By lovelyliz

May 29, 2008 3:19 PM | Link to this

Store brands, store brands, store brands

We also buy ultra pasteurized milk. It costs more, but we don’t end up throwing it away.

Price comparison everything. Even though we buy store brands, you have to keep your eye out. Occasionally you’ll be surprised.

Check the size and serving portion when pricing a product. Manufacturers have gotten really good at having the lowest prices per unit and maintaining the same package size while decreasing the amount of their product that’s actually in the container.

We don’t shop with a shopping list. We know how many meals we have to prepare and shop by what’s on sale. The meat department often determines what we have for Sunday dinner. It pays to be flexible with your menu.

By JJ

May 29, 2008 3:19 PM | Link to this

A whole chicken - I can get numerous meals out of one.

Roast it Sunday, and have it for dinner. Pull leftover meat off the bones and make chicken salad, chicken spaghetti (I ground it up in a food processor, just like ground beef) the next time. Then I boil the carcus for soup stock. (You can freeze stock up to 6 months). Then I make a big ol’pot of chicken soup or chicken chili. One whole chicken costs less than $8.00……The Publix rotisserie chickens are good too. Mojo is my fav!!!

When ordering chinese food, my daughter and I split an entry or if we each get our own, we put 1/2 in the freezer and save it for later.

Anytime we dine out (which is VERY rarely), we always take 1/2 home with us. We went to Old Town Tavern in Suwanee Town Park on Monday. I had cajun chicken nachos, and my daughter had a burger. We each took home 1/2 of our meals, and had them again the next day.

I shop on Sunday for a weeks worth of meals. I check the coupons, and get the Publix mystery coupon on Sunday. Then I make my menus for the week, depending on what is on sale. (I’m a cookbook junkie, I have over 20 cookbooks). Then I go to the store, coupons in hand. I also buy alot of the Publix brand items. Anytime something I need is one sale or buy one, get one, I always stock up.

Kroger in Suwanee for the last two weeks has had cases (24 bottles) of Dasani for $3.99 case. Publix had the same for $5.99/case. We stocked up on bottled water. I normally drink tap water at home, and the bottled waters are for when we are out and about. I will take one to work, drink it on the way, fill it up when I get to work, and stick it in the freezer. I pull it out about an hour before I leave, and I have a nice cold water for my drive home.

By Stacey

May 29, 2008 3:21 PM | Link to this

Like my mother was when I was growing up, I have become the queen of casseroles. I come from a big family and we always had huge Sunday dinners. Tuesday or Wednesday of that week, Sunday’s leftover meat and vegetables became either some kind of soup or casserole. Seasoned differently, your family may not even realize they are eating leftovers.

By lovelyliz

May 29, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

Back when I was in college, I would go to this steak and salad buffet restaurant. I would order the cheapest entree and the fill up at the salad bar taking the entree home for a later meal.

By Yolanda

May 29, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

We grow as much of our own food as possible. Meat is something we hardly touch in my household, and with current prices, making the decision to go without just keeps getting easier.

The higher prices climb, the more we grow and the less trips we make to the grocers. Within the next few weeks, we’ll be planting fruit trees.

Right now, what we can’t get from our own garden, we stop into local farms and purchase the rest. In a way, the food prices have made us much more diligent in choosing healthier alternatives.

Just today, I had raw baby spinach, an apple and granola for lunch. That’s a major change from my days of stopping into Chili’s and other places with co-workers.

By Chamblee

May 29, 2008 3:29 PM | Link to this

On the same day: a blog about stretching your food dollar and an article about small dogs and puppies being stolen from cars and backyards - coincidence? I don’t think so.

By Erin

May 29, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this

I’ve taken to making everything I can at home. I make a pot of soup every Sunday and eat it for lunch (and sometimes dinner) during the week, I get at least 5 lunches for at most $10-15, depending on what’s going into the soup. I even make yogurt. I was eating only organic yogurt because of all the extra sugar added to conventional yogurt. Even the organic was loaded with sugar and at $1.00 per cup, it was at least $7 if not $14 a week I was spending. I can make a week’s worth of yogurt for the cost of a quart of milk. The yogurt maker (an incubator really) was $40 a Williams-Sonoma and worth every penny. My office also has a small farmer’s market each Friday in which a man comes and sells fruits and veggies. They’re usually cheaper than the store and I save money in gas by just walking outside to shop.

I also have the privelege of being a single woman so I don’t have to worry if the rest of my family doesn’t want to eat what’s on sale.

By FCM

May 29, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this

I mentioned in an earlier blog, that for a variety of reasons I gave up meat. I still get meat for my kids. However, what I buy is largely determined by sale. Like Liz I buy store brands if I need too. Like JJ when its on sale (BOGO) I stock up—hence 4 cans of refried beans in the fridge. I watch the sales closely to determine patterns on some products too. I do without the ‘extras’ of soda etc. Like Yolonda, finding healthier alternatives gets easier.

PB&J and Grilled Cheese are popular at the moment at my house. So is yogurt, fruit, and crackers. I do still ‘splurge’ on some things like sausage biscuits that can be nuked…mostly because I do not eat breakfast but want the kids to have something more than cereal or toast and eggs.

My parents will do a garden (I do not have the land to do so) and will send something from the garden over. Also they send food by when they can.

Milk is an ‘extra’ I plan for. Publix regular brand doesn’t have rhBT in it. My mother still hates milk from drinking powder milk reconstituted growing up (it even sounds yucky!).

Also things like fruit pancakes (homemade) are spilling into dinner hour or even lunch. The ‘I don’t like it’ crowd is learning to deal or starve…it only takes once to get them to eat. Truthfully, I don’t like everything I serve (and am sick of grilled cheese) but hey, I do what I have to keep us fed!

By Stacey

May 29, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this

Yolanda…I’m still kicking myself for not following my father-in-law’s advice when I bought my house (9 years ago). He told us to go ahead and plant a couple of fruit trees and a pecan tree because it takes an average of 5 years for them to mature and bear fruit. The funny thing is, the builder planted two Bradford Pear trees in the front yard and I just figured out two years ago that Bartlett, not Bradford pear trees produce fruit! LOL

By Judy

May 29, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this

While I am not the best cook in town, I am excellent with bargain hunting. One of the previous comments mentioned water on sale. I always buy water from Sam’s. 30 bottles of Nestle water is 3.99 (which is what Walmart charges for 24 bottles). REALLY price check what you normally buy. Even stores in the same chain charge different amounts. I have found that for most things Walmart and Sam’s are FAR cheaper than any sales.

To give you an idea of price differences, my teenaged daughter wanted some easy mac. Fine - never bought it before but fine. One grocery store had a 4-pack for 3.89. Walmart had the same 4-pack for under 3.00.

By Noelle

May 29, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this

Eat less. Most of us could stand to do that.

Eat mostly at home, and take lunches and snacks with you.

Buy what’s in season and on sale. Stock up if you have the storage space, but only on really great prices (which usually require buying multiples anyway).

Buy mostly foods you know you like and can use up quickly. Trying out new things can be fun, but it can also be pricey, especially if you end up tossing much of it.

Plan menus ahead, and stick to your list, but include a few treats/splurges, so you aren’t tempted by pricey impulse buy items.

Read grocery sale papers (most are available online now), but don’t waste time and gas driving around. Plan your list based on the sales at just one or two stores (a supermarket and a farmer’s market, for example).

By FCM

May 29, 2008 4:24 PM | Link to this

Check with your grocery manager…I learned that Walmart price matches…later I learned Kroger and Publix will too IF you show them the ad and speak to the manager. That can save on gas and build customer loyalty. For business reasons the stores don’t do large print posters telling you this, after all they are in business to make a profit.

By uhhh

May 29, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this

What happened to pinto beans and corn bread or hot dogs with sour kraut? That’s what we ate groing up and we didn’t go wrong by it. There’s plenty of country cooked dinners that you can do for less than 10 bucks but you gotta know how to cook at the very least.

By hsiobhanc

May 29, 2008 4:37 PM | Link to this

our household follows the same chicken principles mentioned earlier, we buy mostly chicken quarters though. i bone and skin those, make fried chicken or whatever, boil down the bones and skin for stock and the extra meat that we then use in casseroles or tacos or whatever. eggs and pancakes have made a comeback too as dinner, kids love it and its fairly cheap, complete with protein. we have a chest freezer in the garage and buy meat on sale and just freeze it. this keeps us from spending so much on meat later. we make as many meals as we can during the week and then play potluck, cleaning out the fridge as best we can. my mom turns all things pasta into an “Italian Stew” that includes left over spaghetti, left over mac n cheese, any leftover vegetables, she even saves sauce leftover from ravioli and puts that in there. you couldend up with 30 different kinds of pasta in one dish and just as many vegetables, but the kids love it and helps save on the grocery bill!

By Muffin

May 29, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this

Re-heated nachos and a burger sounds disgusting! Just saying…

By Becky

May 29, 2008 5:04 PM | Link to this

uhhh, I’m with you..At my house we eat some kind of dried bean & cornbread at least twice a week..Grew up with & love it to this day..Muffin, the nachos reheated sound gross, hamburgers aren’t so bad..JJ, I do the chicken thing just like you..I would love to grow my own veggies, but I don’t have a green thumb & there’s no place near me to buy them at..

By Nature Lover

May 29, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this

Luckily we have hunters and fishers in our family. So the freezer has venison, dove, quail and fishing it a good bit of the year. Between that and buying meat only on sale, it helps stretch that part of our budget.

By Eating out more

May 29, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this

Actually it’s becomming more cost effective to eat out more (fast food).

The kids still enjoy it and almost every fast food restaurant has something for under or at one dollar.

We then stock up on veggies and fruit for the kids to snack on at home.

With the fast food dollar menus (and the portion sizes) there is no reason anyone in the US should go hungry!!!

By some nature lover

May 29, 2008 5:34 PM | Link to this

just had to comment on nature lovers blog…hunting and nature lover?really?

By Sp Ed HS Teacher

May 29, 2008 7:17 PM | Link to this

As a Senior Citizen, I shop Kroger or Publix each Wed for the 5% off. I always have a menu and a list. I try to never buy anything unless it is on sale and/or I have a coupon.

Teachers will get 2.5% pay increase with the Sept 30th paycheck. Insurance will go up at least 7%, and the price of everything is getting more expensive by the month.

I will have to take a 2nd job to pay for gas and food. I just drive 5 miles each way to school and tomorrow is the last day for students. We’ll work a few days next week though. Teachers do not get 3 months off either. School begins the first week of Aug.

I am cutting back on groceries at least 10% and so far, I have lost 4lb in 2 months.

By FCM

May 29, 2008 10:03 PM | Link to this

I suppose I didn’t think of red beans and rice…mostly because we eat them at least once a week even when food is cheap. Refried beans I mentioned earlier. Black beans (canned) are in the cupboard as a staple too. Cheese is another ‘extra’ I keep on hand as it is a good binder to so many dishes. Plus it should help in the calcium dept, I have a daughter that detests milk and a mother with osteoperosis (sp) so calcium is going in that child somehow.

I did lose 10 lbs in the past two months. I eat maybe 2 meals a day. I drink coffee until 12…eat a sandwich and then maybe something for dinner. The kids get 3 squares and 2 snacks….but again, I try to make sure the calories count…good veggies/fruit not junk. I figure if I have to pay the high price on food, then I better make it good for you food. I also take advantage of the ice cream sales….its a necessary extra so that there is some ‘junk’ around.

By fer

May 29, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this

Here’s one I’ve been doing for years. Free soup (well, almost free): Any leftover veggies that can go in soup go into a container in the freezer. If you eat meat, leftover bits of meat can go in it, too. When it’s time for soup, pull out 2 or 3 of these containers, thaw them in the soup pot and then add a can of diced tomatoes and whatever color is missing from the mix. If it’s sort of bland, chop up an onion and add it. Be creative. It’s delicious!

By bronco

May 29, 2008 10:40 PM | Link to this

I’m growing my own vegetables this year..12 squash plants..6 zuccinni…2row of corn..2 rows beans..2 rows okra…6 cucumber..14 tomato plants..5 hot pepper…6 bell peppers. Now I need a woman who can hoe and cook these things.

By CA

May 29, 2008 11:22 PM | Link to this

I used to always shop at Publix, but their prices are getting out of control. Now I shop at Wal-Mart (I have always made a list/menu for the week)

Sam’s is great for meat in large packages. Just re-package it when you get home. It’s a little more work, but worth it.

The best priced “store brands” (cereal, bread, milk & eggs, creamer)are at Aldi. This store took some getting used to, especially since I used to be a true blue Publix shopper.

One thing we did last winter was purchase a water filter system for the kitchen. Now we don’t buy any bottled water.

Best of all….today my husband came home with a tomatoe plant. Hope we have good luck with it.

By BW

May 30, 2008 12:25 AM | Link to this

Eat more Possom its cheap and tasty like chekin.

By lovelyliz

May 30, 2008 7:17 AM | Link to this

The trick is to meet nutritional needs while on a diet. Ramen noodles are cheap, but with so much salt and so little nutrition we avoid them.

By Nature Lover

May 30, 2008 7:45 AM | Link to this

Yes, I love nature fried, with gravy, baked, in stew… And you fail at snarky because as a group hunters care more about, and do more for, the environment than most other people. So yeah, nature lover and hunting.

By harold

May 30, 2008 8:16 AM | Link to this

Harold’s rule of food: If you see a picture of food instead of seeing actual food, then what’s in the package is expensive and will make you fat. Don’t buy it. Real food doesn’t need wrapped in a package of marketing.

By Matt

May 30, 2008 8:21 AM | Link to this

@Chamblee- LOL!!!

By Coupondiva

May 30, 2008 8:57 AM | Link to this

I’ve been combatting rising food costs with an arsenal of coupons. Average savings per trip is 60%! We are still eating healthy food, we’re just getting it for MUCH cheaper. Check out www.coupondiva.net for tips, and deals for the Atlanta Metro area!

By Coupondiva

May 30, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this

I’ve been combatting rising food costs with an arsenal of coupons. Average savings per trip is 60%! We are still eating healthy food, we’re just getting it for MUCH cheaper. Check out www.coupondiva.net for tips, and deals for the Atlanta Metro area!

By Eversave

May 30, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this

To find more ways to cut costs and live better, visit www.eversave.com today. Find articles, tips, coupons and more, all in one place.

By Shaye Breed

June 11, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this

As a de facto single woman (hubby doesn’t move here until end of summer), I’ve found myself being very careful about buying larger sizes. As in, I make absolutely sure it’s something I can and will consume all of before it goes bad. E.g., a gallon of milk may be cheaper per ounce, but I still buy a pint because I will wind up throwing the rest out anyway.

Nothing much to add beyond that—I’ve been clipping coupons but only for stuff I will buy anyway and getting things on sale, skipping what’s not, just like everyone else.

By Kat

June 11, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this

It costs more to eat well. Whole foods are more expensive than processed, packaged ones. The coupons and buy-one-get-one specials are nearly always on starchy, overprocessed foods. If you are falling back on the dollar menu and ramen noodles, or anything made with white four (including white pasta) you are contributing to the obesity epidemic in this country. Harold is absolutely right.

By KJ

June 11, 2008 2:25 PM | Link to this

FYI - to the blogger who commented about Wal-Mart price matching. Wal-Mart will only price match on identical products. Wal-Mart will not price match BOGO items either.

Some folks may be loyal to Publix or Kroger. If you haven’t checked out Wal-Mart Super Center grocery prices lately, you should. Why pay $0.75 for Jello brand jello when you can buy it for $0.50 at WM or even better pay $0.35 for WM brand. Crystal Light to Go packets - over $4 at Publix for 14 packets…$2 at Wal-Mart. Don’t let WM store brands fool you. A lot of store brand products come off the same production lines as name brands - same product, different label, cheaper price.

If I am in the area of an Aldi grocery store, I might stop in. It can be hit or miss on some products but they tend to have great deals on produce.

By Stu

June 12, 2008 12:36 AM | Link to this

I’m usually broke by the end of the week, so I eat a bunch of peanut butter and macaroni and cheese for dinner until I get paid at my factory job the following week. I’ve learned to stretch it pretty good, now that gas prices are so high.

By Grillin' King

June 12, 2008 7:27 AM | Link to this

I have cut my family down to 1 meal every other day. They complained at first until I fed them 1/2 meal ever other day. When I did that they never complained again.

By Frank

June 12, 2008 9:27 AM | Link to this

Go on a diet

By dont4get

June 12, 2008 10:23 AM | Link to this

Don’t forget about fishing for your own fresh water fish. Bass and crappies are really good. :)

By Caryn

June 22, 2008 9:47 AM | Link to this

We feed two adults (I eat three meals a day at home, my husband eats two) and two grandchildren two meals a day (they eat dinner with their parents) on $400 per month. Because my husband and I both cook, we very rarely eat out. We do not use coupons.

We focus on quick meals or frequently use a slow-cooker because we do not want to change the simple meal preparation habits we use when we are both working outside the home (I am working at home temporarily).

This works for us:

First, we stocked a pantry with staples (barley, rice, couscous, cooking oils, cake and muffin mixes, herbs and spices, canned beans, tomatoes, peanut butter, etc.).

We always have on hand a couple of large bags of frozen veggies.

We grocery shop a couple of times a week. Once a week we shop at Costco where we purchase meat and fish, coffee, salad mix, sweet peppers, milk, eggs, bread and bulk cheese (many weeks we purchase only bread, dairy and salad ingredients).

Then we head to a grocery store where we buy additional produce, always focusing on seasonal fruits and vegetables (including lemons or limes) and a bag of small apples. We keep plain yogurt and light sour cream on hand. If we need to purchase anything else, we purchase specials, BOGOs or store brands.

Every Sunday we cook two chickens (purchased at Costco) which provide the basis for three dinners for us and two lunches for the grandchildren.

If we purchase cookies, candy or chips, we head to a nearby dollar store where we purchase excellent name-brand cookies and chips for $1 a bag.

We begin every dinner with a large salad loaded with cukes, celery, sweet peppers and onions, diced tomatoes or apples, oranges, grapes and walnuts followed by a small serving of quality meat and a cooked vegetable or pasta, a lentil or bean dish, or protein-rich soup or stew, etc.

We have the same dessert every evening: a small serving of frozen vanilla yogurt topped with a small amount of fruit and granola.

We eat oatmeal or dry cereal (always with fruit) for weekday breakfasts but blow it out on the weekends with omellets, waffles, etc. We occasionally have sausage or bacon.

We could still eat well and spend a bit less (even with the higher prices) but since we don’t eat out, we treat ourselves by spending all that we budget.

By honeycloud

June 23, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this

ATLANTA BEST KEPT SECRET FOR SAVINGS ON FOOD IS ALDI’S I’VE DONE MY HOMEWORK AND I’M HERE TO TELL YOU, WALMART HAS US SO PROGRAMMED THAT YOU CAN GET ALL YOUR SAVINGS THERE THAT THEY ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE REPEAT LOYAL CUSTOMERS…I’M LUCKY TO LIVE WITHIN A 5 MILE RADIUS OF KROGER, WALMART AND PUBLIX. I GO TO ALL OF THEM AND I INVESTIGATE. RIGHT NOW MILK AT WALMART IS THE HIGHEST OF ANY OF THE STORE’S AT A WHOPPING $4.69 PER GALLON! WHILE AT ALDI’S ITS $2.24 I MEAN REALLY, WTF? EGGS AT WALMART ARE ON AVERAGE $2.00 A DOZEN AT ALDI’S ARE $1.25. THATS JUST TO NAME A COUPLE. YOU GET THE PICTURE, DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND TRY OUT MORE THAN ONE STORE. PRICE GOUGHING IS GOING ON EVERYWHERE!!!

By Dr. R

June 24, 2008 12:45 PM | Link to this

I’ve got three kids and can’t feed them as it is; I can’t imagine eight. No disrespect, but best to avoid that problem at the source. I suggest a hobby, or maybe getting cable. Back in the day, families needed eight kids to work the farm. Now they just eat you into debt.

By Nettie

June 24, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this

I have been cutting costs by doing more home cooked meals, bringing my lunch to work and shopping at this Food Market named ALDI. The food is of good quality and the prices are cut in half. Milk is $2.49/gallon. Bring your own bags (material or plastic) They also sell bags for 5 and 10 cents. There are no baggers.

By Buckshot

June 24, 2008 12:48 PM | Link to this

There’s no way around it—all the best ways to save involve extra time and work on your part. Making things from scratch, clipping coupons, going on line for extra coupons and cheap receipes, checking out sales, making up menus, etc. It’s just like losing weight—there is no quick solution. But seeing your savings, just like seeing that weight come off, will encourage you. I also work in a little treat if I save more than $20 with coupons on a shopping trip—I go to Starbucks or add $5 to my personal expense budget. Some other menu ideas that really, really do help are soups, salads, stews, and omelets (even for supper). You can stretch your meat out, veggies are filling (and good for you) and the extra fiber fills you up. Chop your own veggies—the pre-chopped ones aren’t as fresh and are more expensive. (Again, MORE WORK!). But hang in there! Ben Franklin used to try a good new habit for 30 days because he believed that would help him master it. So try one new money savings habit a month and see what happens!

By Buckshot

June 24, 2008 1:00 PM | Link to this

I know this isn’t a FOOD savings, but I tried an experiment to save gas—I drove to and from work all week and never went over 62 mph (I stayed in the “slow” lane) AND I did all my weekend running around by mapping out a route to hit it all in as few trips as possible. Guess what—normally I am dead on empty if I let it go the whole week without a fillup but at the end of 7 days, I had over a quarter tank left. That was a big help!

By kam

June 24, 2008 3:57 PM | Link to this

LOCAL FARMS AND DEKALB FARMERS MARKET. GET YOUR POULTRY, EGGS, MEAT AND MILK FROM THE FARMER DIRECTLY. GROW YOUR VEGIES AND WHAT YOU DON’T GROW AND CAN’T GET FROM THE FARM - GET AT DEKALB FARMERS MARKET AND A WAREHOUSE LIKE BJ’S FOR TOILET PAPER AND SOAPS AND THINGS. cook a meal from scratch like people USED to do b4 we got hooked on seasoning packets and jars of sauces. herbs and spices from dekalb are WAY cheaper and more punget than anything from the grocery store. no grocery stores if i can help it. 6 people (2 parents and 4 kids) on 100-150 per week.

By cbl

June 24, 2008 11:32 PM | Link to this

Stop buying outrageously priced bottled water and install a water filter or purchase a Brita. For outside the home fill up your own reusable container- Rubbermaid makes a chug bottle for $5. You’ll save money and the environment.

By Mags

June 25, 2008 1:30 PM | Link to this

We are empty nesters. It took me a while to quit buying for 4 and start buying for two! I am no longer careless about buying too much and having to throw part of it out. I’m also doing things like freeze half of the loaf of bread instead of letting it get moldy. I hate to admit how lazy and set in my ways I had been, but I’m doing better now.

By JEM

June 25, 2008 9:49 PM | Link to this

We are trying to eat less meat, so I use half the amount a recipe suggests and then double the veggies (works well in casseroles especially). Also, we treat meat as more of a “side dish” and make the basis of our meal grains, fruits and veggies.

We have also planted a small veggie garden for the first time and have enjoyed lettuce for salads, green beans, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I plan our meals around what looks like it will be ready during the week.

Finally, we are raising 4 backyard chickens (and we live intown!!) and when they start laying eggs in late summer we will be eating lots of frittatas and egg salad.

By Kelly

June 26, 2008 11:46 PM | Link to this

Here is a tip someone taught me years ago to make my milk stretch. Buy a container of non-fat powdered milk. Mix up 1/2 gallon of milk from the powdered stuff and mix it with 1/2 gallon of liquid whole milk. The taste result is that of 2% milk. I guess you could use any kind of liquid milk to mix it or use more powdered per gallon. In any case, there is one way to stretch a gallon of milk.

By Kelly

June 26, 2008 11:58 PM | Link to this

Someone posted that milk at Wal-Mart was $4.69 a gallon but did not state what brand. This can be very misleading. FYI - I have NEVER paid more than $3.68 per gallon for Great Value brand milk. Brands make a difference in price! To me, 2% milk is 2% milk. Why pay $6 or $7 a gallon for Mayfield 2% when I can buy 2 gallons of Great Value brand for the same price?

By Jennifer

June 28, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this

I stopped buying bottled water, bought a Brita filter, started using reusable water bottles and now always have at least 3 bottles of water in the fridge. Cheaper AND green!

We also did away with sodas - a huge money saver there!

By Lisa

June 30, 2008 7:43 PM | Link to this

Go back to the basics. Plan meals and cook at home. Track you food spending at fast food -resturants. “THAT’S WHERE THE MONEY GOES”

If you’re single - use powdered milk when you can it last longer.

By Paige Ann

June 30, 2008 9:34 PM | Link to this

Shop from the bottom of the shelves! It’s an old tip, but a good one. Stores stock the pricey profitable goods at eye level, so if you search high and especially low you’ll consistently find the better deals.

I second the soup trick. My three kids call it “Everything Soup,” because everything goes in it. It’s a great fall/winter staple, but I’m not as fond of steaming up the kitchen this time of year.

Last but not least, bagged cereals stored in lovely containers (not in the ugly bag) make a nice decoration in your kitchen and save you quite a bit at checkout. The kids don’t generi-o from a Cheeri-o to save their lives!

By tina

June 30, 2008 9:37 PM | Link to this

Kelli, Milk at Aldi is $2.69/gal. It was 2.49 until just 2 wks ago. We go thru a gallon a day in my house so this is very cheap considering.

By Noni

July 1, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this

www.thecuttinedge.org

By Stnicks

July 1, 2008 10:36 AM | Link to this

When your on the run or forget your lunch… Don’t under estimate the power of the $1 menu! Wendy’s, Burger King, and McDonalds have a wide selection of quick food for a buck. Grab two with a water and your setting at $2.12 - $2.40 a day for lunch… fits a budget of $10 - $15 a week for lunch! I think a chili and a baked potato sounds good!

By merideth

July 1, 2008 10:50 AM | Link to this

buy dented cans discounted produce,dairy and meats

By merideth

July 1, 2008 10:51 AM | Link to this

buy dented cans discounted produce,dairy and meats

By CL

July 1, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this

I have been doing several things this year.

First, I try something of a generic or different brand that is on sale every time at the store. If we like it, we change it out for a name brand. If not, we go back to what we do like.

I am buying what I can in bulk. Especially grains, flours, pastas, oils, frozen and canned items. Not only does this give me a “surplus” to fall back on when our business is slow, it also keeps me OUT of the store! If I can’t go in, I can’t buy. We’re lucky in that we have access to most all of the meat we want for a minimal/free cost through our family’s farm. Plus, my husband is a hunter and that’s helped us a lot.

I keep bread and butter in the freezer to limit those unplanned trips and am testing freezing milk.

We have a garden and my family has a large one too so we have access to that. I’m looking for ways to can and freeze everything I can so we’ll have it all winter. Not only will it be “free” or already paid for food, it will be local and I know exactly what went into it.

I buy frozen veggies and fruits for baking when they are out of season. It’s cheaper. I try to avoid buying things out of season since I believe that our dependence on other countries is a result of our demand for what we want, when we want it. If it ain’t in season, don’t buy it. If there’s something you love, then buy it in season and freeze it if you can. I love blackberry and peach cobbler and right now, they’re cheap (peaches are less than a $1/lb) or free(the berries) so you’d better believe that I’m freezing them in slices or spread out on cookie sheets so I can store them for the winter when I crave cobbler.

I cook a lot more now than I used to from scratch. I figured out how to make my own version of Pasta Salad and it costs pennies compared to the regular stuff and I control the salt. I taught myself to make sandwhich bread though it’s not a weekly thing I do. I just made my own granola for a fraction of the cost. I know how to cook dried beans, rice the long way, biscuits, and cornbread. No one should ever go hungry when there are dried beans on a shelf!

We don’t buy a ton of convenience foods anymore and slowly, just slowly my husband is really getting on board with this. We still have our steak or we’ll buy salmon and shrimp for supper but we’re moving away from a lot of processed stuff.

I wasn’t able to breastfeed but I do make my own babyfood for my children. They drink organic milk which I am able to do because I have reduced costs elsewhere even if my husband balks at the price.

I buy yogurt in the large containers and then split it out into individual servings. It’s way cheaper, provides more servings for the same total price, and is less wasteful. I do the same thing with applesauce.

I’ll second or third buying whole chickens. I just bought some for 0.89/lb and that’s dinner one night and 2 sandwiches for someone in our house…for $3-4. Add potatoes, a portion of a bag of frozen green beans and homemade biscuits and you’re looking at maybe $6 for a meal. Smaller grocery stores with actual butchers (as opposed to Walmart and their packaged meat) tend to have great meat sales.

The key is to plan I think. We’re trying to get better about planning our meals and laying out what’s frozen to thaw so we’re not tempted to go out. And we’re in thsi together so we’re working together to eat well and how we want to but to spend smartly at the same time.

By AtlObserver

July 8, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this

Purchase only food items from grocery store. Purchase only items that are on sale Purchase paper/non perishable items in bulk from Sam’s Club/Costco Use coupons - but not the week they come out (I find those items are usually higher)

By nurse&mother

July 17, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this

Lots of great ideas here. One thing that I do to save money on chicken is buy Tyson frozen chicken from Sam’s. Then I can take out one piece or several pieces. So there is no wasted meat.

By Dee

July 25, 2008 5:39 PM | Link to this

we are down to one car and that was a hassle at fist. But, we havegotton use to it. I am a housewife and I have the fire station directly accross the street in case anything happened. plus a neighbor who is home all the time. WE also, cut back by (Walmart is 1000 yd up the street) I gather all my coupons for 2 to 4 weeks ( its just my handband and mymyself. I make sure I get dougle papers. I go in the inthe morning because the store is freshly stock;y and it not CROWDWD.HOPE IT HELPS..

By Jo

July 31, 2008 8:36 PM | Link to this

Shop at brand name food outlets. We have a Flowers Bakery Outlet in Cumming on the Post Road that sells Nature’s Own Bread, Sunbeam bread, and other baked goods by the Flowers Company all at incredible prices. Nature’s Own at Walmart is $2.69 a loaf and is only $1.39 at the outlet. Plus the food date is not expired so you are not buying stale goods. To cut down on travel costs (although they are just down the road a mile or two),I buy 6 loafs at a time (plus hamburger buns, hotdog buns, Raisin bread, etc.) and freeze the bread until we’re ready to use it.

By Karen

July 31, 2008 9:15 PM | Link to this

Don’t buy unnecessary baby food. Mash your own bananas. You can get 6 for the price of 2 small packs of baby banana food. Buy a large jar of applesauce for $1.50, rather than baby jars. Boil carrots, mash up avocados. There’s lots you can do on your own that will cost 1/4 as much as buying it prepared with lots of yucky preservatives that baby doesn’t need anyway!

By chipdip

July 31, 2008 10:54 PM | Link to this

I eat out at least 2 to 3 times a week…at home i like to grill out filets or new york strips,shrimp kabobs,baby back ribs,flat iron steaks,chicken breasts and kansas city cut veal chops.I always stock up on beer,milk juices and sodas.