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How much do you spend on groceries? And how do you save?
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 6:35 pm
And how do you cook cheap?? I've been so proud for cutting back on take out (always rationalized that I work crazy hours so I need to do it so I can work and continue making money) and I've been cooking every night for the most part. I even thought I saw a slight difference in credit card bill but that was made up for by baby expenses. Anyway, I just calculated how much we spent on food for the past month (just me and my husband...may have gone away for a shabbos meal or two and had company for a meal or two as well but otherwise just the two of us) and between groceries, minimal take out and seven eleven runs (but not counting the random groceries I pick up in target or walmart while buying baby stuff) it was close to $1000. I don't cook fancy or make expensive foods. For instance tonight was shnitzel and rice with enough left overs for another meal plus. Other meals I make include lasagna, penne a la vodka, hamburgers, meatballs, chicken burgers etc. Shabbos is simple with challah, dips when we have company, soup, chicken, kugel, liver, eggs, cholent and deli. What am I doing wrong and how can I halve my grocery expenses?
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workaholicmama




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 6:40 pm
I honestly don't have number of expenditures, but I do keep my eyes open for specials. During the week I keep a list or basics that need to be replenished. On Wednesday I get the weekly specials by email from several groceries, from others I can listen on their automated system. I then decide which grocery to email my order to, some weeks I even buy at 2 stores if the specials attract me😃
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out-of-towner




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 6:41 pm
Buying your chicken/ground beef in bulk and freezing it in meal sized portions will save you some money. I used to only buy thin cut chicken breasts, but started buying family sized regular ones and my husband cuts them thin. They are also good for stir fry.

It's time consuming, but cheaper to check lettuce then to buy Bodek if you buy that.

We go through a lot of sliced and grated cheese, so when it goes on sale I buy a few packs.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 7:13 pm
I like buying my chopped meat, cholent meat, chopped chicken and other groceries the weeks I go there at the cheapest local grocery but I don't go there often because of traffic and it's also a small and crowded store. I also don't like their chicken cutlets so spend more at another store. I don't mind going to several stores when I can but don't really get the chance to look for store specials because I go to work at the crack of dawn and get home late evening. I usually have one day to get everything done and I have an infant home with me.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 7:33 pm
Since chicken bottoms are cheap I cook that on most nights and once a week I try to do cutlets as a change.
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granolamom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 7:41 pm
first, my guess is that food costs vary somewhat based on location. that said, I'm in the five towns and we have a family of 7 including two teens. I spend, on average, $1200-1500 monthly on food shopping. that includes the stuff I pick up at costco but not some random stuff my dh might pick up (like salads for shabbos or special cookies for the kids).
so I think your costs could be cut somewhat.
I do pay attention to sale cycles, for example, here, brown sugar goes down from $1.29 to $.79 every two or three months. so I stock up. the pizza sauce my kids like goes on sale from $3 to $2 every six weeks or so. I just bought 20 jars of it. that's a $20 savings over the two months it will last us.
I buy certain things at costco such as sliced cheese, eggs, greek yogurt, lactaid milk because of significant savings. and I always shop ONLY from a list. if its not on my list, it will wait until the next time I shop.
I try to make as much as possible from scratch so no frozen pancakes or pizza.
also, I dont serve fleishig much. we eat fleish on shabbos and tues.
another tip, I try to cook up what I have before I shop for more. I usually do my shabbos shopping on thurs, so I take stock of what I have on monday and meal plan around that. I read that americans throw away an enormous amount of food (forgot the percentage) and then I realized that I do that too! so now I try not to overbuy produce and to eat what's in the fridge before buying more stuff.
buying in bulk and freezing (for meat and chicken) really cuts the per pound cost.

the meals you list really dont seem expensive. what about breakfast, lunch and snacks? are you buying alot of cereals? they are expensive. walmart has good prices. do you buy alot of drinks? we mostly drink water or seltzer (we have a sodastream which is cheaper than buying seltzer).
save your food receipts for a month and then sit down and look them over. you will start to see patterns and then you can identify areas that you can tighten up (impulse buys, extra stuff that got thrown away, lots of small packages that can be bought as bulk, etc)
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Tzutzie




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 26 2014, 7:50 pm
since I started making soup, I noticed my grocery / butcher bills are much less.
I do backed ziti once a week. I use rice pasta. W veggie soup. super cheap. abmom just gave me a new recipe. its quick, easy, cheap (rice pasta and cottage cheese) and healthy.

Always a soup. I do a soup once or twice a week. 12 - 14 servings per batch so I freeze in 16 oz containers. perfect for two portions. I do a different soup every time so there is lots of variety. big pcs of veggies, smaller pcs, w/beans, blended, cream soups....

The thing about vegetable soup is that neither me nor dh need that many calories and protein. (he was actually told to cut down on proteins after his last yearly physical) but we do needs some. Soup fills you up therefore I make half the amount of the protein (Chicken breast / cutlets. we don't like meat) per dinner than I used to. Also, I sometimes have a little soup (in the 8 oz containers) for lunch and I send along w dh too. so that w a carb and preferably w some kind of egg is a very cheap filling lunch.....

we eat a lot of eggs. not because it's cheap and easy but because we like it. that It's cheap is an added bonus.

I'd say our groceries / butcher per month is around 750. it used to be 1000 at one point. Two adults and one toddler

takeout is a different cheshbon. I usually do takeout if I'm tired or exhaused. and we aready had pizza frozen the night before. Frozen Pizza is a WONDERFUL emergency stick it in the oven dinner. w/veggie soup of course! lol,
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 7:10 am
I think I'm averaging about $600/month now on groceries, but it's hard to tell as I spent a couple hundred this summer stocking up on yoshon items.

Family of 8.

I don't keep CY, though (although I do buy CY cheese) which helps.

Judging by your menu listing, I can tell you why are expenses are a lot less. We don't serve liver on Shabbos, nor deli. We rarely have shnitzel as we go through more chicken that way than in a stir fry (but I buy my cutlets for $5/lb so if we went through 2 lbs for my family size, that would be $10 -- not sure how that compares to you.) Cholent has meat, but not a lot. I have a stew up with 1.5 lbs of beef chuck that I got half off because the butcher was marking it down as I was there to be sold that day (I stuck it in the freezer). I live OOT so getting meat half off saves a lot of money as our meat prices are higher than on the East Coast.

I became a member of Costco as that is where I can (in my current location) get my shredded mozarella CY cheese for $10 (2 lbs) and the cheap cutlets I mentioned, etc I go once a month (or less often) and I have found this helped stock me up on staples enough (my first run was $400, second was $200 as I still had leftover stuff) that my weekly grocery shopping is much less. I tend to have stuff in my home at this point that I can quickly make an entire meal out of, so I'm only buying maybe 20 things on an average week (not including produce). This is key, I find. I tend to revolve my menus out of what I have at home, only supplementing maybe 25% with needing to replenish the stock.

I also buy generic when possible (under $2 for a bag of frozen fries vs $4 for a heimish brand).
I check my own lettuce, and I've learned to check my own cauliflower now. I use a lot of cheaper frozen veggies like green beans as well.

Produce I spend about $20/week buying on Thursday before Shabbos (I buy some stuff on Sunday with my weekly shopping but I have a different store I found with cheaper produce prices that I like to stock up at).

So it usually ends up being around $80 on Sunday, $20 on Thursday (but I might diversify and spend less on Sunday, more on Thursday as that produce store also has shelved items at a good price, just not kosher meat/chicken). And maybe $200 monthly stock up at Costco.

There is no one answer that is right for you. You have to factor in your time and weigh it against expenses (dips storebought vs homemade....or you can skip them Wink ) but you have to be willing to try different things, work with what you have and use a good percentage of what is already in your home, and just see what works for you.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 7:20 am
amother wrote:
And how do you cook cheap?? I've been so proud for cutting back on take out (always rationalized that I work crazy hours so I need to do it so I can work and continue making money) and I've been cooking every night for the most part. I even thought I saw a slight difference in credit card bill but that was made up for by baby expenses. Anyway, I just calculated how much we spent on food for the past month (just me and my husband...may have gone away for a shabbos meal or two and had company for a meal or two as well but otherwise just the two of us) and between groceries, minimal take out and seven eleven runs (but not counting the random groceries I pick up in target or walmart while buying baby stuff) it was close to $1000. I don't cook fancy or make expensive foods. For instance tonight was shnitzel and rice with enough left overs for another meal plus. Other meals I make include lasagna, penne a la vodka, hamburgers, meatballs, chicken burgers etc. Shabbos is simple with challah, dips when we have company, soup, chicken, kugel, liver, eggs, cholent and deli. What am I doing wrong and how can I halve my grocery expenses?
Does your $1,000 include dish soaps, detergents, tissues, napkins, paper towels, disposable pans, containers, plastic cups, forks, cups, candles, disposable tablecloths...?
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yOungM0mmy




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 7:22 am
I buy whole chickens and cut them myself - cheaper and can stretch much further. Use the bottoms for a meal, shnitzel the whites yourself, and use the bones for soup, and then I store the wings separately and when you have a whole bag full you can make wings, or I add them into my cholent, so not buying cholent meat or deli for Shabbos day.

I don't live in a particularly Jewish area, so do much of my shopping in the regular supermarket, which is much cheaper than the kosher store. I buy brand name cereal because those are the ones we know are kosher, but store value brand of canned veg/tomato sauce/juice/soya milk/frozen veg etc (except broccoli/cauliflower, which I only buy with a hechsher but don't use nearly as often).

Make some meals that are legume based. We do lentil soup at least once a week - cheap, filling and healthy. Falafel - make your own (easy and sooo much yummier), or even buy, but still cheaper than meat or chicken. Majedra, etc.
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2gether




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 7:53 am
-eat less meat and take out.
-If your desperate for take out- use frozen foods.
-don't buy sauces,ready mixes,or dips, it all adds up
-you don't need to eat eggs or milk products daily
-milk products- buy the cheeper yougarts and cheese
-don't buy more then you think you'll use
-count out portions of meat,fish, individual milk products, junk food, grape juice and soft drinks
-buy cheeper brands when possiable,especially cleaning products
-meal plan- this really works
-if you have what to cook with- don't shop
-fruits and veg. buy according to what's on sale
-limit paper goods
-eat cheap snacks - crackers, prezels, etc.
-make your own baby food, if relevant

that's all I can think of now!
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 8:33 am
Thanks for the suggestions! I like the soup idea been thinking about that recently. The problem is when I make soup my husband sometimes says he's just not in the mood of soup right now and only eats the main. We usually have leftovers for my husband to take for lunch the next day and I make a sandwich and spend a couple dollars at seven eleven for snack (included in seven eleven expense).

In terms of stocking up in costco we have a one bedroom apartment with very little storage space so can't really do much stock up. At this point I don't think the membership is worth it for us.

In terms of cutting back on take out we really have. This month we were going to go on one date. We had a one hour time slot but we were also out of formula. I ran to target with enough time to get ready for our one hour date but they were out of the type my baby takes so I had to run to Walmart and there went our one hour date. Instead dh picked up dinner from the place we were going to go ($60). He also made two pizza runs on his way to work when he wasn't in the mood of packing lunch himself ($9.60 each) and once he spent $22 on a burger but we try not to talk about that (it was a day I cooked!!!!). So take out was about $100 and 7 eleven was prob about another hundred. Grocery store shopping was about $700 but like I said that doesn't include the few items I get from Target or Walmart (splenda, coffee, English muffins, etc).

To the person who asked--no it doesn't include paper goods (don't usually get...only been getting past few weeks because my dish washer is broken and on my first box of disposable table cloths since getting married almost two years ago because we were staining the table cloth every week) or cleaning items (from Target/walmart not included here). It does include disposable pans as I get that at the grocery store.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 9:05 am
I have two little kids...(3.5 & 2). I just went grocery shopping...it cost me $240. It included five roasts...on sale about $12 each. And my regular shopping. I am trying to cut down. I just moved two weeks ago after living by family for a year. I had to do major stock up and ended up spending $900 in costco... ( vaccuum cleaner, all cleaning supplies , and some groceries) I also spent $500 in grocery store.
I have no suggestion for you....I also make soups twice a week and freeze and just used my shabbos leftovers up yesterday!! I have to start cutting back as well.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 9:31 am
OP, the trick is meal planning.
Look through the circular, see what is on sale at the store you go to, and plan 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 7 dinners using some of those sale items. If you need to buy something for a recipe (say 1/2 pkg of mushrooms), plan on a second meal where you can use that product that same week so it doesn't end up in the garbage and so you don't have to spend for another 1/2 a product for the next recipe.
So if ground meat is on sale for $4, buy a package that has enough to make meatballs and burgers. There is 2 dinners plus lunch leftovers.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 11:28 am
The problem is I can't worry about specials too much because I usually only have one day off to get everything done--cooking, cleaning, etc. (Ok, I lied just a little bit--I'm off nearly every Friday but they are short these days and we have to get shabbos together and do all the cleaning which never seems to get finished then). For instance next week I'm working 4 12 hour shifts leaving before dawn and getting home late evening. Besides Friday I'm off one day. So while I try to pick up several weeks worth of the meat at the cheaper store I can't always make it there even if they have a particular special. I did stock up last week though. I have four meals worth of chopped meat and four weeks worth of cholent meat. I almost lost it all when I forgot to pack it in meal size portions and freeze. I had it sitting forgotten in the fridge for almost too long but saved it in the nick of time.

Another thing I just thought of is ordering online. I don't like the idea of not having the groceries as soon as I want them but it will prevent too much impulse buying. Will also give me time to get other things done so I'll be less tempted to use my cooking time for them another night and get take out. I thing I'm going to try that next week. I can even order from work. I just discovered the option (I'm a bit slow) and I'm thinking it's super cool.

Oh, and to the person who doesn't have deli and liver on shabbos--it's a grand total of $10 and it's my husbands oneg shabbos so I can't really cut it out. I don't think it's excessive or really what's bringing my bill over the edge.
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granolamom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 3:44 pm
amother wrote:

In terms of cutting back on take out we really have. This month we were going to go on one date. We had a one hour time slot but we were also out of formula. I ran to target with enough time to get ready for our one hour date but they were out of the type my baby takes so I had to run to Walmart and there went our one hour date. Instead dh picked up dinner from the place we were going to go ($60). He also made two pizza runs on his way to work when he wasn't in the mood of packing lunch himself ($9.60 each) and once he spent $22 on a burger but we try not to talk about that (it was a day I cooked!!!!). So take out was about $100 and 7 eleven was prob about another hundred. Grocery store shopping was about $700 but like I said that doesn't include the few items I get from Target or Walmart (splenda, coffee, English muffins, etc).

To the person who asked--no it doesn't include paper goods (don't usually get...only been getting past few weeks because my dish washer is broken and on my first box of disposable table cloths since getting married almost two years ago because we were staining the table cloth every week) or cleaning items (from Target/walmart not included here). It does include disposable pans as I get that at the grocery store.


ok, if you really want to slash the food bill stop with 7eleven. what are you buying there for a hundred bucks a month? we only buy english muffins on sale as a once in a while treat. they are a relatively expensive bread product and not especially health building either. It also depends on how badly you need to economize. If you can afford one $60 date per month, then enjoy! but even when we go out, we dont spend that much. usually we eat at home and go out for frozen yogurt or desserts. or we'll go out for brunch once in a while and get salads (total bill around $20).
the formula is probably bringing the total up high too, but not much you can do about that. once your baby starts eating though, skip the baby cereals and babyfood jars and make your own. healthier and much much cheaper. its not hard to pop a few sweet potatoes in the oven, puree and freeze in small portions. or an apple. or butternut squash, etc.
if you really must cut costs, its a mindset. get rid of luxury items that you might not be realizing are luxury items (such as english muffins) and you will see the bill drop.
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granolamom




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 3:48 pm
amother wrote:
The problem is I can't worry about specials too much because I usually only have one day off to get everything done--cooking, cleaning, etc. (Ok, I lied just a little bit--I'm off nearly every Friday but they are short these days and we have to get shabbos together and do all the cleaning which never seems to get finished then). For instance next week I'm working 4 12 hour shifts leaving before dawn and getting home late evening. Besides Friday I'm off one day. So while I try to pick up several weeks worth of the meat at the cheaper store I can't always make it there even if they have a particular special. I did stock up last week though. I have four meals worth of chopped meat and four weeks worth of cholent meat. I almost lost it all when I forgot to pack it in meal size portions and freeze. I had it sitting forgotten in the fridge for almost too long but saved it in the nick of time.

Another thing I just thought of is ordering online. I don't like the idea of not having the groceries as soon as I want them but it will prevent too much impulse buying. Will also give me time to get other things done so I'll be less tempted to use my cooking time for them another night and get take out. I thing I'm going to try that next week. I can even order from work. I just discovered the option (I'm a bit slow) and I'm thinking it's super cool.

Oh, and to the person who doesn't have deli and liver on shabbos--it's a grand total of $10 and it's my husbands oneg shabbos so I can't really cut it out. I don't think it's excessive or really what's bringing my bill over the edge.


you dont have to make yourself crazy about specials to take advantage of them. I dont have the time to run around to twelve different grocery stores every week either. but I watch the ads to see which store to shop at on any given week. it will depend on what I'm running low on and what sales they are having. I plan my weekly menu around the specials too.

does your local store charge to shop and deliver? it might still be worthwhile but not necessarily.

and fwiw, I agree. $10 for your dh's oneg shabbos isnt going to make a huge difference.
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joss3




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:05 pm
A few pointers:
1) order your groceries over the phone or online and you will limit your impulse buys and stick to just the basics you really need for the week.

2) try to make one big grocery order per week as opposed to a few small ones. You end up spending less on food by making do with what you already have at home.

3) keep track of the old uneaten food you throw out, so you can buy less next time and have less waste.

Good luck!
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:31 pm
Wow! People really spend a lot. In a normal month I spend about $700 including take out/pizza. And I shop in pomegranate. And we eat chicken/meat at least 5 times a week. Family of four. I used to spend much more. The main thing that helped me cut down was only going to the grocery ONCE a week. I buy 3 kinds of chicken/meat. Ingredients for dairy meal. And most of what I need for shabbos all in one shot. Also, fruit, drinks, snacks, and milk for the week. My husband will go once more on thirs or fri for a few more shabbos stuff. Keeping out of the grocery was the big trick. Other tips: big nosh bags instead of individual. I also cut down on yogurts and frozen pizza and dips for shabbos.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Nov 27 2014, 4:33 pm
-We are a family of four and spend around $600-$800/a month.
My "secret" is that I have a monthly grocery list that I follow every single month. I do one huge shopping (our supermarket delivers) for all of the "dry products" that won't spoil (including diapers) and things I can put in the freezer. That usually costs around $400.
Then weekly, all I buy is produce, dairy products, challahs, and the occasional addition I need for a certain recipe.
-I shop in the same supermarket all of the time, so I know their products, where everything is located, etc.
-We only eat chicken/meat around twice a week (I make ground chicken or turkey meatballs and then a whole chicken or Shabbos. Only a few pieces of meat in the cholent.)
-I make a monthly food menu before going grocery shopping. Sunday is always leftovers or soup, Mondays is dairy (baked ziti, lasagna, spaghetti alfredo, homemade pizza etc.), Tues is something with bread (veggie burgers, homemade falafel in pita, hotdogs in buns, etc.), weds is some kind of vegetarian protein (scrambled eggs, quiche, tuna patties, Asian stirfry with eggs, etc.), and Thurs is a quickie food since dh teaches on thurs night - so things like burritos, nachos, spaghetti, etc.
-I put aside around $250 for spending on unexpected things that are not on the list and typical shopping: take out, baby products, household items, clothes etc.
So in total, I'd say we spend $600-$800 a month.

I will post the once-a-month list in the next post, in case it can help anyone.
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