Save Money on the Grocery Budget
Being frugal and learning to save money on groceries can free up money for other things. If you are stretched thin, saving money on groceries may be the thing that helps you to make ends meet. It might enable you to enjoy a treat such as a night at the movies. Learning to save money on groceries is definitely worthwhile.
Contents at a Glance
How the Grocery Store is set up.
Learn this and save money on groceries.
Your grocery store is laid out to optimize the amount of money that you spend there. Have you ever noticed that you can't just run in and pick up a gallon of milk? No, the milk is way at the back of the store. You have to pass lots of enticing products on the way to the dairy case. Pick up your milk and then you have to pass them all again on the way to the checkout. Have you ever gone to the store for milk and by the time you got out you spent $100? I have.The staples that you need such as flour and sugar might be placed on a high shelf or a very low shelf. Products that are new, expensive, and more processed are placed at eye level within easy reach, making it convenient for you to fill your cart with expensive items. Major brands pay the grocery store for this premium placement of their products.
Have you ever been lured into the bakery department by the aroma of baking bread or cinnamon rolls? That is planned to maximize the sales as well. Baking is planned to occur at the store's busiest times. I have been tempted to pick up a loaf of French bread when I know it is just out of the oven and still warm.
In many grocery stores the cookies, candy and baby items are in the same aisle, right across from each other. The baby items will usually be farther toward the back so you have to walk by all of the tempting sweets that are calling your name. This is one reason you might not want to take the kids with you and why you don't want to shop while you are hungry.
Studies show that the longer you are in the store the more money you will spend. What does this mean for you? Always take a list and stick to it! You must have a plan. More about that later.
Even the music that is played in stores is designed to help you to spend more. If the music makes you feel good and happy then you are more likely to be in a spending mood.
If you shop the perimeter of the store you will generally find the basics such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and bread. As you browse the inside aisles you begin to see more processed and more expensive food. Try to shop the perimeter of the store as much as possible to save money on your grocery bill.
Fore warned is fore armed, right? Make a strategy and stick to it. Shop the perimeter, stick to your list. You can do it! Use these tips to save money on groceries.
Better Groceries for Less Cash
How to save money on groceries
Better Groceries for Less Cash
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/28/2009)
THIS DEFINITIVE GUIDE to saving money on groceries is a godsend to families who struggle to make ends meet. Inside the pages of Better Groceries for Less Cash you will quickly learn and master the simple techniques of value buying. You will learn the inside secrets that the food industry doesn t want you to know and how you can harness that knowledge to beat them at their own game. You will learn how to completely re-shape your approach to food, and develop lifelong money-saving habits such as: MAKING BETTER CHOICES. Buying the best for less than the off brands SMARTER COOKING. Selecting core ingredients rather than paying for high-priced pre-mixed items THINKING LIKE A MARKETER. Understanding how to leverage the grocery manufacturer s promotional cycles AISLE MASTERY. You can shop smarter even if you re always in a hurry LEVERAGE. How to use coupon doubling and store promotions to maximize savings STAYING IN SEASON. How to think like a chef to get the best shopping values on any given day SYSTEMATIC SAVINGS. Discover the system that can save you 30% - 40% - even 50% or more on groceries TAKING SIMPLE STEPS. 101 simple action steps that you can learn in minutes
Menu Planning
Meal planning helps you to save money on groceries.
Getting organized helps you save money because if you know what you are having for dinner there are less trips to the fast food drive through and less stress at dinner time. You won't be wasting and throwing out food like what happens when you don't have a plan. Mary Ann has several articles that you can read on subjects such as bulk cooking, once a month cooking, and being frugal. Learn how to save money on groceries with these menu planning helpers.
Once a Month (OAMC) and Bulk Cooking Resources
There are several "plans" such as The Ham Plan and the Potato Plan which instruct you on how to buy these items in bulk and cook ahead for the freezer.
Mary Ann has launched a new social networking application on Menus4Moms.com where moms can gather to discuss money saving tips, recipe tips and more.
I encourage you to take a look. You can download a 2 week free preview to see if you think it might work for you. Just click on the banners that you see scattered throughout this lens.
Bulk Cooking to save money on groceries
Save money on groceries by cooking in bulk.
Cooking in bulk can save you time and money. I will show you what I did with a 20 pound ham. I paid 99 cents a pound so it was about $20 which was a good deal to start with.I baked the ham and the first meal was ham slices with mashed potatoes and gravy. After dinner I cut as much ham off the bone as I could. I put the meaty bone in a big stock pot, covered it with water and simmered it until the meat was falling off the bone. Then I strained off the liquid for ham stock. From this I made two batches of White Bean and Ham Soup. (See recipe below) The family liked it and asked me to make it again so I consider that a success!
The next night I had a group of teen boys here, my sons' friends. They raided the fridge and ended up making themselves ham sandwiches. I was glad that I had something good on hand to feed them!
Here's the list of meals I made with the ham:
Ham Slices with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
White Bean and Ham Soup
Cold Ham Sandwiches
Hot Ham Sandwiches on French Rolls
Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Fried Eggs and Ham
Scrambled Eggs with diced Ham, Cheese and Green Chiles
We got 40 servings from this ham and I still have 1 quart of ham stock in the freezer.
White Bean and Ham Soup
An economical recipe that helps you save money on groceries.
Ingredients for White Bean and Ham Soup
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 small onion, diced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 (15 ounce) cans small white beans, drained
* 6 cups ham stock
* 2 cups chopped cooked ham
* 1 teaspoon dried thyme
* salt and pepper, to taste
How to prepare White Bean and Ham Soup
Saute the onions and garlic in the oil, in a soup pan, for 2 or 3 minutes or until tender.
Add the ham stock to the soup pan.
Mash the contents of one can of the beans with a potato masher. Add those and the other beans to the pot.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add the ham and thyme and simmer until the ham is heated through.
Ham can be a frugal choice
Save Money on Groceries by cooking in bulk.
I've made ham stock like last time and I have a 6 pound can of organic red beans (on sale at the health food store for $1.99) from which I will be making ham and bean soup .
It was a 22 pound ham and I paid about $21 for a $48 ham.
Here are the meals we've had so far:
Ham and Scrambled eggs
Ham and Fried Eggs
Ham slices with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Ham with Gravy
Ham and Swiss Sandwiches
Ham and Bean Soup
So far we've had 49 servings from this ham.
Fix, Freeze, Feast: More than 125 recipes to prepare in bulk and by the serving
This book can help you save money and get your budget under control.
Fix, Freeze, Feast: Prepare in Bulk and Enjoy by the Serving - More than 125 Recipes
Amazon Price: $9.72 (as of 11/28/2009)
Millions of shoppers save money buying groceries in bulk trays of boneless chicken breasts, pairs of flank steaks, and flats of ripe tomatoes. But savings can quickly become losses if those bulk quantities spoil in the refrigerator or lie forgotten, unlabeled and unrecognizable under layers of ice crystals in the back of the freezer.
Kati Neville and Lindsay Tkacsik have built businesses teaching home cooks how to take advantage of bulk savings by shopping wisely; converting food purchases into delicious, healthful family dinners; and labeling and storing the meals for easy access on busy days. They share all their best recipes and organizational wisdom in Fix, Freeze, Feast, a cookbook every price-conscious shopper will love, and warehouse club members shouldn't be without. With their help, home cooks will have freezers stocked with easy-to-prepare entrees, ready to be defrosted and cooked for weeknight family dinners. Imagine the comfort of knowing a home cooked meal is always available.
Buy Nothing for Two Weeks
Tea with Dee
- Tea With Dee
- My friend Deanna has challenged herself to Buy Nothing for Two Weeks.
On her blog, Tea with Dee, she is keeping track of how she is making meals of what she already has in her fridge and freezer. I think you will enjoy it!
Do you have a lens on how to save money on groceries?
What about a lens with a thrifty recipe?
Add it to the plexo and vote for your favorite.
Creamy Mashed Potato Soup, from Leftovers
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Turkey Soup Recipe
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Menu Planning for Busy Cooks
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Ten Reasons to love oatmeal
Learn to love oatmeal. It is thrifty.
Oatmeal is not only inexpensive, it is just so darn good for you! Learn to love oatmeat and save money on groceries. Here are ten reasons to love oatmeal.1. Oatmeal is cheap.
2. Oatmeal is packed with fiber.
3. Oatmeal helps with weight management
4. Oatmeal helps you keep the good cholesterol and get rid of the bad.
5. Oatmeal reduces the risk of heart disease.
6. Oatmeal contributes to artery health
7. Oatmeal provides good nutrition for your children.
9. Oatmeal keeps you full longer.
10. Oatmeal has A and B vitamins as well as calcium and iron
Organic Instant Oatmeal
Oatmeal in packets is a little more expensive but still a nutritional bargain.
Dr. McDougall's Right Foods Organic Instant Oatmeal, Light Maple Brown Sugar, 8-Count Boxes (Pack of 6)
Amazon Price: $19.02 (as of 11/28/2009)
* Case of six 10.7-ounce packages with 8 oatmeal packets each (total of 64.2 ounces, 48 packets)
* Made with organic rolled oats and pure maple sugar
* USDA organic and certified vegan; no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners
* Judged best tasting natural oatmeal by San Francisco Chronicle
* All-natural, heart-healthy foods from the renowned McDougall Program in Santa Rosa, California
What is your plan to save money on groceries?
How do you save money on groceries?
Search online for coupons
I look online and call the companies of the food I more...0 points
Go to WalMart and Take Other Grocery Store Flyers With You
WalMart price matches on groceries. If you go shop more...0 points
Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.
A sure way to ruin your budget. Definitely not the way to save money on groceries.
That huge can of bell pepper strips looked so full of possibilities in the store but now that I have it home I wonder what I'm going to do with it. How did I end up with all those Hostess fruit pies in my cart? Did I really think anyone was going to eat those sardines?
The only thing worse is if you take your spouse and you are both hungry. That is a big time budget buster. So, eat before you go to the grocery store, stick to your list and save money on groceries!
Stewing a Chicken
Save money on groceries by using everything up. Don't throw it out.
I had a whole cut up chicken in the freezer that I needed to use so I decided to stew it. I put it in a pan with about 8 cups of water, some ground sage, and garlic and set it to simmering. I simmered it until the meat was falling off the bone and then strained off the liquid for 8 cups of home made chicken broth. Tomorrow we'll have a stir fry with chicken which will be easier because the chicken is already cooked.Today I used the rest of the chicken and the 8 cups of broth to make chicken and rice soup. No measuring really. I started by melting about 2 tablespoons of butter in my Dutch oven. Then I sauteed maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped onions. Added some garlic powder, ground sage, thyme, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and a bay leaf. Next I added the chicken, chicken stock and about 3/4 cup of Uncle Ben's parboiled rice, uncooked. Brought that to a boil, reduced heat, covered and simmered for 20 minutes to cook the rice. Added a can of evaporated milk to give it some body, being careful not to let it boil once the milk was in there. It's done! It is gloomy and snowing here today so soup for dinner is warming and welcome.
We got six generous servings of the soup at about .40 per serving. Dilly Bread was a good accompaniment to this soup as it is to most soups.
A Thrifty Way to Make Tea
Save money on groceries by making tea in your coffee maker!
This may be a little unconventional but it works for us. We have three tea drinkers in the family so that would be a lot of tea bags if we each used one for every cup of tea. If you can give up your coffee at least part of the time, tea is cheaper than coffee.My husband makes it this way:
Fill the pot and pour it into the coffee maker.
Put one teabag in the pot and let the water run through the coffee maker.
Voila! A whole pot of tea using only one tea bag.
Easy and Cheap!
Creative Commons Photo by Tomasz Sienicki
Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Red Coffeemaker
Make tea in a coffee maker like this one.
Hamilton Beach 43253 Ensemble 12-Cup Coffeemaker, Red
Amazon Price: $38.19 (as of 11/28/2009)
* 12-cup red and stainless coffee maker
* Drip-free carafe, programmable clock/timer and a 2-hour shutoff system
* Automatic pause `n serve function
* Nonstick keep-hot plate to keep the coffee always fresh and warm
* Includes water filter
* To clean, simply hand wash the removable parts
How do you save money on your food bill?
How do you keep your grocery budget under control?
Eat your spinach!
A lot of nutrition for a little money.
Greens such as spinach and chard grow easily in your garden and are full of great nutrition. I grew both of these on my deck in containers last summer. The chard produced well into the fall. They are inexpensive to buy in the store as well. Greens can be braised and served as a side dish, they can be chopped and added to soups and casseroles, and eaten in salads. A cup of fresh spinach has 5 grams of fiber! A cup of fresh Swiss chard has 7 calories and 14 minerals and vitamins. Popeye knew what he was doing! You get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck with greens. A rule of thumb is that the more color the greens have the more nutritionalvalue they have. See below for my soup recipe using chard.
Zuppa Toscana ~ My version with Swiss chard
Sausage and Potato Soup ~ Similar to Olive Garden's
Save money on groceries by cooking at home instead of eating out.
ZUPPA TOSCANA My version of the Olive Garden Soup
1 lb ground Jimmy Dean's sausage
1 large diced onion
1 lb sliced russet potatoes (about 3 large)
1 quart water
3 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or 2 cans chicken broth
2 tsp garlic puree or 2 cloves minced garlic
4 tbsp bacon pieces
1/2 cup fresh swiss chard, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Sautee sausage, drain.
Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
Add sausage and bacon.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Turn to low heat.
Add chard and cream.
Heat through and serve.
Learn menu planning to save money on groceries.
Stock up when things are on sale.
Save money on groceries by taking advantage of sales
When you find a good sale, stock up! This is the time to fill your freezer and pantry. Buy it now while it is cheap and you won't be paying more for it later when it has gone off sale. Only buy it if it is something you will really use. Even if it's great price, it's no bargain if you end up throwing it out. Shop smart and save money on groceries. Freezer Cooking
A frugal way to plan your meals.
The Freezer Cooking Manual from 30 Day Gourmet: A Month of Meals Made Easy
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 11/28/2009)
Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Make Ahead
Amazon Price: $10.19 (as of 11/28/2009)
Prevention's low-fat, low-cost freezer cookbook: Quick dishes for and from the freezer (Quick and Healthy Low-Fat Cooking)
Amazon Price: (as of 11/28/2009)
Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Freezer Friendly Meals
Amazon Price: $15.56 (as of 11/28/2009)
The Everything Meals For A Month Cookbook: Smart Recipes To Help You Plan Ahead, Save Time, And Stay On Budget (Everything: Cooking)
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 11/28/2009)
Grocery Discount Stores
Shopping at Grocery Liquidators helps you to save money on groceries.
Look around in your area and see if you have any grocery discount stores. We have 2 grocery liquidators and a grocery outlet store. Along with those are several dollar stores and a Big Lots. Many times Big Lots will have laundry detergent or dishwasher detergent at very good prices.At the liquidators I often find organic products at a big discount, especially canned goods such as tomatoes. My family loves stuffed grape leaves and the leaves are up to about $7 in the regular grocery store. At the liquidators I can sometimes find the good brands for .99 a jar. Last time I was there I bought about 20 jars saving me $6 a jar or $120!
I also bought a 6 pound can of organic white beans for $1.99 and it was one of those purchases that I wasn't too sure what to do with. I used it for the two batches of ham and bean soup and it was perfect! Just be sure to check for expiration dates.
Shopping at Grocery Outlet
Save Money on Groceries at Grocery Outlet
Cream of Mushroom soup-Campbell's Brand .59
Cream of Chicken soup-Campbell's Brand .59
Pasta Roni .99
Big cans of pumpkin 1.49
Diced canned potatoes .59
Small canned hams 2.99
Canned corn .59
These are all things that we will eat on a regular basis. Pumpkin is very nutritious and can be used for pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pie or custard. The rest of the items can be used on their own or in casseroles.
Menu Planning on the Blogs
- Question British food menu planning - ChefTalk Cooking Forums
- Hello.. has anyone here familiar with british cuisine? please help me to make at least 1 week easy menu (British food) consist of breakfast, lunch and.
- The Jogging Stroller: Menu Planning - 11/23
- Menu Planning - 11/23. So the first part of the week will be panty and freezer items and the rest of the week will be leftovers from Thanksgiving. So it will be an easy week in the kitchen for me (except for Thanksgiving Day). ...
- CarRonDo: Once-A-Month-Cooking: How to Make Your Plan Work
- Menu Planning: After you have chosen your cooking day, begin menu planning. Go through your cookbooks and find recipes suitable for freezing. Strive for variety. My list usually includes: one-dish dinners, meatloaf, meatballs, ...
- I need help planning a weight loss diet meal plan? | Fast Weight ...
- I need help planning a 7 day meal menu. I want to lose weight. I don't drink sodas. I want to eat 5 or 6 small healthy meals a day. I should eat around 1600.
Are you interested in cutting down your grocery bill?
THANK YOU for visiting my lens on how to Save Money on Groceries. For any clickouts, voting, adding to plexos, comments left, or stars awarded, I thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading my lens, Save Money on Groceries. I love reading your comments in my guestbook!
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- Heather426 Heather426 Apr 28, 2009 @ 1:15 am
- great job on an important topic these days!
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- Senora_M Senora_M Apr 27, 2009 @ 9:26 pm
- I love using coupons. I went today and saved a ton and got a lot of things for free. Worth all the time and effort in my mind. Great lens! 5*s!!
FREE Samples and Freebies
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- AndyPo AndyPo Apr 25, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
- Very useful advice
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- ottoblotto ottoblotto Apr 24, 2009 @ 7:32 am
- Great tips and advice!
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- stargazer00 stargazer00 Apr 21, 2009 @ 11:32 am
- Thanks to lakeerie artists, a_willow, janusz and rajays for angel blessings! They are all appreciated!
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- Rajays Rajays Apr 21, 2009 @ 12:40 am
- This is one fantastic lens with very helpful information. Blessed by a SquidAngel
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- Janusz Janusz Apr 13, 2009 @ 6:52 pm
- Blessed by a Squid Angel :)
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- a_willow a_willow Apr 13, 2009 @ 3:44 pm
- Wow! You really put a lot of your work here! Bless you! ;)
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- lakeerieartists lakeerieartists Apr 13, 2009 @ 2:45 pm
- Wonderful lens. Great suggestions for saving money tips. Blessed by a Squidoo Angel. :)
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- mulberry mulberry Apr 12, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
- Good lens. Planning is particularly important; use the flyers from the store to plan meals and I can testify you will see savings.
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I hope you found some ways to save money on groceries.
It's a good idea to learn how to save money on groceries.
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