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If it's just me I'll usually spend about $200/month. Most of the time I go to Fry's but I will make a stop at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's if there's something out of the ordinary that I cant find at Fry's. Additionally, I'll spend about $50/month eating out at sitdown restaurants. No fast food joints.
my average monthly spend was $210 per month for 3 people (me, wife, 3 1/2 year old). that includes stuff like bodywash, shaving supplies, shampoo, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. probably some other stuff since I will categorize Costco trips as grocery even when we may pick up some non-grocery items.
I use coupons a lot to knock down my bill. I have stockpiled a decent amount of food, I don't seem to be finding the deals lately that I used to.
If you don't mind, what, and how much, are you and your family eating every day that food costs can be so low? I'd like to knock down our food budget but we have a lot of fresh produce in our diet. We can drink almost $10 of alcoholic beverages nightly too but don't regret that part at all.
We went shopping yesterday and all of the great value bread and non-Great Value milk were expired by about two or three days. I've also bought moldy cheese and bread (should have looked at it) and gritty refried beans from Walmart. You really have to check the dates here in order to avoid buying things expired, because this store will leave it on the shelves.
This never happened at Fry's, but I know Walmart purchases differently in order to allow their guests to save money. I live in a small mining town (Globe) so maybe that's why, not a fast turnover.
I hope you registered a complaint with management. That's just not right. In over three years as a cashier I have found one bag of potatoes that was starting to 'go' and a few boxes of strawberries. That's about it.
I'm familiar with Globe but haven't been there in a long time.
We are about $150-$200+ for family of four. I'm buying higher quality, organic or local fruits and veggies. Local, pasture-grazed cow's milk in glass bottles, local pastured hens' eggs. Most of our beans are also organic and purchased in bulk at the co-op. I buy ONE local, pasture-grazing, organic whole chicken a month that costs me somewhere around $22. The chicken is roasted, meat is pulled and usually goes into two or three casseroles (for a total of 10 meals), I make a double batch of chicken stock (an entire stock pot) to freeze for a month's worth of soups. Each week I rotate between buying 2 lbs of beef, pork or fish.
You need to put together a price book. Make a list of common foods or other products you like to buy in one column. Next to that have columns for each store where you purchase items. Go to one store one week and note the price per unit and then visit the other store the next week. Also note if the price is a special sale. See which stores are cheaper. I've done this a few times. Wal-Mart often had higher priced items. I found better deals on at the chain grocery store plus I prefer the meat and produce from non-Wal-Mart stores. I used to like the Great Value brand, but the quality has declined over the last few years.
I think your Fry's is our Kroger. I like their store brands. I save by stocking up when there are sales regardless of brand. This past week brand name cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth, and canned veggies were on sale. I bought stuff to stock my pantry and some to donate for the upcoming food drives. Kroger has an on-line site where you register your loyalty card. You can also select ecoupons to use when you check out. Not sure, but you may be able to stack manufacturer's coupons on top of that. Sometimes they mail out grocery coupons for free items like free eggs, carrots, bottled water, etc. Also, using the card gives us money off per gallon when we buy gas in certain locations. Also, I have located the places in the store where they put marked down items. This past week, I bought several types of beef including roasts and brisket for 1/2 price possibly marked down because the turkeys are taking up space. They still looked and smelled good. I cooked them up when I got home so I could use the meat this weekend for family meals. They tasted great and I froze some to be used at a later date. The week before this, I found .$25 sour cream that was at it's sell by date. It's good. We've been using it for our meals.
The other advice I can think of is to make up menus based on loss leaders from the weekly ads. Our ad this week had pork loin and chicken breasts on a good sale. I ended up freezing those because I felt the beef needed to be cooked up, but now I have a couple of weeks worth of meat bought at reduced price. Apples, pears and carrots were also on good sale. They make handy snacks. We eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies. I look for items in season so they are at best prices even if they are not on sale. Broccoli and cabbage weren't on sale, but were at good prices. I still have frozen bell peppers, celery, and onions from a while back. We have the basics for good soups, casseroles and stir-frys.
We have a cat and dog. I don't scrimp on their food. The vet recommended Science Diet for them and that is what they get. A big bag of food lasts over a month. At around $25 a bag for each animal , it's really not too much to spend on them. The cat sometimes gets treats, but not very often. Her treats are less than $5 per month. The dog gets more treats than that, but they amount to less than $1 per day. He's a good dog and worth much more than that to us.
If you don't mind, what, and how much, are you and your family eating every day that food costs can be so low? I'd like to knock down our food budget but we have a lot of fresh produce in our diet. We can drink almost $10 of alcoholic beverages nightly too but don't regret that part at all.
I am the cheapest. I don't mind eating the same thing daily and it doesn't matter much what it is. ive been eating a pb&j for lunch for the past 2 years. I love them. they cost me next to nothing (peanut butter .19 a jar, jelly free or close to it, white bread at .85 a loaf). im eating total cereal for breakfast because I got about 10 boxes for free. dinner is typically chicken and a side of rice/pasta/potato.
my daughter eats hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza, etc.
my wife eats a lot of pizza. she makes rice but I never know for sure what she is eating. I have gotten a lot of digiornos for less than $3 with sale + coupons.
I utilize coupons, always buy on sale, if I cant beat the aldi price I go to aldi. the circulars arrive in the mail on Thursday, I go through them all and write down the best deals.
I sometimes buy produce, but its not a daily requirement. when I do, ill make sure its on sale. mixing in fruits and veggies isn't expensive as long as you check the deals. I don't drink alcohol.
Go to one store one week and note the price per unit and then visit the other store the next week. Also note if the price is a special sale. See which stores are cheaper.
if you are paying regular price in a grocery store, you are throwing away money. its always gotta be a sale in a grocery store.
if you are paying regular price in a grocery store, you are throwing away money. its always gotta be a sale in a grocery store.
Not necessarily. Frugal doesn't necessarily mean the cheapest. It's the best value for your money. And my time and health is worth something to me. If I don't always get the cheapest price, but I get something I value at price I feel comfortable with, then I am happy with it.
I grew up eating veggies and fruits picked fresh from the garden or a local fruit and veggie farm. In winter, we ate more of the canned veggies and store bought fresh fruit. Fresh fruit and veggies are a notable part of my families diet. These days, we eat more of the "fresh" fruit and produce from the grocery store. I keep some canned and frozen on hand, but the "fresh" usually tastes better and has the benefit of no added sugars or salt so it has value to me. They are perishable within a few days so if I have a specific recipe in mind, then I can't always wait for the sale on all the items. I'm not going to waste gas driving around to various grocery stores so I can save a few cents. The fall and winter fruits and veggies are in the stores right now. They aren't always on sale, but if you compare them against the summer prices, they are cheaper and they are cheaper than the fruits and veggies that are out of season. You can choose to eat right or pay the difference in doctor's bills. I make the choice to pay a little more in groceries.
Also, we love to eat at restaurants like PF Changs. A night out at PF Changs now costs my family $100 plus tip. I'm learning to cook more foods and recipes. Last weeks grocery list had sesame oil, garlic chile sauce, oyster sauce, and udon noodles. These are items I had never previously purchased or used. Price wise, these items were not on sale. I've never kept track of them so I don't know when they go on sale....maybe during the Chinese New Year? Even though, I didn't get the sale price, I would still say I was frugal because I didn't spend $100 plus tip at a restaurant. I spent less than $20 and my family had a meal we enjoyed and leftovers for the next day. I did get to enjoy the benefit of my sale prices on chicken, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. I keep green onions growing in a dish on my counter. I didn't have to pay for them. My remaining bottles of sauces and oil will be in place for the next time I cook this meal.
Tip: If you like, green onions, buy them off sale. After you cut the tops off, you can grow them by putting the bottoms in water or a little dirt. I'm growing this batch inside the house, but I've had previous luck growing them outside in my herb garden. You can also do this with some of the other veggies like celery.
Our goal is to get down to 100 dollars a week without depriving ourselves of nutrients and variety.
We also get the best dog food because some of it's so bad it has made our dogs sick. Our cocker spaniel has bladder crystals so she needs a special food at 75 dollars a bag. I have noticed an improvement in her stream. We can make a bag last about 4 to 5 months because I have a homemade dog food recipe I supplement it with. Our poodle is 10 and we want to keep him alive a few more years. He bounces around so much our vet thought he was the younger one (the cocker spaniel is 5). They are like our kids. They get healthy treats for going to the bathroom outside every time (the cocker spaniel has bladder problems so we have to give her an incentive).
Looks like a lot of you guys have found ways to save money. More ideas are welcome.
Quite honestly, I have no idea. My family eats really well and healthy and I know I am feeding them for less cost than most people pay.
But I drive over the mountains twice a year and buy bulk when I am there. Last trip I bought 50 pounds of rolled oats, 40 pounds of brown rice, 20 pounds of oat bran, 20 pounds of baking chocolate, 20 pounds of cheese (on sale), all of this being the brands we much prefer and I will use it over a year's time, so how do I keep track of how much I paid for the rolled oats this month?
I buy our beef 40 pounds at a time and grind my own. $2.40 a pound for meat that is vastly superior to grocery store hamburger. I buy black angus new york steaks for $4.50 a pound, I have to hand cut them, but they will last me all year. If it takes me a year to use it up, how do I figure what my cost is for just this month?
The veggies, unfortunately, have become very expensive. I grow some, but had failures of fruit and veggies this year due to weather. So, I am buying. The cheapest aren't good, so I pay what they cost to get quality, rationalizing that it for the family health.
I get veggies at the restaurant supply and salad stuff at Costco (they sell good romaine for a decent price). A local Oregon company sells a decent frozen veggie that is Oregon grown. Not too outrageous per serving. Not cheap, but I think less than fresh after you take away the trimmings and waste.
For breakfast, we eat either home made granola or home made oat bran muffins. The granola costs about the same as commercial cereal, tastes better and is much healthier. It could be done for a lot less costs than I pay, because I put in some expensive ingredients, like dried blueberries and unsweetened large flake coconut (that has to be ordered on-line). Some economy with the ingredients would bring it down way below the cost of General Mills and it will still taste better.
The oat bran muffins are cheap to make and they lower cholesterol plus contain healthy things.
Last edited by oregonwoodsmoke; 11-14-2013 at 11:52 AM..
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