Here's an email that I wrote to two of my sister-in-laws about groceries. Two of us are followers of Dave Ramsey and we're trying to get the other on board. Like I mention below...I know that this is not the BEST way to save money, however, it is a HUGE (and realistic/baby step) improvement for our family. You may be doing better or worse than us...either way. I hope it'll help SOMEONE! ;)
Keep in mind that I was spending $200+ a WEEK on groceries even when we were in Quincy and probably before (we just never kept track!). Now, I'm down to below $100-$110! I still think I could do better but, I'm still buying about 75% of our fruits/veggies organic (if they don't come from our CSA). I go by this list. I also try to buy veggie-fed/non-hormone meat (also uncured/no preservative deli meat), too. We do a few vegetarian meals during the week, that saves a little money AND better for cholesterol! ;) I learned a TON about organic vs. "non-organic" from our CSA farm. Interesting stuff. It's just that even though it has the organic label...it doesn't mean what you would think! The CSA does save us money...it's $350 for a half share, over 20 weeks. That's $17 per week in veggies. If I bought all those veggies at Shaw's, it'd DEFINITELY go over. At MB, I'm not sure...maybe I'll add up all the veggies that we get today and then see how much they'd cost at the supermarket and report back!
That being said...I go to Market Basket for all the big items and I go to Trader Joe's for what I can't get at MB. Also, I learned that you absolutely should not buy anything other than food at the grocery store. NO toilet paper, no shampoo, soap, etc. Save that for a Walmart, BJs or Target run. Unless those things happen to be on sale and/or are less than at where you would normally buy them.
While we've only been doing Dave Ramsey since February, I've been doing a meal plan since last September. It's the single most VALUABLE thing in saving me moolah at the grocery store. I've used SEVERAL different ones and I even made one final switch this past week. I've attached a PDF of what I use. If you want me to make up one for you to edit in Pages, let me know and I will! ;)
The easiest way (for me) is to plan only 7 dinners. I wasn't planning meals for when Bryan was working late, at the beginning. However, it dawned on me...just pack what we had for dinner for him to take to work the next day! We got a Mr. Bento. Deli meat is super expensive/super salty/processed and packing him these meals is healthier! :)
Of course, you can use whatever works. We got this BR (before Ramsey!) but, if it's in the budget...you can do it! It's a manly lunch box, it holds a lot of food AND it's reusable...no plastic baggies, wraps etc.
We usually eat the same thing for breakfast (oatmeal, toast and/or eggs with fruit and/or yogurt/cottage cheese). For lunch, I decided we would always eat leftovers or a standby (chicken nuggets, mac n' cheese, soup, grilled cheese, pbj, etc.). That way, we're not wasting food AND we can use the stuff that I keep a few of on-hand, just in case we didn't have time to prepare/think ahead! We all get busy..it happens.
I also keep frozen veggies stocked in the freezer (some are store bought, some are frozen from our CSA or grocery store and I didn't want them to go bad!). This way, I always have something to throw in the microwave, to add to our other basics. I ALWAYS serve a veggie (often TWO) with lunch and dinner. Having the frozen ones, just in case is good for me because then I can't say I don't have 'em. I invested in Corningware microwave/oven safe dishes. You just open a pack of veggies and nuke them for 4-5 minutes!
Then, I choose 7 EASY dinners and then a few snacks to make/bake with Sydney during the week. The seven dinners is SOOOO much easier than trying to plan breakfast, lunch and dinner. At least I know I'm home to make it every day! I got the idea from The Frugal Girl. She plans out only dinners, shares what she bought for groceries, what she spent AND takes a picture of all her wasted food! If you have the time, take a look at some of her posts. There's lots of valuable info in there! That's where I got the homemade granola bars! ;)
This week for dinners we did:
Monday: pasta, sauce (diced tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, 2 garlic cloves), salad (CSA lettuce, grocery store cukes and tomatoes), garlic toast
Tuesday: hamburgers/hotdogs, salad, watermelon
Wednesday: Chicken with Goat Cheese & Arugula, beets & green beans, wild rice (all the veggies were from our CSA)
Thursday: ham, cheddar & apple "pizzadillas" (that's what Sydney calls quesadillas!), frozen broccoli/corn mixed together with cilantro & lime juice/oil oil (cheap salad dressing!).
Friday: Calzones - I use this recipe but, I fill it with Trader Joe's frozen marinated eggplant/zuchinni instead of broccoli and corn. I have used store bought pizza dough (pretty cheap) but, I like this, too. We'll have salad with them, too!
Snacks to make this week were: Morning Glory Muffins, Kale Smoothies (pina colada style), Nutella/Fluff, Cherry/Carrot slushies (leftovers turned into popsicles), and granola bars.
Okay...I know that was really long. I just hope you get something out of it! ;)
Here a few other websites that I like to stop by for inspiration on food, saving money and life in general:
http://simplemom.net/ (she follows Dave Ramsey!)
I know that there are a TON of resources out there. However, I find that I get overwhelmed. So, I've limited myself to these sites for the things that I'm looking for. While I don't use EVERYTHING they have to offer, I think that they closely reflect my philosophy on life and so, I get the most out of them.
What SIMPLE tips (don't require a lot of time and energy) do you have for saving money on groceries? Ones that someone could start if they went shopping right this second?!
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