Grocery shopping on a budget

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nomoremuffintopness
nomoremuffintopness Posts: 275 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, we are spending way too much on groceries, about $400 a month and I would like to get it down to about $250 a month. We have a much tighter budget as of now and we need to stick to it. It amazes me how fast the total gets up there! I have started meal planning for the week and Im really excited. I think it will help with our spending. I plan to buy only what we'll need and not buying anything thats not on the list. So any suggestions, advice etc...? We shop at Walmart and usually buy the Great Value items

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  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
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    I match weekly sales with coupons and also price match. If done right you can save like 50% on your grocery bill.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
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    buy your meat in bulk will help too. If you plan chicken a couple of nights a week then you can buy bigger packages and freeze it in smaller quantities. The just have to pull out what you need. Also if shopping Wal-Mart look at the other stores and get the sale price from the other stores. My friend does this by using different color stickers for the prices from other stores. :)

    Check and see if there's a farmers market or co-op in your area for veggies. That can really drop your price. Coupons are a good way as well. I also shop canned food by the case when on sale. I may spend a bit more up front but saves me tons in the long run. :) Good luck you can do it. Oh yea I also buy my rice in bulk. It's only .99 a lb that way for brown rice.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    We have two adults and 11mo old we spend 200 a month on food. I plan out our meals and my meals and my daughters as well. I try and buy not as much meat I try and fix more pasta and things like. I buy the extra lean ground beef which is like 3.98 a lb. I try and get it on sale to. Sometimes its like $2.
  • luvmy3kidz
    luvmy3kidz Posts: 25
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    When you make your week's menu, plan to repurpose leftovers - like whole chicken, turkey burger patties, cooked veggies, etc. Fiber rich foods are more filling for me so maybe keeping brown rice and a whole grain pasta to your meal might cut down on how much you make. Don't focus on brands as much. If you get Sunday paper coupons, you may find some good deals. Be sure you don't by an off-menu food just because of a coupon.

    I'm still trying to work this out myself. I have three kids (1 a teen) and haven't found the balance altogether yet.
  • ltlemermaid
    ltlemermaid Posts: 637 Member
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    stock up on sale items IF you actually use them-don't just buy it because its on sale. Look at weekly sale ads (stores list them online as well) and plan your meals from that. Shop the parimeter of the store for fresh foods that you will use up in your cooking, minimal purchases from the middle, buy meats in bulk espicially if on sale.

    I am trying to budget for me and my husband but its difficult when I want to eat healthy and he wants the easy processed foods that are fast--those really add up! Its cheaper to make your own at home from scratch --just takes more time.

    I use some coupons but most of them are for stuff I don't eat so not too much help for me there.
  • Ambrogio1
    Ambrogio1 Posts: 518 Member
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    shoprite has a app for weekly specials. you can download to droid or blackerry if you have
    most stores have them now
  • nomoremuffintopness
    nomoremuffintopness Posts: 275 Member
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    When you make your week's menu, plan to repurpose leftovers - like whole chicken, turkey burger patties, cooked veggies, etc. Fiber rich foods are more filling for me so maybe keeping brown rice and a whole grain pasta to your meal might cut down on how much you make. Don't focus on brands as much. If you get Sunday paper coupons, you may find some good deals. Be sure you don't by an off-menu food just because of a coupon.

    I'm still trying to work this out myself. I have three kids (1 a teen) and haven't found the balance altogether yet.

    I would like to start using coupons again, however in the past I buy more with coupons.
  • poisongirl6485
    poisongirl6485 Posts: 1,487 Member
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    That's the common thing many people do with coupons---buy stuff they don't need.

    The trick is to think of couponing like a game of cards. You hold onto your coupons until a good sale comes around, then match that with a coupon to get stuff for super cheap. For example, I haven't paid more than $1 per box of cereal in a long time.

    As far as ground beef and chicken go, don't pay regular prices. Sales run in cycles, and you can often get 85% or better ground beef for between $1.50 and $1.99 a pound. I stocked up when it was $1.66 a pound, bought like 20 lbs of it, and froze it. And just last week, boneless skinless chicken breasts were $1.59/lb at a local supermarket. You just have to pay attention to sales.

    It's never a good deal to buy something not on sale just because you have a coupon. You're better off waiting til a great sale comes up and stock up when it's super cheap.
  • bbygrl5
    bbygrl5 Posts: 964 Member
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    If you have a local store or a health store that does the bulk bins, this is the way to go!!! I buy all of my nuts, cereals, beans, rice, pastas, etc, etc. this way. The prices are screaming cheap and they usually offer very healthy varieties too, like organic oats. I'm a Walmart shopper, but I'm always very disappointed in their produce quality. I found I can go to the local health store and I buy whatever produce is on sale at that time. It's amazing the deals I have sometimes found. the local farmers who sell to these markets sometimes have too much haul and maybe it's going to go bad, so they mark the price down to sell it fast.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
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    stock up on sale items IF you actually use them-don't just buy it because its on sale. Look at weekly sale ads (stores list them online as well) and plan your meals from that. Shop the parimeter of the store for fresh foods that you will use up in your cooking, minimal purchases from the middle, buy meats in bulk espicially if on sale.

    I am trying to budget for me and my husband but its difficult when I want to eat healthy and he wants the easy processed foods that are fast--those really add up! Its cheaper to make your own at home from scratch --just takes more time.

    I use some coupons but most of them are for stuff I don't eat so not too much help for me there.

    Ya my husband doesn't care about eating healthy so I make healthy dinners without him knowing it.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
    Options
    stock up on sale items IF you actually use them-don't just buy it because its on sale. Look at weekly sale ads (stores list them online as well) and plan your meals from that. Shop the parimeter of the store for fresh foods that you will use up in your cooking, minimal purchases from the middle, buy meats in bulk espicially if on sale.

    I am trying to budget for me and my husband but its difficult when I want to eat healthy and he wants the easy processed foods that are fast--those really add up! Its cheaper to make your own at home from scratch --just takes more time.

    I use some coupons but most of them are for stuff I don't eat so not too much help for me there.

    Ya my husband doesn't care about eating healthy so I make healthy dinners without him knowing it.

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