I buy mostly frozen fruits, veggies (unless it's summer in which case I go to the very cheap and abundant farmer's markets) and chicken breasts.

I make a list and stick to it. I run down the snack aisles only to grab my fiance his favorite chips, and me my 100 cal packs. that's it! I've found when I linger in the snack aisle I spend $30 more on average!!

I check all expiration dates and buy the milk/cheese/yogurt/salad/ etc that will be around the longest. I hate throwing stuff out!

The only sales items I buy are the things I NEED. In the past I've spent more money buying things that are on sale just because they're on sale and a bargain. A waste if you never eat or use them! lol

Actually, I never budget. I buy the best of everything that I like because I think quality is the most important thing in getting value for money.

the best way i've found to save money is to buy all my packaged foods (yogurt, soymilk, wine, condiments, dried fruit) at trader joes, veggies at the korean markets (half the price of ralphs), and meats on sale at the supermarket. i buy boneless skinless chicken if it's cheap, but otherwise, i debone it when i get home, and wrap it in saran wrap and freeze it.
i think we would spend twice as much at least on groceries if it weren't for trader joes. i love that place. two buck chuck forever!!

Thank you so much for the tip on this site! I checked it out and the grocery store in my area that I spend the most at participates so I'm signing up right away! Especially since this weekend our grocery bill was around $230 for 3 of us. The food should last us somewhere between 10-14 days if we're lucky, but still that's just too much.
I do have a question though: are the things you get on sale primarily processed, not so good for you foods or is there a wide variety?

I have 3 sons, 2 teenagers and a kindergartener. They eat a lot! But I do have plans to deal with it. I shop 2-3 times a month. I get protein that is on special. If I am shopping for 2 weeks worth, I get enough for 14 dinners. I pick out frozen veggies for 14 days and 14 side dishes. And 7 or so desserts. (desserts normally last 2 days) Family isn't much into casseroles, so this works for us. I get lunch and breakfast stuff on special and our local store has double coupons. I shop at the bread outlett stores. I also have a membership at Costco. Occasioanally I sprlurge and spend 60 or so on me a month, but I figure it is a small price to pay to keep me on my diet. But normally I spend 250 at the regular grocery stores and an additional 100 at Costco a month. 400 is my max for the budget, sometimes staples all run out at once. Oh, and I stock up on canned fruit/pb/jelly ect when Smiths has their case load sales.

Byebigbutt, (LOL)

I am finding out that I have to shop at walmart to stay on my diet and not use the list as much, check it out though, it's only a dollar for like 10 weeks or something. See if it's for you. I still am a member and I do use the list for the really great deals that I can't pass up.

Lisa

I'm somewhat thrifty..however, I do not bend on my meats & produce. I only buy fresh..and prefer to buy from a particular supermarket. They are of a higher quality..when you are on a low carb, you notice this...lol.
Otherwise, I write my list, go thru the two sale papers...cut coupons..and hit walmart for canned goods if I have many.
I hardly go down the snack aisle, unless the kiddo is low..which will be a while. I snagged up on the sale last week :P

oh yeah..and what helps with fresh produce prices..I live in the Sunshine State..lol..although not so sunny today..very runny

One word: Aldi. I save so much money shopping there it's not even funny. True, they don't have as wide a selection as other stores, so I still have to buy a lot of my diet-type foods elsewhere, but it's dirt cheap, and they are always adding new products including LF, FF, and SF products. And here's an insider secret for you (my mom was a manager): a lot of their food is brand name food repackaged (e.g. Campbell's soup and Heinz ketchup), so the quality is still good.

The TRIAL membership is something like a buck for 4 weeks or something like that. You are right about the regular prices. If you have a big family like I do it's defintiely worth it.


Sorry for any confusion on that.
Lisa

I eat a lot less meat. That saves money.

Since I live in a very small town we only have 2 stores to buy groceries. Well 3 if you count Walmart but there is very little there honestly. I shop the flyers all the time, we don't have a paper with coupons in it so if I have a coupon it's from the manufactor that the store put out. The best thing I can do to save some money is looking closely at the price tags. They usually have how much it costs per 100ml, kg, or item. I find that a lot of times the bulk size is cheaper in the end even though it will boost my total at the register. Plus when comparing brands it makes things really easy to. I also take a calculator with me in case I can't see the per price or if it's for something like laundry soap, 1 tag can say per load others say per ml. I don't usually plan my meals for the week but after reading so many of you doing it, I'm going to be trying it out again.

Another way I save is buying my meat from the farm not the store. We will be getting a half cow this year and get everything from ground beef to tenderloin for $2/lb. A HUGE difference in price when you consider that it's usually about $10/lb or more for tenderloin and is still a deal for ground beef. At least where I live. I'm going to be looking into finding a chicken farm also since we go through a lot. Mainly breasts though so not sure if it's going to be a deal or not it we don't get the whole chicken.

Yesterday I realized how much I spent in -baby- carrots... regular carrots are much cheaper. And you don't have to do a lot to prep them... just wash/scrub a little, cut off a tiny bit of the tip and cut off where the leaves are. I don't bother to peel them, so I get the health benefits of the skin. Yum.

I also buy oatmeal/rice/grains in bulk at places like Whole Foods. (Everything -else- there is more expensive... but the bulk section is great!!)

I've noticed that old-skool carrots have more flavor when they're cooked than the baby carrots do. I'll use baby carrots for raw, but I try to get regular ones at least half of the time (for half of the price).

Another thought on budgets - I am going to check out a program in Minnesota called Fare for All - once a month, you purchase a package of meat and vegetables for less than half its regular price if you prove that you've volunteered for 4 hours somewhere in the community for that month.