This is a copy of a post I wrote last year on saving money on food. You might get a few new ideas, but it sounds like you are doing a lot already.
My goal for the year is to spend $60 a week for a family of 6 people, 2 adults, and children ages 11 to 17. I often feel I could lower this even further. According to my current calculations I should be pretty close to my goal this year.
These items are included in my food budget: any food purchased at the grocery store, farmer's markets, restaurants, farm stands etc.. chicken feed, and any seeds or garden plants, also canning supplies (I count the cost of lids but not cost of jars)
Here are some of my favorite ideas.
A few things I rarely ever or never buy: mixes, convenience foods, hot dogs, lunch meat, white anything (rice, pasta, bleached flour,ramen noodles) I don't buy much meat in the stores either. My husband hunts and that supplies most of our meat. Chicken and pork is purchased from organic sources.
Drinks: We drink milk, tea (herbal, decaf we donât drink anything with caffeine, use honey for sweetener), lemonade (from real lemons), real juices, cider, tomato juice. We rarely have kool aid or pop. We also make lots of fruit slushies with fruit, yogurt, ice, and some oats or wheat germ blended into it.
Garden: I raise a huge garden and can everything I can get my hands on. I also get a lot of excess stuff given to me from other people's gardens and I will can it and give them some of it to repay them for their generosity. We are able to put back about 1000 jars of home canned foods and lots of stuff in the freezer as well.
Do you need to plant trees around your house??? We planted a few oak trees and then we decided that every other tree we planted would be a fruit tree. Now we get peaches, apples, pears and cherries right here from our own place. We had a plum tree but it died this year. However I was given 3 bushels of plums so that more than made up for it.
Do not be shy about asking people for their excess fruit. Ask if they would like to sell any of the apples off of their trees. Most people who are not using them will tell you to take them, and you can give them something nice like a fresh apple pie, or home canned applesauce to repay their kindness.
Forage for what you can.. You may find mushrooms, berries, nuts, wild greens and much more right in your yard or woods.
Cook from scratch! Yes it is the only way to achieve black-belt tightwad savings on food!!! It is much better for you too. I am able to use my own eggs, and real butter, honey, whole wheat flour, etc... to make really good, high quality foods.
Head to the library! Don't buy a lot of expensive cook books. You can go to the library and check out 3-4 books every few weeks. Go through them to get new ideas that make your cooking more exciting, using basic ingredients you have on hand.
Start an herb patch. For literally a few dollars worth of seeds, you can have hundreds of dollars worth of fresh herbs right outside your door. I grow basil, parsley, sage, dill, garlic, chives and much more.
Plan your meals early in the day. I know what I am having for supper before I eat breakfast! I have found that planning it early helps me to get myself organized and I am not standing looking into a full freezer at 4:00 in the afternoon, wondering what to have!!!!
When you are in the grocery store, look for unexpected bargains and specials. You never know what you might find. I do not shop with a predetermined list, except for the really good sale items I want to get. I go looking for the best deals, then I cook according to what I have available.
Never NEED anything. I always try to have things ahead, so that I am not desperate for something, Because without a doubt if I have to have something, the price will probably be double!!!!!
I always shop with cash. I have found that if I have my checkbook or credit cards on hand, I will overspend every time.
Pray before you shop! Seriously, ask God to keep your eyes open and your discipline intact. It works!
I only shop at about 3 stores, but I don't always go to each one every week. I look over the sale papers and check for the lowest prices. Most stores have some fresh fruits and veggies on sale each week. I buy a good supply of these when they are marked down.
I don't normally use coupons. Very rarely I will find one for something I would actually buy. They seem to be mostly for gimmicky foods, not real ones, so I never got into the coupon habit.
Eat oats. I can buy them in bulk very cheaply and they are the best breakfast you can get. I wil not buy any sugary cereal. I pay less than $1.50 a box for cereal. But my kids are not big cereal eaters, so I don't need more than a box a week.
Think soup! Soups are the cheapest, easiest foods you can make. Very filling and nutritious for a family or single person. I have soup at least twice a week in the fall and winter months. My husband came from a family that was used to having big platters of meat on the table. However they always had money troubles, and never owned their own home. I truly believed the money they spent on meat alone would have bought them a nice house. I told him (my husband) that we would have to eat lots of soup to own our own house and we were able to build our home mortgage free! No debt and everything paid for on an income of less than $20,000 a year for the last 16 years.
Leftovers: Use all food you buy or prepare. I try not to waste anything. I use all the leftovers to make a soup or casserole. Save bits of things for snacks, or make your own homemade TV dinners. Last night's stew was made from leftover boiled potatoes, carrots, a jar of deer meat, a jar of tomatoes, a small onion, lots of herbs, and a spoonful of hot mustard. It was very healthy, good and there was plenty for us and for company and some leftover as well for lunch today.
On the rare occasion I have to throw something out, I give it to the chickens, so they have a treat and we still get some eggs!
Think Healthy! In the last few years, I have made a commitment to not buy certain things. I do not buy anything with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil. When I started reading the labels I was shocked at everything it is in... I do not use bleached flour, white anything (flour, rice, pasta, ramen noodles etc..) I have found that while whole wheat is a bit more expensive, by cutting out the other things I am still spending less and less money.
Here is a site from a woman I love! Laine writes a letter you can read on her site, or get by e-mail. She has a recipe section with many good wholesome recipes. I think you will all like it.
www.lainesletters.com
Snacks are so good. I love them and so do my kids. I try to make everything home-made that I can. We watch one show a week on TV, that is Survivor, and I make a nice snack to go with it!!! (I know the show is a bit hokey and contrived, but I think it is like summer camp for adults.. I want to go but I am too fat and out of shape to survive those challenges!!!! )
Anyways I think the kids like the snack as much as the show. Last week we had homemade pumpkin bread, popcorn, apples slices with caramel dip,and peanuts. To drink we had apple juice I heated up with a cinnamon stick and some cloves. It was so warm and good. This whole snack costs about $3, which is less than a bag of chips and a bottle of pop, but was much healthier and nutritious. We had a very light supper that night, just some leftovers or a peanut butter sandwich, since I knew we would be having a healthy snack later on.
Stocking up is the key to really saving money. Sometimes I feel like I should spend less, but then I realize that with the amount I am spending I have a lot of food put back also. It takes a while to get ahead so you can stock up, but the peace of mind is worth it.
These are just some of my ideas, feel free to post more.
