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The Best Ways to Save on your Grocery Bill

January 18th, 2008 at 02:51 am

The best ways to save on your grocery bill

These are all ideas that my family has put into use. I feed our family (5 people full time, 7 people during holidays and school breaks) for $250 or less a month. Usually it is less, and some months it is even below $200. Yet, we eat well.

1. Garden & preserve your food—For our family, this is one of the biggest savers on our grocery bill. If you have never had a garden before, I would recommend you start small. Even those of you who have no yard can still have a window box garden or container garden. Herbs grow very well in containers inside year around. Tomatoes grow well in containers outside, as do strawberries. Some communities offer community gardens. In a community garden, you pay $25 to rent a space for the summer. You grow your own produce. Most have water on site and you have free access to it. Some will even plow and disc it for you at the beginning of the season. If you don’t know how to can foods, remember a large majority of foods that you grow can be frozen. Many foods such as beans can be dried. Drying takes no special equipment-I’ve dried foods before using a clean window screen and the sunshine, or you can use your oven (no heat required other than your oven light). If you do garden, save your compostable kitchen materials and dryer lint to add to a compost pile. It will be a savings you will see next year in your garden.
2. Buy meat in the bulk ¼ or ½ to a who beef or hog at a time Often all you need to do is ask around to find someone to split a cow or hog with you. Generally, the more meat you buy, the cheaper it is per pound. This does require a freezer, but many butcher shops and even some farmers will rent freezer space. Often you will see farmers selling meat in the paper. Even if you don’t want a whole, call him anyway. If he has 2 people who want a half, he will deal with you.
3. Hunt You can hunt anything!! Deer, berries, nuts, mushrooms, fish, rabbit…. Just make sure you have permission from landowners and any necessary permits or tags. Also, make sure you are really picking what you think you are picking (esp. mushrooms or berries-don’t pick a poisonous look alike.)
4. Coupon and bulk shop at stores such as Aldi or farmer markets. Only use coupons on items that it will really save you money on. Don’t buy brand X just because you have a coupon for it, even if brand A is still cheaper. Take advantage of double coupon days if your store offers them. Also, remember places such as Walgreen’s have some food items on their shelves and will let you use a manufacturers coupon along with their store coupon. This sometimes will enable the smart shopper to get items for FREE.

Buy produce while in season (if you are not growing your own). If possible buy it in bulk for further savings and can or freeze for future use. I have bought apples and green beans by the bushel to can and freeze.

Take advantage of stores such as ALDI for items. Currently a dozen eggs at Aldi is 75 cents cheaper than at the grocery store. Aldi does carry some name brands, but most is generic. However, they do not take coupons or checks, and you sack your own groceries, so take sacks (or a laundry basket) to take your groceries home in. (You will also need to take a quarter to rent your cart, but you get your quarter back when you return your cart.) Don’t grocery shop when you are hungry, and eliminate junk foods such as sodas, chips, candy…
5. Don’t lump non grocery/kitchen items fall into your grocery/kitchen budget You don’t eat cleaning supplies, diapers, laundry soap, or pet food, so don’t include them in your grocery budget. Make a separate category for these items. This will also help you see where you may be able to cut back in your budget.
6. Don’t waste food. If you cook it, eat it. Leftovers are great for lunches for work or school lunches. If you haven’t eaten it after a couple days, move it to the freezer. If you don’t eat leftovers, then start cutting your recipes in half.
7. Don’t shy away from cheaper foods such as rice, beans, and potatoes. Aim to serve at least 4 times a week or more.
8. Get a couple of hens. This may not be for everyone, but with the price of eggs lately, it has saved our family a bundle to have our own eggs. If you live in the country, you can have a set up as simple as a fenced in area with a doghouse for the hens to use. Ours were in such a set up for a year before I got an actual chicken coup for them.
9. Check out places for free food such as freecycle.org and craigslist. I have gotten free watermelon and pumpkins from farmers posting excess produce. I also got a case off free Campbell’s soup from a woman who didn’t like it after she bought it. As long as the food looks clean or is still sealed and in date, it should be fine.

5 Responses to “The Best Ways to Save on your Grocery Bill”

  1. JanH Says:
    1200626208

    I've got a question that has been bugging me. We have lots of squirrels who dig in the flower pots. I know they are burying stuff. But, if you container garden, would those little rodents eat the produce? I've been wanting to do as you suggested with tomatoes and stuff, but I've been wondering if I'll loose them all to critters. Thanks!

  2. mom-from-missouri Says:
    1200626793

    First, usually squirells only do that closer to fall, after your produce is done, UNLESS you live in a warmer climate. Generally, squirells do not eat tomatoes or garden produce. Coons, deer, rabbits and insects are often the garden theives. If you plant catnip, expect cats to also visit.

    If you live in a warmer climate you can discourage them by:
    1. Hang the pots. (an old swingset is an ideal place)

    2. Cut a peice of heavy wire screen and place it on top your pot. You will have to cut a hole in it for your plant to come thru.

    3. Buy a product made to discourage them. There are several on the market and you just sprinke a little on top the soil. It will last for several weeks.

    4. Sometimes playing a radio will spook them off or a fan with streamers attached to it. The year I moved I planted my tomatoes in pots so I could bring them with me and I put the pots around the outside of the dog kennel. It kept the squirells and coons away, and provided great entertainment for my beagle!

  3. Joan.of.the.Arch Says:
    1200630876

    Here in the city we have a huge population of squirrels and they can wipe out our tomatoes, corn, and fruit. They do dig in containers both autumn and spring! They sometimes dig so thoroughly that they uproot the plant from the pot. Squirrels can be discouraged somewhat by a layer of rocks on the top of the container soil.

  4. cptacek Says:
    1200631338

    I had a garden for the first time this year, and we had LOTS of spaghetti squash and zucchini. And it kept well, too (not in the refrigerator - that stuff molded, but just out on the counter) so we had zucchini and squash for Thanksgiving! I also froze some, and still have some. We ate a lot of vegetables during the summer and fall.

    I hope next year I will have a better garden. I really just threw out some plants into holes I dug in what was the lawn and hoped they grew. Next year I'll actually till the ground and get it prepared.

    My new brother in law has chickens, and he gives us the eggs. We trade some of our vegetables with him.

    We also get a whole hog butchered. My fiance is a great griller!

    We got two deer this year, but I don't know that that is cost effective for us. We had someone else cut it up and make hot sticks and jerky...I field dressed mine, but I don't know how to do the rest of the butchering, and he didn't want to do it, so we sent it to someone else.

    His apple tree froze this year, but hopefully it wont next year and we'll have green apples to snack on.

    My parents have mulberry trees, and my sisters love to eat them. I'm ok with them, but they LOVE them.

    Oh, and I thought that catfish would be icky and taste dirty. We went fishing for the first time, and he caught one. When we got home, I suggested putting some pork chops on...cause I thought it would taste bad, but told him because I didn't know if there would be enough Smile . He wrapped it in aluminum foil, used butter and cajun seasoning, and grilled it. It was AWESOME!

  5. M E Says:
    1200677191

    I am with Joan, squirrels get into fruit, veggies and flowers, year 'round. They are ballsy little rat-bastards! My dog HATED squirrels and they still would show up. The fact that she had killed a few of them, didn't deter them in the least. @@

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