Holy cow, we spent more than double what we usually do at the grocery store in the past month since starting SB. What do you guys do to keep costs down? Anyone buy meat at Sam's club? We talked about checking that out.

Thanks!

i get my meats at the warehouse clubs BJS and Costco. Just make sure it's LEAN....

we buy our produce at the produce stand (except baby carrots and bagged salad I get at BJs because we go through so much)

Salsa (we go through a lot of that) at Aldi

Trader joes for a few things... including greek yogurt

it is very expensive at first esp if you were eating a lot of junk before hand.

it does get easier and you get used to it.

And, if you can, grow veggies. I seldom buy any vegetables in the summer and fall.

I was thinking the same thing.. my grocery bill was ALOT!!

I have actually noticed mine is lower now. Atfirst I think you buy all this stuff and then realize you probably won't eat it. Also, you buy things that you will have for a while and won't need to re-stock.

The other thing is...I go home for lunch everyday now and not eat out...except on special occasion...usually once a week I will go out. I used to order take-out alot too...I don't do that anymore.

In the long run I think it saves money.

I shop at Sam's a lot especially for things like fish. My DH is in the military so I get to shop at the commissary which makes SB a lot cheaper. I don't mind paying a little more for pre-cut items it saves me a lot of time. Most times I make 3 different meals per mealtime. EX. 3 breakfasts, lunch etc. I also buy a lot of frozen veggies. They tend to hold their nutrition well and they also last longer. ex. spinach, broccoli, cauliflower. I also plan my menu by what's on sale.

Initially, we did notice an impact on our grocery bill as we did have to buy a lot of staple items....spices are expensive! However, we are saving quite a bit of money by not hitting the fast food spots and not eating out at restaurants once or twice a week. So, I think its all balancing out.

We shop at Wal-mart Supercenter.

Like others have said, your bill will eventually go down once you stock up on basics. I definitely spend less overall (though more at the store) since I'm not eating in the cafeteria at lunch and rarely go out to eat anymore (if I do, I'm not paying ), and very seldom get takeout.

If you can't grow your own veggies, hit up your local farmers market. I used to go all the time when I was in OKC...need to start going here. I love fresh produce!