How do you manage your budget with these inflationary prices...especially at the grocery store???

Question

All dairy products have soared...Milk is like 4.29 a gallon! Cheese and chocolate cost more than meat per pound. How do you cut corners? I really would like to know...Thanx for answering.

Feel free to star this question if you too are being choked by the cost of things.

Wow! you gals are all such Super Shoppers and so giving of your time and effort to teach me. I'd give you all Best Answer if I could. Thumbs UP to all of you wonderful gals..you re all winners here.. A million hugs and thanks to all of you.

Anthony, Knarf and Gregg that INCLUDES you guys too. Sorry about that.

Answer 1

Aside from running your own dairy farm, here's what I do if I shop at all.
1) Go to the Save A Lot stores. You know, the places where you have to bag your own... Some of the food is strange and comes from other countries. Ask the store employees what they eat. I made friendly with a girl who works there in my town and she always advises me of the best buys and what is going to be good, etc.
2) Go to your expensive local bakery. believe it or not, the $4/loaf bread will be $.50 the next day, as will the rolls and cookies.
3) Buy the Duke's Mayonaise. Spend on the really important things. But skimp on the butter and milk. They all taste the same and are made at the same locations. Skimp on kitty litter, chips, anything that is made in the same location as the expensive brands.
4) Shopping at Wal-Mart saves a lot.
5) Get some juices and coffees, household items, cleaning supplies, femenine products, baby care, seasonal holiday decor, school supplies and paper things at the Dollar stores. I get the expensive toilet paper for $5 instead of $8 at Dollar General. They are the SAME things you find at other grocery stores and at Wal-Mart, only cheaper by 30%.
6) Find a friend with a club membership and buy in bulk and freeze the meats!!

Answer 2

Use the FN recipes as inspiration. The dishes they cook in general would be too much in more ways than just cost If you ate all that food all the time. Use less meat and cheaper cuts of meat especially chicken. Remember that a serving of meat is about 3 oz! A 3+ lbs. package of ground beef when cooked is 12-16 servings of meat! Use more vegetables. Don't forget the salad, but you'll need to prepare your own. You pay a lot for those convenience cut and bagged products ... especially salad. The biggest problem of most budget restricted menu planning is that the cheapest foods are your carbohydrates. Rice, Potatoes, Pasta, etc... You can use these to stretch but don't make them all you serve since that isn't healthy either. Certain things in our diet are just crazy. Those 3 pizzas for $5 each deals are over 5500 calories! That's enough food for 6-9 adults and is mostly carb and fat to boot. Yet the average family is less than 4 people with 2 adults at most but we as a people have been conditioned that every day meal time should be a binge of that kind of unhealthy gluttony.

Answer 3

Well one of the big things we've done is cut back on meat consumption. We're not vegetarian or vegan by any means but it does cost a lot and it's also healthier not to eat a ton of it so we try to have no more than 4 meat dishes per week.

We also eat a lot of pastas and rices...they're cheap and filling.

Above all, the cardinal rule: Do NOT shop hungry...EVER. You will always spend more than you intend. What we do if we find ourselves rushed and we're going to the grocery store before having lunch/dinner is to stop by the deli counter and buy the big size popcorn chicken (or something similar) and munch as we shop (keep the empty container so they can scan and charge you!) and it keeps us from buying a bunch of snack foods because they "look good".

If you are near farmer's markets, they're a good way to get produce at lower prices.

One of our frequently purchased meals is rice, corn and cheese casserole:

1 cup uncooked white rice (this makes 3 cups when cooked)
1/2 cup chopped onion (or to taste..we usually use white onion)
2 Cup bag shredded cheese (We use cheddar but you could probably use colby, colby jack or "Mexi-cheese" with good results)
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tblsp. chili powder
1 can corn
Salt if desired

1) Cook rice. While it is cooking, chop onion.
2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3) Mix together rice, corn, whole bag of cheese, onion, chili powder and pepper. When it is well combined pour into greased casserole dish.
4) You can pretty it up with criss-crossed lines of paprika on top.
5) Cook 25-30 minutes until it's all "bubbly". Allow to sit for about 5 minutes to allow it to "thicken" a bit. Serve.

EDIT:
We also have chopped down our "wants" to a really small list. No cable. We do have DSL since it's very cost-effective entertainment (works out to about $1 a day) and we can watch old TV episodes from cable on sites where they're available for download. No cellphones (just a local landline for the DSL) that aren't prepaid. We use coupons and shop for sales.

Answer 4

1.First off, I buy in bulk when a item is on sale. ( I have the benefit of a deep freezer).
2.I buy items on sale.
3. I have switched to using store brands whenever possible.
4.If item is not on sale,I buy only what I absolutly need.
5. I have increased the use of certain foods, like rice, canned tuna, pasta, etc. these are examples of food that are fairly cheap and go a long way.
6.I make meals like chili, stews, pot pies, etc. And freeze part of it, or use it in another meal, ie: chili= leftover chili is used for chili dogs instead on buying chili sauce seperate.
7.I do not buy box mixes. Everything is made from scratch as everyone has staples at home, and replacing staples is cheaper then buying mixes.
8.To keep from going thru a $5 gallon of milk in a day or two, I now buy powdered milk and make that up to use in recipes only. It is cheaper and no taste difference.

Hope these help suggestions help you.

Answer 5

We're still working that one out. I'm living paycheck to paycheck right now, and the past 3 paychecks haven't lasted the entire pay cycle, so we're scraping quarters from out of whatever nooks and crannys they're hiding in, and sometimes have to return stuff to the stores we bought earlier in the week just to get gasoline. Last week we broke out the 'ol reusable bags and took them to Aldi for the first time in years. It wasn't too bad. I don't recommend the Teriyaki Chicken -- it's loaded with sodium. We also got some good recipes -- the Bisquick Cheeseburger Pie, The Subgenius Rice & Beans recipe is good, a Mac & Cheese Tuna casserole, etc. I've personally cut all of my entertainment and/or luxury expenses to $0 a long time ago (save for internet and cable).

EDIT: *My wife and I went to the Farmer's market to try and save money, and it ended up being almost twice as much as Target charges for a Jonathan Apple.

Answer 6

We shop with the sale bills and use as many coupons as possible. We also have switched to useing more of the generic brands rather than name brands. Our biggest problem in our family is the cost of gas. We live out in the boonies so it is a long drive to anywhere. Christmas will be pretty tight this year. I am scared to even imagine our electric bills when the super cold weather blows in. We will be burning more fires in the fireplace for sure.

Answer 7

Milk isn't that expensive where I live, wow.

I grocery shop once a week, and before I go I sit down and plan out a menu for the week, one meal per night, plus packable breakfast and lunch items for my husband and I. I try to pick recipes during the week that require the same item, and I usually buy the store brand of a lot of things, especially if I'm cooking them.

Answer 8

Kroger marks down the milk that will expire soon (they usually do it late at night, too). I buy that because I have a big family and the milk in this household does not last long. So, no worries about it going bad.

If it's not marked down, then I get the least expensive. Kroger usually has their milk on sale 2 gallons for $7.00.

freaking outrageous

Answer 9

Make a list of what you need. Find store adds and cut coupons. There are many on-line coupons that you can print too. Good Luck

Answer 10

*well, i am fortunate to have a great paying job right now. with 2 children who love to drink milk, i really have to budget shop. one corner i cut, i don't by fresh veggies or fruit at the supermarket, i get them at the farmers market. we also TRY to only spend $50 a week on groceries. it hard sometimes but with the price of things, you really just have to make do*