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tatsmom4ever | I need to make a smaller grocery budget. I uually spend 800 for family of 5 a mth? |
Me and hubby went to budget counseling today. We are try to save more money. We are doing good on our debt and bills except for our grocery budget by there guideline. I need to know how to cut down our bill. I have to buy different thing for my kids though because on is about 30 lbs over weight and one is like 20lb underweight, so its been really hard keeping a smaller budget. I also cook breakfast lunch and dinner everyday. please help
Additional Details
I forgot to mention I shop at the commissary on base |
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cbmttek
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You are setting a budget. GOOD! That is the first step to financial freedom.
But, you are also spending about $800 a month on groceries for a family of 5. That, in my opinion is not all that bad. My wife and I (family of 2) spend almost $400 a month (of course, we do splurge on some pricey stuff because it is just us two.)
Anyway, consider some of these tips to reduce the grocery bills:
1. Buy bulk whenever you can. If you are not a member of one of those warehouse clubs, join up. It will save you money if you use the products.
2. Buy items that are on sale whenever you can. And, buy those items in bulk if they are not perishable. If they have tuna at 3 for a dollar this week, but a dozen cans, or 24. Might push this weeks budget to the edge, but you will save for the next several weeks.
3. Buy generic for some items. Generic or store brand are iffy. Sometimes it is better to buy the name brand, sometimes not. For example, I always buy the store brand sugar. Costs about 1/2 the name brand, and it does not taste any different. Will not buy generic dish detergent though, found I used almost 3 times as much.
4. Seriously examine any "treats" that you get. Do you buy gourmet coffee? If so, ask whether it is really necessary? Be honest, can you really taste a difference? What about Coke versus store brand cola?
5. Do you buy bottled water? Unless you have bad water coming out of your tap at home, there is no justification for bottled water. If you want to filter it, get a Brita or Pur pitcher.
6. Do not buy store prepared items. Getting a hot rotisserie chicken at the Deli counter is like tossing money in the street. By the time you get it home, it will be cold, and significantly less desirable. Same thing with deli prepared sandwiches, etc...
7. Stop buying boxed/prepared meals. Half of what you spend on a microwave dinner is the cost of the box. You are not eating the box, so do not pay for it. And, how tough is it to make a meatloaf, or mashed potatoes anyway?
8. Use coupons whenever you can.
9. NEVER pay $2.99+ a pound for the salad bar. Total money maker for the store, benefits you in no appreciable way.
Now, those are just some of the ways that you can reduce your grocery budget, but what about the other places that you have expenses?
Have a cell phone with a monthly bill? Get rid of it, and get a pre-paid one. Seriously, do you have to be talking for 400 minutes a month, or are you talking because the minutes are available to you? A pre-pay one used only for emergencies will set you back around $100 a year, unlike most other plans that are around $59 a month.
What about cable TV? Do you get the full on package? All those movie channels, on demand, etc...? Drop everything but the basic plus package. You have kids, do not give up the educational channels. Seriously, how often do you really watch most of those channels?
Speaking of TV, are you of the inclination to leave the TV on all the time because you like to hear the voices in the background? (A LOT of people do that. I know a woman that leaves the TV on while she is at work because her cats like it.) Stop that. Put on a radio instead. The radio will use significantly less electric the the TV.
And the list goes on and on...
It is not the big bills that really hurt. The mortgage, the car payments, those are easy to handle. It is the $10, $20, and $50 things that really eat away at your net pay, and if you control them, you control your overall budget.
BOL |
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billingspets
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I am married with 2 boys, and I always shop at wal-mart, clip coupons and only buy Great Value foods (off brand)!! It has saved us alot, and we still eat good!! |
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jaimegollmer
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We buy groceries for a family of four and spend about half of that. We rarely buy any type of junk food; chips, cookies, etc. We watch for the grocery ads and try to get the deals. We also go to about 4 different stores as certain things are cheaper at different places. Also, if you have a Sam's Club in your area that can be helpful to buy in bulk. Just a few suggestions, hope they help! |
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Jessica
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One word: coupons!
They can be a hassle to clip out sometimes but if you use them as often as you can it really does add up and make an overall difference. Plus if your shopping somehwere like Krogers you can get a kroger plus card (they have that kinda thing at most stores these days) then look at the papers to see what things you can get cheaper that week with your plus card. Another thing is to consider buying more knock off brands of food. Some things taste just the same and are a lot cheaper. Good Luck |
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Mike C
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Shop the perimeter of the store. That is where the essentials are. Meat, produce, cheese, bread,milk etc. Only roam into the center for staples. Pasta, rice, cereal etc. Breakfast should be simple... cereals and fruit. NO MEAT except maybe on the weekend for a treat. Fry nothing! No high fat snacks! If it isnt in the house your overweight kid cant eat it. High carb meals will help your supposedly underweight kid. Or try what I did for a while. Shop for one protein and one veggie...each day if practical. |
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redgator40
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i have 2 teenage sons and a husband who works construction so you know i have to buy a lot. i buy a lot of generic and shop almost exclusively at walmart. i spend about half of what you do and still eat good. i don't cook with red meat as much. lots of pasta and chicken. |
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Prof. Dave
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That is about $160 per person per month. I do not think that can be gotten any lower than what you have. I think you are doing good. The best way to save money is to instead of eating out for lunch take your lunch if you work. That will save you some. Also ask yourself the question "Do we need this?" The thing is many people buy things they do not need, but want. That means they are spending money on items that will be of no real value to them except that it is something fun. I would try making vegetables with lunch and so on. The fact is it is expensive to eat healthy, that is why so many poor people have weight issues. You could take out an extra 20 dollars of your grocery money each time you go to the store. That means that you may want to take a little calculator with you and add up what each item is when you buy it. That way you will not go over your allowed amount. If you take like 200 and go to the grocery then take 20 out that leaves you with 180 you can spend on food. Then you only buy the things you need, look for sale items and store brand items. They are usually cheaper. Make sure that your family will eat what you bring home. If they do not like it and will not eat it that is money that is wasted. You may want to try and make your foods and not buy pre-made foods. Those are usually more expensive. Best of luck I am so sorry you are having these troubles. Remember things like dried beans and corn bread can be a good substitution for meet. So one night you may want to do like brown beans and corn bead with green onions or some other vegetable. Make sure to always use any left over. If you have left over pork or beef, put a can of mushroom soup over it and bake it for a little. That will make it taste a little different and it will give you a gravy to use with it. I wish you the best of luck. :) |
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Dr. Deth
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how about cold cereal and milk for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch |
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shoredude2
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$800 a month for groceries. Ouch.
First don't spoil the kids by making them different meals. I know it sounds harsh. But if everyone eats the same healthy foods, everyone will be okay. Also, don't cook breakfast everyday. You'll find nutritious cereals and fruits with juice are probably a lot healthier than what you're cooking and costs less.
Second, don't buy the staples at Wal-Mart or a regular grocery. Buy these at a discount grocer like Aldi or Save-a-Lot. They'll only have one type and one size of everything. But it's all good. Then buy things like meats and fruits and vegetables at the grocer. Most stores will have value size packages of meats that cost about half the price per pound as regular size packages.
Go through the Sunday paper and only cut out the coupons for the items you already use or know you will use. The purpose of coupons is they hope you will splurge on items you don't use now. Beat them at their own game. Realize though that often times, generics cost less than brand names with a coupon, so compare prices.
If you have a wholesale store near you, ask around and see if their prices are cheaper. Many people assume that the prices at Wal-Mart and Costco have to be cheaper. Buit they always aren't. Don't spend the money on a membership without checking.
I'm single and I spend less than $100 a month on groceries. There is no way a family of 5 should be spending $800. |
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Mark F
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You might want to look into "Once a month cooking" or even "Once a week cooking". It'll save you a lot of both time and money, especially if you're cooking for 5 (economies of scale start to kick in). Most cities have wholesale food suppliers that are perfect for this kind of thing.
You might also want to check if there are any coops in your area, this is where people purchase together in bulk in order to get the lowest price possible. These can be quite large and well organized...or they can consist of just a few families working together. |
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pinhed_1976
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i don't see how that's possible. we spend over $800 for a family of 3. maybe you could cut back on the meat, and become vegetariables (yecchh) |
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yahman
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cook the same healthy nutritious meal for the whole family, if someone chooses not to eat it their obviously not too hungry, sound harsh but its really not at all, you really cant spoil your kids buy cooking them all separate things. you should also consider joining a wholesale club such as costco or bj's. also dont shop at the high end grocery stores like wild oats and highland park, go to the "discount" stores like price right and price chopper......ok i dont know if you have those stores where you are but it was just an example so im sure you get the point....good luck! |
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Ken
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china town has lots of bargains and no frills usually has sales. |
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Rella
 |
I think $800/month for a family of 5 is pretty darn good.
You might check out these books:
Miserly Meals by Jonni McCoy
The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn
Cheap Eating by Pat Edwards
Ask a reference librarian for more suggestions of books featuring thrifty recipes and ideas.
Also check out these sites:
http://www.miserlymoms.com/
http://www.debtproofliving.com/
When you shop, use coupons for items you would buy anyway. Try generic brands and see if those will be acceptable to your family.
You can determine which size of a grocery product is the best deal by determining the unit price. For example, cost of item divided by number of ounces= cost per ounce. Do this math for different sizes to find out which size is the best deal; it isn't always the biggest size or the size that's on sale.
This USDA site gives you up-to-date government estimates on families' average spending on food.
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPlansCostofFood-CostOfFoodAtHome.htm |
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tuffgrl96
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Well. Depends on what you are buying now I guess. Maybe substitute frozen veggies for fresh when you can. Buy things in bulk when it makes sense too and freeze the extra. Also, try to make the most of your leftovers and the things you do buy. You will always have some waste, but watch your dates on things. Don't feel bad to check the back of the dairy case for better expiration dates.
On a personal note, I have found that having a good solid list with me when I walk into the store helps. Make the list at home going over exactly what you need to add to the things you already have in your pantry to make it through the week, and when you get to the store stick to the list (leave the kids at home). Buy generic or store brands for things you can.
Hope this helps. |
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