[dragonfly1234]

Okay maybe its just me and the fact that I have two growing boys. Little M and I purchased groceries yesterday (spelling is not me) and I was like what?!! The last few weeks the prices are outrageous. I am now starting to think about menues that use less meat (not a vegetarian but re-thinking that...lol) and cooking with less expensive meat and veggies. I do have a garden and look forward to what we can add later in the summer for our meals.

What are you all doing to help keep the costs down?

[shy_bear]

We buy in bulk. We shop once a month. With three kids we go through paper products and cleaning supplies pretty quick!
I have also been thinking we need to cut down on buying meat...I purchased a huge package of boneless skinless chicken breast and it was almost $20. Granted that lasts us the whole month, but the cost of everything has gone up.

[Fran27]

Well it's only for two for now, but we only buy meat on sale, and buy extra and freeze when it's a very good sale. And we buy ground beef and chicken more than anything else.

We signed up at a wholesale club and the savings have been huge so far too. dh isn't too fond of the meat/fruits/veggies there (and it's not cheaper than grocery stores sales) but we get all the other stuff.

I do NOT adhere to the 'make lists and stick to it' mentality. If we wanted to have chicken but beef is super cheap, we'll get beef.

[loveajax]

It's literally insane. I "picked up" a few things the other night and almost had a heart attack.

I saw an article about how people are buying nonperishables in places like Ocean State Job Lot, the Dollar Store, etc. I haven't tried that yet.

I am feeling incredibly "anxious" these days about money stuff and the grocery bill is just one component!

[Lovebug]

I couldn't agree more. Between the gas at $4.43/gallon and the supermarket, it is so out of control. it is downright scary! I have been a SAHM for 4yrs to my 2 small boys. If prices continue to rise, I am seriously not sure how much longer we can afford for me to stay unemployed. I was already thinking of how I could possibly swing a night job or something to bring in more money.

As for shopping, I have become a major coupon cutter. Also where we live there are 4 major chain supermarkets within a 3 mile radius (we live in a big city). So I shop their sales. Is it a PIA to go to different stores for different things? Sure! But we gotta do it. I TRY my best to only buy what's on sale and design my menu around that. Fresh produce has been super $$$ and that is a shame, too, because it is so much cheaper to eat junk than to try to eat healthy. UGH.

Looking forward for tips from others!!!!

--Renee

[megaphonemo]

I am working harder to get DD potty trained!! The cost of pull-up type diapers is crazy!!! and I need them for home and day care.... Seems each time I go, I spend the same amount of money regardless of how much or how little food I buy... TOday was diapers for DD#1 and formula for DD#2 and really not much else - oh, burgers for dinner - and it was up there$$$$!! Bummer!!

Mega

[lovemy2boys]

Originally Posted by Lovebug

I have been a SAHM for 4yrs to my 2 small boys. If prices continue to rise, I am seriously not sure how much longer we can afford for me to stay unemployed. I was already thinking of how I could possibly swing a night job or something to bring in more money.

I've been a SAHM for 5 1/2 years, but have worked 1 day a week just to have a bit of extra spending money (believe it or not, it was actually worth it for me to work that one day).

Anyway, for the last month, I've been working 2 additional half days...I was really excited because I thought we'd be able to bank the extra, maybe add to our savings, or take a nice vacation in the fall...unfortunately, all extra money seems to be going towards gas, groceries and utilities.

What gives!!

[babycav]

We eat a lot of pasta in our house- I used to buy all the brand spaghetti sauces but since I have tried the store brand ( they are on sale 10/$10)- I just add my own spices-sugar, a little oregano, garlic & it really turns out pretty good!

I also learned from my Mom about cutting coupons & used to be so embarrassed when she would whip out a stack of coupons that would take the check out lady an hour to sift through-- but hey she would save a bunch of $$$$!! I can only do it when I am at the store by myself b/c I have to take my time and go up and down the aisles--

FYI-- this new pasta that Pizza Hut delivers is pretty good, too- They bring out a big ol' pan of it- we ordered it ( with a coupon) and ate on it for 2-3 days---I think it was maybe $10 w/ a pizza---

[crick]

Definitely look at those dollar store/big lots etc. for cleaning supplies! I buy my laundry detergent there for so much cheaper than the bulk or grocery store. I don't care if "Cheer" is spelled "Cher", kwim? LOL! Course, I'm not picky about my detergent either so I'll buy whatever is cheapest and if it's not as good as say Tide, I supplement it with baking soda in the wash. I get more use out of my detergent this way, since I can use less. Baking soda is at least still cheap! lol!
(usually use the Sun brand)
Vinegar & water works great for most of my cleaning needs so that cuts down on a lot of the supplies. I use washable cloths instead of paper towels for cleaning too.

I'm doing the same...building my menu around the store sales instead of a "stick to it list". I also found the farmer's market to be much cheaper for certain veggies so buy them there.

I buy the bread on the "clearance" rack where it's considerably cheaper. I freeze it and then thaw in the fridge so it doesn't get soggy.

Grilling seems to help our food bill too. I can buy the flat iron steak for $7, slap it on the grill and serve over salad & rice noodles for a meal for 6 of us. Or grill up just one half package of chicken to make Ceasar Salad or kabobs.

[mdesi]

We're learning how to love chicken legs instead of breasts. I tend to buy fresh fruits and veggies, and will not give that up. My FIL is going to teach me how to grow veggies in Arizona. I have always had problems with that. (Our season starts in February, but seeds don't go on sale until the end of March.) We are just about to buy a freezer for storage of bulk meats.

[adoptingourfirst]

Everything is up! It's just my hubby and me right now, but when I go to the store, I usually come out totally bummed! I do a lot of shopping at Aldi stores. Sometimes you have to watch though because their prices are higher than Walmart. The quanity of goods is sometimes smaller, so you have to be careful. Their produce though is always cheaper. You can buy 3 bell peppers there for what one would cost at Walmart and I've never had any products from Aldi's that I have been disappointed in. I'm not much for name brand items though so it works out great! The downfall to Aldi's is you have to bag your own and "rent" a cart for $0.25 but you get that back when you take the cart back - it's actually a genius idea!

I buy Arm & Hammer soaps and I love them! They are soooo much cheaper than Tide or Era and I think that they work just as well if not better! I am a big believer in cleaning with Vinegar! It works so much better than most cleaning agents, is non-toxic and CHEAP!

My sister buys all of her diapers from a online supplier and when we finally get our baby that's what I'll do with her. If you spend $45 you get free shipping and it is always cheaper than buying at Wal-Mart. Of course you have to plan ahead and make sure you don't run out. They also have diaper wipes, formula and cleaning supplies too!

[Jo Ellen]

I shop at Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General for everything I can get that isn't food items to pay less than the grocery store or Walmart. I have been amazed that I can find nearly every item we normally buy at the higher priced stores. We also are not eating as much meat which is helping with the cost as well. Best luck to everyone shopping the bargains.

[mondk]

Oh, I'm a big fan of Aldi's, Save-A-Lot and Sam's Club. We get most all of our diapers at Sam's, wipes too. We were getting formula there too but we went ahead and transitioned Joshie to whole milk (he is 2 weeks shy of being a year so I give him an iron supplement daily) and we shop a lot at Wal-Mart and try hard to buy off-brands.

I went to Wal-Mart a couple nights ago around 11pm at night; it is so nice to be like one of the only ones there, you actually don't have to wait in line and can take your time shopping for bargains without people behind you etc. Still, when I was paying, the amount was a little over a hundred; that is for 2 weeks of groceries for us. I try to buy family packs of meat and then use either freezer bags or tupperware to store stuff in. We have a total of 4 freezers at our house and so when freezer stuff is on sale I stock up. We use mainly frozen fruits and veggies and I buy day-old bread and freeze it.

One thing that my mom mentioned to me is that it is cheaper to buy from a meat locker half a cow and then split it up in the family. She does this about twice a year and I think we are going to get in on it. The steaks are really good fresh from the cow! We BBQ a lot in summer too, so I think we are going to free up some freezer space and do this. Plus, I will cook a good sized roast with veggies, then make it into stew and we can eat on that for a few days. The same with a whole fryer...I will put a whole chicken in the oven, then take all the meat and do many different things with it, like chicken/noodles, chicken pot pie (homemade mmmm, good!), chicken and dumplings...and we save the breasts and have plain old roast chicken with homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, and garden raised green beans.

I guess I should stop; getting hungry now, LOL!

Blessings, Michelle

[Boxerlady29]

Originally Posted by Lovebug

I couldn't agree more. Between the gas at $4.43/gallon and the supermarket, it is so out of control. it is downright scary!

Coming from a family of truckers THIS is why the prices on EVERYTHING is sky rocketing!! You're paying for their gas!! We were at dinner the other night and our friend was telling us how much it cost to fill up his truck. I believe the cost he spent in gas was more than I make a month!!! I remember it was a crazy amount. So many trucking companies can't make it. I know the company my boyfriend works for might be going under!
So as the gas rises so will everything else.

[akcskye]

Yes, it is AWFUL how bad the prices have skyrocketed.

I frequently watch the meat counters to see what meats are coming close to the use by/freeze by date, and then come in on those dates to see it reduced by 30% or more, then put it in my freezer.

If you can afford the room for, or financially afford a freezer, that truly is the way to go.

I can get split cornish hens for $4.00 and feed my whole family with that one package, along with some salad and rice and bread...so it just comes back down to COOKING and not so much pre-prepared stuff, too.