Saturday, January 23, 2010

Smart Shopping

Ok, ladies and gents, I have a question for you:

Matt and I are really working on our budget, and we find we spend quite a bit of $ on food. We do our best to buy what's on sale, but we have effectively cut corn-syrup out of our diet, as well as caffeinated sodas (ok, ok, I'm down to 1 or 2 per week). We are also much more conscious of where our food comes from, especially vegetables, fruits, and meat. I know that coupons can save a lot of money, but the coupons seem to be for food we don't normally buy, much rather eat. So does anyone have suggestions on how to move forward?

Meanwhile, I'm seriously considering cutting our ground-line and when Matt leaves to film JourneyQuest, I'll most likely cancel Sparkletts and just get a Brita water pitcher, both cuts combined, we will save over $100 per month.

Progress, baby...it's all about progress...one day at a time.

*Later on today I signed us up for fresh and organic veggies and fruits (excluding potatoes and a few other items we don't like) to be delivered weekly to our little home! At $31 per week, it will seriously help us on our grocery bill. Then when Matt leaves for 6 weeks, I can cut it down to every other week.

3 comments:

Katie said...

Yeah, LA water tastes like crap, but a water filter is going to be way cheaper than having water delivered.

If you're buying prewashed/bagged/handled salad greens and veggies you're paying a ton for processing (and should clean them anyway). If you don't have a salad spinner and a couple of large tupperware or similar containers, invest in them. When you get your salad greens, wash them, spin them dry, and place them in a paper towel lined plastic container, put another towel on top, and put the lid on. Use them regularly, and they'll hold for at least a week, often 2 or more. Red leafed things go off faster, so separate them from other things in the container with a paper towel, or use them fast.

And contrary to what some say, you can take take a head of lettuce and break the whole thing down and it'll stay fresh this way. Mom and I have both been doing this for years. You might want a slightly damp (just barely) couple of paper towels, but if your greens are slightly damp when you put them in, that'll work too. Plus, you've done all the work right after you got the greens, so nearly instant salad later on!

Brie said...

Saw this and thought of you:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/fiscal-fitness-3-ways-to-save-100-on-groceries-571868/

The major ways that I've learned to save is to shop around so I know where to shop, and keep an eye on weekly sales so I know what to grab. Coupons are great if you have the motivation, and it's even better when you can double it up on something that is already on sale.

Choose proteins wisely: we don't eat a lot of steak and fish unless I can find it on sale. Chicken and ground beef are more staples.

If you have some kind of discount grocery place around, check it out if you haven't already. Grocery outlet here can give screamin' deals, but you can't always find what you're looking for.

For me it usually seems to be a balance between what will be spectacular tasting and what we have within our food budget. Fresh, perfect and organic is great, but it costs more. As a result, I'm usually pretty picky about making choices for everything on the grocery list.

Hope this helps - I feel like I have a few more tips, so let me know if you would like more help =)

Cindy said...

We just went through the same process, and I think you're going to find even with the two of you, that it will be too much food. You may be able to get by with the two of you on a delivery every other week which will help. Also, I recommend looking for meals that stretch your budget by stretching expensive ingredients further. For example, why have a giant steak for dinner when you can cut it up into a nice stew that serves 4 to 6 helpings. Soups, Stews, Chilies Casseroles, can really stretch your budget and since you don't have to follow an exact recipe, they can be a great way to use up your current stock of veggies, meats and pantry items whatever they may be. Buying cheap groceries is one thing, but using up stuff you already have in the house... Now that's economical!