saving money on groceries

eriknbeka

My husband and I are on a tight budget and are always looking for grocery shopping advice. We try to gather as many coupons as possible together for our trips but usually that doesn't seem to be enough. Are there some recipes that use like ingredients? Any advice would be great!

USA Kiwi

 I'm not sure I understand the recipes question, but... here's some shopping advice? 

Pair coupons with store sales, keep an eye on what a "good" price for an item is, and stock up when it is low.

Buy in season fruit and vegetables.

Shop once a week or less often (less trips to the store, mean less opportunity for impulse buys)

Meal plan!! Can't say this enough. Make a meal plan based on what you have at home, and what you need to buy (using flyers for store sales).

 

futurepivko

Buy in bulk if you can. Eat a vegetarian meal a few times a week (beans and eggs). Be prepared to eat leftovers. Make your own taco/fajita/ranch seasonings and salad dressings. 

ArynBaker

Here's a link to a blog post I recently did about eating healthy on a budget. We're on a tight budget too but with some meal planning and FI only eats meat once or twice a week (I'm vegan) we manage to eat a variety of different things and don't feel too constrained by our budget. 

PoliticsChick

I usually plan meals by whats on sale that week. Also, when there's a good deal on something, stock up!

thatgirlang

Not sure what your diets currently are but a few meatless nights a week have made a huge difference for us. Also store brand items. It's trial and error, sometimes we really just prefer the name brand but we've discovered a lot of store brand things that we like even better!

Photo5kCupcakes

Everyone has already offered some great advice and pointers. Yes, there are recipes out there that use like ingredients. I have many cookbooks, follow a lot of blogs and sites to add to the ones I already use and have. If something is on sale, say zucchini, I will make a vegetarian meal with it and use any others I have for a side dish later in the week. I also make meals that I can use for lunch the next day or two. This cuts down on what I spend on lunch.

I also watch sales and shop with a list. I also pay for my groceries in cash so that I can't spend more than what is on my list. 

As someone else stated, combine coupons with store sales.

bchippie

Can't stress enough the planning - plan your meals for the week, try to use what's in your pantry, and take a list and STICK to it at the store.  Everyone else has all the basic tips.  To take some of the work out of figuring out what a good price is and couponing, try some of the millions of coupon blogs.  Couponing to Disney is my go to, but Hip2Save is another good one.  Just search your state and couponing and I'm sure a bunch will pop up.  Or search your favorite grocery store and "deals".  I sttock up when it's on sale, and then I find some weeks I hardly need to buy anything at all.