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Could you please help me cut my grocery budget?
DH and I can easily spend $300 every 2 weeks on groceries (and a very few household items). DH's pay varies every payday and we're "paycheck to paycheck" trying to put every available dollar towards debt.
Here's a rundown of some things we often have. DH is very picky which makes cooking anything hard:
Mondays - Spaghetti
Tuesday - Tacos
Wednesday - Chicken (nuggets, strips, etc)
Thursday - Turkey breast tenderloin
Friday - Dinner at IL's
Saturday - Baked fish
Sunday - Roast, ham steak, BBQ (burgers)
DH likes meat and cheese. No soups/chilis/stews (I make them for lunch for myself sometimes), he doesn't like veggies but will try a tiny bit normally. We have 3 very young boys so I know our budget for a family of 5 can only go so low, but I'd love to get our budget to $150 or $200 every 2 weeks.
Re: Could you please help me cut my grocery budget?
Honestly, I don't really know how much you can cut it down. That seems pretty "bare bones" if you will in regards to menu items.
DH and I spend anywhere from $90-150 each week (just the two of us) and that doesn't include any household items, toiletries or alcohol. And I don't really buy stuff for me for lunch and I don't eat breakfast. That doesn't include our k-cups, either.
Are you breading your own chicken for nuggets and strips? That would probably be cheaper than pre-breaded.
Do you make your sauce for spaghetti from scratch? If so, try getting the veggies for that and all other veggies at a farmer's market. My FM is like 1/2 the price of the produce at my grocery store. If not, try stocking up on canned tomatoes and the like when they are on sale. Or buy in bulk.
You could also try cutting back on meat. I know you said your husband is a "meat" guy but cutting back on meat can really save money. So can stocking up when it is on sale.
TI, IUIs, IVF = c/ps and BFNs
I would definitely try to do a couple of vegetarian meals a week. It's only DH and me in our house, and I do 3 vegetarian meals and 3 meat meals a week, and we spend about $75/week on groceries. We have leftovers or go out for the last day.
I'm not fond of raw vegetables, so I really only plan fruit salads, and not many of them, because DH doesn't like much fruit. We have breakfast for dinner fairly often -- scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, sometimes baked oatmeal that I hide fruit in. We have a lot of pasta dishes and rice based meals -- pasta with vodka sauce, fried rice, etc. Also, plan your menus around what you have and what you will use. If you plan something that uses only half a block of cream cheese, find a recipe for the other half in the same week.
And you can usually get away with using 3/4 of the meat called for in most recipes -- almost anything that calls for 1 pound of ground meat can be made with 3/4 pound and you really don't notice the difference. My mother started doing that when she got married in the 60's and I continued the practice in my own home. It really does help with the budget -- I buy 3 pounds of ground beef and separate it into 4 3/4 pound packages before freezing.
do you use coupons? try matching the coupons to what is on sale at your store. spaghetti would cost me ~$3 to feed our family of 3 plus leftovers for 2 for lunch. tacos - less than $10 (shells or soft tacos, 1# ground turkey $3, seasoning $1, block of cheese - shred at home and use 1/2 $1).
Why are you making 3 meat entrees for one Sunday dinner?
I would post on MM and put up your itemized grocery receipt and they are a huge help.
if you have a kroger affiliate store (here it's fry's), they offer their coupons on-line. you click on the ones you like and they automatically load to your vip card. no printing, no cutting, no carrying.
my read shelf:
Add extra veggies and/or beans in place of some of the meat. Works really well in ground meat applications.
Buy frozen veggies. I like fresh veggies, but if the frozen is cheaper per pound, then go for it.
Cook one meal a week that you like and let DH try a few bites. If he doesn't like it then he can make himself a pb&j sandwich. If putting money towards debt is a joint goal, then he can participate by actively trying things to increase his ability to eat more foods so you can lower the grocery bills.
I like making spaghetti sauce from scratch, but the Del Monte brand canned sauce usually ends up being cheaper. Keep an eye out for coupons and stock up.
Are you using a lot of processed foods in your recipes? Those items really add up. Also, if you are buying a lot of that type of stuff for the kids that is adding to your budget. Also, use your coupons. Sign up if your store has store coupons. Mine sends me coupons targeted to what I buy and lots of times coupons for x amount off meat etc. So I'm not having to use the newspaper coupons which are for processed foods I don't buy.
I did notice you don't have any leftover nights. Its seems like you could have at least one if not 2 nights for leftover. Especially the roast should make good leftovers. I would suggest making things like roast using cheaper cuts of meat or whole chicken. Both are good value and yield a lot of food. Do you have a Costco? You could probably save quite a bit on meat buying that way. Another thing you can do is stock up on different cuts of meat when they are on sale and then freeze them. Then you can plan your meal with what you have.
You need to start adding vegetables in for your three boys. Frozen vegetables can be a good deal and they are frozen at their pick to preserve nutrients. Fresh sweet potatoes are usually inexpensive and pretty kid friendly. If you buy what is in season you should find some pretty good deals on fruit and produce. I know its probably hard with three kids but sometimes knowing which stores have the best deals can be helpful and you might benefit from shopping at a few stores. I also stock up on things where I can. For instance Walmart has Newman's Own Pasta Sauce for 1.50. I buy 6 jars at a time. If I bought it at my regular store, I would be paying 3.99 or more.
Quit buying items like Shake and Bake. Buy one big can of regular or panko bread crumbs and keep them in your pantry. Things like that save money and get processed foods out of your diet. I have a great recipe for oven fried chicken fingers in my blog. I think you can trim more off your budget.
From Hey To Horses
Would he eat any vegetarian meals? If you made veggie chilli - you can soak your own beans instead of using canned, Very cheap. Lentil soups and salads go a long way. Meat is very expensive and healthwise probably something you don't need to be consuming daily. I don't want to offend anyone but we eat a lot of vegan meals and this keeps our budget in check and we feel much better.
There are alot of great veggie soups and stews out there:)
I agree with making your own and not using processed foods but I know how busy life can be. I usually try to make large amounts and then freeze it so I have something on hand when I am in a pinch.
Learn to utilize leftovers for your advantage more. Turn them into something new! Roast a chicken on Wednesday, then make soup with the leftovers next week. Or, roast a chuck roast or pork shoulder - and use it for enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, shredded bbq, etc. That's really helped me to save a ton.
Also, meal plan around what's on sale at the stores that week.
I spend around $120-$150 a week, for a house of 4. That includes toiletries, diapers, and household stuff as well.
Bases on this menu i don't see how you're spending that much money. 3 of the 7 seem to average out at 10 a dinner (so that would be $30 a week). One night a week your at the in-laws so that doesn't cost you anything.
I see you most expensive meals are on the weekends but still...I'm a fish and meat snob, and an I know that it could be expensive. But it still shouldn't cost you more that 25-30 a dinner which is another $60... so where is the other money going?
The 3 biggest things that help me cut back on grocery $$:
1. plan meals based on what is on sale and what is in the freezer. And double up on coupons. (use store coup + manufacturer coup)
2. portion control, portion control, portion control!
A 1/2lb burger is really 2 servings.
3. replace meat with other veggie options
Just like 1 poster said, I also reduce the ground meat. If I buy a 1.5lb pack of ground turkey, I split it into 2-3 packs, use 1 freeze the rest......same with ground beef, I only use the 93% lean, so buy bulk on sale and freeze in .6-.75lb portions.
Then for tacos, I mix in a can of organic pinto beans, and kind of mush them up, you can't even tell they are there! Or for spag, I grate/dice up onions, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, zuchini, etc....once they are cooked, they just become part of the sauce.
For chicken strips, I can make 1 large breast feed all 4 of us. I cut in thin strips, marinate (usually in some honey, mustard and milk) then for bread crumbs I toast a piece of bread (usually the end pieces) then grind it up and add seasonings.
There is no room for picky-ness in this house!
Veggies are everywhere and they will get eaten! DH knows that I am going to feed him healthy stuff for his own health and teaching the kids healthy eating, so he doesn't get his steak and shrimp every night like he would pick! lol!
Other stuff on your list. For cheese for just sandwich use and grating, I watch for the blocks to go on sale at the grocery or cheddar/colby jack/mozz are cheapest at Costco. (I don't use the bagged shredded, it is cheaper per LB to buy a block and shred it on a box grater). Most of our frozen shrimp and fish come from Costco. Sometimes steaks, but Costco cuts them so HUGE, I have to cut each one in half. Organic salads, spinach and carrots I get at Costco. Organic fruits I get at Trader Joes. The few amounts of snack foods I use tons of coupons for or get at Trader Joes.
We do add fruits/veggies and sides to all of those meals, that's just usually what we have for a main dish.
Left overs are normally what I have for lunch if there are any
We're able to use some coupons sometimes, but normally it ends up being cheaper to buy the generic without coupons
There's a lot you're spending on that we aren't seeing. Like 2 meals, snacks, drinks and sweets per day plus dinner sides. What are you buying for all of those? The last three can really kill a grocery budget if you are buying them processed. Potato chips, snack nuts, boxed kids' snacks like fruit roll-ups or pre-packaged Jello, sodas, juice boxes, ice cream, pre-made cakes, packaged cookies, etc get REALLY expensive really fast. I'm not say cut out snacks and desserts as a whole but homemade chocolate chip cookies will get you way farther on $4 worth of ingredients than 2 packs of Chips Ahoy for $4 each.
Likewise, dinner sides that aren't veggies can get pricey too. Pre-packed rolls, those packets of heat-n-serve noodles, frozen french fries, etc are eating up your budget way faster than buying pasta, beans and potatoes in bulk would.
For the items you did list, are you buying the meat in bulk? Someone else mentioned buying whole chickens which would be a huge money saver for you. Roasted chicken one night (make your own giblet gravy for pennies extra instead of buying jarred or envelope mix), leftover chicken in a soup, salad or quesadilla for lunch, make chicken stock out of the carcass. All for about 99 cents a pound if you buy on sale. Buy your cheese in giant blocks at the warehouse store. Do you make coffee at home? We find it's WAY cheaper in bulk at the warehouse store.
Finally, I gotta get a little lecture-y. I don't "get" picky husbands but I know there might not be so much you can do to change him. But you HAVE to start incorporating veggies into your meals for your boys. You have to start cooking new things for them to try. They might resist because Daddy says vegetables and rice and soup and chili and whatever are gross but you are the mom and you have to put your foot down for their health.
Finally, if you aren't already doing it, the biggest cost-saving thing I can think of is to drink water, ALL.THE.TIME. If you live somewhere with good water, it's absolutely free! Every time you switch a 12 pack of soda for 12 glasses of water, you put $5 back into your own pocket and you're keeping all those nasty chemicals and sugar out of your and your kids' bodies. If you make ONE change, make that it (assuming your family often drinks something other than water).
Our Share of the Harvest: One couple's take on farm-to-table cooking
Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Strawberry Filling
I'll ditto a lot of what other folks are saying but here are some cheaper meals that DH can get some meat in but aren't meat-heavy enough to be expensive:
- Homemade pizza (so cheap and so good) - put on leftover ham or ground meat or buy some pepperoni
- Hot dogs and baked beans
- Breakfast for dinner (scratch pancakes are cheap and you can put some bacon or sausage on the side)
- Some sort of noodle & cheese dish with leftover ham or chicken mixed in
I agree that it seems like you are spending a lot of money, especially given what you are eating. It is probably due to lots of little things throwing you off (snacks, cereal, processed food, etc). I think we eat really well and we don't spend that much on food (we only have one little one at home so it is slightly different) but we aren't even trying to put the extra money towards debt. You might not be able to change your husband's pickiness about what he will eat but I do agree that he just needs to compromise more (the peanut butter sandwich idea is a great one). Or let him come up with the menu (within budget) and see how it works. My husband is not picky (well, he won't eat lentils but that might be it) but I don't let him veto meals if we're using up leftovers or whatever - I wouldn't feed him something he hated but every night can't be like going to a restaurant and getting exactly what you want. Some nights it might just be mediocre and that's how it is.