How can a family of 4 live on 400.00 a month in groceries in SA? (Happy: countertops, to buy)

[88txaggie]

coupons help, I'm surprised no one has mentioned the grocery game (dot com) - you pay a small fee every 6 weeks and she compiles all the store sales with coupons in a database. You make your grocery list based on her database and stockpile, specially things like soap, laundry detergent, etc. I save a bunch this way. It helps that I currently live by groc stores that double/triple coupons, but she has a list for HEB too.

[FamilyTexas]

Thanks for the Farmer's Market link! I'm excited to check them out.

Target has online grocery/store coupons that you can print and there are usually some pretty decent ones. You can pair them with sale/clearance items and get things for a decent deal. Target will also accept 1 online coupon from the link WITH 1 manufacturer coupon. It takes some work, but I've found some of our best deals at Target. Here's an online coupon generator: Grocery Coupons & Deal Forums - A Full Cup - Target Coupon Generator.

[djw]

Originally Posted by cr1039

Texas Department of Agriculture

you can find the market nearest to you at this site

And here's a quick reference map: (Red denotes those open Sat/Sun)
Google Maps
Great site! I like the guide for what's in season.

[kosen]

Okay, I have 2 tips, okay 3:

1. EAT LESS. most americans could stand to eat less.

2. EAT LESS MEAT. go vegetarian most days, meat on occasion. saves a bundle. did anyone say trader joes? cheap fish, frozen is just as good.

3. MAKE ALL YOUR OWN STUFF. make big batches so there's leftovers (saves on time, which you'll appreciate once you start doing all your own cooking.)

okay, a 4th:
4. BUY ZERO PACKAGED/processed FOODS.

I haven't lived in SA (yet), but in the SF bay area where everything is twice as expensive, it is possible to eat on less than $50/wk per person. "beans and rice and jesus christ" as they say!

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by kosen

Okay, I have 2 tips, okay 3:

2. EAT LESS MEAT. go vegetarian most days, meat on occasion. saves a bundle. did anyone say trader joes? cheap fish, frozen is just as good.

I haven't lived in SA (yet), but in the SF bay area where everything is twice as expensive, it is possible to eat on less than $50/wk per person. "beans and rice and jesus christ" as they say!

You'll find there's no Trader Joe's here. And no Aldi's (a GREAT store), and AFAIK, HEB does not double coupons, but their food is generally quite cheap, even beef. Though I'd agree with eating less meat.

[Ripshin]

Eat less.

[MtnzFam]

We're a family of 5. My husband gets paid every 2 weeks, so I also do a "big" grocery shopping trip every 2 weeks. I try very hard to keep my bill under $200 & usually make it. Whenever possible I use coupons & shop at a "regular" HEB (instead of HEB Plus).

I typically spend $160-$200 (that includes diapers for our youngest, baby wipes, health/beauty items, paper products, etc.) every 2 weeks, but do make a few trips imbetween to replenish milk, soda, & such things.

If I stop at Target, FORGET IT. I love Target, but hate that store as well ... I always spend too much money there.

Our actual food costs are pretty decent, it's all the other "stuff" that tips the budget. I'm not much of cook, but hubby cooks everything from scratch as long as he's not working.

We do snack alot, I drink tons of soda, kiddos love expensive cereals, ice cream, etc. so all in all, I think we keep our costs pretty low compared to what they *could* be. We're also all lactose-intolerant & of course, lactose-free milk is quite pricey compared to regular milk.

I would suggest you make a list (& menu & stick to it, that always helps me.

[carlitasway]

HEB has good meat and sometimes produce sales and you can check out their add online. I shop Walmart, Dollar Tree and Big Lots for most of my pantry things. Walmart comes out cheapest for cleaning supplies also. I live not far from a bread outlet store so I go there for bread. All of these stores are close to me so gas isn't an issue. I don't use coupons often because most are for things I don't use and no stores here double or triple so it doesn't feel worth the time for me.

Menu planning is key to keeping a budget. Plan all of your meals. Cook from scratch as much as you can. I have built a very sufficient stockpile so I will be cutting my grocery bill to 60 a week for everything and this is for a family of 4. I buy most of my veggies frozen. The fresh produce I do buy are generally cheap. Celery, lettuce, cucumbers, whole carrots, bananas, garlic, cilantro, potatos, onions and apples(on sale) is enough roughage for us plus my family likes these things. This time of year I'll splurge on the cuties. Making a list and sticking to it is also key.

If you have food already in your pantry and freezer, figure out what you can make with it and only buy the extra ingredients you need. Go to recipe sites to get ideas. You can type in ingredients you have and recipes will show up with those ingredients in them.

[banker]

Our budget is $360.00 per month. My wife doesn't work, so she has time to plan menus for the week and she watches the ads in the Sunday Paper. We limit our out to eat meals to about three per month. We have a three and a half year old and a four month old. so the budget includes diapers for the little one. We eat plenty of fruits and vegatables and I take my lunch to work each day. It does get challenging around holidays since those types of meals can be very costly. Also, we don't drink much at all. We might have just a couple of 12 packs of beer all year. So that helps.

One area that many people over spend in is buying lots of pre packaged food and not planning what they are going to eat. Instead they just shop to stock a pantry and fridge...often times things go bad and get thrown out.

We don't live so cheaply because we have to, but because we would rather spend our money on more tangible things like furniture, investments, college fund for our kids, etc. I hear horor stories of folks spending $1,000/month on groceries and I don't understand how they do it!!

Dave Ramsey isn't the end all answer for money things - but he does have some good ideas. Living frugally helps in many ways. If people spent less on food - they could save, or pay down debt faster which would help in times like these.

[GoTexan]

A lot of creative ideas on this thread.

Recently, I had an interesting experience at the grocery store.

The other day while at Costco, I purchased an 8 lb USDA Prime Rib for around $8 per lb.

Later that afternoon I went to HEB at Boerne Stage Rd and saw they had USDA Prime Rib priced at $12.75 per lb. Same cut, same grade!

I was so happy about my savings, I splurged for a 20yr scotch! Gotta love Costco

On a more serious note, I do buy the following at Costco and find that it saves me time (I don't have to go to the store as often) and money. These are our "costco" staples:

meat (prepackaged chicken breast are great)
liquor/wine (excellent discounts at costco)
olive oil (will last us a whole year)
coffee
big box of chips (single sizes so they don't go stale, only 2 of us)
paper towels/toilet paper/ziplocks/trash bags
dishwasher detergent/ tide/ soap
sodas
bottled water
Over-the-counter medicine (still on the same bottle of advil we bought 2yrs ago!)
light bulbs

So we keep those items stocked and I'll go to Heb or the Farmers Market for fresh produce.

We also have meat processed. My husband will shoot a hog or deer when he is at our ranch and we will have it processed and keep it in the freezer.....Less money I have to spend at the store on meat!

I don't cook much since I have dinner with clients (2-3 times a week) and my husband travels quite a bit. But on weekends we like to cook and it's nice to have things on hand.