Cutting Grocery Costs
How much do you spend on groceries? This is a popular message board question. It all depends on what is included in “groceries” for most people. Food is not so bad (though I’ve noticed prices shooting up like crazy this summer!) but when toiletries and household supplies are added in, not to mention diapers and the like, that ‘grocery’ bill starts to add up.
For us, it’s $500 per month for a family of five with one dog. That includes one child in disposable diapers (though in the past when I was less busy and home more often cloth diapers saved both money and the environment, so I strongly suggest them.), all toiletries and household supplies. It can be tight. We do not qualify for any type of help from the government, but many families do and I encourage you to check out the WIC requirements for your family if you have children under the age or five or if you are expecting a baby.
I am able to feed my family well on our budget by buying generic. Don’t be afraid. There are very few generic products that actually taste different from the brand name products. Find the ones that must have in a brand name and buy generic for the rest. If you can’t resist the brand names buy them only when they are sale or when you have coupons.
I try to make as much from scratch as possible, but time is my enemy at this point in my life. I bought a bread machine from a thrift store for $7.00 and it has more than paid for itself at this point.
Cut out the junk food. Seriously, replace it with good stuff. No excuses. Treats are fine. A never ending supply of junk is expensive and definitely not okay to have around the house.
Drink water.
Make a menu, create a grocery list and stick to it. This has been my best money saving implement. If I make a list of exactly what I need before I go to the store, I’ll stick to it. If I just write down a few things I need and leave the rest to make up as I shop, I’ll overspend.
I’ll be adding frugal recipes in future posts.
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