leaders, couponed items and sale items most of the time.

Also, use less of everything - less meat, less, butter, less "real" milk - use powdered milk mixed with "real" milk. They won't notice.

I've really just repeated what the ladies have already told you but these things do work. Good luck.

**Mamawolf** · 10-02-2005, 02:48 PM

I started like suggested. Making meals as much as I can from scratch, trying to use as little meat as possible, also check your farmers market for veggies and fruits. they tend to sometimes cost less and are more nutritious not to mention support local farmers.

**Darlene** · 10-02-2005, 03:26 PM

Things like grits & oatmeal for breakfast can be nice on the budget too.
Stay away from buying lunchmeat from the deli. Cook your own meat and invest in a slicer if lunchmeat is important to you.
Homemade soup & bread make for a wonderful lunch or dinner.
Homemade split pea soup and cornbread is pennies to make.

Rice with veggies and little meat fills you up.
Pizza is a crowd pleaser and by making it yourself you save bunches.
Just a few ideas, good luck with shopping & cookingng for your family.

Ps~ your not a pest.

**peanut** · 10-02-2005, 05:23 PM

You are not a pest. It can be overwhelming when you are just starting out. Here's how I would do it.

Go to your pantry and freezer and make a list of every food item you have.

Create a weekly menu that uses those food items.

Grocery shop for only those things you need. Stick to the list! Do not buy junk food. Find healthy food to replace it.

If you have money leftover, then buy items that are on sale (that you'd normally eat) to stockpile your pantry/freezer.

If you have nothing in your pantry/freezer, the first thing to do is look for healthy frugal recipes and create menus and grocery lists from those.

The other ideas people have mentioned are good too. We have a vegetarian night once a week, a soup night once a week, and chicken, fish, pork and beef nights once a week. Usually one night is leftovers. Only dd and I are home then.

We also eat leftovers for lunch. I make breakfasts from scratch. No cereals here, unless they're used by dh to augment hm granola. We have muffins and cheese, omelets and toast, oatmeal and fruit, French toast and maple syrup (you can make a hm version of this), pancakes/waffles, granola, and smoothies for breakfast...all from scratch.

We extend ground beef with green lentils for chili, shepherd's pie, etc. In fact I use beans and lentils a fair bit in our diet. We extend hamburgers by mixing beef with oatmeal (1 lb. beef to 1/2 c. oatmeal).

In terms of nutrition, think about how processed the food is. The closer to it's natural state you buy and eat it, the healthier it is for you and your family. So feed them raw fruits and vegies a lot. Also nuts and seeds. Of course meat should be cooked. But buying fresh meat is better than buying frozen or canned. And buying frozen is better than buying canned.

HTH
Jean

**Mom23boys** · 10-02-2005, 05:45 PM

We save by eating casseroles where you can use less meat. I also try to have at least one night without meat each week. I think meat hurts any budget.

I also use coupons and stockpile! It seems like it takes alot of time, but sending in for rebates is also a money saver. Most rebates are for TMF (try me free) offers. If you were going to buy that item anyway, you can now get it for free. You could add the rebate checks into your budget for stockpiling.

**Mom23boys** · 10-02-2005, 05:48 PM

Edited to add:

Cook from scratch! It may be calling for more of your time, but your budget will thank you.

I also use powder milk in recipes that call for adding milk to them.

**Valerie in WA** · 10-02-2005, 05:50 PM

I would encourage you to start saving all your receipts and calculating what each meal costs you. Compare the costs of Froot Loops for 7 people to oatmeal or pancakes (scratch or mix). Compare the cost of spaghetti to a frozen Stoufers lasagna. Compare roast beef with vegetables to stir-fried beef and vegetables.

The point of this calculating will be to find the biggest drains on your budget. You can focus on those areas first.

In general, the closer a food is to it's original form, the less it will cost. Try to buy fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, meat that's just meat, not breaded or seasoned already. Buy flour and make biscuits, rather than buying rolls to go with that roast. If you know how to bake bread, you can save a bundle. If you already have a bread machine, you can make yummy breads to round out simple meals like soup & salad.

The other HUGE budget maker is/are BEANS!! Dried beans: pinto, navy (which are really white), red/kidney, etc. I've been increasing our comsumption of beans and - to my surprize - my kids REALLY like them. They are cheap and very healthy.

Don't forget that potatoes and carrots are usually inexpensive year round - they make great filler for hungry tummies.

And welcome!

**Newsnerd68** · 10-02-2005, 08:17 PM

I don't have nearly as many mouths to feed, but my "family" includes three grown men and a teen (my husband's lifelong friend divorced and is raising his daughter - they live with us- and our son is 21). These guys are no lightweights either, they were all highschool football players and still eat like they're training!
Anyway, the way I've found to keep our food bill down is to go to multiple stores to take advantage of their sales. Those little customer cards that seemingly every store has are very worth it and allow me to buy better cuts of meat than I could afford at discount type stores.

Ditto on the Aldi and Save A Lot tips. We have an Aldi near my house and it is a money saver. We prefer a lot of Aldi brands to big name brands.

I scour recipes in cookbooks (bought at thrift stores), magazines and here at the forums to find ways to stretch what I've got!

**lilk** · 10-02-2005, 09:19 PM

One thing we do is have breakfast for supper. Eggs and toast, eggs with potatoes and a little cheese on top, egg sandwich. HM pancakes with HM syrup.

Potatoe soup is a cheap meal. You can dress it up a little with sour cream, shredded cheese and cooked crumbled bacon. Whatever you have on hand. Add some crusty bread. Yummy.