It sounds crazy, but it is possible.
If you're serious about only spending $50 a week for groceries, you've got to practice discipline...and most importantly, stick to your grocery list!!! There's a thousand ways to save on groceries, but this blog has a few additional tips.
Where to Shop:
Aldi, H-E-B, or Brookshire's.
If you do not have one of these stores in your area, Kroger or Wal-Mart are fine with coupons.
Avoid shopping at Target, Albertsons, Tom Thumb, Dollar General, or any kind of organic/whole food grocery store. These places are pricey unless you have some major coupons or discounts to use.
Yes, I said Dollar General -- it's not as cheap as you think.
Coupons:
Everyone knows that coupons save money....but how many of you actually use them?
I definitely didn't until I decided to make a strict budget of $50 a week for groceries. And using coupons really made a difference.
Here's a list of coupon sites you can download and print from:
Coupon Diva: http://coupondivas.com
Mommy Saves Big: http://www.mommysavesbig.com/grocery-coupons.html
Grocery Network: http://www.grocerycouponnetwork.com
Coupon Network: http://www.couponnetwork.com
Wal-Mart Coupons: http://coupons.walmart.com
Aldi Savings: http://savingslifestyle.com/category/grocery-store-sales/aldi/
H-E-B Coupons: http://www.heb.com/weekly-ads/show-coupons.jsp
We Heart Freebies: http://www.weheartfreebies.com
Vegetables:
Purchasing vegetables in a ready-to-go steam bag from the freezer section of the grocery store can cost twice as much for a small amount compared to buying a whole pound of fresh raw veggies. Consider investing in a vegetable steamer for approximately $20. It will last you a long time and steam your veggies in both a cheaper and healthier way. It will definitely be cheaper for you in the long run.
How to Use a Metal Veggie Steamer:
http://www.ehow.com/video_6723522_steam-vegetables-metal-steamer.html
http://www.ehow.com/video_6723522_steam-vegetables-metal-steamer.html
How to Use a Plastic Microwavable Veggie Steamer:
http://www.ehow.com/how_5029992_use-microwave-steamer.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_5029992_use-microwave-steamer.html
Buy seasonal veggies. This will not only save you money, but they are also healthier and tastier than non-seasonal vegetables (which are usually injected with many hormones or steroids to keep them looking "fresh").
Fish, Poultry & Beef:
Buy meat fresh at the butcher section of a grocery store, especially when the store is having specials or discounts. Example: buy a pound of fresh shrimp for $4.99. The butchers may also steam and season it for you there at no charge. Dinner is ready!
Buy meats in BULK and freeze for later. Example: buy a large sack of frozen chicken breasts. Defrost and cook a few at a time; eat one for dinner and save the others for leftovers the next day (for chicken salad at lunchtime and chicken nachos for dinner).
"Ready-To-Eat" or pre-cooked rotisserie chickens are cheap and make about 2-3 meals or servings. Whole chickens can also be really cheap and make about 3-4 meals. De-bone the cooked chicken and freeze to make future dinners (for tacos, enchiladas, soups, and sandwiches).
Soups & Crockpots:
Soup and Crockpot recipes can be super cheap, feed a lot of people, easy to make, and even healthy! Invest in a crockpot or large soup pot if you don't already have one.
100 Healthy Soup Recipes:
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/healthy-soup-recipes-00412000070018/index.html
260 Crockpot Recipes:
http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2011/08/crockpotalooza.html
Crockpot Recipes for a Year! (365):
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/01/2008-flashback-entire-year-in-order.html
http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2011/08/crockpotalooza.html
Crockpot Recipes for a Year! (365):
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2009/01/2008-flashback-entire-year-in-order.html
Fridge & Freezer Tips:
Simply freezing food can make it last much longer and save you a lot of money in the long run. You can also pre-make meals, put them in the freezer, and later pull out for a future meal. Your freezer needs to be 0 degrees to make your food last longer.
Buy freezer ziplock bags and freezable containers in bulk. Regular bags and containers will not keep well in the freezer.
Again, your freezer needs to be 0 degrees or colder. Your fridge should be about 36 degrees to keep fresh food (that you don't want frozen) last twice as long. ---No, this won't make your utility bill go up high. Just the initial power of making your fridge go a few degrees cooler is the only effort it has to make, and then it doesn't take much power to keep it cold. (Same process as cooling your house. It actually costs more to turn off your AC when you are gone for a few days and then turn the AC back on, than it is to just raise the temperature 4-5 degrees higher than you normally like it).
If you don't use bread up quickly, put half of the loaf in the fridge and eat the other half until you run out. This will keep the bread from molding before you even get a chance to use it.
Freezer Meals and Make-Ahead Meals:
https://pinterest.com/heatherv/freezer-meals/
https://pinterest.com/heatherv/freezer-meals/
Plan Ahead Meals:
This might seem difficult for some (if you eat impulsively on what you are craving at the moment), but doing this will save you money.
If you plan meals ahead, it will enable you to go grocery shopping just once a month ($50/week = $200/month). You can plan recipes that have similar ingredients so you don't have to buy a whole jar of jalepenos to use on just one dish that month.
Stick To Your Grocery List!
Studies show that an average individual will spend at least $50 more per shopping trip than they would have if they stuck to their list.
It's called impulse shopping, or as I like to call it "going through every isle, seeing something that looks good, and adding it to my cart as I'm looking for the next item on my grocery list." I would say $50 is pretty low on my average when I used to go shopping and not stick to my grocery list...it was more like $90-100 extra (sadly).
Those little things here and there REALLY do add up! This is why you need to practice discipline.
"Creative" Savings!
Try eating breakfast for dinner! (I'm not sure if you call this "creative," but it sure is breaking away from the "norms" of what breakfast, lunch and dinner meals should consist of).
Here's what happens: you look in your fridge and freezer and "can't find anything" to eat...but you do have eggs, milk, cereal, tortillas, oatmeal, blueberry muffin or pancake batter, and bacon. Why not have a little fun and spice things up for a change...eat breakfast for dinner!
Or vice versa, you don't have any breakfast foods but you have leftovers from dinner last night. Hello! You have plenty of food to eat and you don't need to make a run to the grocery store just yet or stop by a fast food restaurant just to put food in your stomach.
If you feel you must eat breakfast food in the morning, dinner at night, etc., this is perfectly fine and suggested. But if you are really on a tight budget of $50 a week for food, consider changing your eating habits or just "Eat the food, Tina!"(quote from Napolean Dynamite).
Don't let food go to waste just because it's not the food you were craving at the time. "First World Problems," huh?
If you feel you must eat breakfast food in the morning, dinner at night, etc., this is perfectly fine and suggested. But if you are really on a tight budget of $50 a week for food, consider changing your eating habits or just "Eat the food, Tina!"(quote from Napolean Dynamite).
Don't let food go to waste just because it's not the food you were craving at the time. "First World Problems," huh?
Being creative with the foods you already have in your fridge or freezer to make a meal out of it (whether it's what you are craving or not) will help you not only actually eat up all the food in your fridge and freezer, but will save you money. It will save you from making a trip to the store just to get a couple things, or from buying food elsewhere and over-spending.
Recipes That Are Already In Your Fridge:
http://www.myfridgefood.com/index.php
AllRecipes.com Ingredient Search:
http://allrecipes.com/search/default.aspx?ms=1&origin=Home%20Page&qt=i
http://www.myfridgefood.com/index.php
AllRecipes.com Ingredient Search:
http://allrecipes.com/search/default.aspx?ms=1&origin=Home%20Page&qt=i
Miscellaneous (Yet Important) Grocery Tips:
- Shop with a portable basket instead of a large cart.
- **This is only if you grocery shop per week, or as needed. Not suggested if you only grocery shop once a month -- your bag might break!
- This will keep you from stacking up items in your cart that you "see along the way," and motivation for sticking to your grocery list.
- Check your pantry/fridge/freezer before you go shopping.
- Almost 75% of the time, you will find foods already in your home that you can fix, bake, or cook instead of making a trip to the store.
- Before you go shopping, at least try to write down what you already have (staples, main food items, etc) that way you can look up recipes online and discover you only have to buy one missing item to complete a meal with what you have in your fridge or pantry.
- This will also keep you from buying groceries that you didn't know you already had.
- Don't forget your COUPONS!
- There are many coupon users that PROVE why using them save so much money on groceries and needed items.
- For example: one "extreme couponer" bought over $200 in groceries for only $37. WOW. What an accomplishment and motivation.
- Start cooking from scratch.
- It may take more time to cook, but it has multiple benefits: healthier, cheaper, and usually more delicious.
- For example, a loaf of bread may only cost a couple dollars, but a loaf of bread made from scratch only cost a few cents.
- Look for sales and specials.
- Only buy "expensive" grocery items when on sale: meats, dairy and fruits.
- If something goes on sale that you can freeze, stock up and put in the freezer to save for later date when you need to use it and it is not longer on sale.
- Avoid microwaveable dinners/foods.
- They may seem cheap, but considering the small serving amount of food you get, you will actually spend a lot more on your budget than you expected.
- For example: A Lean Cuisine microwaveable dinner costs about $2.20. It seems really cheap, but let's look at the big picture..... Even if you only ate one packaged dinner a day, that's $68.20 a month on ONE microwavable package a day. And they don't even keep you full for more than an hour or two, in my opinion.
- Plus, most microwaveable dinners are not even good for you with all of the preservatives packed in there to make it last longer.
- Stop wasting food!
- Many times, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and we end up wasting food.
- When you make a meal, put a small serving on your plate at first. If you need more, you can always go back and get more.
- Eat up your leftovers before you make another meal or go out to eat. Take some of your leftovers with you in plastic containers to work to heat up for lunch instead of ordering something to-go. Eat up leftovers before they go bad (about a week and a half is the limit for most things).
- If you order something at a restaurant, do this: plan ahead, only eat HALF of the meal, and take the other half to-go. Eat the other half for dinner later that day or bring it to work the next day for lunch.
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