Looking to save Some $!!!

Meal planning for a whole week at a time can help. This site has some great ideas:
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/70dollarmenu.htm

We shop Aldi's quite a bit, but there are some things to watch. We get milk there because it's cheaper than other places like Walmart. Most Aldi's stuff is just as good as other places, however, there are a few things that I've gotten there that I don't like, so I get those other places. I would say try it out one month and see if you find things that you like, or that are just as good. I've heard that if you can find an advertisement of a certain price you can take it to Walmart and they will match it, but you have to find the exact item. I've never done it, but I've heard people say it works.

I shop at Aldi for the staples and can goods because they are often cheaper. They do have good prices on produce, but a lot of times it appears dirty or is not ripe yet (ie dark green bananas) so I will take the store ad to a local grocery store that price matches. This allows me to get the produce I feel comfortable buying at a good price.

Costco has really good produce IMO and their prices are SO much better than my local grocery. If you can find a neighbor to split it with this is your best bet. I used to do this and would get a TON of produce for only about $15. IT was great b/c when you do it yourself you will usually have waste b/c you can't use it fast enough. This can also go for other things there-cheeses, hummus, etc.

I am not a coupon clipper but I will tell you that my old neighbor was a major clipper and Aldi shopper. If you really educate yourself and try this you are going to save a LOT of money. I was always amazed at how little she would spend. It was almost like a game-she had it all in an excel spreadsheet and would hit several stores a week getting deals! Good luck!

I spend $50 a week on groceries to feed myself, partner, and a toddler and infant. We're truly on a tight budget. I don't live where you do. I also can't afford to buy "all organic". I think organic for the most part is a hoax. As long as you wash your produce it's usually ok from what I understand. I know Whole Foods is a marketing ploy. People shop there because they feel more righteous and "healthy" in their selections.

http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_feed-family-week.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/023396_food_organic_produce_he...

I wish I had $600 a month for groceries!! Good luck on cutting back! It took me a while to adjust my grocery habits.

www.thegrocerygame.com might give insight on how to use coupons. However, in my experience, I don't buy enough of the boxed stuff to make it matter.

I also have a family of 5, but I spend about $100-$120/week in groceries. I do shop at Aldi's--they do carry fresh fruits and veggies. I don't buy my meat there, just because I'm spoiled and have an awesome local butcher shop very handy and very reasonably priced. Aldi's cereals are very comparable to the name brands. The only complaints I've gotten from our girls is that they don't care for the Aldi's version of Lucky Charms. I am the type of person who will sit and figure out which is the better deal; do I go to the locally owned super market and get the item at a higher price, to have my coupon end up being doubled at the checkout, or do I get it at, say, Walmart, where the price may be lower, but the coupon is only at regular discount? Coupons are found in the Sunday papers, or you can find them online. I did manage to save $38.50 the other day just by clipping coupons alone. Another area where you might want to 'save'--spend only your paper money and bank your change in a jar or something. Or, if you're a plastic only person, subtract by whole dollar amounts. You'd be amazed how much you can have and not even realize it in a month's time.

It's a proven fact that frozen vegetables retain more nutrients than fresh. It just takes too long for fresh fruits and vegetables to get to the market. Aldi's is great. I personally like Save a Lot better because they have more items to choose from. Aldi is cheaper than Save a Lot. Have you checked into any programs where you can consolodate those student loans and make the payments as low as possible?

For comparison sake... I feed 4-6 children at every meal plus my own family of 4 adults. I spend around 250 per week and sometimes 300 dollars. We eat meat at every meal and tons of fruits, veggies, and lots of snacks. This budget does include diapers and formula for 2 babies.
I also spend around 1000 per year on paper products bought commercially and separate from this budget. I shop the regular stores most often because we are intensely spoiled. I would say a person could live well at Aldi once they get used to it.

Hi C., I am in Vegas and I shop at Fresh & Easy. I see you have a Fresh and Easy store at Dousman & N Broadway, in your city. They are very inexpensive and have a lot of items, even prepared items with fresh ingredients. Some items are organic and some are not. Go to their website and get on their email list www.freshandeasy.com, for their coupons. They don't take the regular coupons, you can use all the deodorant and hair product coupons at Walmart. Otherwise they offer 10 - 20% off, usually on a weekly basis. They also mark their dated items down about 40 - 50%, which is usually fine. As well, their produce is often $0.98/bag. I spend about $60/week for a family of 4. I used to spend over $100 at Costco every week. Some food was wasted and most of it we consumed...we were all dreaming of dropping a couple of pounds.

I am always pleased with the things that I get from Aldi's., the only thing there that I tend to steer away from are some of the canned veggies...especially the creamed corn. As to where to find the coupons...of course the Sunday Paper will normally have coupons for you but there are also coupons available on line. Google printable coupons and see what it directs you to. The things that I use coupons for the most are bath soap,shampoo,deodorant, vitamins, toothpaste and tooth brushes. In fact I have a lot of those things stockpiled because I have gotten them at such a bargain price that I buy ahead.
Good luck to you...and tell your husband congratulations on his degree!!!

I'm always amazed when I drive by the Aldi parking lot at how many high-end cars are there. I've personally been once. I didn't like having to put a quarter in to get a cart, and I'm not one to be sure about the quality of off-brand foods. But, I have friends that swear by it and GFS.

We do as much shopping for meats/produce as is reasonable at Costco/Sam's Club. We may spend more, but it gives us sufficient quantities to make it through the week (family of 4) with fresh foods at each meal. Anything we can buy in bulk without wasting, we try to get there. We try to load up on cereal, pasta, sauce, etc. at either Sam's Club/Costco or WalMart/Meijer and then get the remaining items from our local grocery store.

We're constantly negotiating with the cable company on reducing rates. They change packages frequently so you can get good packages for little money.

We do kids' movies, etc. from the library as well as books. Clothes - we try to get the kid's clothes off season if we can purchase cute styles as they're on clearance and hope the kids fit into them the following year.

We prefer Costco to Sam's because Costco sends out their own coupons that can save a ton on diapers/wipes.

Crazy as it sounds, we purchased a new car to save on our car payment. We refinanced our house last year. Both saved us almost $400/month.

One of the BEST things to do, if you can afford it, is to pay down both your mortgage and car with extra payments to principle each month. By making 1 extra mortgage payment/year, you actually can take ~8 years off a 30 year fixed mortgage.

I hope that helps. We don't go to extremes, just try to be frugal when possible using store coupons, signing up for loyalty programs (Kohl's has been running specials all summer), buying in bulk, and trying to cut out what's not needed.

Good luck!

C.,

I spend $150 a week, but that is for 6 of us (and a couple of my kids are older and eat almost as much as my husband and I do) and we buy all organic milk and yogurt, and mostly organic meat, fruits and veggies and we rarely eat out. My kids pack their lunches from home. I also keep 3 months worth of food that we "normally" eat and a year supply of "if we didn't have anything else to eat" food in case of job loss or other emergency and factor adding / replenishing that stock, too.

The best way to get coupons for what you actually need is on the manufacterer's website. Target has some good coupons, both the mailed kind and the kind that come with your receipt. But 99% of the coupons go in the recycling bin. Stores and manufacterer's don't print coupons out of the kindness of their hearts; they do it to improve sales which means they mostly get you to buy things you otherwise wouldn't.

I do some shopping at Aldi's, but you have to be careful. Many of their products contain MSG, so read labels carefully. I also don't touch their produce from Mexico. But there are good deals, too. I bought boxes of organic kids cereal (Peanut Butter Panda and Gorilla Munch) for just over $2 per box last month.

I also don't shop at Costco or Sam's Club. I used to until I realized I was buying huge quantities of treats and snacks that we went through so fast because the quantities were so large. Meat per pound at the time was the same as the supercenter. It could be a good idea to tag along with a friend who has a membership a couple times a year to pick up toilet paper, etc.

Rainbow and Cub have "loss leaders" to get people into the store. The deals are great and I stock up when I can. (Usually meat and produce.) It just takes self restraint not to buy anything else because you will quickly lose your savings. Many items at Rainbow and Cub are 10-70% higher than Target or Walmart.

My biggest help in saving money was to create a monthly meal plan and stick to it. I plan out meals for an entire month. I make a grocery list and do one big shopping trip a month. (Most foods freeze quite well.) Most importantly, I stick to the list. I still go to the store about once every 7-10 days to replenish milk and produce (most produce I buy at the Farmer's Market when it's open) but I am careful not to stray from the list. I don't replenish snacks and treats. When they are gone, we wait until next month to buy more.

Having a menu plan is key. I rarely, rarely throw any food in the trash. I recently read an article that said that Americans throw an average of 30% of the food they buy in the trash every year. So Americans could drop their food bill by close to 30% just by planning better and not throwing stuff out. We think we need way more food than we do, or we buy something thinking we will use it and it just spoils.

The menu plan also lowers costs because it eliminates the "what are we having for dinner?" syndrome. Quick and easy meals are usually more expensive, and they require going back to the store which means shoppers may be tempted to throw something extra in the cart. When creating my meal plan, I look at my calendar. When are the nights we are going to be in a rush? When will I have time to really cook? When do I need to throw something in the crock pot that morning?

Anyway, good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.

S.

Aldi's is pretty good, but limited on what you find, you really won't be able to do much organic there. I'd suggest you google for any groups in your area that do some group buying of organic or healthy foods. I had a friend who had mentioned joining a group that would go together to use volume discounts for some of there foods, I don't know where they found these groups, but you could probably find out with some google searches. Another way to save money is to buy meat in bulk, there are some stores that offer discounts for bundled meat buy's, I think my daughter said that HyVee does this.

I love ALDI. You can save some money on pantry staples, canned goods and frozen items. ALDI has a small selection of fresh fruits and veggies as well as fresh meat. My advice is just to go and see if it is a fit for you. See what they have and it is something you buy for your family.

Check out supercouponing.com

This woman Jill who runs the site does workshops in the Chicagoland area and explains on her site how to match up sales with coupons and get stuff for free or almost free. My unemployed mom does this and she has so much stuff stocked up that she paid almost no money for! It works well for things that you can hold onto for a while- cereal, shampoo, etc. You stock up when it's a great deal and then you don't have to buy it again for a long time. I would definitely give Aldi a try too, I think it has improved a lot over the years. I also have a great meat and produce store by me where I save a lot on those things, but I use Costco for paper goods and Super Target for everything else. Good luck!

Depending on your budget, we've found it hugely cost-effective to buy our meat by the animal. It's local, it's often, if not organic, fewer pesticides, antibiotics, etc, and it's much cheaper than at the grocery store. I know friends who buy from someone a couple hundred miles away, so it's possible even if you're in a big metro area. We bought a half a hog and paid just shy of 2$ a pound for the meat--and it's absolutely excellent. In addition, I love knowing where it was processed, who raised it, and that it was humanely and gently raised.

I am a regular Aldi shopper, and I love it. I must admit that I was not an easy convert though. But when times got tough for us financially, my husband finally convinced me to just try shopping there one time. Now I shop there every week. Sometimes I cannot get everything I want/need at Aldi, so I go there first, and get what I can on my list. My son and myself have some minor health issues that require me to read the lables on all of our food, and I have found that alot of Aldi's food items are actually healthier than some of the brands at major grocery store chains. Last week, I bought all of the groceries I needed for $40 and some change at Aldi. The most I have ever spent at one time at Aldi is $110 and that included my regular groceries/products AND the things I needed for Thanksgiving dinner. I get my paper towels and napkins, garbage bags, sandwich bags, aluminum foil, and other similar items at Aldi also. Most of the stuff at Aldi tastes the same as other store brands, but I have found one or two items that I didn't care for. We went from spending $150-$200 per week on groceries to $60 - $80. Keep in mind that you have to bag/box your own groceries though! And by the way, my child is healthier than my brother's children who eat mostly organic food. They are sick all the time, and my child is hardly ever sick. We just use good common sense and we eat balanced meals. Good luck!

I shop at Aldi's sometime. I don't think that the quality of the product is any worse than at any other grocery store. It's a big chain originally from Germany and they own Trader Joe's (just to put things into perspective). I always go to Aldi's for coffee. Their German roast is the best coffee I could find here and costs only a fraction of what you would pay for Dunkin Donut or Starbucks coffee at your local grocery store.

www.jillcataldo.com

Hi,
This a problem for me too.We are a family of six (four kids seven and under).And we do spend about 180 to 200 dollars on grocery.Like you we eat mostly fruit meat and vegetables ,whole grains. A few months back ,our third child was hospitalised (he is totally fine now) so we didn't have the money to spend 200 dollars on groceries as we had to pay a week of hospital bills.And we actuallly had to swich off our diet to more starchy food and grains .That kind of food is much cheaper but often not the healthiest option.We also do serve meat to our children everyday.Not everyone can afford to do this.So,when he was hospitalized we had to cut back our meat budget.And the kids didn't have meat at every meal.I know some people that have the same number of kids as us and do spend less.They are eating way much more whole grains and are also vegetarian.Meat is very expensive. And yes people do choked up when i told how much we spend on groceries.Moreover families of four(2kids).When i had just two kids we were able to spend around 120/130 dollars per week.Sometimes even just 100 dollars a week.Looking fowards to read all the other answers too.

Check out the pocketyourdollars website. It is a free website. She matches up the coupons with Store flyers get you the best deal. Several of the items have links to printable coupons so you can print them out.

I have saved as much as 58% on one of our grovery bills!

If you are on facebook, she also has a fan page on their for Pocket your Dollars. She posts local deals and internet specials. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

We're a family of three - two adults and a 3-year-old. We started at between $120 - $150/week on groceries, shopping at Rainbow and Cub, mostly. But, we needed to reduce that number, AND a Trader Joe's opened nearer to us. Now we shop at Aldi's and Trader Joe's mostly, and we work with $80/week. We also garden (good for you!): squash, raspberries, strawberries, snap peas, beets, cauliflower, herbs, shallots, radishes, lettuces, tomatoes, chard, kale; and, a farmers market is a few blocks from us on Saturdays, so we go there, too.

We do make a point of buying organic meats, so we eat less meat than we used to - but, after viewing the documentary "Food, Inc." I really don't want our dollars to support feedlot meat manufacturing. We'll buy chicken, smoked trout, and beef from the farmers market in the summer, and in the colder months, we'll scan the "reduced" sections at the local co-op or go to a butcher shop and see what's on special and put stuff in the freezer. We also freeze our garden veggies...

It's a pain (to me) to make and shop from a list, but it does keep you on track. I read every label, and there are some things at Aldi that won't go in my cart b/c of their ingredients. BUT, there are also plenty of things that will - barbeque sauce (no corn syrup!), jarred olives and artichokes, cereals, jams (no corn syrup again!), frozen blueberries, avocados, onions, and more.

Overall, our meals are a bit simpler (and, more predictable) than they used to be, but they are healthy.

And, more saving -- clothes and some toys. I like the Once Upon A Child consignment store in Roseville (can't speak to other branches, but I like that one) for seasonal staples like rainboots/coats, winter clothes, boots, etc., plus regular day clothes, even pj's. It can be hit or miss, but you can call ahead and ask what they've got stocked on the racks before you go. I've found nice snow boots there (Land's End brand) for my toddler for $5-6, snow suits/jackets for $8-16, and so on. I also like Valu Thrift thrift store in the Sun Ray shopping center in Maplewood for kids clothes, and there's a Savers closer to us where my hubbie and I tend to look for stuff for us.

I personally look forward to going to Aldi's. The store is smaller and the staff is smallee and they remember their customers.

I haven't worked for the last three years since I've had my son so I consider saving money my "job." Aldi doesn't carry multiple versions of the same food. You want skim milk you have ONE skim milk to choose from. I kinda like that. This country has so much of everything it's nice to just run in and not have to "think."

Aldi is a German based company and has the BEST chocolate I have ever had. There's a couple of things I don't care for but have found some items I can't live without like the sweet and sour chicken. If you like take-out you'll love it and it's only a $1.99 a meal.

I can't say enough good things about Aldi. Take bags and a quarter for the cart and you're in business. (You can also use empty boxes that you find in the store if you forget your bags.)

Go for yourself and check out ALDI. Believe me, I'm a grocery SNOB, and I love ALDI! The produce at our ALDI is AMAZING and FRESH....and unbelievably CHEAP.

I seriously cannot imagine why anyone would have it in their head that you are compromising your family's health by shopping there. Ridiculous! Go in and look. Take a quarter and some bags. Unless you like paying more for the same exact thing, you'll love it.
I had to laugh at the person who wrote "I didn't like having to put a quarter in for the cart"! Really? Why? When you get it right back when you return it and you DON'T have carts abandoned in the lot bumping into cars? Oh yeah--WHAT a pain! LOL

Also, I also believe in using coupons o what you normally use. try www.couponmom.com. It's free and will give you the best percentage off items at YOUR local store. Even if you don't use the coupons, it's a good way to see what's really on sale in your store.

You might do a search online for any food programs that your state offers. Here in Iowa we have the Share program. They offer several different kinds of food packages for a low price. For example: pkg A costs $22 and conatins: 1 lb. Ready to Cook Breaded Chicken Breast Pieces, 12.8 oz. Sea-Pak Salmon Burgers, 10 oz. Black Forest Ham Deli Meat, 1 lb. Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops, 2 lb. Roaster Chicken Drumsticks, 15 oz. can Richfield Farms Mixed Vegetables, 6-Kellogg’s Apple Cinnamon Nutri-Grain Bars, 9 inch Key Lime Pie and Assorted Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

I'm sure your state will have something similar. There are also farm co-ops avail. where you pay a set fee for the year then you can get so much of each produce raised when it's harvested (might need to do some canning?) and I've heard that many ppl end getting so much that they give some of it away. There are also other food programs available, here there is one for low income people but others can use it too, you bring your own box, pay a set amount each week when you go, then you fill up your box with food as you go down the line and they provide not just meats and veggies and fruits, but cereal and snack food too (occasionally I got Hostess Items). I think that this program is through the local churches in our area, and it's nice to have. Check online, with your local church, with your local Dept. of Human Services office because they can direct you to some of the programs, and ask around at the local farmers market and I'm sure you'll come across some programs that will help you out! Good luck! :)

I fourth or fifth www.pocketyourdollars.com I had to have cut my shopping bill in half by following her couponing advice. It still takes some time, but she has done a lot of it for you already and now there is a coupon database so if there is something you need that is not on sale anywhere this week you can at least look and see if there is a coupon available to make it cheaper. It is kind of addicting, but I say it is a good addiction. Good luck!!

You have had a lot of great ideas. But have you considered babysitting? My younger daughter works second shift as a restaurant manager,3- midnight, it's very difficult to find daycare for second or third shift. My older daughter babysat for a few years and if we had a family event she just brought the kids along. If you can take one or two kids and charge less than a regular daycare you would be helping another struggling family and earning a little to help with bills. Also many retail stores offer employment for evening and weekend and usually a 20% discount on purchases, so you can get your family clothes at a great discount. It comes in really handy at holiday time too. If you could work one evening a week and one day on the weekend it all adds up.
I worked at a Penney's store for 3.5 years and Penney's offers 20% discount on clearance, I got clothes for my grandkids for $1.50-$2.00 sometimes less. You can watch the racks and when the big clearance starts ask if you can put a few things aside to buy as the store is closing or the next day. I also got $200.00 leather jackets for myself for $35.00, jeans, $30.00-$500.00 for $1.00. You can have a well dressed family and have special occasion outfits for a fraction of the cost. I am sure with your husband's job you will one or two events every year that require dressy clothes.

We too have tried to figure out how to generate more money in the home by saving - however, I found I was also able to start a part-time home based business and make a few extra $'s as well. There are a ton of home based/party plan companies to choose from and most have a very flexible and generous compensation plan and very easy and affordable to begin. I would be happy to share what I know. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can help.
C.
www.snowflakegems.com

Updated

We too have tried to figure out how to generate more money in the home by saving - however, I found I was also able to start a part-time home based business and make a few extra $'s as well. There are a ton of home based/party plan companies to choose from and most have a very flexible and generous compensation plan and very easy and affordable to begin. I would be happy to share what I know. Don't hesitate to contact me if I can help.
C.
www.snowflakegems.com

I didn't read your responses, so someone may have said this already, but there have been a couple GREAT threads on this site lately about this issue. If you search back through previously posted questions, there was a mom a few weeks ago posted this question, and she got like 80 or 90 responses, and some GREAT information. I'm also going to forward you a private message I got from someone on this site about couponing. She claims she doesn't pay ANYTHING for certain items, personal care stuff, household stuff, etc.

Hi C.. I don't think $150 for groceries is bad at all. I spend $60 at Aldi and another $120 or so at Wal-Mart (but that also includes cleaning supplies, occasional gifts, socks, etc). Aldi has awesome produce! I think most people who shop at Aldi also do another store to get all they need. Here are some other things I do to save $: I cut my 3 kids' hair. I wear my hair long so only get it cut a few times a year at cost cutters. I do mine and my daughter's nails. I make my own b-day cakes. Just a few ideas.

dave ramsey. go to his website, find a class that will be near you. i dont know that there are any in the summer because people are usually too busy (although if we ever had a time we needed financial discipline, the summer is it!
anyway, dave ramsey's financial peace university program is VERY good and it will help you to prioritize and figure out where your money is going, and also to help you get control over any extra spending (you know, that cup of cappicino in the morning, the eating out twice a week, whatever... im not saying you do those things, but just examples of the ways we "nickle and dime" ourselves out of our money)

anyway, even if you have to drive an hour to get there, find a class coming up and get there. its so worth it.

Not sure where you live, but I recently started using www.savingsangel.com and you might find that helpful. There is a monthly fee of $20 to use the site, but they usually allow you a 30 day trial. Your money savings should cover that monthly fee, and if you refer people, they reward you by discounting your monthly fee :)
It matches sale prices to available coupons either on line or in print. It tells you exactly where to look for the coupons & gives you direct links to the online coupons, so it does all of the dirty work for you. It looks at 20+ stores. I think it depends on where you live, which stores you have available, to take most advantage of money savings. My cousin who has been using the site for a good 3 years SWEARS by it but she has a much larger store selection than I have in my area. I have had great success at Walgreens - my trip last week was cut in 1/2 of what it would have been, & I saved a total of $40 :) So that more than paid for my monthly fee in one trip to the store! By watching the price match ups, over time you can stock up on many FREE and cheap items!!

Check it out: www.savingsangel.com

If you do sign up, please use my referral code # of 32122. Good luck!!

I spend about 150 a week. I use coupons like crazy, but the bulk of the money is going to buy fresh veggies and produce. My hubby also eats a lot of steak and fresh seafood. I really don't think that is a lot of money. I also buy a lot of organic stuff.

We don't do cable, don't eat out, and I cloth diaper. That's how we save money.

I have not started shopping at Aldi, but last week I heard some good things. They are owned by the same company that owns Trader Joes. They have some sort of deal on the produce (and maybe all food) that if you are not satisfied that you can bring back your purchase with receipt and they will give you your money back and replace the produce. Not one or the other both! They charge you 25 cents to use a cart so that you return it to get your quarter back. You also need to bring your own bags. They can have lower prices because they don't have staff or bags. I think it is worth checking into! I did see someon mentioned www.pocketyourdollars.com I would say to look at that too! I started trying to follow some of the shopping lists and printing coupons off coupons.com and I have saved a lot. It may not be on the stuff that I would normally buy, but it has been working out. I try to plan my menu around what I can buy for almost free. I have gotten many things for free with double coupons if you have a stor that does that in your area! It is overwhelming at the beginning to try to save, but once you get the hang of it, it gets much easier and worth it! Good Luck!

How much you spend on groceries is totally up to you and what you want to feed your family. However, $150/week for groceries for a family of 5 is, in my book, not very much at all.

My family has three people--me, my husband, and my 10-year-old daughter. We all have food allergies or intolerances, so eating organic is a must. We also must buy by allergen-free food, which unfortunately, is on the pricier end. Our food bill per month can be anywhere from $700 to over $1000. And that's buying only the essentials and raw foods. No processed or frozen-throw-in-the-micro-or-oven foods.

I am currently getting over adrenal fatigue and don't have the time or strength to do vegetable pot gardening this summer, but hope to start next summer, if only to help on the bill. I have started buying fresh produce direct from the farmers now that summer is here; that has cut down on how much I pay out for fresh veges and some fruits.

I personally would never shop for food at Aldis. Other things, yes. But not food. But that is my personal preference, and backed up by what we're not allowed to eat. You're better off to find a farmer's market or a farmer who regularly sells his homegrown produce at a corner vegestand. You'd be worlds ahead on eating better and more nutrient dense food. Look at it this way; by eating better and more healthy now, you'll cut down on medical problems and bills down the road. It's your choice.

And if you can find out any deals on where to find good coupons without spending hours and hours a week scanning the Internet for them, I'd love to know the secret too! Unfortunately for us, we need coupons for allergen-free food products, which are almost nonexistent.

Good luck!

I just went to Wal Mart and went grocery shopping and that will probably last us maybe 2 weeks and I didn't buy any clothes or any other things just food and I spent almost $400. I also have an 11 and twin 5 year olds that are hitting growing spurts. I tend to shop healthy, that didn't include any meats or milk and eggs. My cousin can't say enough about shopping at Aldi, but one of her twins has a ton of food allergies especially peanut allergy and she is able to buy breakfast bars, granola bars that are nut free processing. Over the 4th of July weekend the food that my sister-in-law brought up was from Aldi and my kids tried it and didn't touch it again. For my meat I like going to Trader Joe's - they have a one pound package of hamburger for 1.99 can't beat that deal and the hamburger is yummy I use it for everything. I do clip coupons, but only for the stuff that we use on a normal basis or if there is something new that I would like to try. I mainly shop branded products, all 3 of my kids can't tolerate any kind of dairy fat and when we have used Wal mart brand of food I get the mom I have a tummy ache.

Have you checked into a food Coop or farm share agreement. Generally this is where you buy directly from the farm with very little distribution or retail markup. I have a relative in New York City who does this so I know the bigger cities also have them. I found mine by looking on the internet under Farmer's markets and followed links to the COOP. Some of the food is organic some not, but each farm is required to tell you exactly how they produce food. I pick up my food every 2 weeks.

I use www.couponmom.com. They have TONS of coupons for everything from food to toys. Also, invest in getting the Sunday paper so you can get your local grocery store coupons as well as circulars from Target, K-mart and Wal-Mart. Then you can comparison shop for things you need. Another thing we did was bundle our land line, cell phones and cable tv through Qwest. That saved us almost $200.00 a month. Plus, we got our cell phones for free. Good luck and happy saving!

Aldi's is great. Cut my bill by about a 1/3. There produce is very good. You can even sometimes get organic. I don't use coupons much, since Aldi's is a better deal. Another thing to check out is Share, go online, it's another way to get discount food. There chicken is very good, at least the one in Michigan/Wisconsin.
Happy Shopping,
S.
Mamasource business advertiser.

That is insane. I'm sorry I would guess you are pretty terrible shopper. Not to be mean.

I go to several stores to get whatever we need. We are even lacto ovo vegetarians! We go to whole foods to get some of our meat alternatives, Go to Walmart to get some of our organic produce and a few stables, Then we hit another grocery store that matches all others deals. We clip coupons out of the sunday paper and go to our favorite brands sites and get online coupons. But beware of that alot of retailers are hesitant to take them. Here they will never take BYGO or Free ones.

But there is 5 of us and we are veggies... which means no cheap meat. 4 "hamburgers" cost us nearly 4 dollars. And we spend no more than 100 a week. Pry 300 a month.

A few ideas to save money on groceries:

Shop local produce at this time of year that's going for cheap around you (berries, corn on the cob) and freeze them for the winter. Same with your garden leftovers, if you can't eat them all this summer.

Buy organic for the most important foods, buy conventional for the rest. (http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirt...)

go to the grocery story OFTEN, watch their meat prices. i don't have time for this, working 5 days a week, but my FIL goes to the grocery store every day, and sees prices vary from $6/lb. to &1/lb!!! they'll even drop their prices from morning to afternoon. stock up when the prices hit bottom and freeze the meats.

phone line: if you are paying for high speed internet, drop your home phone service and switch to Vonage. it's $10/month.

I follow a site called www.pocketyourdollars.com - it's a mom who strives to save you over 50% on your groceries and other needs. She posts lists according to store and tells you how to match your coupons to make it work.

My husband and I have also gone through the Dave Ramsey course and it was awesome and well worth the money.

For a family of 4 we try to only spend $300 on groceries a month. But we are trying to even cut that down.

It costs us at least 150 a week in groceries. (we are a family of 6) Your friend must not have a large family to shop for. Or she is buying cheap, unhealthy groceries :(

Do you have a produce place near you? I can get a ton of fruits and veggies at ours for 20.00. That saves so much when i get to the grocery store. Another thing i do is take my time. I was in the grocery store last night for 2 hours. I saved over 100.00 though. I use coupons and actually sit there and compare ounces. For ex. is it smarter for me to buy 2 smaller or one bigger box? My store prints me off coupons on the things i buy. My sister also sends me the coupons from the sunday paper. Also, if i plan my dinners for the week it helps. Then i stick to that in the store...rather than buy for an incase menu.

Aldie scares me also. I am afraid of the cheap off brands. They do not look so healthy. That is just my opinion. Hope i helped a little :)

We spend about $95-$120 a week on groceries for a family of 4. We plan our lunches and dinners and that way we can by meat in bulk. The $120 is if we need house items or toiletries. And we very rarely use coupons. We do must of our grocery shipping at a local family grocery store.

Food budgets have changed in 30 plus years. But I did do menus for the month with a week extra for change out meals depending on what was left from earlier in the month for a family of four. I would shop for the items that were needed for the meals and made more than normal this included homemade bread twice a week. Whatever was left over from the night before became lunch and a new meal prepared for the evening. Sat was left over night.

I spent about $250 a month but remember that was in the late 70s and we were on a remote military assignment in Quebec, Canada. A group of us would order case lot items and split them between us (96 cans of 5 oz tomato saue is alot for one to consume). Toilet paper and paper towels I did not split and they lasted a year. Frozen items were ordered during the winter including whole chickens that we cut up ourselves. Milk, eggs, butter and such were delivered by the local milk man and we did have a local butcher in town that would deliver the meat to the door. For food specials I used the local grocery store on Thursday as that is when all the produce and meat for the week would arrive.

I don't use coupons much nowdays because they are never for the products that I use. Even though my family is grown I still cook large but freeze half.

Good luck to you, you will find your solution. The other S.

We shop at Rainbow and clip coupons -- we sometimes save as much as $30 a trip. Save your coupon flyers each Sunday and go through and clip everything you think you might get. Shop at Rainbow on Wednesday or Saturday, when it's double coupon days. Use the Rainbow pharmacy; each time you pick up a prescription you get a special coupon, and when you have five you turn them in for a free $10 Rainbow gift card. Pay attention to the Rainbow flyer to see when certain things are on sale, and use coupons on those items that week to get even more savings. (My husband pays attention to sales, and now knows when most of the things we buy go on sale -- ie. V8 Fusion goes on sale every 5 weeks, etc.)

As for the coupons, we don't use them just to use them, and so we don't end up with things we don't want.

If you really want to make a financial difference in your lives, go to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. It WILL change your life and make your money work harder for you. No question. Google Dave Ramsey and then type in your zip for a class near you, for about $100. Well worth it on so many levels. If you are not able to attend FPU, you can get one of his books, (which you get books, CDs and a kit when you sign up, worth more that the tuition) but the class is really what has an impact. We paid off all our consumer debt, will have the mortgage paid off early and our kids have learned about finances and will be better off as well. We have peace of mind that so few have. It is a must...
Good luck!
PS, We do love Aldi's and spend under $100/week for a family of four. Our HyVee has red hot specials and organics we love. We don't have cable either, never have!

im not a big aldis fan-but im on a very tight budget-i go to rainbow-hit their sales hard-this last week i spent 120.00..but with sales an coupons-i saved 56.00..im a single income person in these trying times-every penny counts-however my best friend shops at aldis-shes got custody of her teenage gransons-3..and they love it.good luck

I hear you perfectly. I have only one baby and I know how difficult is to manage your money. I use a lot of online coupons and I`m able to save a lot of money. There are websites that provides online code and you don`t have to waist time looking in the newspaper. They helps you saving money with deep discounts. Something you may try http://promocodes2011.com/world-market/promo-code/, http://promocodes2011.com/cherry-moon-farms/promo-code/,h....

Hi C.,

You have recieved some great advise. I'll second the couponing. I get two sunday papers and also use online coupons (coupons.com is a good site). I follow the blog www.moneysavingmom.com and they outline daily deals on groceries and other home products. This is how I do it:
I usually use coupons for snack items to get them cheap or free- this frees up money to spend on nicer meats/produce.
I play the 'drug-store game' (you'll learn about it on the blogs) and get all my toiletries for free or pennies on the dollar. It can be confusing AND addicting at first, but you'll get the hang of it. I routinely get diapers for about 6-9 cents apiece (huggies and pampers are my fave) and shampoo/conditioner/ bodywash, etc for free. I love it!!!
Use the 'stacking coupon' policy at your store. For example- our grocery store (Meijer) has an online coupon site called Meijermealbox. You can stack these coupons with other clipped coupons to get things for free (ie: sale on Morningstar Farms 2/5. Use 2 $1 off coupons with 2 .50cent Meijer coupons to get both for $2) Target does the same thing and so does CVS.
Lastly- make a menu and follow it. This is the biggest barrier for me because I'm busy. But I know that I spend a great deal when I'm 'frivilous' shopping. And cheese is my weakness:(
Good luck!

http://www.5dollardinners.com/ for GOOD meal ideas (and coupon match ups too

http://www.mambosprouts.com has printable organic/health food coupons and be sure and go to the website of any product you particularly like and join their email list

I just started shopping Aldi for my produce 'cause they have good sales. I go to Roundy's and do my shopping on Wednesday's because it's double coupon day. I don't know if you have one around you or not, but call your local grocery stores and ask if they have double coupon day. I don't buy stuff we don't use, but I also don't buy cereal for more than 50 cents a box, seriously. I try to use as many $1 off coupons when I shop so I am saving $2 just because of the coupon. I tend to spend less than $50 at the grocery store and save between $50 - $80, depending on the sales and coupons. I use www.coupons.com to print coupons and I follow this blog, as she sends weekly Roundy's (and Kroger) match-ups, so I don't do a whole lot of work, http://momforhim.blogspot.com

I'd be happy to send you a more detailed e-mail of what I do each week to prepare for the store and such, let me know if you would like me to.

I would say go to Aldi's and check it out. See if you like it. Try some of their stuff. Usually the milk there is around $2.00 compared to around $3.00 in other stores. They have fresh viggies and fruit. Bananas are under .40 a lb compared to .50/.60 a lb in another store. Even if you are saving .10 a lb over time that really adds up.

Frozen! frozen meat, veggies, even fruit can save you alot of money from buying fresh. also try farmers markets right now. I dont think $150 is really that much for 5 people. break it down. 150 per week is about $21 per day. that is $4 a person. that means you are spending a little over a dollar a meal