Deleted
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May 2, 2024 3:15:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 23:40:37 GMT
Eat vegetables and fruits that are in season.
Frozen vegetables can be better - and much cheaper - than fresh out-of-seaon vegetables because they are picked and processed in season.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 12, 2016 23:43:16 GMT
Use a calculator and keep track of what you spend as you go through the store
Buy canned stuff when it is on sale and stock up.
Make a list
I spend about $600 per month for my family of 4, but we buy our beef in quarters or side, so that is not part of the budget.
Because I stock up here and there, I can go over a week without going without any ptoblem. In fact, I haven't gone currently in almost 2 weeks.
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Post by freecharlie on Oct 12, 2016 23:44:06 GMT
Oh, I only shop at kings soopers because Ds has a reload able gc that gives him 5 percent toward a trio.
I use their coupon app instead of clipping coupons.
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Post by unknown pea on Oct 13, 2016 0:11:28 GMT
I forgot my # 1 tip. Do not let the DH do the grocery shopping! I swear he somehow managed to spend $70 on the ingredients for s'mores this summer. Glad to know mine isn't the only one that does this. He buys 10 of something if it's on sale. Drives me nuts.
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Post by unknown pea on Oct 13, 2016 0:22:48 GMT
We cook stuff and freeze left overs. Our fridge is ridiculously small in the fridge portion but the freezer is decent. We go to farmers markets and get a couple spaghetti squash and peppers, carrots etc. The squash gets cooked all at once. We have a meal and the rest of it is frozen into single portions for my lunch. I drop one in the lunch bag an it's thawed by lunch time. We also get the rotisserie chicken from Costco (thank you peas!)And that's also frozen.Left over pot roast and potatoes are also frozen. Saves us a ton of money on lunches, or if one of us is out in the evening, I just thaw something.
We have a white board that lists everything in the freezer and we adjust it as things are taken out.
I do however wish the was an Aldi here.
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Post by mimi3566 on Oct 13, 2016 0:46:17 GMT
Not only plan your meals by what's on sale, but take inventory or your pantry/spices and plan your menu to include items you have on hand.^^^ how, how, how does one do this effectively?? I am not a 'throw things together and it works' type of cook; I cook using recipes, and I can't figure out how to plan a menu like this. If I want to make a specific recipe, I might (okay, I will probably) need to buy at least one or two things to make it. Especially if it calls for a certain fresh / chopped / etc. vegetable; the only fresh vegetables I keep on hand are green peppers and onions. If I look strictly at what items I have on hand in my pantry and/or freezer, I can't figure out what to make with it-- cookbooks aren't set up like that, and my cooking brain can't visualize a 'finished dish' when I look at a bunch of separate ingredients. So for me, putting together a menu for the week will involve shopping... it seems like I have to do a certain amount of stocking up in order to menu plan at all. I didn't mean to suggest that you wouldn't have to buy some items to complete a recipe but I've been known to plan a meal and buy some of the items because I wasn't aware I had one or several of the items already on hand. Also, you can go to allrecipes.com and put in your ingredients and it will kick out recipes that include those ingredients.
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Post by leslie132 on Oct 13, 2016 2:02:54 GMT
Thank you ladies for sending over ideas.
I had breakfast on the menu and my family love that idea. We are into that meal so it will be a great treat!
I'm going to really focus on price comparison and meal organization.
The biggest deal breaker for me is sadly, I stray off my list. So I'm going to use my phone calculator to make sure I stay in line!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 2, 2024 3:15:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2016 2:09:09 GMT
"The biggest deal breaker for me is sadly, I stray off my list. So I'm going to use my phone calculator to make sure I stay in line!"
I found that if I allowed myself one "treat" or splurge, then I don't stray off list and it makes me think harder about it. Do I really want those cookies or to try that new brownie mix?
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Post by anxiousmom on Oct 13, 2016 2:19:24 GMT
Also, try to buy private label store brand vs. national branded products. I work for a food manufacturing business....we package more private label than we do branded and in most cases, it's the same thing and retails for much cheaper. I do most of my shopping at Publix...their private label is just as good, if not better than most branded items. And a heck of a lot cheaper most of the time unless they offer BOGO's that week. I almost exclusively buy Publix brand as I have found that I have never been disappointed in the quality. I think there has only been one thing I didn't care for, but I was the only one who noticed the difference. I only buy the name brands if they are part of the buy one-get one. I don't do this with just food either-but also things like bleach, tampons and other non-food items. Publix has gotten the reputation for being the 'expensive' store, but I haven't found that to be the case. I plan around and shop the sales, I buy store brands and make use of their coupons and I save a good bit each week.
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Post by mimi3566 on Oct 13, 2016 2:19:24 GMT
Speaking of beans to stretch a meal. I use lentils in several recipes as a substitution for ground meats. A 1lb bag is like $1 and it can take the place of about 6lbs of ground meat. They are extremely high in protein and fiber therefore very healthy. I use in pasta dishes, shepherds pie and one of my family faves sloppy joes.
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Loydene
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,639
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jul 8, 2014 16:31:47 GMT
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Post by Loydene on Oct 13, 2016 2:39:35 GMT
I don't recommend powdered milk as a substitute for fresh. I hated it, but that was part of her "economizing." My Mother made "milk" 1 part powdered to 1 part regular. I don't recall it as being "bad" -- it was just milk.
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Post by mlynn on Oct 13, 2016 2:40:22 GMT
One of my favorite sites is The Cook's Thesaurus, otherwise known as foodsubs.com/ You type in an ingredient and it will tell you what you can substitute for it in your recipe. Don't have buttermilk? Tells you what to put in to have a like effect. No thyme? It will tell you what spices you can sub. This saves us a lot on ingredients we won't use up and on trips to the store.
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 13, 2016 2:53:23 GMT
Use bones!
Get ham hocks to make ham & bean soups, split pea soup, red beans and rice (I have an ah-MAZE-ing recipe)
Beef bones ( ask butcher for fresh) and make beef stock for beef veggie soup, beef barley soup, your own broth you can freeze.
Chicken. If you roast a chicken or buy a roasted one, thrown the carcass into the crock pot with onions celery and salt, cook overnight for stock and use for soup or stock.
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Post by chaosisapony on Oct 13, 2016 2:59:04 GMT
Buy the "less desirable" cuts of meat. For example, our local Food Maxx often has excellent sales on bone in chicken breasts or thighs. These take a bit more preparation in the kitchen but the savings is awesome and meat tastes better cooked on the bone anyway IMO. I don't like the skin so I discard it after cooking.
I wanted to make beef stew a couple of weeks ago and the stew meat was $4.99/lb. However, the round roasts were $2.49/lb. So I bought the roast and cut it into cubes and made my own "stew meat".
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Oct 13, 2016 4:24:47 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but find out when (day & time) your local grocery store marks down things like meats. One store I shop at will put everything that is about to reach its "sell by" date into a specific cold case. I always make an effort to check that case and can get some great buys. If I cannot use it immediately, I will put it in the freezer. Also see if there is a clearance section in your grocery store. The Kroger by my house has one and I go buy there every time I am in there. Many seasonal items, as well as discontinued products or new products that didn't catch on. Typically they will be marked off half, sometimes more. Recently they were clearing out excess wines and I picked up a $60 bottle for just $30. It's been put back for the holidays. Get ham hocks to make ham & bean soups, split pea soup, red beans and rice (I have an ah-MAZE-ing recipe) Beef bones ( ask butcher for fresh) and make beef stock for beef veggie soup, beef barley soup, Would you be willing to share some of your recipes? I'm especially interested in the beef barley soup and red beans/rice! Thanks!
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 13, 2016 5:28:12 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but find out when (day & time) your local grocery store marks down things like meats. One store I shop at will put everything that is about to reach its "sell by" date into a specific cold case. I always make an effort to check that case and can get some great buys. If I cannot use it immediately, I will put it in the freezer. Also see if there is a clearance section in your grocery store. The Kroger by my house has one and I go buy there every time I am in there. Many seasonal items, as well as discontinued products or new products that didn't catch on. Typically they will be marked off half, sometimes more. Recently they were clearing out excess wines and I picked up a $60 bottle for just $30. It's been put back for the holidays. Get ham hocks to make ham & bean soups, split pea soup, red beans and rice (I have an ah-MAZE-ing recipe) Beef bones ( ask butcher for fresh) and make beef stock for beef veggie soup, beef barley soup, Would you be willing to share some of your recipes? I'm especially interested in the beef barley soup and red beans/rice! Thanks! Sure! If you have an Instapot use that it's faster--if not crock pot. Red Beans & Rice 1-smoked ham hock 2 TBS of seasoning like Old Bay In crockpot, add hock and seasoning and fill with water, cook 12 hrs or overnight to make stock. In Instapot, use meat setting for 1 hr. Strain stock until debris is removed, reserve hock. Beans 1 lb dry red kidney beans 1 teaspoon of Old Bay Add dry red beans and Old Bay to strained stock. crock pot--cook until beans are soft, 8 hrs or longer. Instapot--cook on beans setting for 30 minutes. Open, check to see how soft. I always have to cook again for 30-45 minutes (it's better to do it this way vs 1 hr) While beans are cooking, pull off all the meat from the hock (you'll be surprised at how much meat is hidden!) Stir meat into beans when done. Serve in bowls with scoop of white rice in center. Now if you like more meat, you can stir in kielbasa, chorizo, cooked shrimp, ham etc., I just brown/heat it in a skillet and stir into the beans. Soooooo good! I'll get the Beef Barley recipe tomorrow!
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Post by peasapie on Oct 13, 2016 11:13:37 GMT
I don't recommend powdered milk as a substitute for fresh. I hated it, but that was part of her "economizing." My Mother made "milk" 1 part powdered to 1 part regular. I don't recall it as being "bad" -- it was just milk. That's a good idea-mixing fresh with powdered.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Oct 13, 2016 11:34:27 GMT
I'm personally not an Aldi's fan -- ours is crowded and kind of dirty. Also, none of the produce is kept cold, which bugs me. I try my store's brand of things, though, and if we like it, I buy that over the name brand. I know that in many cases, the store brands are made and packaged by the national brands, so sometimes the products are virtually the same. Sometimes they're not, though. But, we actually like our store's brand of canned and frozen vegetables better than the national brands. I suppose my best money-saving tip is to really re-think meat. We just get in a mind-set that dinner has to include some kind of meat, and really, it doesn't. And since meat is usually one of the costliest items you put in your grocery cart, even cutting down can make a big difference in your grocery bill. There are so many great options that really don't advertise themselves as "vegetarian," so no one will really miss the meat. Many Thai and Indian dishes, for example, are meatless. And, like mimi3566, I use lentils a lot. I also like to make soups where only a little meat is used for flavor -- split pea soup, for example, which can be made with a ham bone, ham hocks, or a small amount of diced, leftover ham.
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peaname
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,389
Aug 16, 2014 23:15:53 GMT
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Post by peaname on Oct 13, 2016 12:53:54 GMT
To get your budget down to bare bones you have to be creative with leftovers and not waste any food. We waste too much food to begin with but being creative with leftovers and flexible with your plan really helps. Peppers starting to get soft? Better switch the plan and have the fajitas today. Find out what day your grocery store clears out the meat and stock up. Flash sale on something you use regularly? Have a little wiggle room so you can afford to buy as much as you'll use before it expires.
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Deleted
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May 2, 2024 3:15:23 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 13, 2016 13:01:43 GMT
Grocery budgets have gotten out of control. I follow those 4 tips plus many others and still spend $900-1000 a month. 2 meatless meals. Use left overs for lunch. Change my menu to accommodate items that need to be used up. Making menu around what I have on hand. Doesn't matter.
But I have to be brand loyal because of DDs celiacs disease. Not all knock offs are gluten free. (as well as nut free and dairy free, no pork, limited rice, no corn)
I try to make sure I made enough for dinner to carry over in to lunch the next day.
I don't buy extra stuff at the store either.
I am curious as to what meal plans look like. Can anyone share?
Does that include breakfast, lunch, dinner?
I have to say though, we only eat out 2x a month. So we do save there.
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scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
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Post by scrapaddie on Oct 13, 2016 13:15:17 GMT
Less packages more from scratch ex one bakery cake = 10 boxes of cake mix Have to laugh!!! In my day, a box Cake was never considered "from scratch". But your point is very valid, a box mix on sale is cheaper than making a cake from scratch
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Post by papercrafteradvocate on Oct 13, 2016 14:49:11 GMT
We spend $150-$200 at lest every other week (I don't shop weekly per se).
I do have an awesomely stocked pantry. I can make a dozen different soups/stews any day of the week!
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basketdiva
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,615
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:09 GMT
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Post by basketdiva on Oct 13, 2016 15:15:07 GMT
I've been doing Ibotta (LOVE IT) and Checkout 51 more than coupons!But if you use coupons along Ibotta and Checkout 51, you increase your savings
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 13, 2016 16:12:33 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but find out when (day & time) your local grocery store marks down things like meats. One store I shop at will put everything that is about to reach its "sell by" date into a specific cold case. I always make an effort to check that case and can get some great buys. If I cannot use it immediately, I will put it in the freezer. I always check the clearance section of the meat department. I find that if they have had a sell on pork ribs, for example, and put out too many packages, they will throw the excess in the clearance bin. Usually the meat will have at least a couple of days before the sell by date and it'll be marked down even further from the sale price I love to go shopping after a big holiday. For example, if I go the day after Easter, I'm sure to find great deals on hams that I throw in the freezer. I also find things like veggie trays marked down to nearly nothing after a big holiday like Christmas. The day after the Super Bowl is a great time to shop for clearance items.
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Post by myshelly on Oct 13, 2016 16:38:27 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but find out when (day & time) your local grocery store marks down things like meats. One store I shop at will put everything that is about to reach its "sell by" date into a specific cold case. I always make an effort to check that case and can get some great buys. If I cannot use it immediately, I will put it in the freezer. I always check the clearance section of the meat department. I find that if they have had a sell on pork ribs, for example, and put out too many packages, they will throw the excess in the clearance bin. Usually the meat will have at least a couple of days before the sell by date and it'll be marked down even further from the sale price I love to go shopping after a big holiday. For example, if I go the day after Easter, I'm sure to find great deals on hams that I throw in the freezer. I also find things like veggie trays marked down to nearly nothing after a big holiday like Christmas. The day after the Super Bowl is a great time to shop for clearance items. Shopping the day after for clearance is a great tip and just to expand on that a little - I always stock up on non perishables that happen to be in holiday packaging after the holiday. The day after Halloween, for example, I'll go to target and buy up all kinds of things like goldfish, pretzels, fruit snacks, cereal, that are all on clearance because they just happen to be in Halloween packaging.
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hanushka
Full Member
Posts: 142
Sept 27, 2016 20:54:24 GMT
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Post by hanushka on Oct 13, 2016 16:38:38 GMT
Not only plan your meals by what's on sale, but take inventory or your pantry/spices and plan your menu to include items you have on hand.^^^ how, how, how does one do this effectively?? I am not a 'throw things together and it works' type of cook; I cook using recipes, and I can't figure out how to plan a menu like this. I hear you on this! I have to cook with a recipe too. Every time I try to get creative and "cook on my own"...let's just say the results are not tasty. Although I am getting to the point where I am comfortable subbing some ingredients/spices. What I usually do is see what ingredients I have on hand that will match up with a recipe I already have. I have a can of coconut milk and half a bag of rice in my pantry. So I'll look up my curry recipe and buy the rest of the ingredients I need to make curry. If I don't see any matches with recipes I usually use, sometimes I will do ingredient searches on allrecipes. They can be wacky combinations! "Pork chops, half and half, chickpeas, spaghetti sauce, frozen broccoli." Most of the time I won't find a recipe that includes ALL of those (ick!), but I may get a result for a meal with half and half/chickpeas, and another with pork chops/broccoli. Then I just buy the rest of the ingredients that I need. It IS a bit tricky though! Know that you are not alone!
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Post by leslie132 on Oct 13, 2016 17:12:33 GMT
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but find out when (day & time) your local grocery store marks down things like meats. One store I shop at will put everything that is about to reach its "sell by" date into a specific cold case. I always make an effort to check that case and can get some great buys. If I cannot use it immediately, I will put it in the freezer. Also see if there is a clearance section in your grocery store. The Kroger by my house has one and I go buy there every time I am in there. Many seasonal items, as well as discontinued products or new products that didn't catch on. Typically they will be marked off half, sometimes more. Recently they were clearing out excess wines and I picked up a $60 bottle for just $30. It's been put back for the holidays. Would you be willing to share some of your recipes? I'm especially interested in the beef barley soup and red beans/rice! Thanks! Sure! If you have an Instapot use that it's faster--if not crock pot. Red Beans & Rice 1-smoked ham hock 2 TBS of seasoning like Old Bay In crockpot, add hock and seasoning and fill with water, cook 12 hrs or overnight to make stock. In Instapot, use meat setting for 1 hr. Strain stock until debris is removed, reserve hock. Beans 1 lb dry red kidney beans 1 teaspoon of Old Bay Add dry red beans and Old Bay to strained stock. crock pot--cook until beans are soft, 8 hrs or longer. Instapot--cook on beans setting for 30 minutes. Open, check to see how soft. I always have to cook again for 30-45 minutes (it's better to do it this way vs 1 hr) While beans are cooking, pull off all the meat from the hock (you'll be surprised at how much meat is hidden!) Stir meat into beans when done. Serve in bowls with scoop of white rice in center. Now if you like more meat, you can stir in kielbasa, chorizo, cooked shrimp, ham etc., I just brown/heat it in a skillet and stir into the beans. Soooooo good! I'll get the Beef Barley recipe tomorrow! I could send my hubby to live with you! That would cut my spending like crazy and he would be in bean heaven!!! I will add this to my rotation!! Can't believe the insta pot times compared to the crock!!!!
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Post by leslie132 on Oct 13, 2016 17:15:23 GMT
I've been doing Ibotta (LOVE IT) and Checkout 51 more than coupons!But if you use coupons along Ibotta and Checkout 51, you increase your savings I started Ibotta in June. I'm already at $85.75 for savings. I will take that!!
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 13, 2016 18:46:57 GMT
I use buttermilk in a lot of recipes. I used to buy it on a weekly basis, but I'd always end up throwing some of it out. Now I freeze it in ice cube trays and then put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer until I need it. I don't ever waste buttermilk now.
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Post by auntkelly on Oct 13, 2016 18:55:35 GMT
Also, anything you make from scratch is generally going to be healthier and cheaper.
I generally make all our own salad dressings. It's so easy to mix a little oil and vinegar and add a few spices.
I also make my own taco seasoning and barbecue rub. Both of them last for months in the pantry. I use the taco seasoning in all sorts of recipes.
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