Budget Buying Hints

Become a sharp shopper:

We  noticed that while a purchase may be a ‘great deal’ in terms of dollar amount, it's only a deal if the food actually gets eaten. This is especially true for perishables like milk, eggs, and produce.

Don’t let the grocer tell you what you should be buying. The most expensive items are usually placed at eye level: 5 feet 4 inches from the floor, to be exact. If you're looking for less-expensive options, you're going to have to work for it, reaching high and bending down low to the less accessible shelves.
When you are at the grocery store, ask the butcher what time of day they mark down meat. My grocery store marks down everything that has to be sold within the next few days. I go about twice a month and stock up on meat.
Make long-term investments:Making a small investment can sometimes go a long way. We bought a small chest freezer with baskets and I am now able to buy bulk food and load up on great values when I see them.

Put a magnetic clipboard on the outside of the freezer and keep an inventory of what goes in and out.

Plan ahead:

I think the key is meal planning. If you can plan the meals and stick to them, you can use higher end ingredients and not spend a small fortune.

Gardening is a great hobby. My family freezes and cans all the vegetables plucked from the garden in summer. This winter I’ve been using the yellow squash, zucchini and onions Ifroze [in preparing] my breakfast egg stir-fry.

I suggest using cheap ingredients. You can make a couple of batches of stews, chili, and soups on the weekend and then freeze them in individual containers, then you're set for the week.

I’ve also found that using coupons can be a big help. Search online for coupons to print, also visit sites for the specific foods you eat, even the organics. I have gotten so many coupons with just a little searching online.

Every night, I set a budget food plan for the next day so I know exactly what I plan to eat and how much it will cost both calorie and money wise. If you keep track of what you spend, your budget will thank you, and calories are the same way. Lay out a clear path and it will help!

For those times when sacrifice is just not on the menu, instead of giving up steak, fish etc.; as an alternative to eating a whole steak per person, slice the steak and serve it over rice, pasta or salad.

Don’t cut meat out altogether: Use less meat in a dish and beef it up with veggies.

Big-picture improvements:

Spend a month tracking all of your expenses[Everything] from bills to coffee to lunches out, then at the end of the month take a look and  see where you spent your money and see where you can cut down or out.

I think that a strict budget belongs in the same category as a strict diet. It’s a bad idea because you'll never stick to it. I think the first few months should be a trial period. The budget will need to be reassessed and adjusted a lot."

Go for bulk on everyday items
I noticed that I wasted a lot of money on prepackaged foods. Buy the regular size packages and portion it yourself using plastic baggies or small plastic containers.
If you’re preparing school lunch boxes, Get the large cans of applesauce, peaches, etc and put it in one cup containers. I have 10 of them so I just fill them all up and use them in the  lunches.
But buying in bulk can sometimes encourage eating in bulk. so sometimes you can save a lot of money by sticking to the actual serving sizes. I've also found that I'm saving a lot by not snacking all day like I used to. At night when I start to get the munchies, I make a cup of tea instead.

Eating out is expensive...even fast food. Cooking at home usually results in a savings, even if you buy some leaner, higher priced meats. Eating more reasonable sized portions of meats and higher calorie foods makes a little go a long way. I'm working on losing weight, so this is helping, and is also helping lower hubby's cholesterol.  Check farmers markets for fresh veggies. Or choose frozen veggies at the grocery store. Plan ahead so that you can freeze leftovers to have for meals later, rather than throwing away food.

I hope this helps....with things the way they are today....saving any little way we can goes a long way sometimes. Maybe a movie date, or a trip to get an ice cream. FAMILY TIME!