I stay home most of the time, just so I don't have to put gas in the car. I have started to buying more generic brands at the grocery store. I buy things on sale (got to love the buy one get one free sales). I spend a little over $100 a week for groceries and also spend about $100-$150 a month at BJ's to buy diapers, meats, paper products, etc. I cringe when I see the total, but then step back and say... wait that buy 7 days of breakfasts and dinner for Richard, Blake and myself. Blake and my lunches for 7 days and 5 days of lunches for Richard... ok that feels a bit better
One thing I look at is what I make for dinner. I've talked before about planning meals before grocery shopping. I look at what I can do to make meals stretch. This week we had /will have
Sunday: pizza casserole (noodles, ground turkey, tomato soup, and cheese) this made 3 dinners and a lunch
Monday: Salsa steak over couscous-- dinner and a lunch
Tuesday: Chicken and potatoes (chicken, potatoes, onion, peppers) this will probably make 1 dinner and a lunch
Wednesday: leftover Sloppy Richards
Thursday: chicken parm (chicken, spaghetti sauce, cheese)
Friday: no clue haven't planned it yet
I try to make at least one meal that will result in leftovers. We have a stand alone freezer that I keep all my meats and leftovers in... when I don't know what to have I just have to shop in my freezer
so what do you do to stretch a buck?
i try to eat the previous nights dinner for lunch! it's a saver!
ReplyDeleteI totally get it. I just spent $230 at Walmart on Sunday because Jillian needed eeeeeverything. Diapers, wipes, formula, baby water (we have a well and can't use that to mix bottles),baby food, and on, and on, and on for daycare and at home! I just about passed out when she told me the total!I eat a lot of meals at my in-laws house. I can't even imagine if I had to buy full grocery orders too!
ReplyDeleteWe eats lots of leftovers. I usually only cook maybe three nights a week and the rest is leftovers. My husband is not a big eater so we alwasy have lots of food left. I try to plan my meals but do not always suceed. I also don't shop much. never for myself- and only once in a blue moon for Eliza.
ReplyDeleteI am really bad at making a menu and sticking to it..
ReplyDeleteMy husband read somewhere that if you can go to the grocery store (at least) every 8 days....I try to stretch it and go every 12 days. I make my menu and stick to it. I normally will make a mini trip in between for milk and/or bread.
ReplyDeleteNow having said all that, while we have been renovating and living in this apartment, we've eaten out A LOT!
I find it hard to save on food. We buy off brand. We are vegetarians- so no meat. I make all out bread products. But I go back and forth over price (we are on a tight budget) and the fresh, organic, EXPENSIVE stuff I would like...
ReplyDeleteYour boys are adorable, by the way...
We try to stay close to home on the weekends and entertain ourselves in the backyard now that we have some fun stuff to play with!
ReplyDeleteI also just called our car insurance co and saved us quite a bit by finding another discount we weren't getting.
I don't know how you do it that cheaply! According to my budget tracker, we've already spent $800 this month on grocery/Costco trips. Mabye I should follow your lead and plan ahead for our meals. Me and the girls do eat dinner leftovers for lunch a lot.
ReplyDelete