Shannon

Yesterday I was balancing the checkbook and wondering where it all
goes?!!! I decided to pull up a report on our grocery spending and
found that we were spending over twice our budget on groceries the
last few months. I know it included other things like diapers,
shampoo, laundry soap, etc., but this is a major leak. I realize how
wasteful we seem to be when I sit and think about it - it's like
throwing away money. So my goal, which I plan to make a game of, is
to cut down on the $$ leak via the groceries.

While trying to find information on eating healthy and cheap on the
web, I ran across a lot of 'once a month cooking' sites and plans.
Is there any one here who does this or has had experience with cooking
ahead? I don't know if I could cook one months worth of food, but I
wouldn't mind trying a weeks worth.

Through my research, I ran across 'Dine on a Dime Cookbook'. - Which
brought me to this site that I would like to share that seems to have
some helpful hints. http://www.livingonadime.com/index.html

I looked at the cookbook on Amazon.com. (I buy mostly all my books
there or check out books there first because I can look inside and
read some of it first to see if I'll like it.) The cookbook had really
great ratings and reader reviews compared to some of the other books I
was looking at - so I bought it. Does any one else here already have
this book?

I'm aware that this seems to be off the 'unschooling' topic, but I
think this is going to be fun for the family to be more creative with
our food and money.

My New Year resolution for all areas of my life is 'Simplify'!

Shannon

Ariannah Armstrong

Shannon wrote:
> Yesterday I was balancing the checkbook and wondering where it all
> goes?!!! I decided to pull up a report on our grocery spending and
> found that we were spending over twice our budget on groceries the
> last few months. I know it included other things like diapers,
> shampoo, laundry soap, etc., but this is a major leak. I realize how
> wasteful we seem to be when I sit and think about it - it's like
> throwing away money. So my goal, which I plan to make a game of, is
> to cut down on the $$ leak via the groceries.

I hear you on how fast the money goes!!

Well, I can't say much on the grocery end of things, because we're
pretty cheap in our preferences. And the things I eat the most of are
perishable (my diet is high in fresh fruit and salads). So try to find
ways to save money on your particular favorites and preferences.
Variants of the OAMC (once a month cooking) that you mentioned are a
favorite of many people I am acquainted with.

Diapers, we used cloth and washed them ourselves. We occasionally had
some disposables in a pinch, but 90% of our diapers were the re-usable
kind :)

But we save a ton of money on household cleaners. We threw out all the
chemical stuff and replaced it all with vinegar, baking soda, and plain
old hot water (homemade cleaning recipes are very easy to find on the
internet and vinegar does not stink up the house, it actually absorbs
smells then vanishes, much like baking soda does).

We also are extremely miserly on how much laundry detergent we put in
our machine (we use the $$$ unscented environmentally conscious stuff,
and even then I spend way less than I used to.). We just kept adding
less and less detergent as time wore on and experimented with how clean
and fresh smelling it was, and sure enough, it was terrific with a very
miserly 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) per LARGE load.

These might seem like little ways, but every bit does help. Use among
those suggestions those which strike you as the most practical for you.

Ariannah in NS
PS Did anybody see my introduction(s)? I know I posted during a busy
time of year, but just wanted to respect the preferences of this group
and try not to "make myself at home" before introducing myself properly.


--
Ariannah Armstrong
http://ec.lecti.ca/
"She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."
Proverbs 31:13

Shana Ronayne Hickman

My first thought was, grow your own! Gardening is such a joy, and
it's a wonderful skill for kids to learn as they grow. The
responsibility of tending plants is real, and the kids know it. And,
being able to eat the fruits of your labor, so to speak, makes it all
the more fun!

My son (8.5) and I have just started a garden here in Texas, and I
can't say we know what we're doing, yet, but it's certainly been an
adventure. Now, I'm looking into learning how to can so that we can
enjoy the veggies all year long! I think it might really cut down on
our grocery bill....

-Shana

___________________________________________
Shana Ronayne Hickman, editor
Live Free Learn Free magazine
Inspiration, Information and Support for Natural Learners
www.livefreelearnfree.com - SALE!

Joanne

--- In [email protected], "Shannon"
<dez.shannon@...> wrote:
>>>So my goal, which I plan to make a game of, is to cut down on the
$$ leak via the groceries.>>>>

Hi Shannon....

We're a family of five plus two pets, on one salary so I look for
ways to make our money go further.

The biggest way I save on groceries is to combine coupons with what
is on sale and their loss leaders (loss leaders are the few items
the store puts on deep discount-usually just to get you in the
store). I save 30-60% on my grocery bill just by doing that alone. I
buy several copies of the Sunday paper (only when they have coupons-
never on a holiday weekend) and then go through the flyers for the
two stores near me. I look for things that we would normally buy,
that are on sale and that I have coupons for and I stock up. It may
sound like a lot of time, but it only takes about an hour.

Another way we save is to have an extra freezer. We bought an
upright (19 cubic feet) and when meat or poultry are on sale, I buy
as many as I can (as many as the store or my budget will allow) and
store it.

Also when a sale item is not on the shelves, I ask for rainchecks
and then use them when they're in stock again. Especially if it's
one of their loss leaders. If I can use coupons on top of it, I
always do.

I also make a lot of my own household cleaners. Not only are they
envionmentally friendly, it saves quite a bit of money.

I have a few posts on my blog that may be of interest to you. There
are a few recipes for household cleaners there as well. Here's the
link:

http://tinyurl.com/to6gp

Hope this helps!

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (8), Shawna (11) & Cimion (14)
Adopted into our hearts October 2003
************************************
Unschooling Voices ~ Add Your Voice
www.foreverparents.com/UnschoolingVoices.html

Joanne

I forgot one other thing we do. I recently started growing and
harvesting herbs (basil/orgegano/parsley). It's still a work in
progress for me and I've killed quite a few but I determined to try
again.

~ Joanne ~
Mom to Jacqueline (8), Shawna (11) & Cimion (14)
Adopted into our hearts October 2003
************************************
Unschooling Voices ~ Add Your Voice
www.foreverparents.com/UnschoolingVoices.html


--- In [email protected], "Joanne"
<billyandjoanne@...> wrote:
>
> --- In [email protected], "Shannon"
> <dez.shannon@> wrote:
> >>>So my goal, which I plan to make a game of, is to cut down on
the
> $$ leak via the groceries.>>>>
>
> Hi Shannon....
>
> We're a family of five plus two pets, on one salary so I look for
> ways to make our money go further.
>
> The biggest way I save on groceries is to combine coupons with
what
> is on sale and their loss leaders (loss leaders are the few items
> the store puts on deep discount-usually just to get you in the
> store). I save 30-60% on my grocery bill just by doing that alone.
I
> buy several copies of the Sunday paper (only when they have
coupons-
> never on a holiday weekend) and then go through the flyers for the
> two stores near me. I look for things that we would normally buy,
> that are on sale and that I have coupons for and I stock up. It
may
> sound like a lot of time, but it only takes about an hour.
>
> Another way we save is to have an extra freezer. We bought an
> upright (19 cubic feet) and when meat or poultry are on sale, I
buy
> as many as I can (as many as the store or my budget will allow)
and
> store it.
>
> Also when a sale item is not on the shelves, I ask for rainchecks
> and then use them when they're in stock again. Especially if it's
> one of their loss leaders. If I can use coupons on top of it, I
> always do.
>
> I also make a lot of my own household cleaners. Not only are they
> envionmentally friendly, it saves quite a bit of money.
>
> I have a few posts on my blog that may be of interest to you.
There
> are a few recipes for household cleaners there as well. Here's the
> link:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/to6gp
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> ~ Joanne ~
> Mom to Jacqueline (8), Shawna (11) & Cimion (14)
> Adopted into our hearts October 2003
> ************************************
> Unschooling Voices ~ Add Your Voice
> www.foreverparents.com/UnschoolingVoices.html
>

alisonslp

We rely on alot on coupons, sales, and no-name brands. We also switch
brands of foods depending on the sales. There are some products I buy
only one name brand, but mostly, I buy whatever is the cheapest. We
also buy alot from BJ's (local warehouse, like Sam's club) and from
walmart. I buy meat, cereal, baking products, and snacks in bulk and
then pack them in smaller portions. This saves alot of money. We have
a family of 5 and we spend about $300 a month on groceries. That
includes most of the cleaning and hygeine products too. We eat alot of
fresh fruit and dairy products, which can be expensive. We drink
mostly water and milk. Very little juice (that saves mega money). I
buy cakes and cookies on occasion but mostly bake them myself from
scratch.

Coupons can really help. And if the week's coupons are particularly
good, I'll go out and buy more sunday papers. the $1.50 I spend on the
paper is well worth it if there are alot of good coupons. In years
past, I participated in coupon swaps. Sometimes your local library has
this - a box filled with coupons. You take and leave what you want.

I have looked at the once-a-month and once-a-week cooking guides. I
know I couldn't do it. It's just not me. And certainly not my family.
We are very basic in our eating. They don't like casseroles, stews, etc.

As for other areas of our life, we do very little take-out and dining
out. When we do, we look for the specials (one steak resturant does
kids free night so we take advantage of that). Most of their clothes
are either from consignment sales (gently worn) or bought by
relatives. We are not desperate for money. We could afford to buy all
new clothes but I am philosophically apposed to it. Why buy new,
wasting more money, and environmental resources, when there are so
many gently worn clothes available. Then again, I have been lucky to
live in areas with good consign stores and events. The same for many
of the toys the kids have, though I do buy new toys often because I
don't want to wait for another consignment sale to buy a particular toy.

hope that helps

alison

Julie Peters

We have a pretty hectic schedule and found that we were way
overspending on groceries and eating out. One of the things we
started to doing to save money, sanity, and time is that we cook on
the nights that we are home and make sure that there is enough for
leftovers. Then on nights when we know we will be pressed for time,
we just have to reheat something. It has really helped. We are
still only cooking 3-4 nights a week, but at least we are not eating
out the other days.

Plus we buy our meat in bulk at Sam's Club, so if we cook it in
larger quanities it doesn't have a chance to spoil...and we don't
have to worry about separating and rebagging everything right away.

As a result we have learned to make some wonderful soups out of our
leftovers (roast beef into beef vegetable soup/stew) and have
learned to make some pretty awesome salads (topped with left over
roast pork or chicken)....mmmmm. If we have steak or skinless
chicken, we can easily convert them into stir-fry or fajitas. Meat
marinara is used for a chilli base or for pizza.

The possiblities are endless...it's a new adventure for us to figure
out how many meals we can make out of one original.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Julie Peters

cherylwarnke

--- In [email protected], "Shannon" <dez.shannon@...>
wrote:
> I'm aware that this seems to be off the 'unschooling' topic, but I
> think this is going to be fun for the family to be more creative with
> our food and money.

I think this is totally unschooling. Our kids need to learn how to
budget and save in all areas and learn how to shop, cook and grow
their own food..

I did the same thing yesterday. I sat down with my kids and
completely went over our budget and spending plan. We spent a total
of $5,558.38 last year on groceries, or an average of $463.19 a
month. We are a family of five, me, husband and three teenagers, 21,
15 and 12. That amount also includes all of our household products
like laundry soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc. I would also like to
cut that amount to around $400.00/month. I am going to make my garden
bigger this year and try to can more things, like jams/jellies, tomato
sauce and dry some more herbs.

I like to involve my kids with the menus and cooking. That way they
get to learn how to eat and cook healthy and I am also not wasting
food by feeding them something they just don't like. We use all
organic items (which can be expensive in itself) and have learned to
do without meat a few nights a week. We eat a lot of pasta, fresh
fruits and vegetables, salads, soup and sandwiches. We try to make it
fun by keeping all different types of salads, fruit salads, macaroni
salad, potatoe salads, cut up vegetables and regular salad that can be
used with a lot of meals and mix and match. I don't keep a lot of
meat in the freezer, because, like I stated before, we don't eat a lot
of meat, but I do make up extras of muffins, twice baked potatoes,
individual sizes of lasagna (when I make a large one) and then freeze
them for quick and simple meals when we are running behind on time.

I think our biggest leak, in our budget, is entertainment and cell
phones. The cost of cable for t.v., the internet, blockbuster and
cell phones takes a big bite out of our budget, which I am working on
to lower.

So, I am with you. I am involving my family in my plan of attack and
to be more conscience of our leaks in our budget and spending plan.

Good Luck
Cheryl in Michigan

alisonslp

I just came across a link I was trying to find. It is a site that
promotes a book on saving money on groceries. It mainly talks about
how to capitalize on sales and coupons, but it's a whole plan,
including setting up a special coupon book. The author is local to
me, NC and has done workshops with a few groups in my area. A few
friends of mine have gone to them and thought the system was really
good. I looked at it and it seemed like a little too much work for me
- actively searching for internet coupons, rebates, going to 2-4
different grocery stores each week. Too much for me, BUT - if you are
really serious about needing to save money, it may be just what you're
looking for.

http://smartspendingresources.com/

alison

Maisha Khalfani

We spent a total
of $5,558.38 last year on groceries, or an average of $463.19 a
month. We are a family of five, me, husband and three teenagers, 21,
15 and 12. That amount also includes all of our household products
like laundry soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.
*******************************************************************

Where do you shop???? I spend over $700 a month on groceries for the seven of us. Clearly I am doing something wrong.....

Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama








[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ellen

You've gotten a lot of great suggestions here so I won't be
repetitive. The one thing I will add is something that has worked for
me to give me a sense of control. It's envelope budgeting. You figure
out a monthly amount you can spend on the categories that work for
you. I have Groceries, Household (for cleaners, bags, and the like),
Cosmetics, and Pets/Babies (for pet food, diapers, etc.) I actually
take out a set amount each month and then split that so it covers a
two week period. That keeps me from running too low at the end of the
month although there is usually a bit of a stretch at the end. But I
find using cash keeps me in line.

Sharissa13

Had to toss in my 2 cents worth. ;) We used to go way over on our grocery spending until we came up with the idea to use cash. I get $100 cash each week to spend on groceries. When the money is gone... it's gone. It forced me to be much more efficient with my spending, and really think about what I'm buying when I'm in the store. Coupons help, planning meals help, comparative shopping helps, but the biggie for us was using cash.
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[email protected]

Hi Maisha

I shop at Meijers (they carry all natural meats, without added antibiotics and hormones) and Whole Foods for my meat, Kroger for my produce and basic items like organic spagetti sauce, pasta, etc. (they carry organic produce usually cheaper than Whole Foods). We grow some of our own vegetables and fruit through the summer months and shop at local farmers markets. But, basically, Meijers, Kroger and Whole Foods are the stores I use. Meijers and Kroger carry organic items. We get our milk and cheese from a local organic dairy farm so that it doesn't contain added hormones and antibiotics.

I also use coupons and combine them with sales. I consider this one of my jobs. My family doesn't do anything without a coupon. I like to keep as much of my money as possible while still eating well. We really work around coupons, but don't deprive ourselve if we want something, though. I also cook a lot of food from scratch. It is a lot healthier and cheaper. I keep all organic staples and baking needs in my house. When it is on sale, I purchase it, whether I need it right then or not, unless I have an abundance.

Funny thing, my oldest son (21) asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I said "I didn't need a thing". He said "I bet you would love a whole envelope full of coupons". You bet I would.

But, I, myself, am still going to try to bring my grocery spending down without feeling deprived, but doing more canning, freezing and drying this year.

Cheryl


-----Original Message-----
From: maitai373@...
To: [email protected]
Sent: Fri, 29 Dec 2006 9:39 PM
Subject: Re: [unschoolingbasics] Re: Any ideas for SAHM/Unschooling moms to save $$ on groceries?


We spent a total
of $5,558.38 last year on groceries, or an average of $463.19 a
month. We are a family of five, me, husband and three teenagers, 21,
15 and 12. That amount also includes all of our household products
like laundry soap, shampoo, toilet paper, etc.
*******************************************************************

Where do you shop???? I spend over $700 a month on groceries for the seven of us. Clearly I am doing something wrong.....

Namaste
Maisha
http://khalfanifamilyadventures.blogspot.com
"The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life" ~ The Dalai Lama



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from across the web, free AOL Mail and more.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Shannon

Ariannah wrote: "We also are extremely miserly on how much laundry
detergent we put in
our machine (we use the $$$ unscented environmentally conscious stuff,
and even then I spend way less than I used to.). We just kept adding
less and less detergent as time wore on and experimented with how clean
and fresh smelling it was, and sure enough, it was terrific with a very
miserly 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) per LARGE load."

This isn't the only time that I've heard people use way too much
laundry soap in their laundry. I see that you've put it to the test -
I'll have to give that a shot too. We use an eco-friendly kind also.

Shannon

Shannon

CHeryl wrote: *I think this is totally unschooling.*

I think so too. After I posted it, I thought wait a minute, this is
unschooly.

*I think our biggest leak, in our budget, is entertainment and cell
> phones. The cost of cable for t.v., the internet, blockbuster and
> cell phones takes a big bite out of our budget*

These will be my next target after I get the grocery thing under control.

I want to thank everybody for their input.

We do most of our shopping at Trader Joe's and they don't have
coupons. We also shop at Sunflower and I have seen ads for sale items
in their mailers. I'll keep an eye out for deals. I also know of
people who buy things just because they have a coupon for it or there
is a sale, to me that's not saving money either, it rather defeats the
purpose if it's not something that's regularly used.

We eat pretty healthy. -Not the standard American diet. I read all
the labels. It's a rare occasion when we go out to eat. My dh is very
sensitive to MSG and salt, so it's not worth paying a lot of money
just to feel bad later. We have a hard time with finding restaurants
that have truly healthy options. We have the same struggle when we go
eat at relatives' homes.

The expense over the last few months is for groceries only, not
including eating out.

I think what is costing so much is the lack of preparation and impulse
items. I can see that there are other areas, such as, buying a bag of
lettuce opposed to a head of lettuce. I usually justify the $1.99
because it is organic and already prepared - I don't have to wash and
cut it. BUT - I'm going to change that too.

I would like to include my kids in the menu planning also. I think
they may be too young? My oldest is 4 and he is extremely picky.
When he was his brother's age (1), he would eat everything. Now if
it's got anything green in it, he won't touch it. I don't know where
he got it from?? I know he likes to help with preparing meals, so
maybe he would like planning them also.

Shannon

plaidpanties666

--- In [email protected], "Shannon" <dez.shannon@...>
wrote:
>> I would like to include my kids in the menu planning also. I think
> they may be too young? My oldest is 4 and he is extremely picky.
> When he was his brother's age (1), he would eat everything. Now if
> it's got anything green in it, he won't touch it. I don't know where
> he got it from?? I know he likes to help with preparing meals, so
> maybe he would like planning them also.

My 5yr old dd is very conservative wrt what she eats, since she was
3.5 or so. Before then she was very open to exploring new foods. She
usually doesn't have "meals" with us, although she sometimes likes to
sit and hang out while we eat. She often comes shopping, though, and
we ask for her input on foods we think she'd like. My stepson, 13, has
always eaten anything and everything - although he does have definate
preferences and enjoys being able to have input on meal planning and
groceries.

---Meredith (Mo 5, Ray 13)

Sherry

Okay, I'll throw my 2 cents in as well. Using cash has been the
biggest saver for me as well. I get $200 every 2 weeks and this
has to cover gas in my car, groceries, toiletries, and any extras.
My game plan is that anything I don't spend is mine to keep,
call it a "bonus".
I don't make menus or clip coupons, just shop by what's on sale, and
cook from what I have. We don't eat any convenience foods or eat out.
By doing this I have reduced my grocery expenditures to under $300
a month for 4 people and a chihuahua.
The kids have gotten involved and gone to the grocery store to help
calculate cost per unit as well as total spent, they know that the
less we spend on food the more we have for other things.
Totally unschooly
Sherry

--- In [email protected], Sharissa13 <sharissa13@...>
wrote:
>
> Had to toss in my 2 cents worth. ;) We used to go way over on our
grocery spending until we came up with the idea to use cash. I get
$100 cash each week to spend on groceries. When the money is gone...
it's gone. It forced me to be much more efficient with my spending,
and really think about what I'm buying when I'm in the store. Coupons
help, planning meals help, comparative shopping helps, but the biggie
for us was using cash.

Jane

Here are my two cents as well!! As another said, I feel it's part of my "job" to do the best I can with our family's money (I do most of the shopping!).

I found that planning each evening meal has **really** helped lower our budget!! I used to believe that if we were out of something it needed to be replaced. Not now. Only if it's needed (or requested by someone else). I also found that a well stocked pantry that some "experts" tout intimidated me with all sorts of choices versus 5 - 7 meals which were ready to go.

I buy dry beans and cook them myself in bulk and freeze them in 1 1/2 - 2 cup portions. How easy is it to take them out of the freezer!!

Most chain grocery stores really do have a rotating 4 week schedule of what they'll put on sale. So, I buy it that way. Bread when it's on sale, buttery spread, pasta, etc. If you keep your receipts and/or your circulars, you'll start to notice a pattern as well.

Except for mac & cheese, potato chips, and occasional cereal, we buy nothing premade. This not only saves us money, but tastes better too!!

At times, I will go to a second grocery store for a sale. We also buy most of our cheese at Target. We try to combine trips and talk about errands we can run at the same time to both lessen the amount of gas we use and to think about the planet as well.

I shop with a list and try not to stray. I *do* solicit requests for food items and fill as many as I am able (up to and including while shopping). If we've hit "max" for the week, we try ways around it.

We don't shop at whole/natural foods stores (yet!!). I'm in the process of visiting those to figure them out and their pricing. This coincides with our family's journey into organics. We do have an expanding aspiring organic garden in warm months. This alone has been an amazing experience for all of us!!

We don't eat much meat (I eat almost none) which also helps out in the budget. I also borrow Moosewood and Vegetarian Times cookbooks from the library and make things that sound intersting. When dh comes home and it's a new something for dinner he asks if it's Moosewood or Vegetarian Times. Poor guy. Used to be a carnivore (yep. no veggies, little fruit)

We spend about $250 per month on groceries. The bulk of that is easily on produce.

Although it may sound anal, I kept a price book (a running list of items we use and their prices, sizes, and brands at several stores) for some time. This really helped me to see where things were cheapest and enabled me to save even more. Some times those stores who touted the best prices weren't always the best places. It was enlightening.

Hope some of this helps!! Great topic!!

TTFN!!
Jane





Jane Powell
Tribe's Partner

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi

"There is no right way to do the wrong thing." - unknown


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