The one link up I'm participating in asks us to answer the question:
I want to know how you
have cut back on your grocery budget.
Share your tips and tricks!
have cut back on your grocery budget.
Share your tips and tricks!
If you want to participate, too, feel free. It seems to be open to anyone interested. Just visit the awesome Cents To Get Debt-Free blog and input the necessary info! :) I certainly would love to win the prize (YEP, a PRIZE just for participating!) as I've asked our landlord to consider allowing us to garden. I haven't had a garden since we moved here (TWO years!) and I'm SERIOUSLY hankerin' for work in some nice, clean, dirt! Anyway....
We've just recently returned to buying our own groceries (we were on Church assistance for a good 6+ months). This return is a pleasant one, but not easy as we haven't had quite enough money to purchase the necessary items all around. So, we've been supplementing our purchases with grocery store food storage items (they expire MUCH more quickly than long-term bulk food storage items).
I've given up my Nestles Quick and cow's milk. (Right, I KNOW!!!) If you know me, the chocolate milk sacrifice is huge. I mean, not as huge as ME, for instance, BUT pretty darn close. ^_^ I haven't had any Quick for at least 2 weeks. It has not been easy and, honestly, I miss it EVERY day. I could make chocolate syrup from the cocoa we have, but I've decided not to use our cocoa and sugar for now. I do hope to some day feel financially secure enough to return to purchasing Quick. Cow's milk isn't as tremendous a sacrifice. It's really just not so great in general. The only reason I'd been drinking it is because I was, honestly, worried about my protein intake during my pregnancy AND cow's milk is the only milk my Church provides when you need food assistance. They don't yet know the evils there-in. However, I have to say that the milk we received from the Church had a sticker that said it didn't have any growth hormones, which made it a LITTLE easier for me to consume.
We are using coupons! We've made some good purchases. One included just over $30 out of pocket and I saved over $25 in manufacturers' coupons and in store coupons. Additionally I'll receive $6 back from a rebate. Another purchase, probably my best one: I made one dollar! YES! You read that right! I ACTUALLY made $1 on a purchase! I could've made more, but Jess doesn't want to get our money back on a gift card, he wants a paper check. Next time I might not ask because I REALLY like the idea of getting MORE money back even if it means I have to spend it in the store I'm using, since I plan to do this regularly! On another purchase at a big grocery store in the area we spent $8 and saved $23!!!! Isn't that amazing!?!?! Much of these items are going into our food storage to replace what we've used. I'm SO happy!!!! Jess is pretty impressed, too. Feels SO good!!!
I'm feeding my family from scratch a LOT more. My girls LOVE meatballs. And thankfully so since we've had them VERY often as of late. :) I haven't yet returned to bread making. I still don't have a functioning oven. That's just an excuse, really. I HAVE thought about making bread in my toaster oven... though they would be SUPER small loaves. It could work! Everything else has!!!! I haven't felt up to adding that particular endeavor to my TO DOs as yet, though.
I think that about covers it. At least, for what I can think of off the top of my head right now.
What are you doing?
We've just recently returned to buying our own groceries (we were on Church assistance for a good 6+ months). This return is a pleasant one, but not easy as we haven't had quite enough money to purchase the necessary items all around. So, we've been supplementing our purchases with grocery store food storage items (they expire MUCH more quickly than long-term bulk food storage items).
To answer the above question, though:
I've been striving to use more bulk items (like rice, wheat, and beans much more). We've been trying to keep beans in our daily diet so that we won't have a difficult acclimation period if we NEED to use them more often. Beans really DO make you fart!!! And where there are farts there is gas in the belly and that, my friends, can be SUPER painful!!!I've given up my Nestles Quick and cow's milk. (Right, I KNOW!!!) If you know me, the chocolate milk sacrifice is huge. I mean, not as huge as ME, for instance, BUT pretty darn close. ^_^ I haven't had any Quick for at least 2 weeks. It has not been easy and, honestly, I miss it EVERY day. I could make chocolate syrup from the cocoa we have, but I've decided not to use our cocoa and sugar for now. I do hope to some day feel financially secure enough to return to purchasing Quick. Cow's milk isn't as tremendous a sacrifice. It's really just not so great in general. The only reason I'd been drinking it is because I was, honestly, worried about my protein intake during my pregnancy AND cow's milk is the only milk my Church provides when you need food assistance. They don't yet know the evils there-in. However, I have to say that the milk we received from the Church had a sticker that said it didn't have any growth hormones, which made it a LITTLE easier for me to consume.
We are using coupons! We've made some good purchases. One included just over $30 out of pocket and I saved over $25 in manufacturers' coupons and in store coupons. Additionally I'll receive $6 back from a rebate. Another purchase, probably my best one: I made one dollar! YES! You read that right! I ACTUALLY made $1 on a purchase! I could've made more, but Jess doesn't want to get our money back on a gift card, he wants a paper check. Next time I might not ask because I REALLY like the idea of getting MORE money back even if it means I have to spend it in the store I'm using, since I plan to do this regularly! On another purchase at a big grocery store in the area we spent $8 and saved $23!!!! Isn't that amazing!?!?! Much of these items are going into our food storage to replace what we've used. I'm SO happy!!!! Jess is pretty impressed, too. Feels SO good!!!
I'm feeding my family from scratch a LOT more. My girls LOVE meatballs. And thankfully so since we've had them VERY often as of late. :) I haven't yet returned to bread making. I still don't have a functioning oven. That's just an excuse, really. I HAVE thought about making bread in my toaster oven... though they would be SUPER small loaves. It could work! Everything else has!!!! I haven't felt up to adding that particular endeavor to my TO DOs as yet, though.
I think that about covers it. At least, for what I can think of off the top of my head right now.
What are you doing?
2 comments:
WOW!You are sacrificing your choc milk. I am astounded and imPRESSed! I know how much you enjoy it, too.
ImPrESsed again with those coupons! good going! You may not be working outside of the home, but are are definitely working to provide for your family.
Congrats on becoming more selfsufficient. Jesse certainly works hard to provide, too.
love ya'll
hi thanks for putting my blog in one of your saving moolah list! :) i'm sooo touched. :) you have a wonderful family. :)
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