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Last year I switched to buying more generic products, but the previous posters are right--some are great, some are okay, and some are really bad. I have tried a few generic ketchups, but I stick with the name brand ones now. I only buy it when it's on sale, though.
I shop at our local super Walmart for most groceries, and am happy with a lot of their generics--pasta, pizza sauce, tomato products, canned mushrooms, canned soups, crackers, cereal, cereal bars, pop tarts. Giant (MD and PA ones) have some good generics, too. Aldi has some great off brand products--I can't really tell the difference, and their prices are much cheaper.
I check the grocery ads and only buy meat when on sale. It seems like they rotate the sales every month or so. We use our deep freeze a lot...meat, ice cream, bread.
I am amazed what groceries cost these days!! I seem to have a hard time getting out of there without spending close to $100 - on a big run of course- I added up my monthly for the last 2 months and it's almost $500.Leave some tips on saving -I use coupons and the buy one get one frees -I am not good about buying store brand- can you tell the difference on some items or not- Please post any tips here!!
We live in an area that has a very, very good close-out chain store. We also have 3 larger supermarkets and Costco. WalMart is the last resort.
I won't pay $45/yr to shop at a store, so I don't do Costco. IMO, I would need to recoup that fee, plus double, to see any benefit of dealing w/ Costco.
I go once every other week; early Sat. mornings. DH watches the kiddos. I get out of the house either prior to wakeup or during breakfast & am back prior to lunch.
I spend in the area of $250-$300 when diapers, razors for the dh, and meats are added in.
I have heard GFS has some good deals as well as Aldi's, but have never been to either.
Basically, I just buy food once every two weeks. I DO NOT go to the store AT ALL during the interim (barring emergencies).
Coupons from online and from the paper.
I write a list along with "trying" to write a list of the weekly meals. I am not a short order cook, so I don't make 3 different meals at dinner, etc.
I stick to the list.
When I start to go a little crazy & get burned out from cooking, I look online for some new recipes and USE WHAT I HAVE in my pantry. I can't stand frozen foods & find them expensive & gross tasting, so I don't buy much frozen prepared stuff minus popsicles, veggies and ice cream.
My next goal is shopping only 1 time per month. I use to go once a week and have narrowed it down to every other week. I save about $25-$50 now by not going every week.
Disclaimer: It my dh, myself & two toddlers, so I think right now I have it easy in terms of cost of food!!
aldi is a great cheap grocery store but one is not close to me. My best way to save at the grocery store is to make a list from the sale circular, make menus and stick to it. I try to cook at least 3 evening meals on Sunday and refrigerate for those busy nights when we might be tempted to go out which is way too expensive. I buy little prepared food like hamburger helper. I tear dryer strips into halves or thirds and get fine results, buy cheap detergents-nobody gets their clothes really dirty.
I won't skimp on toilet paper or pet foods but I won't buy bananas for 69cents a pound either. Fresh veggies and meatless nights-at least 3 a week keep our food budget low.
DH travels alot for business and when he is gone I feed the kids with less work intensive but still nutritious meals. We make lunches for school including milk.
I can really tell a big difference when I don't plan my menues. Every now and then I play "use everything up we have in the pantry" I have come up with some real winners and a few disappointments too. Soups are very cheap and soup with fruit salad, crackers or biscuits are regulars when DH is gone.
I don't buy air fresheners, many toilitries or impulse buys. it takes real work to keep a family's food budget in line these days.
I agree about having a list. I make up my menu before I go to the store and I stick to it, otherwise I wind up spending a whole lot more and then find out I don't have all the ingredients to make some of the things I had planned on.
The shoppers cards are also a great tool. I have one from Kroger and periodically they send me coupons for all the stuff that I normally buy and they also include coupons for free things. Since I've been trying to cut down my food bill I try to buy all my meat and fresh products at my regular grocery store and I go to Walmart for all the canned and dry goods. As much as I don't like Walmart they are a ton cheaper for those sorts of things over my regular grocery store, but I will not buy their meat (not good at all IMO).
Im single & i spend approx $150.00 month on groceries. I usually shop at a few supermarkets incl walmart. I dont buy anything expensive & i buy stuff from the mark down bins (when available). I rarely buy soda but i buy a big container (makes 38 qts) of stater bros ice tea mix with lemon for 7.00 (price increased $1.50). I also mainly buy store brands. Walmarts brand (great value) is good. I dont eat 3 meals a day.
Our budget for 2 adults and two growing boys is about $700 a month. We eat really well - I'll buy specialty items. I spend more on meat becuase I buy much of it thru market day. But I buy ahead when things are on sales and store or freeze. This makes the biggest differnece for us. I home bake treats instead of buying packaged. I grow some food. This budget does include some household items like toilet paper but not all of them. You can really sale shop and save a LOT of money if you work at it with coupons and sales. A website that has really helped me is Money Saving Mom. Its easy to navigate and friendly. I get a lot of free or near free items like razors and toothpaste and kleenex at Walgreens. But if its not on sale at "WAGS" you're better off going to Target or Walmart. I alternate my primary grocery shopping between a discount store and a more "premium" store dependingon what we need. We do a lot of big batch from scratch cooking.
I don't keep close track but in general, I shop once a week and I don't spend more than $100 each time, so that's approximately $400 per month for two adults. We don't eat meat, dairy, or junk food. We eat a lot from the bulk food section and the produce department.
We spend about $500 to $600 a month for a family of four. I try to mix more elaborate meals with pasta or pizza night once a week. I shop at Stop and Shop (I love using their points for gas discounts). I have 3 in fairly close proximity that I could go to. What I've learned is that the store in the most upscale area is actually the cheapest because they have more competitors in close proximity. That makes them lower their prices more to compete. Sometimes the difference is really astounding.
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