Supermarket shopping..Budgeting in a recession..

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St Allie

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How many here have changed their supermarket shopping habits?

For instance I now shop around more and tend to check out the reduced to clear items more often. Even treating the meat as a 'seasonal' product.. like vegetables.. if cauliflower and chicken are on special that week.. my family get it served 100 different ways.

Have managed to drop my weekly shopping budget by just over $50 this way.

I never used to shop with a list and that's something I do everytime now.

I bought oxtail half price today.. and though it is something I usually only make soup out of, I had enough for a casserole. So the crockpot is in use today..

grins

Allie
 
There is nothing wrong with being frugal. With all the government give aways in this country there is no incentive for the grocers to lower their prices, there will always be someone there with food stamps to snatch up the goods.
 
Ive always shopped with a list for what was on sale. I also clip coupons and usually if I have a bunch of them will find the store that dbles or triples them. I usally fuel my carboys with this money! :)
 
I HAVE to get in on this!

I am one of the most frugal shoppers evr, and frugal in alot of other ways.

I am with Wade I ALWAYS go with a list, but, I go one step further, next to the item on the list, I write down how much I think it will cost.

BEFORE I go to the store (along with my coupons, these are highleted on the list), I have a pretty good idea what I expect to spend. When I get there, I try to beat my projected price, this is the money I put into MY carboy!!:)

I also have a little box on my list of things I can buy if I have any "extra" that I didn't expect to have to begin with.

I also think in terms of cost per meal. Granted, I live by myself, but a $15US pot of Spaghetti makes me 2 good meals and enough for 4 short ones I can freeze.

Some day I will write a book on how to eat for $8/day, give me 4 people to feed....$20.00.

Gotta think it out.

Sorry I can't afford a big honkin steak everyday, however, if I eat spaghetti for two days a week, I can at least afford to have steak once that week!!:D

Troy
(the Moose roast heading for the smoker tommorow don't count)
 
When you have 2 kids and a wife in Nursing school($22,000) you have to cut as money corners as you can.
 
with Alaska food prices you really dont have a choice and if you live there long enough its the norm.
I dont have a list but I have a great memory> not only know expected prices I know the caleries for all items. I eat what is on sale, when boys were teens a box of ceriel was a bowl and it required a quart of milk so i was force to be cheap. The boys called it dead meat section, I only bought the marked down for fast sale meats,ever and still. Ressesion or not, why spend more for less
 
Hell yeah there Wade, as I know you know it can be done !!!

In alot of ways it's "easy for me to say". I am single in live in the woods and don't drive.

But the principle is the same. Work it out, budget, and we would all be surprised how far our monies can go.

Troy
:r
 
The boys called it dead meat section, I only bought the marked down for fast sale meats,ever and still. Ressesion or not, why spend more for less

I'm feeding 4 teenagers and the Bloke.

The dead meat section here is usually half price fresh meat on its last day of use by.. I get bacon this way too.. It comes home to the freezer.

You get good at making meals that will fill them up.

Allie
 
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G, I love talking about how to live cheap! I was gonna start a website on frugality and someone beat me to it.

I would sure rather be frugal and happy than have more than I can need or manage.
Troy
 
Here Go:

http://www.homeeverafter.com/

This is a lady here from Fairbanks. She beat me to the punch. I had actualy spent alot, a whole lot, of time to develop a site like this. She is my neighbor, check out her site. This is a site all the ladies will like, but she also has lots of frugal DIY stuff the guys will like.

If you happen to get over there she would be tickled to know a guy from Fairbanks sent you there. This is a good site. Please take a look.

Troy
 
The wife and I have always tried to be thrifty when hitting the supermaket. Years back I worked on a very large veggie farm and had access to all kinds of vegatables and also hunted in the woods to get deer and wild hogs when possible.
Now days I try to grow a few veggies to supplement the shopping and my brother still comes by with deer and pork.
As far a shopping the supermarket I almost always go to our Sweetbay, formerly Kash & Karry.
I watch the meat section for the packages they mark down. They are just a day or so from the sell by or freeze by date and the saving is huge!
 
Allie,you cant fill teenagers, only tide them over till next feeding

They feed in packs too.. every weekend I end up with at least 4 extra teens parked on my doorstep..they are never out of my kitchen.. We get through loads of sandwiches and toast.. the breadmakers are going constantly.

Allie
 
There is nothing wrong with being frugal. With all the government give aways in this country there is no incentive for the grocers to lower their prices, there will always be someone there with food stamps to snatch up the goods.

I had a look at your food stamp system.. you also have a coupon system that seems to be quite complicated but well worth doing if you can figure out the system.

Wish we had that here, I quite like a challenge.

Allie
 
Troy that website is great.. one article made me laugh.. the header is

" Don’t Look Like a Tired Mom: 13 Quick Mini Makeovers"

Tip number 5 made me laugh out loud!...

" 5. Do not wear pajamas out of the house! There is no more effective way to look like you’re still sleeping than to actually wear your pajamas in public! Please, please, please: take the extra 2 minutes and throw on a shirt and pants."

hahahha.. people don't really go out in their pyjamas in alaska do they?

Allie:p

that's taking wardrobe frugality to extremes...
 
no kiddin G,

I thought long and hard and have pages of notes about starting a site like this.

I heard about her on a local radio station. I learned not long after she started this site with her pal, and 8 mos. later she was bringing in revenue(from advertising) that is more than you and I together haven't made in years!

So good for her, my tough Alaskan Girl!!

But it's true, this whole idea about being frugal, and non wasteful, has far reaching implications. I am glad I was brought up to be non wasteful, we can come up with what we need today, and theres a prettty good chance we can have a lil leftover for tommorrow.

So good luck to her!! It really is a good website, I actuaLLY HAVE A COUPLE ARCTICLES i WANTED TO SUBMIT, JUST AINT GOT THAT FAR YET.

CAP BUTTON AGAIN. lol:d

TROY
Was gonna comment on the pajamas but decided to wait for a good qualified sarcastic commemt to come to mind!!!!! LOL
 
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just bumping this thread again..

anyone has any tips for living well within your means.. please post..

particularly feeding teens and keeping costs down..

Paying for mobile phones for teens til they are old enough to get a job and pay their own bills is a killer..

Allie
 
hahahha.. people don't really go out in their pyjamas in alaska do they?
I guess it depends what you sleep in.

Personally I am tired of seeing women (young and old) wearing what look to me like pyjama pants. UGLY!! Maybe it's my age. Maybe I'm resistant to change (like my wife says).

Steve
 
I thought 'leisure suits' were confined to Florida Steve...

hehehhe

Allie
 
Oh boy. I want to say something. LOL but I think it would be better for me to refrain from saying anything at this timeLOL!!!!!!!

Okay..I once went out side in my pajamas at -40F, took me years to se my manhood again!!

See..I was forced into commenting.

Troy
 

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