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Have you been doing any shopping lately? Wow! We've had to change our shopping patterns...no more going to the big fancy grocery stores with their high overhead fancy deli's, etc. Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to shop there.
I don't know if this will help you but this is what we have done to save grocery money....first, we shop at Dollar Tree for most cleaning supplies...they sell name brand liquid soap dispensers for the bathrooms, excellent degreaser, bathroom cleaning products, toothpaste, etc. for (as if you didn't know) a dollar....Alan shopped there yesterday and bought enough cleaning products and toothpaste for 6 months and only paid $24.
Second, we shop Costco for all staples like flour, rice, canned goods like refried beans, and vegetables, and meat..mostly hamburger and chicken. We buy in bulk, wrap the meat well and store the canned goods in a cabinet in the garage. I get the large 25 lb. bags of flour and keep it in the outside freezer..fill up my kitchen canister as I need it. The last time we did this was two months ago and we still have enough for another month....so it was about $200 for 3 months.
I make my own laundry soap unless there is a very good sale and wash early in the morning to save energy.
For other grocery shopping, fresh fruit, vegetables, and bulk items like popcorn or raisins, we shop Winco.....they have the best prices in our area......avocados are .48 cents each, lettuce is under .98...tomatoes on the vine, 1.98..bananas under .50 lb. most cereals are $2.00 a box..name brand good quality bread is around $1.89 a loaf......their seasonal fruit is very good and at low prices..navel oranges were only .10 cents lb. You have to bag your own groceries but I come out with a smile and have fun shopping there...
We are still planning on growing more of our own vegetables.....just been too busy to build the raised beds yet and its too hot right now to plant...we have been enjoying the fruit from our trees.....the nectarines were so good, they are gone now and the peaches are about ripe..figs will be next and then the apples this fall...
We share with the neighbors and they with us....Donny came home last night with a bag of summer squash and another of tiny apricots...
We go to the fast food places seldom and its a treat. Soda is a treat too, not an every day drink. We drink mainly water, iced sun tea, milk and the boys still like Kool Aid.
The Lord is so good and we want to be good stewards with the money He gives us.
Please share how you've learned to save money in these hard times..I realize there probably isn't a Winco by you, however is there a farmers market? What do you do?
Hey Dani!
ReplyDeleteI've cut down my grocery shopping by only going every other week... and I have a STRICT budget I have to stick to, so I have to stay within that allotment, like it or not! I plan 6 meals (with some kind of meat) for 2 weeks and once we eat those meals and the leftovers, that's usually 11-12 meals all together. And I'm planning for 14 days, so the other two nights we'll eat out once, and we eat a sandwich or breakfast food the other night. It seems to be working so far! I buy all our cleaning and bathroom items at the Dollar store, too.
Good going! Its harder for us to stay on a super strict budget with two teen boys at home who are always hungry..our oldest does contribute $ every week, which helps.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding myself shopping at the cheaper stores more, and even there, I'm buying the cheaper stuff. No more great cuts of meat, for sure. I also try to stock up when they have sales. A few weeks ago, chicken was super cheap, and I bought a lot and stocked the freezer. Glad I did, as it's very expensive right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm making my own detergent and "soft scrub soap", and picking up shampoo when I see it for $1.00.
I'm also trying to find more recipes that don't use the oven, or fixing several things at the same time, so the oven is only on once, cooking several meals for the week on one day.
Eating out is about a forgotten memory. I am a fast food junkie, but had to go through withdrawal, believe me!
Right now, I can't think about gardening, so I have to go with what I can find at the stands, etc.
My sister's fresh beans and tomatoes were a real treat! Her chickens provide us with eggs, and I find more and more uses for eggs all the time. Since I don't have a cholesterol problem, it's a great substitute for meat. I love breakfast anyways, so will have breakfast for dinner with homemade biscuits, etc. Always seems like a very cheap meal!
I did dig out my tiny little broiler oven for making a few biscuits. The little tray in there is just the right size for 6 of them, and much more cost effective than the large oven.
I'll be curious to see if there are any responses about how to cook cheaper. I hate that oven going all the time!
Cora
Oh Dani ~ those little comics are so funny if they didn't make me cry! Jeff is currently spending $700 each month on gas to get to work. Can you imagine? But the job placement center told some of his coworkers, if you have a job, don't try to move. Jobs are scarce! So we are making some major adjustments as well.
ReplyDeleteTwo nights a week we're having white beans and corn bread. We're making all our cleaning supplies. I have a good recipe for soft scrub and will posting one for counter cleaner this week. You might be interested in those. They cost only pennies to make.
We live in the country so it is difficult to bargain shop at the grocery stores in town because it costs so much money for gas to get there. But I do get on line and find out what specials large chain stores are having and then I have Jeffrey stop on his way home.
Every little bit helps these days.
May the Lord bless you,
Lea