Well ladies I need to take some lesson from you all. I really do. I am bad about keeping it that low. I spend about 100 a week for 4. I don't what I do wrong. I try and we don't buy much junk. So, if you all got any lesson I am willing to try. You know the saying you can teach old dog new tricks. LOL
Use cash. When it's gone, you have to make due with whatever you have in the house. You find yourself not buying some "marginal" stuff, because you might be running out in a day or so. Make a list, based on what is on sale in the ads. Then stick to your list!!! Don't buy anything that isn't on it! I'm terrible at planning menus, but have been told that it also helps.
Hey ya'll! I just poped in real quick. Here is why we can get by on that much... ($100 is our normal goal, and no we do not always meet it. $75 is where we are right now, due to money issues.) Now, this could be a long discussion,but let me just say that the short of it is this: Use what you have, first.... re-think the things that everyone MUST have.... make as much from scratch as possible..... Double up on things when on sale... (I know that goes without saying) I have a "Price checker" sheet of paper. This tells me, with a bit of work, what the regular price for item "X" is PER UNIT. (Meaning by the ounce or what-have you.) Then, when I glance the circulars, I will know if someone's item "X" is actually a good deal, or if it is worth going to another store for. It also helps to determine if a coupon is even worth the trouble. Also, I sat down one day (Like a mad woman) and made a real "Kitchen Inventory" WHEW! I listed EVERYTHING, from spices to the number of ounces of rice we had. Did I mention: WHEW? Anyway, we do not always perfectly rememeber to check off items as they are used, but before I head off to the store (Which is ONLY on Fridays), I always try to update the inventory. This allows me to know when a "Stock up and Save" sale is really a good idea for us. Today, I spent $69.83. We got: 3 easter baskets, 3 easter grass bags, a bag of tostitos restaraunt style chips, 2 bags of peanuts, 4 gallons of milk, bag of bagels, 4 betty crocker cake mixes, 5 (12pack) cases of soda, 1 Duncan hines tall whipped cake icing, a velveeta cheese block (Large), taco bell taco sauce, small miracle whip jar, 2 packs of hot dogs (Weenies), 2 packs of thick sliced bacon, 2.24 pounds of dole bananas, 18cnt x-large eggs, taco bell taco shells, large colgate tooth paste, 1/2 pound of roma tomatoes, 10cnt flour tortillas, medium pico degallo, 2 pounds of raw asparagus, 1 pound of raw carrots, 1 bunch of raw celery, large laof of bread, and a bottle of coke for he ride home. (Yea, i was reading off my receipt!)
I do best if I plan a menu. By planning it out, you know that you have what you need to make meals. I use the sale ads to plan what we eat. I go to more than one place to get the best deal if I have to. Sometimes it's hard, because I always have all 4 kids with me. My kids know that they are allowed to pick out certain things (such as cereal) and not to ask for lots of extras. Use coupons, of course! Although, lots of times the store brand is still cheaper. Wal-Mart will match any ads, but we only have an old-fashioned Wal-Mart here (no supercenter), so I can't get groceries there. A MEGA Wal-mart (one of the largest in the world) is in the works, due to open in September. That will make life easier. I ususally spend about $150 every 2 weeks for 6 of us.
Believe it or not, I don't do coupons any more!!! That's because the newspaper is not worth the money in this town. But that was before we were spending cash, and I save more with cash without coupons than I did writing a check with coupons. Also, with coupons I would buy something simply because it was a "good price" that I would normally NOT buy. I also shop many different stores, but only because I live in an area where there ARE stores close together. And (as Jennifer said) try to go just once a week. My final tip for saving grocery money (possibly the most important!!!): DON'T TAKE YOUR HUSBAND!!! or worse yet, let him go by himself!!! "Oh, Honey, I'm just going to go pick up bread and milk! I'll be right back!" Yeah, right!!! An hour later, he comes home with chips, pop or beer, dip..... oh, and $25 spent. PLUS he forgot your bread and milk!!! LOL!
Ladies, I am not certain exact amount of what we spend per week but I believe we keep under a hundred and some weeks much lower. I do shop adds, mostly ten for tens and then you have to check to see if the normal price would have been more than a dollar and a quarter to make it count. We also shop at the 99 cent store, here it has groceries for 99 cents or less! Very helpful for canned goods. We get vegitarian chilli (for low fat purposes) for 99 cents a can, I use that in recipies like soups and chilli dogs as well as my husband will take some for lunch. But we are chili snobs too we only like the fat free low fat kinds. I have made it from scratch once, but when life gets busy I like to use cans to help. I make my own soups, that helps too because you can take whatever isin the fridge and make a What-ya-got soup! Hey it would be really cool if we could do a recipe swap on here? I found just moving up and down the pacific coast people eat food diferrently. Wonder how you all make things? I also like to do up a week at least ahead for my menus that way hubby and kids can help me get things ready or actually make it. I also have to say one thing for husbands... mine is a great shopper for the most part... he likes only store brands and looks for the price per oz, etc, on the price ticket in the store. He just shops with out a list where as I itemize to the point of what store and what the cost is, then when I am near that store each week I stop and pick up just what I put on the list, I only go off if its something I totally forgot , liek albertsons buns! They make funny shaped rolls for a buck which is half the price of regular ones, and you can make sandwhiches or whatever from them! okay Im rambling again, sorry. T
Amy (ABall) is the recipe fanatic around here! She's started several threads concerning food. If there's anything in particular you want, just ask her and she''ll either have the recipe for you or will know where to find it.
I never let my husband near the food store! Hahahaha! Too funny! Also, I use coupons, but not as much as I used to. I used to buy them off ebay. Not so much any more. Here is a typical ebay coupon scenario for me.. I buy 20 coupons for $.50 off ONE box of Hamburger/Chicken/Tuna Helper. This costs me total with shipping, $1.50. I make sure to buy the coupons that have a NON-MATCHING UPC Code on it. (This means the LAST FOUR digits do NOT mtch the expire date. Like 0504 For may 2004) I cut of the top where the expire date is. I go to kroger, when they have the $1.00 sales. Grab a ton of helpers, use the Express check yourself line. Use the coupons, which are automatically doubled to $1.00 off. Walk out with free helpers. But I hate helpers so I just drop them off at the food pantry. And this was a lot of work, and I never really find coupons for what we buy, because they really do not have coupons for "Staples" except around Thanksgiving and Christmas, But otherwise, nope. Jen
Well, it went up .25 Wednesday, and another .10 yesterday. It is now 2.99 here. And this was after they posted that the cost had decreased, and would be going down a bit. Yeah, right!!!
oh ours has been bouncing! My dh in one day saw our local one go from 323 to 328 to 326 , yesterday it was back to 328 . The next local one is 323 !! I can't wait to see it actually go down enough to drive to Wa at the end of this month!
I am still pissed that just about three months ago, we were paying $2.13 and now it is $3.05 Glenn Beck showed something interesting, yesterday.... Before Katrina, oil was at $60 a barrel and gas prices were about $2.54 a gallon. AFTER katrina, when things settled down, oil was once again at $60 a barrel, BUT the gas was $2.84 a gallon! (Those are national averages) We, in Houston were paying high prices, but it did fall to a low point in Feb 2006 to near $2.13 in Alvin, Manvel So where is the reduction in prices IF the price of gas is related to the price of oil??? But I think about other companies. When is the last time I got pissed at Mrs. Bairds for high bread prices? I mean, if a company CAN chrage that muchfor their products, they SHOULD be able to charge how ever much they want, right? I usually agree, however, this is not unlike water, in an emergency. We are so dependant upon the oil (Which not only makes gas, but also plastics for medical supplies, computers, furniture, carpeting, toothbrushes, and so on....) That their prices can easily be GOUGING. But no, oil companies are not like other companies. HEre are two reasons.... 1. There is plenty of competition for bread, that keeps prices reasonable, unlike gas stations. 2. I can make my own bread, whereas I cannot make my own fuel. I think I am going to go make some bread. hahahaha!
Ours was down to $2.54, but is back up today to 2.69 (at the independent stations- BP & Exxon are 2.79). I passed one statio this morning that was still $2.54, so I'm sending my hubby to fuel up before they catch on!
After Katrina, they claimed they needed to be high to pay for damages the refineries, or something like that. Not that I buy anything they say......
When your president's family owns oil wells you are bound to pay alot. They are pocketing loads of money.
Yes, it is hurting all families. Christmas will be slim for most families this year and most I know of are not taking vacations this year either.
okay, here's a gas question... what do you do if you have out of state relatives, one that is ill in one state no telling if it will be the last visit, and one out of state in another, same kind of thing... one you saw last february at your dad's funeral, and the other you have not seen in like four years when your last van died, Lol...... How do you decide which family to spend your gas on? One is in WA state one is in SD!
