Planning
Enough cannot be said for this stage of rescuing your food budget! Most people have heard the old saying, "failing to plan, is planning to fail." This couldn't be more true!
There are numerous books (see the resources section of this site) with wonderful ideas on planning a frugal menu. I won't attempt to re-write what many authors have done so well, but will try to summarize my strategy.
Decide how often you are going to shop. Once a week? Every other week? (I shop every other week, except for some produce and loss leaders.)
Make a list of what you will serve your family over that time period. I always try to account for days when my kids have ball games, etc., because I know meal time will be on-the-fly on those days and try to plan accordingly.
I don't necessarily decide what we're going to eat on any particular day, but rather over the course of a couple of weeks with a few "back up" meals in the pantry.
To really save money on food, when planning your menu, try to include one meatless night and perhaps a soup and salad night. (Soup seems to go over much better during the cold months in my house, so we'll do baked potatoes and salad in the summer.)
An inexpensive dinner to consider is "breakfast for dinner." It's nice for a change and eggs certainly give you a lot of nutritional bang for your buck.
In addition to dinners, make sure you account for what you are going to feed your family for breakfast and lunch. This really gives you an idea of what you need to have on hand.
The better you plan at this stage, the less likely you are going to need to run to the store. Stores love this because most people buy more than they planned each time they enter the store--in addition, with gas prices the way they are these days, extra trips to the store can add up $$$.
Once you've got your menu you will need to plan your list. I try to break mine down into categories so that I don't miss stuff when I'm shopping. I really hate to go all the way back to the produce section once I'm getting my bread!
This is sort of a rambled essay. I'm going to stop right here and talk a bit about WHERE to shop.
If you are military dependant and aren't yet coupon savvy, do 90% of your grocery shopping at the commissary. I used to do ALL of my shopping there, except for loss leaders at the local stores. I've changed my ways recently, and here's why: I've learned there are better ways to use coupons. The way I was doing it was time-consuming and didn't net much. Now I let somebody else do the work and I'm paying pennies on the dollar for products I would use anyway. And I don't have to drive 20 miles to the commissary to do it! The process is simple: somebody else has already matched up the coupons I get in the newspaper to the stuff that's on sale at the local stores. It's easy enough, I just print out a list of the deals available at the stores near me, clip only the coupons I need and off I go. This method really takes just a few minutes. I file my weekly coupon circulars in a folder, without even clipping until I need them.
The commissaries have good overall prices. I haven't abandoned them. If, for whatever reason, you aren't going to maximize your usage of coupons, they are certainly your best option. I almost never get meat or produce there, though. Plus one has to consider the 5% surcharge, which is more than double the local sales tax on food.
As far as local stores go, here are my thoughts: Harris Teeter has great produce and meat, AND they are the highest priced market in the area. That said, I'm finding I can get great prices of a LOT of stuff if I just use my coupons wisely (and I drive by them nearly every day!). I also shop there for loss-leaders and specialty items. They have a double-coupon policy, and that's where the big difference is. Here's an example from a recent trip: Colgate toothpaste on sale for $1.99; I had a 75 cent coupon, which doubled to $1.50, that's only 49 cents per tube. Can't beat that at the commissary, even on their best days. Or at Sam's or Costco, either. Even better, periodically Harris Teeter runs TRIPLE coupon specials. That's nothing to scoff at!
Kroger has similar prices to Harris Teeter. Again, they have a double-coupon policy, and when you combine that with sales you can really save some bucks. I came home with 3 bags of groceries and household products the other day, having spent a whopping $2.71.
Something to note here: I am not buying products I don't need or won't use. That wouldn't be saving anything. I don't drive across town to save a few cents either, it would go against my frugal nature. I plan my shopping trips and other errands so I make a loop with the least time and money spent on gas as possible ($3.15/gallon as of this writing).
Farm Fresh and Food Lion/Bloom seem about even on prices. IMO, Farm Fresh has better produce and more specialty items. I like them for their loss leaders, mostly.
Walmart has great prices on their store brand and some bulk items. Prices are pretty on-par with Farm Fresh and Food Lion for national brands, but other than early in the morning or late at night, I personally don't like the crowds (plus, it's a 10 mile drive for me!).
Okay, back to the list. My favorite technique is to make my list on the back of a business size (#10) envelop. One list for each store. Then I can put the coupons I know I'm going to use inside. If I'm buying an item using a coupon I put a little star next to it on my list so that I remember to check the terms of the offer and don't pick up an incorrect item.
I try to keep enough of a stockpile of food and toiletries on hand so that I'm never at the mercy of the stores. These methods take planning. Building a stockpile a small supply takes some time, but since these products are bought as close to "free" as possible, it's worth it. Organization is key here! (that's why I like the coupon services). I'm trying out a few and will commit to one soon.
Another planning tip, and this is particularly aimed at stay-at-home-parents, plan to make a sharp decrease in the amount of convenience foods that you purchase. You're at home, you have the time to prepare food. Not only will you save money, but anything you prepare will likely taste better and be healthier than pre-packaged. I'm not saying you need to cook everything from scratch, but rather than buy a cake for $15 or so, make one for about $4 or less if you buy the ingredients on sale with a coupon. Instead of buying pre-made burritos, purchase tortillas, beans, and other fillings. Grate your own cheese as you use it. Etc.
Now, there are many exceptions to this philosophy. We make pizza every week. We make our own dough (in a bread machine bought at a garage sale for $15), but we use canned sauce and buy big bags of shredded mozzarella cheese from Sam's Club. The quantities we use lower the price beyond what we would spend on small quantities. This has become our standard, but only after comparing the options.
Okay, now that you've got your menu planned, your list made, coupons at the ready... It's time to shop!
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