Sunday, September 21, 2008

Food for your Brood


When we were first married 9 1/2 years ago we lived off of a dollar a day for food. Really! For both of us. We were in college and happened to live near a grocery store with a lot of good sales. There has also been a lot of inflation since then.

The budget gradually moved up to a dollar a day per person. Now my husband is still in school, but, with a family of 6, we are still spending about a dollar a day per person on groceries. We are actually eating a LOT better too.

How?

- cook mostly from scratch!

- get WIC (more on that soon)

- ROTATE -- use that food before it goes bad!

- learn the regular price for items you usually buy (keep a notebook if you need to)

- stock up when items you buy regularly go on a good sale (nonperishable or freezer goods if you have space)

- clip coupons, or print them from the internet

- don't eat out or get take-out

- buy only the least expensive cuts of meat (we rarely spend more than $2/lb. on any meat), learn to prepare them so they taste delicious

- buy the store brand or in bulk if it is a better deal (you can bring your calculator with you!)

- do not buy on impulse unless an item is a really good deal and you NEED it.

Now, your turn! What are your best tips for saving money on food??

2 comments:

Melissa said...

I find it helps a lot if I plan out a weekly menu and only shop for that and really good sales. That way you don't end up with extra you aren't going to use.

elise said...

feel free to post some of those recipes for yummy cheap meats! i can't get meat under $2.00 in my local grocery stores very much anymore, and never beef.