We seem to be going through a lot of groceries… Thade and Dylan are eating a box of cereal a week each, and we’ve already used 2 loaves of bread this week too, all of these little expenses are adding up, fast. I’m making more from scratch to try and save the grocery dollars, but I think I’m still missing out on some local savings.
I do most of my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart (I know) just because it is a one stop shopping trip for me, and both kids behave well for the outing. I’m going to try and shop the local stores next week, and see if I can save any extra 🙂 That also means a lot of getting in and out of the car with two boys, one loves to shop, and one does not. It is going to be an interesting experiment 😉 I hope to find some great savings locally, but we’ll see what happens. I had better get my coupons together!
How do you save the most money on your grocery budget. Do you shop locally, or do you drive out of town for the best deals?
Here’s my little routine:
+ Clip coupons from the Sunday paper
+ Look at all the grocery/drug store papers and write down what each has at the best price and note if I have a cpn for it
+ Make/Consult Menu and add extras (snacks, milk, toiletries, etc.)
+ Pick one day a week to go shop–I usually shop 3-4 stores so I start at the furthest one and make my way home
Now here’s the biggest tip: I usually pick an evening or a weekend to do my shopping and I do it. All. By. Myself. The boy stays home with Dad and it’s just me and my list. If I took him with me to every store we’d both have a meltdown and going to different stores on different days isn’t very efficient and uses too much gas.
Hope this helps some. Good luck!
I love Meijer, they have the best prices for stocking up. Its about a 25 minute drive for me and I pass a lot of other stores to get there. Once in a while I go to Aldi, 1-2 a month I hit GFS or the bread outlet and a few time a year I hit a warehouse club. My kids can eat a small box of cereal in 1 day 🙂
Groceries are getting so expensive, aren’t they? We have soup and bread nights probably 2x a week, and eat vegetarian at least once a week. Meat is so expensive so that saves a bit of money. But the cereal thing…I’ve tried to go without, but it’s so handy when you’re in a hurry in the morning. I’ve started telling the kids to have toast or pancakes from the freezer every second day, so cereal is limited to weekends now and once during the week.
I dunno if any of that helps…can you imagine what our grocery bills will be like when our kids are teenagers LOL?
Thanks e*b! Your tips are great, and very helpful too. I like to shop out of town too, but both of the boys tend to melt down by the time that we have hit the third place 😉 I hope to find some better deals locally next week!
I really like the idea of shopping alone. It would be nice, and I bet you save a lot that way too 🙂
Thanks Maggie! I like to shop at Aldi too, the closest one is a 25 min drive too. I hope to find some better deals locally, and save a little on the gas too.
It is amazing to me the amount of food that boy’s can put away 🙂 Even my picky Thade has become a big eater! I dread the day when it is a box of cereal a day…
Thanks Susan! I really like your idea on saving cereal, that is a great tip! How I wish I could pull off a vegetarian meal around here, it would really save a bundle. We have 4 different eaters at our house: I would love to go back to being a vegetarian, hubby is a carnivore, Thade is super picky, and Dylan is making the switch to Formula and Baby Food. My grocery bill is getting crazy 😉
I’m dreading when the boys become teenagers, they will truly eat us out of house and home 😉
Coupons are great, and there are lots available for cereal. I have quite a few posted on my blog this week.Come by and take a look. Also, I buy some cereal at Dollar Tree. They have a huge selection and it’s great. My kids and hubby love it, and for a dollar it’s a bargain.
Thanks Mimi! Thanks for the tips too. I’ll have to check Dollar Tree for Cereal also, it would be a great find!
At our DT, they have a big variety of boxes on the shelves and a very large bin of bags of different Malt-O-meal cereals. I also buy the Mom’s Best Oatmel there. For a dollar!
Thanks Mimi! That is such a great find! I hope to get back to the Dollar Tree soon, I’ll have to see if they carry cereal. You can’t beat their prices 🙂