How do you lower your grocery bill?

[nicoleSmith08]

I usually make a list but there are times that I do a meal planning and buy the ingredients needed.

 

[praja]

From where do u get the coupons?

 

[babetoo]

you can find usually in sundays paper. two or three ads is the norm. sometimes they are on the back of your registar ticket. also many are online. good luck

 

[Asmodean]

We take a trip usually once a week to a local ethnic market (or two) in order to get really really fresh and surprisingly cheap fruits and vegetables that are three to four times more expensive in the local Acme (cheapest of the three stores near our house). It's a bit of a drive, but absolutely worth the freshness, selection, and price. Plus, they have a great fish selection there, so I'm happy with dinner that night for sure!

 

[Dom1183]

Never shop on an empty stomach ! After a meal is best.
You'll buy everything in sight because your stomach takes over your brain.

 

[Asmodean]

Agreed. It happens to me when I forget haha

 

[jennifer75]

My chicken thread is another example of why I make frequent trips to the market. I can't handle trying to figure out if something frozen has been frozen for too long, and when I thaw meat - it usually gets wasted because I don't cook it right away after thawing.

Buying my meat the day I want to use it, or the day before, helps me save money cause I'm not throwing the food away.

 

[Asmodean]

I'm the opposite: I stock it in the freezer and specifically make sure I utilize the meats I have thawing in the refrigerator.... If I have a revelation in the grocery store, sometimes two dinners are made and one is refrigerated for the next night if it's soup or the like.

 

[BrazenAmateur]

Never shop on an empty stomach ! After a meal is best.
You'll buy everything in sight because your stomach takes over your brain.

^^
This is seriously the best thing you can do.

 

[Cooper'sMom]

I don't need to. I follow a pattern of shopping so I do not need to lower my grocery bill as there's only the two of us now, DH and me, then the cat, the dog and a chinchilla. I shop for meat every two weeks, vegetables every week, then pantry items when they run low and buy only what I will need next for my cooking tomorrow or the next day or the day after next. Almost everyday, I go to the internet look for some recipes that will use what I already have from the pantry, freezer and refrigerator. I go from there. There are times I am lazy to cook, so one look in the pantry and I know I have to cook...or not. The thing that actually makes my grocery bill low is how I store my meat and vegetables. I don't use freezer bags. I use my foodsaver and carefully pack a serve for two people and store my meat in the freezer that way. I do my own stocks and freeze them too, use as I need. Ice cube containers are good for those. I have a good breadmaker and I bake my own bread every other day -- almost. Organize...organize...organize...you do not have to buy cheap stuff if you know how to organize your shopping sprees in the supermarket. And there are times, cheap meat cut is the way to go for some recipes, or most recipes. Mince is one good almost-universal way to make a meal go further. and don't forget coupons when going out shopping. I cut mine each week from the local newspaper and organize them as a group like dog food, soup, bath products, etc., in empty-used-to-be letter envelopes that comes in the mail. The extra used-to-be-envelopes also serves a my shopping list.

'Hope this helps. I do not have to economize. It is a habit I taught myself years ago when I was almost starving for not learning how to cook in the first place. I was single then. After 1 daughter and 3 always starving boys on their own now, it had been a long road of learning and maintaining a habit.

Do not stop learning everyday.

 

[Lynan]

I will admit to being dreadfully extravagant when I food shop. My business also supplies our household with much of our food.

I have a friend however, who is a shining example of thriftiness! She grows heaps of vegetables all year in a smallish back yard, she bakes her own bread in the breadmaker, makes her own yogurt and a few soft cheeses, preserves as much as she can, (I just got plum jam, quince and crabapple jellies, tomato relish and apricot jam from her) she also makes her own peanut butter, ginger beer etc. When her children were young she never bought disposable diapers, used the cloth ones. She rarely buys household cleaners but uses white vinegar and baking soda for lots of cleaning. She even has a mix she makes up to use in the washing machine and it works a treat! I was visiting her recently and the kitchen smelt divine as she was canning peaches and apricots. And I want some.

I admire her very much but dont possess the patience involved there! Have to admit she does this more because she is an avid ' Greenie' as opposed to saving money, but there is no doubt she saves HEAPS of that.

One site she recommends is

www.simplesavings.co.nz

apparently she gets lots of ideas there. And since I have never visited I shall rectify that post haste!

 

[InkedParrot]

As previously stated, I also never shop on a empty stomach. I usually do most of my shopping at WINCO Foods. Which is a the cheapest food store in town for the most part. I stock up on bags of frozen chicken breasts. Local Saturday Markets can be good to find fresh local veggies. I also shop at the local Asian Food Store, Prices are usually higher but you can find ingredients that major chain stores don't carry. I try to make big meals and then freeze left overs for the future. My food budget varies month to month. Depends if I have been a good boy with my checking account, LOL!!

 

[Norai]

As previously stated, I also never shop on a empty stomach. I usually do most of my shopping at WINCO Foods. Which is a the cheapest food store in town for the most part. I stock up on bags of frozen chicken breasts. Local Saturday Markets can be good to find fresh local veggies. I also shop at the local Asian Food Store, Prices are usually higher but you can find ingredients that major chain stores don't carry. I try to make big meals and then freeze left overs for the future. My food budget varies month to month. Depends if I have been a good boy with my checking account, LOL!!

I LOVE Winco, lol. I get everything except produce and meat there, which I try to get at the farmer's market because it tastes so much better. Winco meat scares me a little bit.