I Need Help with a Budget for Food!!

I had the same problem, we have a family of five and we spend $400.00 give or take a few each month. We have plenty of food. The question is what you spend on. Do you buy alot of pre-made items, or convenience foods? I was and I completly cut that out. what helps is that I have a mixed family, we are half-mexican and half-american (Myself being the american half) so we incorporate alot of rice ,beans and totillas, which are all made fresh(except the tortillas). I cook the beans from a dry state as well as the rice, and we eat it as a side dish to whatever meat or vegetable we have that night...I understand not everyone cares to eat this way, but i found that cutting out convenience foods and buying more fruits and vegetables has cut the costs. I shop at no-frills in south Omaha because they are very cheap, ive always found bakers to be pricey! If you have questions or need recipes you can email me at ____@____.com

PAz
J

A., I used to shop at Bakers (and still occassionally do) but have found that Super Target offers the best prices and variety. Switching to the Super Target has taken at least $50/month off our budget. i also try to buy larger, non-perishable items (like paper towels, etc) from Sams Club. Sams also has excellent prices on meat. Good luck.

I have personally found that Bag N Save, NoFrills, and Walmart are the cheapest place to shop for groceries. HyVee and SuperTarget are the most expensive, IMO. Bakers is right in between price wise I guess and as you are getting a 10% discount there, I would probably shop there as long as you can.

I use coupons. I only cut out the coupons for the items that I KNOW I will use and I stock up when they are on sale. There are lots of websites out there from super coupon users that can give you guidance in how to use coupons to really save on your grocery bill. I usually spend $100 every 2 weeks on groceries (it's just me, my husband, and our 17 m/o daughter) and I usually have $10 in coupons :o) Every little bit helps!

I was spending the same amount as you for groceries a month, but using these tips I have it down to about $200 a month. I hope they help.

First off, if you aren't using store brands--start. They cost less, and are the same quality and taste of the name-brand items.

Secondly, if you are buying paper products (paper towels/toilet paper etc) at the grocery store, stop. They are cheaper and in better quantities at a wholesale store like Sam's Club.

Use coupons religiously, and stock up on often used items when they are at a rock bottom price (staples like rice/beans/canned veggies).

You can buy bread at the bread outlet store in Council Bluffs and freeze it. ( I do this every two weeks or so).

Don't buy things like soda, candy...or if you do--get the store brand.

Vegetables and starches cost less than meat. A diet heavy in meat will be more expensive--so cut back on meat consumption and do 2-3 meatless meals a week.

Also, if you can afford to purchase a small freezer, do so. When making a meal, make a double portion and freeze it for the next week, so that you don't have to shop for dinner.

Let me know how it goes.