Groceries/supplies - how much do you spend? (janobonano)

 Jan this is the little freezer i got last year

Link

It is small but very sufficient and that is even storing bones and stuff for Bugsy.

These two websites have some great finds on them from time to time - the latter is where I have seen the Amazon food threads

Fat Wallet

and  slickdeals

Great idea Dawn!  I always have lots of coupon for stuff that I simply don't buy.  Some I do send to my sister, but for the most part, they are wasted.

Gosh, you guys make me feel like I spend a fortune.  I generally spend $200 a week for everything, give or take, at the store.  That would average in diapers/wipes and baby food too.  We buy a lot of fresh meat and lots of fresh fruits and veggies each week which really add up.  That is at least 30-40% of my bill.  That does feed me every meal everyday though.  I tend to pick lunch up on the weekends and we don't really eat out for dinner as often as we used to.  I probably stop and get something once a week.  Hubby buys his lunch, but I take leftovers.  I know that if I bought myself lunch each day, and if we ate out for dinner more, we would easily spend that much or more each week.  That does not include dog or cat food.  I buy that in the largest bag I can and it usually lasts about 2 months. 

I make a menu each Sunday and buy what I need for those meals.  I make sure a few of those will hold over for a week or two in case we pick something up or change our mind and pop a pizza in the oven instead or have a TV dinner, and that way that food doesn't go to waste.  I also don't have time to go to more than one store, so I buy everything at Target.  I do buy diapers/wipes in bulk at BRU though probably once a month.  I am looking into buying baby food in bulk too.  The number seems really high, especially compared to others, but I know that I am preparing healthy meals with fresh ingredients mostly made from scratch.  It can be expensive to eat healthy...especially when you don't have time to shop around for the better prices!  I did go to Walmart yesterday and am considering trying their store out to see if it will save me money.  Last time, I wasn't that fond of their meat or produce and didn't save enough to get inferior stuff...but I am thinking I might try them again. 

mrstjohnson

Spaghetti sauce is a good example on how to save.  A jar of decent sauce can cost $4 - $5 (we have some here that are $7 - $8).  To make a pot of your own that will last at least two meals and can be used for other stuff, only costs $2.50 (two jars of tomatoes, two onions, garlic and seasoning).  Right there you saved almost $10 on just sauce for two meals! 

I buy Ragu, on sale and coupons, for maybe $1/jar but we go through what seems like a TON!  Anyone want to tell me how to make decent spaghetti sauce (ie, which kind of tomatoes and what if I don't like chunks of onion)?  I've tried a few recipes but the last one didn't turn out so good so I've put off making it for a while.....  I would much rather make stuff that buy it pre-made but I just can't cook all that well no matter how hard I try.... sigh.

My kids won't eat any of the fancy $4 sauce LOL. We buy Ragu as well.

Here is my basic recipe for marinara sauce.  This makes more than enough for 1 meal for 4 people.

I large can crushed tomatoes (I don't like tomato chunks - if you do, use 1 large can of whole tomatoes and break them up)

1 onion finely diced  (if you want, you can grate the onion so it basically dissolves when you cook it)

2 garlic cloves (finely diced or grated)

1 tsp of dried basil

1 tsp salt

Saute onions and garlic in couple of tsps of olive oil until they are very translucent.  Add tomatoes, basil, and salt bring to a simmer and let it sit there for about 1/2 hour.  If it's too sweet, add a some salt and pepper to taste.

I have a far more complex recipe for bolognese that involved mutliple meats, etc.  But for a simple meat sauce just brown 1 lb. of lean ground beef and add marinara sauce.

If you want to add some oregano, you can also use this as a pizza sauce.

mmmmm now I am hungry!  Will have to try soon and let you know if it passes our pickiness

Another things I've cut back on to cut cost is drinks -- we rarely drink pop, but juice is expensive, and not entirely healthy in large quantities.  I could go through a ton of juice, but try to limit it.  Sometimes I buy a mix (not better sugar-wise, but cheaper) and go half and half or something, but definitely trying to drink more water and tea and such.

Dawn, tell me more about buying coupons.  Most stores here refuse to accept online coupons, & our weekly circular only has 3-4 pages of coupons.

We spend around $600 a month on our groceries/supplies.  We get our meat from a butcher, & almost all of our fruits & veggies come from the farmer's market.  We also buy a lot of things in bulk from Sam's. 

I pay about $250 per month for dog/cat food.  Chyna eats kibble, which costs me around $60 a month.  I feed the other 6 dogs for around $180 per month.  I use a co-op for the dog's raw food.

BEVOLASVEGAS

I use a co-op for the dog's raw food.

What's a co-op?

I'm loving this thread, btw! DH and I are terrible at food shopping, seriously. For 2 people we probably spend about $400 a month !

I use two sites to buy from, one is a pay for service that I won a free membership to, the other that I use and trust is:

www.thecouponclippers.com

Some coupons are limited to how many you can get at any one time, make sure you read the coupon to make sure it is really what you want. Watch the expire dates as well.

I am so going to try that sauce recipe Lisa.