Cost-cutting Ideas

Have you tried the grocery game (www.thegrocerygame.com)? There is a small fee to be a member, but you can try it out for free first to see if you like it. It takes a person who's organized, but if you can do it, you can really save a lot.

You should check out Angel Food. It is a once a month program. You purchase a box of food worth $60-70 for $30. You pre-order two weeks before and then you pick up your items on the delivery date. You do not have to qualify or have a income limit, the program is available to everyone. There is a preset menu every month, so if the items are not anything you can use you don't have to order that month. They also have extra specialty boxes available that have extra meat or a fruit and veggies box you can purchase for $18. It is a great way to streatch you food budget. You can pay but cash, check or even foodstamps.
Go online and get all the details and find a location near you. www.angelfoodministries.com

I am participating in the program for the first time this month, can't wait to save$$$ and time not having to go to the store.

Krogers always has great sales on meat. Usually, they have a big bin with brisket, steaks, roasts, etc. that are marked down to at least half price. If I buy meat from the store, I always buy it out of the sale bin. I freeze it as soon as I get home (unless I'm using it within the next day or two) and I've never had any problem with it.

Another place to buy meat at a bargain is GrillMasters Meat Company. I can buy meat for the whole month for my family of six for around $200 (or a beef and chicken combo that will last almost two months for a little over $300), and that is if we eat their product every single day (which you could do because it comes with various flavors of chicken and various cuts of steak)....and they will even allow you to switch some of your items for pork or fish/shrimp if you want to. We buy our meat from Odis at GrillMasters and his number is ###-###-####......and he brings it to you, no driving required.

Of course, since I have four children, I can buy bulk and it will never go to waste but I am always careful to check the prices. Sometimes, the bulk items cost more per ounce than the regular serving size at WalMart.

And yes, Angel Food Ministries is also a good program for saving money (which I see others have already told you about).

Hi A.,

I am a single mom with limited income and make too much for any type of help, so have to do it on my own. I have found and LOVE Angelfood Ministries. Just go to angelfoodministries.com and type in your zip. They do the shopping for you and you just pick it up. It has done wonders for my budget. I give them 30.00 a month and they give me food that is worth about 70.00. It is great stuff too... eggs, milk (shelf safe), tons of meat and frozen veggies and such. It is a GOD SEND. I highly recommend it.

Best wishes... hope this helps.

Tish

Not sure if someone already mentioned this, but try getting a credit card that pays 1-3% back on all grocery and gas charges. We have one through Chase and also CITIbank that had a 3 month promo of 5% back on ALL purchases, not just groceries. We got a check for $500 recently just from that promotion. The percentage back cards are a much better deal then ones that have say, airline miles or other "points". Of course it really only benefits if you pay the card off each month, otherwise the interest is more than the kickback. Also, Krogers has (or had?)gift cards you can purchase for use at their store, that give you an extra $30 free.

I find that when I plan meals and go to the store with a list, it really keeps the expenses down. Its a little harder to plan ahead of time, but the list keeps me from buying things I don't need. Budgeting in advance for the month and going to cash only for groceries helps as well. If the chkn is 2 for 1, I get 2, cook it all at once and prepare 2 meals, using the extra for another night.
Good luck to you!
N.

Hi A.,
I saw that someone already mentioned Angel Food Ministries. I am a director at First Baptist Church Carrollton. You can go to the main Angel Food website at www.angelfoodministries.com or my church's website is www.fbcc.org/angelfood
We accept online ordering with credit, debit or checks...no wasting gas!
I hope you give Angel Food a try...you will be amazed at the amount of money you will save on groceries.

We've had a lot of success with thegrocerygame.com.

Good morning,A.. You mentioned that you have a freezer. My husband and I have found that buying our beef a hind quarter at a time was more cost effective than buying at the store and the meat is better. The draw back is that you have to have a large sum up front and that you have to find a good butcher. You might try Hamms in downtown McKinney or Hirsch's in Plano.

If you have the yard space you might try a little gardening. Of course most of that will have to wait until next year.

If you grocery dollars are really pinched you might look into Angel Food Ministeries. Anyone can take advantage of their low cost meal plans. Check them out at www.angelfoodministeries.com.

D. T

I stock up on things that will store when on sale. I will also buy meat when it is marked down. Some stores have great mark downs. Market Street will mark down meat and dairy and bakery. A gallon of organic milk will usually get marked down to $1.99 and still have 4 to 5 days left before expiration. Market Street also will have good sales, Tom Thumb also will have good sales. But I do not buy anything other than sale items at Tom Thumb. Market Street sale items and markdowns. Target for all other grocery's. I also shop Target for clearance items like this time of year I will buy lawn and garden stuff for next year because it is on clearance (Scotts weed and feed for $3.29). In a few weeks I will stock up on school supply's when they go on clearance. I all ready have school supply's for this year from last years clearance ( kids have new jansport backpacks that I payed $4, loose leaf paper 9 cents ect) good luck.

I am a fan of stocking up. I am a Costco member. I have a fridge/freezer in my kitchen, a fridge/freezer in my laundry and a chest frost free freezer in my garage. I do not use coupons, grocery game, or anything like that. I most CERTAINLY will not purchase closeout meats. UGH I will cut costs somewhere else before I skimp on that quality.

I buy ALL of my meats from Hirsch's meat market in Plano. NOT CHEAP, Very HIGH QUALITY and worth the money. I am stocked with hamburgers, steaks, Hot Italian sausages, chicken etc. I probably buy from him at least once a month and spend about $200 to keep my freezer stocked. We grill out a lot and eat a lot of steaks.

I keep frozen veggies, stouffer's lasagne, Pot Pies, and the new Panani sandwiches, juices, in the freezer as well.

My pantry is quite large (size of a small room) and I have it loaded so that we can live 6 months with no grocery trips except for milk, bread and fruit.

When I see a 24pk of water for $3.99 I grab a couple. Same goes for when I see sodas we drink, cereals, sugar, flour, etc. I have stockpiled rice, instant potatoes, peanut butter.

A costco trip is not a costco trip without the paper towels, toilet paper, clorox, vinegar, butter, and cheese.

I use All HE detergent and I think I have 10 spare ones right now. I buy when I see them on special for $3.99 or less. Last week while running through Target for something else, I noticed the All at $3.27 so I bought 4.

I know my prices and I don't go from store to store to shop. I will check out a couple of my items when I am at a particular store and if they have a deal to me, I grab it. We drink a ton of water around here so I have about 8 cases ready to go now. My strategy is to stock up when I see it because I know the prices will be going up.

I am blessed to be living very well but I do believe in preparing for a rainy day. A couple of friends make jokes of my stock up but that is ok with me. A repairman was here a couple weeks ago and he was in my pantry. He said the next time his wife said she was going grocery shopping he was telling her to come to my house!

Good luck getting the strategy that works best for you.

Try www.sistersofsavings.com. They teach a great short seminar on grocery shopping and couponing.

Instead of purchasing books/magazines or renting DVDs from Blockbuster, borrow from the local public library. You will be amazed at the cost savings in DVDs alone! You can surf the local public library on-line system for your favorite or current DVD release. If the current DVD release is not available, you can put your name to the list and request the library to order the particular DVD for patron usage.

Wash your clothes in the mornings when there's less activity in the household... Try and hang as many clothing items to dry rather than utilize the dryer.

Instead of sending clothes to the dry cleaners, read the labels and wash in cold water/woolite. You can pop in a DVD and set up the ironing board and iron...

Email free cards/letters instead of utilizing postage.

Pay your credit card at a local bank ie Visa at Chase bank and save postage.

Good luck.

I saw a spot on the news last night where three families got together and ordered groceries wholesale in bulk. The groceries were delivered to one of their houses. I don't remember what they called it but maybe you could find it on the internet.