Cutting The Grocery Bill--How?
I'm reporting success this week with my attempts to drastically cut the grocery bill. I cut ours by more than half and we made it (almost) all the way through to today, the day of the next big shop for the week. All in all, I spent an extra $20.50, which may not seem so great to you. My "failures": I spent $3 at the divinely-inspired Krispy Kreme drive-through (don't ask, I just got a vision and followed through on it as the spirits were advising me--you would totally have bought those donuts, too). I also spent an extra $3 at Dick's Drive In, when my husband looked
positively forlorn about a lack of Root Beer, and so since he got the
RB, I got a Coke. My first Coke in ages! It was great! (And yet the baby kicked all night and I couldn't sleep.) The point is, we could
have eaten for $12 instead of $15 by sticking to water. I spent $6 on "emergency" lattes from Starbucks the morning after we ran out of coffee, and $8.50 at Safeway when I failed to buy two key ingredients for taco night. (See my very first ever post for a healthy way to make tacos.) At that point, we were out of milk, juice, and coffee as well. That was Thursday, and we had two days to go until I was supposed to buy more food. But when faced with drinking only water for the next 2-1/2 days for all of us, I broke and bought more milk and juice and a mini bag of coffee. But for the juice, I bought frozen concentrate instead of a ready-made jug or carton. It was a third of the price of ready-made juice. Course, I realized when I got home that my only remaining pitcher had been confiscated and left in the sandbox outside all winter. So there is literally a bucket of OJ in my fridge right now. But so what? I ain't so different from you am I? With my pitcher in the yard and bucket in the fridge?
Frankly, I thought I was going to make all this big effort, then crack on the 2nd or 3rd day and splurge on a bunch of ready-made stuff, or eat out at every meal and then crumple in a heap and cry every night over my failure and because we're going broke during the recession, with another baby on the way. (We are not quite living the lyrics of every hard-luck country song, but it feels like it could go that way sometimes. Ever hear Fancy by Reba McEntire, or Poor Man's House by Patty Griffin? Lord have mercy.) Likely as it was for me to fail and crumple this week, it didn't turn out that way.
I've been talking this whole thing up with my girlfriends as we gathered on various playgrounds and in the preschool lobby, and I got some comments that made me feel much better. A couple of mothers I know said, "Oh, I try that, but then when I try to stick to a plan of such limited choices, I get really fickle and think 'I don't want to eat that for lunch or dinner,' so then it doesn't work." It made me feel better that I wasn't the only one who felt that way. None of us wants to be limited so much. It's like dieting. As soon as there are strict rules in place, we explode in a manic fury of breaking them. So how does one do it?
First, I think when it comes to saving money, necessity plays a big role in motivation. Don't cry. Don't crumple. Just do it. And forgive yourself the small stuff, like responding to the "Hot Fresh" sign when you drive past Krispy Kreme. Next, don't be silly about your menu choices. I planned a menu full of stuff I knew we loved already, and figured out how to make them cheaper. I took a couple chances, like on the take-out joint we never tried before and on Cat Cora's chicken recipe, but both were winners. I lucked out. Last, I cut out every single ready-made item at the grocery store. I didn't buy the yummy organic flax toaster waffles from Whole Foods, nor Amy's Organic Toaster Pastries, nor did I buy the ready-made multi-grain pancake mix. Stocked with my bag of Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour, I was armed to make pancakes, muffins, and waffles from scratch. And it was easy! And they were yummy! Also, you already know I bought no produce at Whole Foods. Remember the old joke where everybody calls them "Whole Paycheck." That was true for me. Not funny. So I bought all my fruits and veggies for the week at a local produce stand two blocks away and saved a bundle. I was able to shop at Whole Paycheck, buying the store brand everywhere possible, and still feel comfortable with the healthiness of my choices. I probably could buy things cheaper at a different grocery store, but I find that trying to buy the organic things at a regular grocery chain triples the grocery bill! Do you find that? So I balanced out what's important to me and managed to shop where I wanted and got things we liked and were good for us.
One thing I realize though, is that it's impossible to stay at or under an exact amount every week. For example, we still had big jars of peanut butter and jam, so I didn't need to buy them, but now we're out. Also, we had plenty of soap, shampoo, dishwasher and laundry detergent, etc. But I can see how there will sometimes be giant spending when stocking up on staples, but then lesser spending in later weeks. I guess we'll have to do a monthly average over time to achieve our weekly/monthly goal.
I can leave you with one thing that makes me feel really good about this week. It's fun to run out of everything. It's really neat to see an actual empty cupboard and fridge shelves. It feels good to consume everything you've bought, down to the last grape, with no waste and nothing left over.
--Sweet B
Annie on April 25, 2009 at 06:04 PM
Background: I'm a single mom of 2 young ones, so saving money on food is my "hobby" these days.
Stocking up on sale items has saved me lots of money. For example, coffee: Folgers was on sale for $6 a large tub last week at Target. Most people were walking around with 1 or maybe 2 tubs in their basket. I walked away with 6 - enough coffee to get me through almost 6 months. I know between now and then, either Target or Safeway will have a sale again. Yes, I do that for all non-perishables. I rarely buy anything at regular price. When it's on sale, I stock up and if I run out before there's a sale (a very rare occurance) I do without or find a cheaper subsitute.
We eat a lot of fruits and veggies, thanks to our local produce markets and living so close to the central valley of CA. I buy whatever is in season - seasonal items are typically the cheapest. First, I check the weekly grocery ads to see what they have on sale before I make my lists and plan my errands. I hit the grocery stores first (some times produce deals can be a dud like this weeks' green beans for 99 cents a lb were nasty looking!) and then swing by the produce market on the way home to fill in the holes.
Don't forget the discount department stores (Target and Walmart) for groceries too! Our local Targets have large fridge sections with dairy, juice and frozen stuff. I've found their store brand of OJ the cheapest around here, not to mention brand names items (Philly Cream Cheese for $1.77!). I also buy certain items at discount warehouse stores (e.g. Smart and Final has a great price on all-natural chicken nuggets that beats even Safeway's sales).
Just like you, I don't buy a lot of pre-proccessed cr*p-in-a-box. I've learned to make a lot of things from scratch. They taste soooo much better, cheaper and are usually so much better for you!
Anne
HopeSew on April 25, 2009 at 07:31 PM
It's only fun to run out of everything when you know that you can refill everything.
You're right that a monthly average will be more sensible than trying to stick to a strict weekly allowance so don't get upset if your weeklies don't turn out exactly the same each time. Keep at it. It's totally worth the planning & effort, and you'll get your routine down to where you won't cut it so close that you're running out of stuff before the next grocery trip. Continually hitting empty prematurely is demoralizing and something to avoid.
PabloT on April 26, 2009 at 07:31 PM
On the peanut butter thing. Make your own! The nuts are cheaper than buying the butter pre-made(at least here) and all you have to do is drop em in a food processor with some salt and vegetable oil and keep it going until smooth. For final awesomeness some honey works incredibly and cashews are better than peanuts, though definitely not cheaper.
Kent on April 27, 2009 at 04:38 PM
For drinks, try buying juice by the jug (grape my fav) and then use it to add a bit of flavor to a glass of water. Do this for a week or two and you'll never go back to drinking it 'raw', as the sweetness will be too overpowering.
A single jug of juice can be stretched out 3 or 4 times its normal life this way and tastes much better. We first did this because we didn't want our kids getting all that sugar, then found that we really liked it that way over time.
It's a way to save money and have what you like at the same time. For soda, buy seltzer by the ton and then flavor that with a bit of juice from the jug. Heaven!
; )
MamaAJ on April 27, 2009 at 05:43 PM
Last year, my husband was overseas for several months. Before he went, I stocked up on everything under the sun, not so much to save money as because I was going to be doing all the shopping with 3 kids along while he was gone!
One additional benefit of stocking up is that you are just in the store for much less time. With fewer aisles to go in, you can get in and out fast, which means fewer chances on seeing things you want but don't need! Racing to get just what you need vs. browsing for what looks yummy.
Wacky Hermit on April 27, 2009 at 06:08 PM
Half my family has food allergies, and we live in a small town with little access to the specialized foods we need. The other half of my family has a mild form of autism and things go better when we never run out of their staple foods. So I cannot afford to run out. Consequently, I have a little "store" in my garage full of staple foodstuffs, and when we run out of something in the house, we just go out to the garage. I stock up the "store" when items go on sale.
I find this works much better than keeping my household on a tight menu and only buying what we plan to eat. We have an unusually high number of spills and wastage at our house because of the autistic kids, so it's nice to never have to explain to my husband that we *would* have this food to eat, if only the kids hadn't spilled it all a week ago and we couldn't afford to replace it till payday. It also works very well in emergencies. FEMA isn't going to deliver special allergen-free meals.
BJ on April 27, 2009 at 09:41 PM
Thrift and household economy is a good thing for your budget and the planet, however I'm hoping that you're covering emergency supplies too. Never allow your food stores and basic supplies to fall below what you and your family (including the family pet) need to survive for a week to ten days. You need 1/2 gal of water per day per person.
I remember the 1989 earthquake aftermath when there was no power, gas or running water for over a week, gas stations, banks or grocery stores weren't functioning either. I also lived in Sth Florida after Hurricane Wilma and the power was out for more than two weeks.
You don't think it could happen to you, but it can and the govt often cannot be of assistance for days. The bigger the disaster the longer you will be on your own living in primitive conditions.
David on April 28, 2009 at 04:54 AM
We live in northern Kentucky & since Christmas my wife has been laid off & my hours cut to 32 per week.
For the past few months we have been able to cut our grocery bill in half by purchasing boxes of produce through Angel Food Ministries. They operate all over the US & distribute the food through local churches. The food has been store-quality at a significant discount. There are no income/race/religion qualifiers. EVERYONE can order.
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/
Monthly Menu:
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu_0905en.asp
Find a local site:
http://www.angelfoodministries.com/hosts.asp
Hope this helps someone.
Blessings
David
TwoDogs on April 28, 2009 at 09:13 AM
For anyone really trying to eat cheaply, buying organic anything is the height of foolishness. You're just paying more, sometimes a _lot_ more for the same food value. Case in point - my wife insists on organic flour for her homemade bread. It's $5.99 for a 5 pound bag of Pillsbury vs. $1.50 for 5 pounds of store brand non-organic. We can afford it so I shrug and pay up, but for someone really strapped it's madness to insist on organic.
Sweet B on April 29, 2009 at 06:23 PM
I get behind on commenting. Let's see...Annie's points are good. And would help me in honoring HopeSew's points. Of course it can be demoralizing to run out of food every time (sort of mis-worded my intended point--I should have focused on not having a lot of waste instead of sounding like I glorified running out of things.) BJ's points fit right in with that. We should ALL take note there and make some disaster preparedness kits. At very least, MamaAJ's points are very pertinent to my life. I HATE taking the kids grocery shopping, so stocking up well would limit the shopping madness there.
Wacky Hermit, bless your heart, you're doing it just right--Can you look at the websites David listed and see if you can get some more of the kinds of specialized things you need for your kids through their services? That was great, David, thanks. Sorry about your economic status. We are really sweating it in our household, too. And with another baby coming. Everything can turn on a dime, right? Make us lay coiled with anxiety every night, awake and worrying, yet making it a point to create normal, joyful days for the children who can't understand or shoulder such concerns.
I love Pablo's peanut butter idea. We eat a lot of PBJ. I'll have to look into it and try that. And, Kent, I've been drinking "Juicewater" for about 15 years now. My kids have never known a cup of straight juice. Except b-day parties where they serve juiceboxes. Straight juice makes me gag, it's too thick and sweet. A friend's kids always request juice at my house because it tastes better! It quenches their thirst better and now they drink juicewater at home, too.
TwoDogs, I'm out of breath and ideas. Buying organic is important to me, but I do agree that not every single thing has to be organic.
Sweet B