Update on How Much Do You Spend Grocery Shopping.

i spend a little less than you do, and i dont buy meat. I buy lots of organic and new agey stuff though. Gets pricey, luckily i can buy some of that kind of stuff in bulk for cheaper at Costco. but otherwise i have to visit whole foods and central market.

We have a deep freezer and go in with other family members and purchase a cow and pig every year. So we never buy meat at the store and the bottom line cost is so much better puchasing a whole cow and pig. Plus the meat tastes so much better and you know where your meat came from. No more sticker that says your hamburger came from 3 countries!!! lol.

I highly recommend purchasing a vacuum sealer. It seems like it is expensive but when you realize how long it keeps stuff fresh it is totally worth it. You can buy a head of lettuce and tear it up for salad and it stays good for 2 weeks or more. Meats never incur freezer burn the way that they do with ziploc bags etc. Veggies and fruits will stay good for weeks and cheeses for over a month. With the bread thing we have the same issue but I have found that oroweat sandwich style whole wheat bread stays good much longer than others... we usually buy two and the second one is still good when we are using it 8 or 9 days after we bought it. Also any white bread will mold long before whole wheat.

one of the best ways to cut down on your cost of meat is to go wholesale, but due to space and availability, plus the initial cost, that's not always an option. check online to see if there is a butcher near you. this is a good alternative, and a much better choice than grocery store meat. we have one near us, and about 3 weeks ago i went and spent $70 on a 15lb. bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts and 15lbs. of boneless NY Strip Steak. once we separated it all and vaccuum sealed it, we had 12 packs of meat for 12 different meals, which works out to less than $6 a meal for the meat. i feel that's a good price, considering how much it can cost. and if you have a deep freezer (chest style) you can keep well wrapped meat for between 6 and 9 months. in an upright freezer or freezer attached to a fridge, the storage length is a bit less, closer to 3 or 4 months if properly sealed.

i didn't read previous responses, so forgive me if i am repeating things! a good way to not overspend and end up with nothing (we've all been there!) is to plan your meals out before going to the store. this will allow you to search your cupboards and freezer to see what you have and make your list accordingly. use store brand/off brand stuff when possible, like for shredded cheese, pasta, even cereal and bread. someone mentioned Aldi, which is great for lunch snacks, pasta, and cereal.

coupons are a great thing, but you have to stay on top of it, and be familiar with what the regular price would be without the coupon or sale. save money on the non-perisables that last, because it's rare that you can get a lower price on fresh fruit and veggies, especially this time of year.

for household things, if you don't belong to a warehouse club, again go for the store brand. i haven't bought name brand trash bags, dishwasher soap, or paper towels in 2 years. in addition, buy these in the biggest amounts you can. it may cost more up front, but you'll save money in the long run.

i usually make at least one mid-week or non-payday shopping trip to grab milk, eggs, bread, lunch meat, and other little things ( like fresh fruit/veggies). that trip is usually around $30, but could be a bit more. bread freezes, but it doesn't always have the same freshness to it.

hope those ideas helped!!

We shop once a week and I buy almost all organic, so my store of choice is Whole Foods. We are a family of three and spend about $120/week. I know a lot of people talk about how much more expensive Whole Foods is than other stores and in some ways it's true, but if you compare the cost of the high quality ingredients (like organic) Whole Foods is much cheaper in my experience, they just don't carry the cheaper, lower quality products. Their 365 store brand saves us a ton. My son is slightly dairy intolerant, so while he eats cheese, I don't give him cow's milk and the Whole Foods Almond Milk is significantly cheaper than any other brand. Also, as far as saving money they also give a 10% discount if you buy by the case (12 items). So I buy canned tomatoes, canned beans, pasta, etc by the case to save us money. They also sell lots of dry goods in the bulk section and since you don't pay for packaging you save money there too. That's where I get dried beans, rice, flour, dried fruit, nuts, etc. They also send out emails each week with the deals for the week and coupons that you can print out, so you can save even more if you are willing to plan meals around their sales and use coupons.

We don't eat meat and I don't buy very much "fake" meat, so that is also a money saver. You could try introducing your family to a few vegetarian meals and save some money that way. Dried beans require more planning to make, but will save you a ton. You can make a batch of bean enchiladas with about 50 cents worth of dried pintos, and if you were to make them with chicken instead it would cost significantly more. If you want anymore carnivore-friendly vegetarian meal ideas just send me a message.

In the summer we save by participating in a CSA, which is a farm share that delivers organic vegetables to a site near my house each week. For about $25-30 we get enough vegetables to feed our family for the whole week and then I usually make something to stick in the freezer for the fall/winter. The only drawback to this is that you pay for the whole season up front. The sign up is in April and it's about $700 and then deliveries start in May or June. The one we use is lancaster farm fresh co-op. You can send me a message if you want to know more.

We spend about that a week as well-usually it includes some neccesities like diapers or toothpaste too.

Do you have an Aldi by you? For some things that place is GREAT. Like the eggs, butter, milk type stuff-really cheap. You can freeze meat up to 6 months I think..that's pushing it-but we bought a larger freezer and it helps a ton, cuz then we can freeze chili, meats, soups, bread, etc in bulk.

You're asking yourself the same questions I ask myself. I plan to invest in a food saver (vacuum sealer). I've heard enough good stuff about them now that I've decided to go for it. I'll try to find one used if I can. I don't know what an acceptable amount of time is to store frozen meats. I know I've kept some for a month or more. I'm also looking at buying a deep freezer, but probably just a small one. Personally I'd rather have an upright freezer for convenience, but DH wants a chest freezer since you don't lose all the cold air every time you open it. I've heard of people who only plug their freezers in for an hour a day in the winter, too, and they say that's plenty good enough to keep everything frozen.

We keep all our bread frozen. It's easy enough to take it out of the freezer and pull off a piece or two. They defrost pretty fast on their own, or you can pop them in the microwave for, like, 10-15 seconds.

If you're not too picky about toilet paper, Walgreens frequently has sales on Big Roll brand. It's a good deal, it's just not as soft as Charmin. On the flip side, it probably degrades faster :) We buy cheap tp, cheap paper towels and cheap toothpaste. Incidentally, my dentist told me that all those "special" toothpastes (extra whitening, etc) are a load of bull. Also, CVS frequently has Xtra laundry detergent on sale and with a coupon available simultaneously. Keep your eye out.

My husband is retired military, so we do most of our shopping at the commissary on base. If you have this option and you're not using it, start! Prices are cheaper on many things, and there's no sales tax.

As far as our bill, there's only the two of us full time, so we don't spend as much as you would with two kids at home. Combine that with the fact that we're savvy shoppers, and we usually spend around $250 per month.

I totally freeze bread when it's on special. I also stock up on meat. When I get home, I put it in Ziplock freezer bags. My butcher wraps the meat in saran wrap and then freezer paper--I think it proably works a bit better than the ziploc bags. You can theoretically freeze meat for 2 years, but I would use within 6 months for best nutrition/taste. We have a deep freezer and a second refrigerator with a freezer in the basement-- they are VERY helpful.

You can investigate CSAs in Philly. We have one here in Pittsburgh that delivers farm fresh eggs, milk, etc all over the city mid week-- very helpful!