Keeping Grocery Bills down...article. Help please!

[Alicia Leonard]

I have been clipping trips and cutting down on coupons.

I personally cannot deal with coupons. I used to collect those Arby coupons and soon I was eating roast beef sandwiches ten times per week. For me, the coupons cause me to buy some things I otherwise would not buy just to get the fifty cents off.

There was a comment about the price of gasoline being such an integral part of food prices and whether food prices will follow the downward trend of gasoline. The process is called price stickiness and is real. It has been studied by economists and the typical culprit is at the wholesale level.

It has not been that long yet so it may take longer for gas prices to snake through the distribution system before prices drop. Given that price stickiness occurs at the wholesale level, I have to believe that WalMart, never shy about beating its suppliers to a pulp, will do so to wring out the excess prices. If they don't Tarjay will and so on and so forth. Companies have also known to reduce the size of a package as a sleight of hand.

Want some price movement? Write WalMart, Target, Publix and Kroger and remind them that you expect to see some downward price action given lower gasoline prices. If enough folks mobilize and do this, it can affect their behavior. Then, shop with your feet.

I agree. From what I've read, it's not the downward cost of gas, but the competition. If one store lowers their prices, then the rest will follow.

 

[elgordoboy]

My biggest suggestion for keeping costs down and which I am hoping to implement: Eat only as many calories as you need to maintain a healthy weight. This would halve my grocery bill at a minimum.

 

[seacrestgirl]

As with most things in our budget these days, we are cutting non-essential items. (less ice cream for hubby, less gourmet products, etc)

Also, we are trying to set a menu for the week and therefore, buying only what we will need. We have virtually cut out the mid-week trips to the store. Instead, we are making do with what we have. Which means, maybe preparing a dinner that we aren't dying to have. (even cereal or eggs for dinner) It's just me and hubby at home, so it has been easier for us to make some of these changes.

A few months ago, we were trying to prepare meals that we thought would be especially pleasing. Now, we are preparing meals that are nutritious, but taking out some of the pomp and circumstane. Our budget is not as tight as some, but we fear that will change. We are diligently trying to make concious changes that will eliminate much of the waste we were accustomed to.

 

[Beach Runner]

Now that it's getting cooler, I'm making soups, pasta sauce, and things that don't require individual portions (like a stir-fry) and can be stretched. I'm cutting back on buying individual bottles/cans of soft drinks, water, Gatoraide, etc. If I see an item that I might not need that week but that I normally buy and it is on sale, I'll stock up. Publix has had a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, so I am taking advantage of that. I am buying more house brands because in most cases, they're just as good as the name brands.

As far as trips to the store, I'm still bad about planning ahead because I never know what I'll be in the mood for. I hate to buy fresh produce and see it spoil because I was too tired/lazy to prepare it. Thus my multiple trips to the store. Thankfully it is only three miles away, so it doesn't take much time or gas.

We do eat ramen, but we doctor it up with fresh broccoli or whatever veggies we have left from doing stir-fries.

I try to avoid buying snack foods.

 

[bluemtnrunner]

I am becoming my parents!!! I remember endless days of funky one pot dinner combinations. I could not for the life of me figure out where they came up with these recipies....or WHY. Now I get it. I open the pantry and the freezer and say hmmmm, egg noodles, hamburger, peas, cheese....looks like dinner to me, throw it all in one pot!
I had a friend in college who instituted "any two can night." Close your eyes, open the cabinet, pull out two cans and dump them in a pot. If you were lucky you got field peas and tomatoes. If not, spinach and corn.

As a kid we ate Rice a Ruger on a weekly basis. It was a recipe from our daycare teacher. Rice, some kind of Chunky brand soup and some butter. The rice extended the soup to fill all 7 bowls at the table.

While studying Anthropology at App State, I did a project on poverty and diet. If money is tight, dinners become "whiter", more starch, more processed with less vitamins and minerals and protein. Fresh vegetables are usually the first item to be scratched from the grocery list, along with low fat meats and inexpensive but rib sticking fillers are added to stretch the meal. Carts start filling up with potatoes, white rice, and noodles. Cans of green beans and corn replace fresh broccoli, zucchini, apples, grapes. You get the picture.

Let me go on record here and now and state that we will NEVER eat Hamburger Gravy over toast (SOS) from dad's army days in Beruit.
Nor will I ever ever ever consider tuna and cream of mushroom over waffles (a recipe from a computer tech I worked for once)

I am using more of the recipes and food combining from my years as a vegetarian. The kids all love meat, they have to have protein so I am making more meals with combinations of beans and meat and veggies and whole grains to make things they will actually eat, that are healthy and don't require a lot of money spent on meat.

 

[beachmouse]

Nor will I ever ever ever consider tuna and cream of mushroom over waffles (a recipe from a computer tech I worked for once)

Okay, it's a half hour until lunch and I'm now craving Mom's tuna noodle casserole because of you.

Thanks.

 

[scooterbug44]

As an alternative to casseroles/cans o' stuff, meals like beef stroganoff, chili, and various stir frys can be good lower cost meals.

You still get the meat/veggies, but can stretch it by using a cheaper cut and the big eaters still get the full feeling due to the accompanying starches.

 

[30ashopper]

I discovered this wonderful meat while browsing the 15.00 steaks and expensive chicken, it's called pork. Two chops already pounded out for 1.50 at Publix. It's an amazing thing.

I've also regressed back to simpler times by dumping all the expensive stuff that has crept into my purchase list over the last few years -

Starbucks has been replaced with the Folgers 'vat of coffee'
previously frozen seafood replaced fresh
chicken replaced steak
pork replaced chicken
no special fattening extras - ice cream, chips, etc..
publix brand cheeze in place of name brand cheeze

I also now pay more attention to the WinDixie savings tags under products, searching for the ones I'll get the best discount on.

Funny though, my grocery bills are still higher than they were in 2002. So I'm still searching for better deals.

 

[jensieblue]

menu changes and adaptive shopping..

I read helpful advice in Consumer's report and my family has adapted with relative ease. First, buy store brand products when available. Store brand products are typically produced for a major brand, ie., Delmonte, Doles, etc, and whatever is left and not purchased by Name brand is sold under store brand labels.. Same quality, lower cost. Second, do not serve proteins, beef, chicken, etc., as a main dish but reduce the portion of meats and use them as additions to stir fry, crockpot dishes. We do not need as much in our diest as we were told growing up. Oh, and find out what day your grocer culls his produce selling items with minor blimishes or that have be on the shelf up to their sale date and marks them for quick sale. And lastly, control your own shopping schedule...You can get a huge reduction on turkeys, etc., the day after Thanksgiving. Smoked turkey is good anytime. Take advantage of the market don't be tied to it

 

[JUL]

I started trying a lot of Publix brands. A word of warning! Go brand name on the vanilla wafers.
Also, Super Target. I buy their organic milk, their alternative to cheeze its, and their tortilla chips are grayt. you get more in the bag and it ziplocks