Grocery Budget Challenge

[Gingerbug]

I'm just at the beginning of a personal grocery budget challenge...you can read more about it over at Month by Month (my blog)

With prices soaring and money NOT....I am looking at everyway possible to save money. And most times the electirc company doesn't really want to cut their bill....LOL...So on the blog I am formulating a plan and then I have phases and a trial and error period and such...I look for it to take about 6 months to really fine tune this approach...but I am hoping to cut my bill by 25-35%....I know when you look at my budget it has more room for cutting than others I'm sure...BUT it is...what it is...and so thats what I'm working with.

As part of the challenge i am determining how much I need of certain items (in general) each month. I will be developing three master grocery lists:

1. Monthly list of grocery items: Items we use regularly and can be purchased by the month as they either are nonperishable or they can be frozen at least 30 days.

2. Monthly list of paper and other products: This list will be used once a month to purchase non food items such as paper products, shampoo, cat food, laundry detergent etc.

3. Weekly List: All food items that need to be purchased weekly or every other week...milk, eggs, fresh fruit etc. Right now meat is on the weekly list but eventually I am planning to work it into a cycle where I am just buying a certain kind of meat each week and then watching sales and buying in bulk when the meat is on sale.

I'll be posting more about the challenge, where I am in the process, my lists, and other things I find out along the way over at Month by Month...with an update here in this thread every so often...Wish me LUCK

 

[MrsSoup]

I think this is a great idea and i'm anxious to see what you come up with and how you make it work. I'll be watching this one very closely. I have started making monthly menu plans, but I shop weekly. Hopefully by the end of the summer I can start shopping bi-weekly and then i'll work my way up to monthly. Wouldn't that be nice?!

Good luck, I think if anyone can do it, you can!

 

[cmerth]

Sounds wonderful! Love cutting costs every where possible.

 

[Cathymac]

Oh, this is a subject near and dear to my heart! I am absolutely appalled at how much money it takes to buy groceries..I'll be watching and probably joining you on this challenge. My DH and I discussed this over the weekend...shopping at Sam's is looking better and better....now I need to get some spaced cleared in the pantry and storage room for storing these staples! Thanks Ginger!

 

[Cindylouwho]

This one got my attention! Over the years we have converted to nearly complete Costco shoppers. We started slowly and added items onto the list each month so we weren't being hit with such a massive bill every time. Now our latest killer is the price of gas to GET to the store -- which now really plays into the cost of any non-Costco groceries. Our nearest stores (of any worth) are about 25 minutes away and we are now looking at online shopping options to get around the cost of gas. But then we just get hit by delivery prices. We are members of Amazon Prime but there is so little that seems to qualify for their free shipping that it almost doesn't even seem worth it. Will be checking back in on this one.

 

[AuntJamelle]

Very timely topic! I have been making concentrated efforts of my own over the last few years to decrease our $ spent at the grocery store.

I don't have the time to play the coupon game like some folks do - I know you can really save alot if you go all out, do the coupon exchange programs, join an internet site, etc. - but I just can't see doing that for myself. I haven't got the patience for it.

What I do every week though, is to go through the Sunday paper and look for the coupon booklets - very often I'll find the the products with coupons that week are also on sale at Meijer.

And Meijer always doubles coupons (up to $1, so if you have a $0.55 coupon it is only worth $0.55) so if I get something on sale plus a coupon, I feel like I've done well.

Usually, the coupons I can use are those for cleaning products, paper towels, T.P., shampoo, deodarent and things like that. I try stock up when things are on sale so that we don't have to buy at full price.

I do purchase canned goods, lunchmeat and some misc. things from Aldi's - their prices on fabric softener sheets, scrubby sponges for the sink, etc. are better than I've found elsewhere.

But as DH and I are trying to lose weight - we are forced to spend the bulk of our dollars at a store that offers the fresh produce and other WW types of products we need.

It is hard to cut the grocery budget and eat healthier at the same time!

:frown:

I also take advantage of local fruit orchards/farms during the summer. It is incredibly cheap to pick your own blueberries for example. I got a TON of blueberries for $17 last summer - when I see those little tiny boxes for $4 each I want to pass out! :thud:

I just package the berries we can't eat fresh into freezer bags (purchased from Aldi's ;-) ) and throw them in the deep freeze.

We had our own crop of strawberries this year that I've been doing the same with. Man, those strawberries took off like rockets this year! Stupid easy to grow - or I just got lucky - or maybe a little of both! :haha:

And then I do can the cherries and apples - usually alternating years - doing enough cherries one year to last for two - and the same thing with apples the next, and so on.

Lets see, what else, I grow and can my own green beans. I grow my own cucumbers so we can eat those fresh all summer long. Both things are really easy to grow, you just need to have the room. And the time to keep weeding!

I know that not everyone is in a position to garden or let alone can - but that is one way that I personally try to cut the corners off of food costs. But you have to be carefull or you'll spend the difference on fancy tools, compost, etc. Frugal gardening/canning is probably a WHOLE other topic!

In any case, I will be watching to see what others do to try and save money. It will always be an ongoing struggle - and only more so as time goes on. But if we all share our little tips and tricks it will be that much easier!

 

[luludou]

:applause: yay! I need this too!

 

[MinnieCo]

I've printed this and may really pay attention. I'm bad about budgeting and have it as a mental goal to start getting it undercontrol or at least thought about. So thanks..and I'll be right there following along!

 

[jackfrosty]

Fantastic,Aunt Jamelle!
I think the first thing I'll do this week towards this goal is to take inventory of the cupboards and freezers and then make a 'staples' list to print off and laminate then I can have a list to grocery shop by and stick to it! I will also be able to make some meal plans using what we already have in the house. thanks for this Gingerbug!

 

[snowangel00]

I need help in this area as well. With prices on the rise and with no end in sight I really want to focus on ways to save money.

I follow a monthly menu that I put together. I usually do 3 months at one time. I go to the store each week and each week I spend between 85-200.00 depending on what items and I need and what household goods are added to the list.

I will be following this closely as I am eager to develop new and better methods of shopping to save money!

 

[Snowbelle27]

Love this thread Ginger, I'll be joining in as much as possible. Have been trying to cut my grocery bills over the past few weeks, so I'll be watching avidly for any ideas.

:flower:

 

[christmascreations]

I too have printed this out and look forward to joing in on this. I think doing the preparations now wil make us experts by the time we get to 2009. I just threw out a tall kitchen garbage bag full of expired products from the kitchen alone and it made me sick. I physically cried because I was so upset with myself for wasting my limited money!!!

 

[Cathymac]

Right there with you, CC! I am almost embarrassed when I look in my pantry these days...I used to keep it brim full of staple canned goods, extra bags of sugar and flour, lots of chocolate chips and other cookie baking goodies, with the freezer full of hamburger, roast, steak and chicken. Now...it's enough stuff to get through the week with not much left over. I used all my staples when we were going through a particularly financially tight time recently, and frankly, I haven't been able to afford to stock back up. I'm struggling to get what we need week to week. Hopefully, though, I'll be able to get to the warehouse store and start stocking up again. It truly is comforting to know that we are not alone, and lots of us are in the same boat!!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I no longer keep a stock pile of food. Unless something is on a great sale, I only buy what I need. One time when I cleaned out my pantry I too tossed out lots of expired items. Never again. I now keep just what we are going to eat in the next week or two.

Stores are open every day of the week and some for 24 hours a day. I no longer think I'm a pioneer that needs to stock up for the next 10 months until the crops come in.

I have notice that I now actually spend less money than when I was stocking up.

 

[christmascreations]

Stores are open every day of the week and some for 24 hours a day. I no longer think I'm a pioneer that needs to stock up for the next 10 months until the crops come in.

Well the only problem we have now here in Florida is it is Hurricane season and the last 2 years has been very mild. So I hope it stays that way but I am not so sure!!! We keep 12 cases of water in the house at all times. When we get down to about 6 my dad goes to Sam's club and we are back to 12....lol!!! Lucky for me my Aunt owns a Dent and Bent store so I can get canned goods, cereals, soups, etc.. for alot less than I can in a grocery store. Plus if we were suddenly hit with a hurricane and need some supplies she might have them safe still in her store!!!

 

[Cindylouwho]

I was thinking about this thread when I went down to the grocery store the other day. I needed bread and just couldn't bring myself to buy more than 1 loaf. It was $4.59 a loaf!! That's just INSANE!! But standard pricing around here for Orowheat bread - which is not "gourmet" or anything, but is certainly above typical white bread. Costco doesn't carry the one we prefer so it is a grocery store item. Sigh. I've tried hard to convert the family to new brands, to no avail. The typical sale price is 2 for $6 and I still think that's crazy. I'm thinking a loaf of bread should cost $2. I will be on the search for better options for this, and then I'll stock my freezer.

I also noticed the Thomas' English Muffins were $3.59 ea. !!!! These are like $5.50 or so for 4 boxes at Costco. So at least I'm not being murdered on those.

In the meantime, a friend of mine says she has noticed Target has very low prices on their food items. Perhaps a lure to get us all into the store? I really don't need much luring for Target (love them) so I'll check it out and report back.

 

[girlsinmo]

OMG $4.59 for a loaf of bread think I'll stop fussing about having to pay $1 for bread. Just a couple of months ago it was .59 food prices are getting ridiculous.

 

[AuntJamelle]

I have been wondering if we are going to see an impact on the prices of fresh beans and/or corn this summer due to all the crops lost in the Midwest flooding.

Hopefully not - the one thing that hasn't seemed to go up is fresh veggies!

I pay $1.99 per loaf of bread at Meijer right now, although the bags are always marked $3.69 they always have another tag out with the lower price, which is nice. If it went to $5 per loaf I would start baking my own once a week! Although flour prices go up too, it might still be cheaper!

 

[Gingerbug]

Just back from a trip to Walmart and I am more determined then ever to become a penny pincher when it comes to groceries...the cart was almost empty and it cost $180.00.....my plans and thinking about the next steps in this challenge are up over at Month by Month

I know what you mean Ahorsesoul about not wanting to let things expire or go to waste....but honestly just working a month at a time I think I should be okay with that part. The truth is I can almost predict what we are going to be eating so I won't just be stock piling "stuff" and then forgetting to use it!!! Thats why the lists are so important. As well as a little grocery notebook I am going to start carrying with me to jot down brands we like or the ones not quite up to par for us. As well as a master list of how much of certain items we use in a month!

 

[momof4]

Great thread, Gingerbug!
I too am amazed at how much groceries have gone up. Not so long ago, I could easily get by with $75 per week. I haven't gotten out of the grocery store for under $130 in months! And that's following sales and using coupons. I hate it! I'm definitely going to follow this challenge.