- Instead of going to a store and buying just what you need for a week, you go to two stores and buy what you need to replenish your stock. What you buy is based in your needs and the items that are advertised at a rock bottom price (RBP) .
- Simplify your stock. Everyone has a list of about 15 things that they buy on a regular basis. It is important to know the RBP of those items. Spending too much for a can of cranberry sauce you use once a year doesn’t effect your budget near as much as that can of diced tomatoes that you use every week.
- Never, never never pay full price. Something has to be really necessary and have no substitute for me to pay full price. If you rotate stock and buy in bulk using a calculated amount of stock. In other words, calculate how many of an item you will use in four to six weeks. That is how many of that item you will stock. Now, when that item is in sale for a big discount, buy a four to six weeks supply. Rotate items until you have a supply of your master list.
- Our master list would be pasta, Pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, green beans, frozen vegetables, meat ( hamburger, pork loin, chicken breast) dry beans.
- Rotate meat when you find it on sale. Again, buy a four to six week supply. In other words, if you eat hamburger once a week, you need enough for four meals. This week maybe hamburger. Next might be a pork loin. I have been getting pork loin for a dollar a pound.
- Efficiently scratch cook. The object is to spend more time prepping or planning a grocery trip and less time cooking from scratch. The internet and Pinterest are full of ideas.
- Use coupons when they are a help. Lots of coupons are for things you would be better off without. But, there are also coupons for good food and every little bit helps. Ibotta is a rebate type ap that give you money back.
- Know what stores have the best prices on what you need. There is a recent blog on what you can find in the PNW . Fred Meyers usually had dairy on sale at least once a month.
- In the Seattle area, grocery outlet. Fred Meyers and Winco are the cheapest stores. When we didn’t have a local Winco, we went once a month to six weeks.
- The twenty dollars that gives over and over..again and again . Costco’s bulk flour, oatmeal, and rice. Add 3.50 for bulk yeast.
- Food for thought...the average cart has 50 percent snacks and drinks. Eliminate them and you are on your way to a good budget. Popcorn at Costco was 12.00 for almost a years supply last I purchased it. Use an air popper.
- You don’t need a list to go to the store, you do need a plan. I can tell what we are short of that I need to look for a good price by looking at the shelf. Can I see white? The refrigerator tells me of we have milk, eggs, sour cream and cheese. I want the lowest price. 2.50 is my highest price I will pay for cheese. I often get it for 1.00 a half pound.
My advise would be to pick one thing and tackle that and then keep adding until you are comfortable with your budget.
First, list 7-10 meals that your family likes that use inexpensive sources of protein. We like eggs, dry beans, cheese, good hamburger, boneless skinless chicken breast, and pork loin that
can be cut into pork roast, chops, or stew and stir fry. All of the parts of a pork loin cost a lot more when purchased individually. Your goal is to keep the cost per pound at two dollars or lower average of you are going for a four dollar a day per person budget.
List your meal main dishes. Now, write down the main things you use to make the dishes. Keep things simple. Remember efficient scratch cooking. Now decode how many of that meal you will use in a month. Do the math and you will have a target list of your eventual stock.
Start with the protein. Watch the sakes and pick one protein on your list that is a RBP. Buy a months supply. Next week. Buy something different. Pretty soon you will be on a roll. If you don’t have enough in the budget, Rock the boat and cut down drastically on the junk food. Your doctor, and your budget will be happy.
