Where do you save $$$

[snickerdoodle]

I know that cooking from scratch is supposed to save money but I've noticed that this is only true if you stay away from premium cuts of meat and organic foods (mainly produce for us). Well we happen to like both of those things so I'm just wondering what I could be doing to compensate for this. I know rice, pasta, potatoes and beans are good staples to have and we are well stocked with those things. I also make my own chicken stock from any scraps I have so I never have to buy stock at the store. Maybe I should be taking better advantage of our Sam's membership and buying food in bulk? Right now we mainly use it for non-food items. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[Selkie]

Actually, I use the money savings from using very little processed foods and making dishes from scratch, and buy Organic produce.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Bulk does save money on non-perishables. Unless you can eat the whole case of produce ...

I found that I am saving money buying only what we are going to eat in a week...I mean on produce, meat, etc. I go to the store more often, but I don't have the massive amount of spoilage I had when I only shopped once a month.

 

[Andy M.]

We shop at the bulk stores as well as the usual supermarkets. Bulk stores can give you better prices unless the supermarket is having a sale. So you have to know the prices and shop when the time is right. Get the mailed or online sales flyers and read them before you make a shopping list.

We have an upright freezer in addition to the freezer on the fridge. We use it to store the on sale purchases and large batches of foods I cook and freeze.

You can cut down on the cost of meals by using less meat and more fillers. Meats stretch a lot farther if you add them to a casserole, soup or stew than if you make a meat, potato and veggie meal.

Also, if you make more stews, soups and braises, you can use cheaper cuts of meats, saving money.

 

[taxlady]

I buy stuff we use a lot at Costco. Big bags of walnuts go in the freezer. I cut meat into meal sized portions and freeze them. We buy the giant tin of crushed tomatoes (don't remember how much it holds, but it's about 12" tall by 8" in diameter) for the big batch of pasta sauce that goes in the freezer. We buy a flat of tinned tomatoes for all the other uses of tinned tomatoes, where you don't need that much. But, I keep an eye on the prices because sometimes the specials at regular grocery stores are better.

As to the organic food, I really wish I could afford to buy all organic produce. But, since I can't at the moment, I use the lists of "the clean 15" and "the dirty dozen" from this website: EWG's 2010 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides Sneak Peak | Environmental Working Group Watch the video, it's sensible and only 3:03 minutes long. I take the same attitude as the good doctor. I don't eat the stuff on the dirty dozen list when I can't get it organic. Only getting the organic stuff that is cheap or on that list saves me a bunch of money.

 

[taxlady]

Ooh, I lied. I buy regular apples and peel them.

 

[4meandthem]

I cut my food bill by shopping the flyers for bargains.I shop not only the supermarkets but ethnic food stores and the flea market where they sell tons of produce from local farms.

It pays to know your prices.Costco,Walmart and the discount supermarket don't always have the best deals.

Beef tenderloin at the supermarket when at it's lowest is 8.99lb.My ethnic market is 4.99 and 3.99 when on sale.

I get avacados for 25 cents each at the flea market.

Costco eggs are cheapest but their meat is expensive.

etc.etc.etc.

I use coupons too when I can.

I have been a stay at home Dad since Feb so going to market is a another way to get of the house for me and my 2yr old too.

 

[snickerdoodle]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far! I monitor the sales at our grocery store pretty closely and always try to add coupons on top of stuff that's already on sale. I've save a lot that way. I'll do a little more scouting at Sam's next time I'm there so I can start comparing costs. I wish we had room for an extra freezer. We have the tiniest kitchen you've ever seen (it hurts my soul, lol) and we don't have a basement or anywhere else to put it. Hubs is always complaining about how packed our freezer is. I've also learned that shopping more frequently helps to reduce food waste, although sometimes I cry when I forget about whatever it was I threw into the crisper and forgot about. Last time it was Kale, but now thanks to taxlady, I know I was better off not eating it since it is one of the dirty dozen. That list is super helpful, I printed a couple guides off to keep in my purse and on the fridge. I knew a few of them on the list but a few of them surprised me too. Thanks again!

 

[snickerdoodle]

I have been a stay at home Dad since Feb so going to market is a another way to get of the house for me and my 2yr old too.

Kudos to you! My husband is a stay at home dad too! We love it! Taking the kids to market is such a good experience too. Very educational and fun! Our market is very kid-friendly.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I stay away from The Dirty Dozen, if at all possible. I'm really good with the prices of all the stores I shop at, except the other day when I went to buy pudding cups for Shrek. I don't usually buy them and found out I could have saved $7 if I had gotten them at Walmart. Oh well, live and learn.

I am willing to spend a little more at local-owned grocery stores, trying to keep my dollar local. If the difference in price is less than a dollar at Walmart, I buy at the local store.

 

[forty_caliber]

We buy very few prepared foods or "meal kits". Cooking extra "main ingredients" when you prepare a meal helps take advantage of sale items. I smoked 10 or 12 pounds of the "on sale" split chicken breasts and a few pounds of sausage over the weekend. I portion them out for meals later in the week.

Entree:
Smoked Chicken and Sausage
Dirty Rice with smoked chicken
Caesar Salad with smoked chicken
Baked ziti with smoked sausage
Red beans and rice with smoked sausage

Sam's Wholesale bulk items are good but you have to watch closely and do the math.

Best values I've found are:
Peanut Butter - two 40 oz Jars $7
Pasta - several varieties 6# $5
Rice - 25# $7
Flour - 25# $6

The biggest challenge with saving money by buying bulk items is storage. To avoid waste, contamination, and spoilage containers are a must. Where would you store 25 pounds of flour at your residence?

.40

 

[licia]

I've changed some of my buying habits but I still don't buy organic unless I am very sure about the source since there are no established rules about what is or what isn't organic. Whatever I buy, I'm careful to wash it well. Also, we have cut down on the amount of meat and I would be happy to have one or two meatless meals a week, but dh wouldn't go for that. I try very hard to eliminate waste by making just what we need for a meal or using leftovers in a new dish. Cooking for two certainly isn't as easy as cooking for a family and I still overdo it at times. Also, I've started putting the amount saved on my grocery receipt in to my savings account - that adds up.

 

[Uncle Bob]

By being keenly aware of the markets in my area.....
Buying bulk/quantity when feasible....
Having a Zero tolerance attitude for waste....

 

[licia]

Uncle Bob, you are way ahead of me on zero waste. I try not to have any waste, but must say my compost pile thrives from some things overlooked. I don't have as many "experiments" in my fridge as I used to. I hate the fridge I have and would love to have one of those with french doors that open all the way across and have slide out drawers for each shelf. That would help!

 

[pbnjgourmet]

I like to price match at Walmart - they will match competitor ads from stores within 3 miles.

 

[4meandthem]

Kudos to you! My husband is a stay at home dad too! We love it! Taking the kids to market is such a good experience too. Very educational and fun! Our market is very kid-friendly.

Thanks, but it wasn't by choice.
I am however ejoying it and my wife is too.
We are going to do it as long as we can.My career is closely tied to construction and the market is still a mess.

 

[drfugawe]

We have our own garden, and each year it gets a bit bigger, and we get better at using or freezing some of it - there's a huge amount of waste when you garden, and it's not cheap if you are taking good care of it - but there are many advantages to it.

We also have an old upright freezer that's always filled: 1/4 for meats & fish bought on sale; 1/4 for garden surplus; 1/4 for leftovers; and 1/4 for holding breads I bake for short periods.

Garden stuff and meats all get vacuum sealed before going into the freezer - 10 years ago I bought a $99 Simbo vac sealer (the kind that uses cheaper un-ribbed bags), and thousands of bags (I still have a bunch!). It's not much to look at, but it's a workhorse - that alone has saved $100s of dollars!

But I think our food budget has profited most from our decision to deemphasize protein in our meals - we average only 3-4 ozs of meat or fish at dinner, and more veggies. And we now do a better job of eating all leftovers before making something new (this is VERY hard!).

 

[Uncle Bob]

Uncle Bob, you are way ahead of me on zero waste. I try not to have any waste, but must say my compost pile thrives from some things overlooked. I don't have as many "experiments" in my fridge as I used to. I hate the fridge I have and would love to have one of those with french doors that open all the way across and have slide out drawers for each shelf. That would help!

"Experiments" ...I can relate! ~~~ I think I need a walk in cooler sometimes ~~~~ Please understand, I said a Zero Tolerance for Waste Attitude...Which doesn't always equal Zero waste....but it does help!

 

[bakechef]

I keep an eye on ads like others.

We eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast and I wouldn't dream of paying $5 a pound for it, it goes on sale for $1.99 or less per pound.

We also eat lots of boneless pork loin chops, these tend to be at least $5 per pound here, so I buy the 1/2 pork loin when it goes on sale for less than $2 per pound and cut the chops myself. I use any small pieces in stir-fry so there is very little waste, maybe just a few scraps of fat.

We eat steak once in a while usually when it is on a good sale.

I try to cook from scratch and pick up bargains whenever possible and stock up (if it is something that I use regularly).

I don't buy organic for most things. I have found that eating good quality foods doesn't need to be expensive, you just have to shop smartly, and stock up when the prices are good. I have a freezer and a vacuum sealer and that helps a lot.

 

[taxlady]

I've changed some of my buying habits but I still don't buy organic unless I am very sure about the source since there are no established rules about what is or what isn't organic. Whatever I buy, I'm careful to wash it well. Also, we have cut down on the amount of meat and I would be happy to have one or two meatless meals a week, but dh wouldn't go for that. I try very hard to eliminate waste by making just what we need for a meal or using leftovers in a new dish. Cooking for two certainly isn't as easy as cooking for a family and I still overdo it at times. Also, I've started putting the amount saved on my grocery receipt in to my savings account - that adds up.

Actually, there are established rules about what is and isn't organic. They just depend on who is doing the certifying. It's good to do some research about the various certifying bodies that certify foods as organic in your area.

There can be wide variations in how reliable a certification is. It can vary from just trust the farmer's word (and collect a membership fee) to documentation of strict compliance to good standards and testing.

Organic certification - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia