We are a family of five living on one income. My husband’s income has to cover basically everything, rent, heating and lighting bills, vehicle payments, and of course food. I’m lucky enough and frugal enough, that sponsored posts and freelancing covers birthday and Christmas presents.
I do the majority of the shopping, in fact I try to go without my Hubby, the king of throwing things in the cart!
I make my list, check it zero times and head out shopping. I have three places that I shop regularly. Wal-Mart (no surprise right?), Costco, and Wholesale Club (a Loblaw’s store).
I don’t use coupons. Ever. It became a waste of time for me. I know where the things I buy are cheapest, for example milk is almost a dollar cheaper at Costco, so of course I get it there.
I buy a lot of things in bulk:
- ground beef – I break them down into 4-6 bags and freeze
- pasta
- tomato products (sauce, paste, diced, spaghetti sauce)
- veggies
I am able to buy some vegetables on clearance they are perfectly healthy to eat, just bruised or such. We use them right away or freeze. Big savings here!
I can save more money on top of knowing where to buy what I need by planning ahead to what I want to make, or better yet, freeze planning.
I really save money on making things from scratch as well.
Do you meal plan? Have you tried to meal plan before?
We do a small meal plan each week or two. We also make things from scratch (or close to it) at home. So far, we’re doing alright, though we’d love to spend our dollars at a discount store and the farmers market more than we can now. 🙂
We love to spend money. 🙁 But we also know when we can and when we can’t.
I can’t say that I have ever frozen fresh veggies before. I do buy bulk fruit and dehydrate some, and can some. We also meal plan, and I make most things (beef jerkey, trail mix, granola bars, ext) from scratch. Coupon clipping isn’t a good use of my time, but there are some smart phone apps that have been good for earning some cash back on groceries.
I’m the opposite of you, I’ve never dehydrated fruit or anything else, though I did sure Hubby’s dehydrator to dry our herbs a few weeks ago. I have been interested in the apps but haven’t looked into them yet.
We are a family of six so I can completely relate. Costco helps us out too, as prices for certain items are less expensive to buy there. I meal plan, and then don’t use my plan! 🙂
Hi, Ashley ~ Very interesting post! We found that when we stopped eating out so much, we saved a ton of money {duh!} and now we’re really trying to make things from scratch. They taste so much better, too! Thanks for sharing this post with The Merry Monday Link Party! Have a great day!
Great saving tips! Thanks for joining the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop and have a blessed weekend!