Money saving idea?

[Lady Neysa]

With everything being so expensive nowadays and so many people are tightening their belts, anyone care to share tips or secrets on how they save on grocery bills and everyday household supplies?  I see so many websites about super couponing, economizing,etc., yet no matter how hard I try,shopping sales, using up leftovers,very rarely eating out etc,  I'm still spending waay too much on groceries.  I want that to be a resolution, to slash my grocery bills as much as possible, yet still feel like we're eating well. We're big meat eaters-beef, chicken, pork, you name it. I know that's where a lot of our costs come from, but that isn't likely to change.  My husband and I have two teens and one adult daughter at home, (plus 2 cats and a dog to buy supplies for.)
What ideas work well for you? 

[angusmacinnes]

Sounds like time to move the daughter out unless she is paying rent.  Get the 2 teens a job, bbq the cats and warn the dog he may be next. Other than that I cant think of a thing other than just quit eating.  Which I am sure has no appeal what so ever.  Hope you take this in the humor that it was written. 

[Merlin the Elder]

If you have a deep freezer that's big enough, you could put the kids in there...that would get you through the winter... Angus, you rascal! Look what you started!

But seriously....  One thing that I do, especially on meats, is stock up when it's on sale, and buy in the larger packs if your grocer discounts the family packs. Kroger here will often knock $1-2 a pound off in the larger amounts. When chicken thighs drop to $0.39/lb, I get a bunch of it and freeze it in dinner sized portions. I do the same for other meats. I don't do the couponing thing, tho' the wife does.  Buy large sizes/bulk packs when possible, but watch the prices...sometimes they'll try to trick you. "Bonus pack! 30% More" and the price is 50% higher.  Don't shop without a list (and stick to it!), and never shop when you're hungry.

[Tom]

To expand on the wisdom of Merlin, if you do have a chest freezer (or have room for one) talking to the local butcher about buying 1/4 or 1/2 cows can save a very large sum of money compared to the normal prices and get some cuts of meat that are very nice. It also works for pork but not so much for poultry.

[Ferret]

I always shop when I'm hungry. Not for food, but for free samples. Figure a store and schedule and you can get a pretty good free meal.

Any funerals nearby are usually good for a meal. Easier than a wedding. At a funeral just mope around and say how it was just yesterday and how full of life they were, Weddings they may try to nail you down if you know the bride or groom.

Ferret

[DonaCatalina]

Buying and cooking fresh is a lot less expensive than pre-cooked foods. I look for buy one get one free sales on meat at the local grocer. Most mass produced meats have been injected with fluids to make them taste more like fast food. Freezing and thawing forces a lot of this fluid out so you have slightly healthier meat. Chicken especially is done this way. The local meat market sometimes has specials and we take advantage of those to buy and freeze quality meats. You don't need a chest freezer for this.
Try to avoid Walmart for frozen food because many of their stoors have been cited for letting frozen food thaw in the back before it is placed in freezer cases out front.

Buy fresh veggies, cook and freeze them yourself. Farmer's Markets usually have the best prices on veggies, but compare prices at specialty markets like Sprouts for good deals. Keep an eye out for discounts at places that specialize in resturaunt supply. Goody Goody Liquor stores are also owned by a company that markets gourmet seasonings and foods to restaurants so their flagship store also stocks these items; ground white pepper for roughly 1/8 the price you pay in a big box grocer.

Make up bulk sauces like tomato basil and freeze them flat in freezer bags. It is cheaper to buy in bulk but if you have the basic sauce all you need to do is thaw, add pasta and meat of your choice.

Sort your laundry and determine which things can be washed in cold water. Era and Arm & Hammer both make liquid laundry detergent that is formulated for cold water. Even running two loads in cold water instead of warm/hot water can potentially reduce your hot water usage by half.
You can also keep a plastic bucket in the shower and use the catch water for potted plants and flower beds. In drought areas this is almost a neccesity.
Hope this helps.

[Merlin the Elder]

The cold water thing DC mentions is good. There are only a couple of things that we wash in hot water. 

So many people shop MalWart & Sam's or other discount clubs assuming that everything there is cheaper. IT IS NOT! Pay attention to their prices. I went to MalWart to purchase a DVD that everyone else was out of. They had copies...for good reason: instead of the $19.95 that everyone else sold it for, they were $29.95. If you pay attention to grocery store flyers that come in the mail, you can come out pretty well. We used to have two chains in the community, both within a mile of the house. I would shop both each week, and save a considerable amount.

[raevyncait]

There are actually a lot of websites that compare specials at various grocery stores... I've not really used any of them, some are free, some are subscriptions, but one that I was looking at last year seemed pretty well worth the cost of the subscription, based on the reviews I saw of it, I'll try to go back through my bookmarks later and see if I can find it again.

I don't buy in what is considered bulk for most folks, because it's just me, but I will buy the 3lb pack of ground meat, for example, because I can get 3 hamburgers, plus 4 or 5 servings out of it. If I buy the 5lb, it will get freezer burn before I get around to using it all.

I second that the adult child should be paying rent, when I was an adult and moved back into my mother's house, even when I was a full-time student, I still contributed financially to the household, even if I was only working part time.

Getting into the habit of cooking fresh foods does seem expensive at first, but once you've cleared out the pantry/freezer of the convenience foods and restocked with better quality, less processed stuff, you'll find that in the long run you are saving $.  Check recipe blogs and websites for ideas that can help you stretch that pound of ground beef (adding breadcrumbs into it before you make the hamburger patties or meatloaf doesn't change the flavor, the kids won't notice, it will be a little more filling), adding some broth to the pot of stew, along with a little flour will help thicken it and stretch it a little farther.  Whole fruit is MUCH more filling than fruit juice.  I make a sloppy joe casserole that, when I was sharing a house with 3 other adults and a teenager, fed all 5 of us with a serving or two left over using about a pound and a half of ground beef, a can of biscuits, sloppy joe sauce, and a can of ranch style beans, and one of the adults was a 20 year old boy who regularly ate 2 hamburgers at a sitting.

Don't buy brand name unless you MUST.  With the exception of LeSeur peas, Mahatma brown rice, Heinz ketchup and Dr Pepper, I buy the generic version of EVERYTHING, unless a brand name is on a really good special and cheaper than the generic, or I am desperate and there is no generic available.

[PollyPoPo]

Part 1

I do the cold water thing, too.  Plus I try different detergents to see what cleans best at what volume.  A lot depends on hardness of water, what's being washed, etc.  Try cutting the amount of determine in half for a while and see what happens to the clothes.  Most of us use way too much.  

For toothpaste, the manufactures show pix of what they call "full-load" while only about 1/4 or less is really needed.   So, about 3/4 of toothpaste is literally down the drain.  Try out different shampoos and conditioners, playing with amounts.  I have found that a very small amount of expensive stuff works better for me than using a lot of the cheap stuff.  

Enlist the aid of the entire family.  Ask them for ways to save.  Have a discussion with examples of how much stuff costs.  Most teens probably have no idea what their meals cost.  If your family will not cooperate, it might not be possible make any real changes until the kids leave.  Mom and Dad might be persuaded to cut back either for economic or health reasons.  

If you do all the shopping, send someone else, with an explicit list and only so much cash.  It might help relate availability of money to desire to buy.

It was easier teaching my kids back when they were little; I was relatively poor; and we used cash.  They would ask for something, I would show them the real money, and they had to figure out what was more important, a gallon of milk, loaf of bread, or the candy, because I literally did not have money for any extras back then.  As a result, my son made his $15 birthday money used for candy last from August to Christmas and shared with his sister.  Her money went for toys, one for each of them.  

[PollyPoPo]

Part 2


As for big meat eaters, the cook can help change that by putting portions on plates, rather than just cooking a big amount and putting it on the table.  Government pyramid recommends 1/4 pound per meal for meats.  Just cook what you usually do, then put some of it in the fridge before it is put on the table.  If it is not in front of them, they will not miss it as much.

Those feed-four-on-$10-cooking shows are based on the 1/4 pound per person idea plus a small serving of veggie or potato and then a large salad dish.   

Try using the meat in smaller versions, like stir fry, chili (more beans than meat), soups, etc.  Try what we call throw-together.  Meat, veggies like onions, mushrooms, peppers, plus a starch (potatoes, noodles, cheap packaged mac and cheese), a sauce (soup like cream of mushroom or chicken, etc.)  You can adjust the amount of meat to how much money you want to spend, and they still get the flavor and body of meat. 

My kids can afford to eat much better now, but those old things are now considered treats and every so often I get requests for specific meals.  Now, though, my kids offer to pay for the ingredients. 

[PollyPoPo]

Part 3

Unfortunately, a lot of market shopping depends on where you live.  In the San Antonio area, we only have a few big stores (HEB, Wal-Mart, and Costco) with some local stores (prices higher in general for exact same stuff).  I haven't seen double coupon days for about 25 years here.  We do not have Kroger or Albertson's any more.  I used to buy 1/4 cow or large, large roasts (which I would cut down) in the Chicago area, but they don't seem to be available here much.  Only a few butcher shops around – some are high end (Kobe type beef); some are "meat market" versions.  The second type has been cited for selling what are OTC drugs in Mexico, but prescription here (I thought I was seeing things when I saw the boxes on the counter, but later saw on the news that several of their stores were busted). 

Being retired, I shop between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. weekday mornings.  My HEB often has discounts on meats that are one day before sell-by date.  I do get things like chicken legs (oh, Merlin, I wish we had 39 cent thighs again, but have not seen that price for 5 years or so), house brand Italian sausage types, various pork products, and sometimes fish .   Usually not beef.  Meats, chicken and fish are packaged with a sell-by date that still allows 2 to 3 days after that before cooking or freezing.  Other stores have a higher turnover of meats and never have discounts. 

Around holidays, buy several cheap turkeys and just stick them in the freezer.  Same with the house brand spiral hams; HEB had a $10 off coupon, plus about $5 in freebies the week after Christmas  because they had so many left.  Just don't forget about those turkeys til next year.

[PollyPoPo]

Part 4

Buying in bulk and breaking down into meal sized batches helps, but you need to figure in the cost of containers or freezer bags, as well as freezer burn lost.  As Merlin said, double check prices at the big box stores. 

My Son and family shop with another family at Costco for things like pizzas, pot pies, etc, then divide them between the houses.   Some things are cheaper, but dog food and cat food come in really huge bags (30# plus) and per pound are a little more than HEB or Wal-Mart.  The family also has a left-over day, usually Friday when they pull everything out of the fridge and that's what they have for dinner, with everyone getting something different.

[PollyPoPo]

Part 5

Regarding farmers markets for produce – you have to really know what you are buying and what it costs at the big store.  Some of the stands by the roadside here have higher priced produce and it is often the same thing that HEB sells (same packaging, etc.).  Local farmers sometimes have fresh produce at stands that is grown here, but all too often the trucks are just coming from the Valley where they are picking up "seconds".

[PollyPoPo]

Part 6

Every so often, when shopping at the grocery, I have the cashier ring up my actual edibles separate from the other stuff.  You might find that your food costs are not as high as you think.

For a while keep track of actual spending, taking the time to write down every single penny that is spent (seriously). 

Knowing where the money goes can help you make decisions on how you want to spend your money.   

Convenience foods might cost more, but that may be okay if your time is more valuable to you.  Some people can spend hours each day cooking or packaging; others simply do not.

If the family insists on eating expensive meats in large quantities, it is going to cost.  Decide what is "eating well" for your family.  Years back for my family eating well meant buying enough food to feed us all.  Now it means cutting back on unhealthy (but good tasting) foods. 

Finally, at some point if you really need to save money by going cheaper, your spouse has to be on your side.  If the kids can contribute, great.  If not, there is nothing wrong with telling them this is how it is going to be and just to stifle when they try to complain (after giving them the chance to vent once or twice). 

[Anna Iram]

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html

Go green. Better for your purse as well as for the environment!

Start your own garden and if your community supports this raise your own chickens. Consider a community garden with your neighbors to help with the workload.