Need help on how to go food shopping?

Question

Everytime I go to the supermarket i never seem to have enough in my house. The bill comes out high but when I get home its mainly more of juice and other non essential things. I guess I am asking what is the best way to food shop. That is one thing I have been struggling with for years. I have two girls eight and four years then its me and my husband. How can i make it last from Friday to next Friday?? Also how much should i set aside to spend each week? Thanks all.

Answer 1

The thing I used to do when my kids (4) were young and we were all home for dinner is to watch the shopping ads. For me the came out on Mondays. I would sit down, see whats on sale and plan out our meals. And make my shopping list from that. If something we used a lot was on sale, I stocked up. I also clipped coupons from the Sunday papers and you can find online coupons also now.
Take stock of what are essentials to you guys. What in your cupboard or fridge makes you go to the store if you're out? Make sure you have it.
Write down the meals you constantly make and have the supplies on hand. Again, stock up when items are on sale.

Find web sites like Kraftfoods.com which has great meal ideas and recipes and it will even give you a shopping list.
allrecipes.com is great too for on the go families.

Do all your heavy shopping on the same day each week or two but figure a smaller trip in between if say you run out of milk or bread.

And only use CASH at the store, that way you have to add as you go and you won't be able to pick up non essential items!!

Do you have an extra freezer? If so, great. You can stock up on meat, chicken and fish when on sale but don't forget you can freeze bread and even chips. If you don't have one, watch the classifieds and see if you can find a used one!!

And if you have a SuperWalMart you can do all your shopping in one trip for both household items and groceries. I never buy my household items, such as cleaning items in a conventional grocery store. Way too expensive.

Answer 2

Sitting down and writing a list is important, to a point. You definitely want a list for items you are running low on. But sometimes the store is out of something, or it has a bad selection, etc. The menu planning sounds like a great idea, until the evening or two where other things come up and doesn't quite go as planned, and then it all flies out the window!
I shop the sales, and stock up when I can. I not only plan my menus around sale items, but meats, fish, veggies, etc, that look fresh.
Great budget stretchers to always have on hand -
chicken and ground beef both freeze well.
dried pastas
canned broths
canned or dried beans
frozen veggies, in case your fresh run out
canned tomatoes, whole and crushed
canned tuna and salmon
dried bread crumbs
rices
potatoes
eggs

These things make it easy to make a variety of meat dishes - lasagna, meatloaf, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, hamburgers, roasted chicken, fried chicken, chicken casseroles, tons of pasta dishes, salmon cakes, omelets, quiches, etc...you get the idea!
How much you set aside each week really depends on your budget...stocking a well-stocked freezer and pantry with sale items can initially cost you more, but in the long run, will save you a lot of money!

Answer 3

You need to spend more time preparing than shopping.
First, make a meal plan for the whole week, and then create a list for everything you'll need to complete that plan. Include school (packed) lunches, snacks, drinks. Do a rough estimate of how much everything should cost and then evaluate what can be changed.

Do you buy pre-made jugs of juice? Those are very expensive. Consider juice from concentrate, which you can buy a lot of for very little money.

Consider shopping in bulk. If you buy club-packs of say, chicken or ground beef, and then divide it up and freeze it, it will last a lot longer. Do you have a deep freezer? With a family of four it is certainly an asset!

Also try to buy multi-tasking food. For example, 1 head of celery and 1 bag of carrots can go a long way. They can be used sliced up as snacks, as well as used in other dishes you might make throughout the week like soups, stews, or stir fries.

Make a plan and stick to it! Best of luck!

Answer 4

Here's what I generally do. I keep a running grocery list. I never know what I'm going to make one day to the next. So when I make something that takes a box of penne or a can of cream corn, it goes on the list. If I'm getting low on half and half or I notice the expiration date's coming, it goes on the list. I also try to stay away from convenience foods like pizza or Hamburger Helper (those are occasional treats). I buy ground beef in bulk, portion it up, and freeze in 1 pound measures. Bulk rice is good, and so are dried beans instead of canned, they're cheaper. I love buying frozen veggies, block cheese and shred it and keep it in the freezer, and candy is a rarity here. Watch for sales, and use coupons. Clipping coupons could be a family thing with your kids!

I can't speak for a household of 4, but my husband and I average about $350 a month, but we also love cooking.

Answer 5

The only way I can try to keep costs down, is by buying meat in bulk packages at a Sam's club, you can also buy the big packs at your grocery store. I buy a whole pork loin, cut off two roasts, cube some and finish with cutting off my own loin chops. The same goes for the ground beef, I buy the big package to save money on the per pound price and repackage into 1/2 - 1 lb packages. Meat is usually where the bulk of your food budget goes. Try to stick to buying it once a month, portion out your meals along with what it is intended for (1 lb of ground beef for tacos, 1 lb for a pot of chili, etc.) Having a couple of vegetarian meals a week will also save money. Or have a breakfast for dinner night, eggs are cheap and a great source of protien. Planning out your meals before hand means you will only be buying what you need to prepare your meals, which saves money. Use coupons. Every time I go shopping I am saving at least 20.00, usually a lot more. Watch for the items to be on sale that you have coupons for, and you'll be able to save a lot of money. It would help if they would stop raising the price of groceries and gas to go get them! I would say, if you shopped weekly, you should set aside at least 75.00 a week if you only buy what you are planning on using. Go with a list, if you don't you will always spend more than you plan on.

Answer 6

I can't tell you how much to spend in a given week. That would depend on lots of things, like how much money you make, the cost of living in your area, etc.

But I do consider myself a "smart shopper", and one thing I always watch out for is "weekly specials" at local supermarkets. ESPECIALLY the "buy one, get one free" deals they sometimes have on meats and other products.

Since you're consistently feeding four people (your kids, your hubby, and you), you KNOW you will use up whatever food you buy. So stock up when those "buy one get one" deals are going on. For example, two five-pound beef roasts may seem like alot of meat, but you're essentially getting it at half price. Freeze one roast, and have the other for dinner tonight (and then for lunch tomorrow, and then maybe as part of a chef's salad for dinner on another night).

Then there are coupons. Around here, the supermarkets all double the value of coupons. Often, the'll have a product "on sale", and when combined with a doubled coupon, the product will be free! This applies to household stuff (cleaning spray, pet food, etc) as well as to regular groceries. Even if it's a product that I wouldn't ordinarily use, I'll certainly get it if it's free!

As for "non-essential" things....if you have an eight year old and a four year old, then juice and other goodies ARE essential. You need to have SpongeBob cookies and fruit roll-ups, to keep the kids happy (I like them, too). Those sort of items are often on sale (one brand or another), AND there are coupons for that stuff, too. Plus, products like that usually have long "shelf life", so you can stock up when they're cheap.

Around here, we're fortunate to have 3 major supermarkets, and a Wal-Mart super store, all within about 5 miles of each other. They compete for everyone's grocery business, and it's not inconvenient at all for me, in terms of gasoline and time consumption, to visit all four places in one day. If I want to buy (for example) some Oscar Mayer hot dogs, I shop around at all the places for the best price.

Answer 7

I hope this helps.

First of all, make a list of the usual meals, snacks, etc that your family eats on a regular basis.

Then: make a list of the Main Ingredients for these meals, a list for the snacks, drinks, breakfast foods, meats, etc.
From this list, one would divide these into three catagories:

The first I call Wet or Poods. make a list of canned, frozen, bottled, boxed, bagged items that are ready to use..Examples: Mayo, Mustard, green beans, soup, cereals, chips, etc.

Then from your main menu list, make a list of Dry,Staple items that you use every day: such as flour, sugar, sweetener, salt, spices, condiments, grains (rice) , pasta's, etc.

Thirdly: Perishables, such as meat, fresh vegetables, milk, eggs, produce, fruit.

Next: Start your grocery list, referencing your lists and what you have in stock form the lists that you just made. One will perfect this as time goes along and one will soon be in a routine of having a well stocked pantry and fridge. That is freedom and glorious!..

Lastly: Arrange your grocery list according to how your grocery store is arranged. Such as if the produce section is first, then list your items the you need in the produce section, then next meat for instance if the meat department is the next section you would come to in the grocery store.

I know this seems to be a log of work, it is.in the beginnng. Then when your are done with your lists that you made, keep them for reference. Before long you will have this system down so automatically shopping will be a pleasure and much easier on your budget. AND you will spend less time and money shopping.

Answer 8

You need to sit down with pen and paper, and work out your weekly menus. Check your recipes, work out what you need for each meal, then shop in bulk for your groceries. Dont buy stuff that isnt on your list; dont impulse buy, and get some good low cost meal recipes off the net, if you dont already know some. Home cooking is healthy, and much cheaper than buying takeout.

Answer 9

The best way to go about it is to plan your meals.

Have an idea of what you are gonna make for breakfast, lunch, dinner each day of the week. Then buy accordingly.

Also factor in left-overs, you can use those to make other stuff. Also, you can eat out with the family one night a week.

Answer 10

My family likes drinks too. I found the best thing. At walmart they have in the koolaid isle a canister of different flavored sugar free drinks. we like the grape. there are six tubs on a canister and it says 1 qt. per canister but we have a 2 qt. and I just fill it up. Its a little diluted but not so sweet. It goes a long way. Buy the bags of boneless chicken breasts. They are around 6.00 and you can make so muck with them. We like fajitas, kabobs, chicken fettichini, chicken enchiladas, with the veggies in them they really stretch.