My family consists of myself, my fiance and our 8 month old daughter. She is breastfed but eats a lot of solids and some table foods. We spend $100/week on groceries and I am beginning to think this is just ridiculous and that perhaps I just don’t know how to shop. I know for a fact I don’t know to cook LOL And I know that would save me some money…
We also don’t cut coupons or shop at discount grocery stores. My fiance is a junk food junkie and has several pricey treats he seems unable to live without. (25 years old and he will eat an entire box of Gushers in no time…yeah, the gummy fruit candy with the gross stuff in the middle.) We also have pets and the week during the month when we need to re-up on their food, it ends up being $20-$30 more expensive.
So how many people are in your family (and what are their ages) and how much do you spend per week on groceries? Do you have any tricks to help me cut this back a little?
Oh yeah I forgot about the toilet paper and paper towels…that stuff is expensive too.
Well, I’ve been where you are! It used to be so rediculous because we would spend 2-300 dollars and be out of food within a week! I’m also not a good cook, but I’m learning! here are my tips, take them for what their worth, but I’ve learned a lot these last 3 years! In my house it’s me, my hubby, my 3 1/2 year old, and my 9month old, a cat, a dog (half beagle, half cocker-spaniel, so medium sized) and a fish that never dies (seriously, we forget to feed it for like 3 weeks and it’s still here! lol)
Right now, I spend roughly $200 2x a month, but that includes EVERYTHING, including medicines, cleaners, etc.
Now I don’t buy everything cheap, but I try to shop smarter. I plan ahead and make a list. It helps me to create menus for the next 2 weeks of meals (I sit down and ask what everyone wants for dinner and then i make a list of everything i need to buy to make those meals. then I pick up basics for lunches (bread, lunchmeat, peanutbutter & jelly, mac-n-cheese, spagetti-o’s, etc.) Then I add in snacks- I ask my hubby for a few snack ideas. I try to keep this to a minimum so i don’t overbuy. Then, I add in cat & dog food, formula, diapers, cleaners, etc. It is best to keep a list in a place like the fridge so as you run out of something (like deodorant) you can write it down. This keeps me from having to go back for things i forgot we needed and spending more than i budgeted for.
Then, stick to your list. buying items you don’t need or on the fly ALWAYS costs you more $$ than you intended. Also, coupons are a great way to save extra $$, but I totally get that not only are they annoying, you might also buy things you don’t actually need just because you have a coupon for it!
Another thing is, figure how much do you use something? If you don’t use paper towel very often, buy the cheap stuff. If you do, make sure you are getting the most on the roll for your $$. don’t be swayed by gimicks of "softness" or "quilted". Toilet paper was like this for me. i used to buy scott brand because it lasted forever, but it was much like wiping with paper towel in my hubby’s opinion. and it was expensive. so i switched to angel soft. yes it was cheap, but I had to buy the big 24 pack every 2 weeks, it was crazy! after a while, it’s not so cheap anymore. So i finally found a balance and buy charmin basic now. 12 double rolls, and it lasts me a month or so.
Now, i don’t buy organic, and I don’t make my own baby food. I buy huggies diapers when i have a coupon, and pampers wipes. My dog eats kibbles and bits or dog chow (whichever is cheaper at the time) I buy the big bag of mixed chips snacks (the individual portion sizes) to control my hubby’s snacking- portion control is easier than watching him eat out of the big bags LOL. I buy pepsi and bottled water, and amish noodles (yum!). So no, we don’t eat "cheap" food, but i have learned to shop smarter over the years! I have gone to save-a-lot on occasion, but I have found here lately, sometimes their prices aren’t any better than walmart’s!
Ok, I know this is EXTREMELY long and i’m sorry! haha I just know what it’s like to be in your shoes and get so frustrated with the grocery bill, and it seems you have nothing to show for it at the end of the week! And when hubby eats everything as if you’re magically always going to have more- it gets very frustrating! =) I have a lot more ideas and ways to cook at home very cheap and easy too! If you want, feel free to e-mail me sometime! Also, I’m on facebook 
Good luck to you! i hope you can get a system worked out for ya!
(oh, and by the way, keep track for one month how much you eat out- I found out we used to spend like $80 a week on groceries, then around $300 a month eating out because it never seemed like we had food in the house. Or we had cheap food like mac-n-cheese or ramen noodles. Now we cut back our eating out to once a week if that, and put about $200 extra into our grocery bill. it saves us $ in the long run, and even though i don’t always cook "healthy" at home, it is generally healthier for us in the long run, and my daughter isn’t living off of chicken nuggets and french fries anymore!)
http://myharvestamerica.com/cheapgroceriesusa