We have hurdled the many ways to get income without a job, which may be addressed in a future blog post. Most recently, I have squeezed our grocery budget so tight that I thought it would be useful to the many other young folk out there trying to get by on a scant income.
The following will be a detailed account of our groceries and budget friendly meals for the week. I will also include tips on what I do to save a few dollars in the process. Let's start with the breakdown of the receipt...
What I Spent...............$62.08
What I Saved.............$11.11
Percentage of Savings......15%
The percentage of savings is the fun of the game. How high can I get? My personal best since I've been paying attention is 22%. OK, ok.......you watched Extreme Couponing recently and you saw they saved over 90%. You are not impressed by my measly 15%. People! This is just the beginning! AND I can't find 60 hours of time to coupon.....I just don't have the stamina or attention span. So Mary, how did you save 15%?
Tip 1: Plan a week at a time. Set an amount you will spend.
Have you ever thrown out food? Of course you have because everyone does it. It is an awful feeling. I picture starving children in another country as I shamefully hang my head and I toss out food that just isn't appealing or has spoiled. I wanted to stop throwing away money and food. I decided that I don't cook seven days a week. I probably don't cook four days a week, but I would try that first. Here was the plan thanks to tips from The Peaceful Mom.
Monday-Pizza Soup
Tuesday-Leftovers
Wednesday-Chicken Salad
Thursday-Out
Friday-Chicken Tostadas
Saturday-Curried Carrot Soup
Sunday-Leftovers/Breakfast for Dinner
I am still working on the setting the budget thing. Sometimes, I go over and sometimes I go under. I currently need staple items (toilet paper, detergent) frequently since we just moved, so that knocks my budget off for the week and I don't have extra from which to pull. I try to stay around $75 a week.
Tip 2: Breakfast for dinner once a week.
I love breakfast so this wasn't hard to adopt. If you aren't a breakfast person, maybe sandwiches for dinner is an alternative.
Tip 3: Stock up when you can. Get by with your pantry when you need it.
I had more money when I started aggressively tackling our eating habits. I stocked up when the sales were right, but in the last couple weeks I have used our freezer items to get by. Carrie wanted the freedom to choose a dinner if she wasn't in the mood for what I planned. Freezing meals gives us more than one option for dinner.
Tip 4: Read your grocery circular.
On Sunday mornings, I read the deals for the week over coffee. It might be my favorite "ME" time of the week. After reading the deals, I cut useful coupons included in the Sunday Paper. I get on CouponMom to see what the best deals are and where coupons can be located. CouponMom is great for several reasons. It's a free website and they list deals for your grocery store based on percent saved. She also has links to printable coupons.
Tip 5: Cut coupons, but only use the ones you need.
Coupons can be great if you use them appropriately. Many times I have cut a coupon and then realized I don't really need that item. CouponMom helps me sort which deals are worth taking advantage. The key to couponing, and you will see this in just one episode of Extreme Couponing, is combining a manufacturer coupon with a sale at the grocery store. Take the example this week:
Red Baron Frozen Pizza
Sale at Kroger: $7/2 pizzas
Manufacturer Coupon: $1 off two pizzas
Price per Pizza: $3
Extreme Couponers also buy in bulk, which completes the savings trilogy.
Tip 6: Be Loyal to your grocery store.
Using a loyalty card benefits you in the long run. Let's take Kroger for example because that is what I use. I shop for groceries there once a week. If I spend $300 a month, I get 30 cents off on my gas that month at Shell. With my receipt, I fill out a survery online about the store and get 50 fuel points. Per month, this increases my fuel points by 200 or 20 cents. I am also entering a sweepstakes with every receipt for $5,000 at the end of the year! Occasionally, I will get extra coupons at the register. For example, I got a coupon for $2.00 off my groceries from Yoplait. Not yogurt, GROCERIES. Yoplait saw I was loyal to their product and just gave me $2.00. Score!
I hope these tips have been helpful in getting you started to some grocery savings! How are you budgeting or saving on groceries? I would love to know! I have included the recipe for my budget friendly Monday dinner....pizza soup!
Pepperoni Pizza Soup
Courtesy of George Duran
Ingredients2 1/2 cups prepared tomato-basil-garlic soup1 1/2 cups water2 cloves garlic, minced1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (or other short pasta such as ditalini or alphabets)2 green onions, sliced2 teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for broiling1/3 cup diced pepperoni1 cup grated mozzarella1 cup grated Cheddar
DirectionsPreheat the broiler.
Put the tomato soup, water, and garlic into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it is boiling, add the macaroni, green onions, oregano, and pepperoni and stir well. When the macaroni is cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes, pour the soup into oven safe bowls. Top each with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Cheddar. Sprinkle on some oregano and put under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Tip 1: Plan a week at a time. Set an amount you will spend.
Have you ever thrown out food? Of course you have because everyone does it. It is an awful feeling. I picture starving children in another country as I shamefully hang my head and I toss out food that just isn't appealing or has spoiled. I wanted to stop throwing away money and food. I decided that I don't cook seven days a week. I probably don't cook four days a week, but I would try that first. Here was the plan thanks to tips from The Peaceful Mom.
Monday-Pizza Soup
Tuesday-Leftovers
Wednesday-Chicken Salad
Thursday-Out
Friday-Chicken Tostadas
Saturday-Curried Carrot Soup
Sunday-Leftovers/Breakfast for Dinner
I am still working on the setting the budget thing. Sometimes, I go over and sometimes I go under. I currently need staple items (toilet paper, detergent) frequently since we just moved, so that knocks my budget off for the week and I don't have extra from which to pull. I try to stay around $75 a week.
Tip 2: Breakfast for dinner once a week.
I love breakfast so this wasn't hard to adopt. If you aren't a breakfast person, maybe sandwiches for dinner is an alternative.
Tip 3: Stock up when you can. Get by with your pantry when you need it.
I had more money when I started aggressively tackling our eating habits. I stocked up when the sales were right, but in the last couple weeks I have used our freezer items to get by. Carrie wanted the freedom to choose a dinner if she wasn't in the mood for what I planned. Freezing meals gives us more than one option for dinner.
Tip 4: Read your grocery circular.
On Sunday mornings, I read the deals for the week over coffee. It might be my favorite "ME" time of the week. After reading the deals, I cut useful coupons included in the Sunday Paper. I get on CouponMom to see what the best deals are and where coupons can be located. CouponMom is great for several reasons. It's a free website and they list deals for your grocery store based on percent saved. She also has links to printable coupons.
Tip 5: Cut coupons, but only use the ones you need.
Coupons can be great if you use them appropriately. Many times I have cut a coupon and then realized I don't really need that item. CouponMom helps me sort which deals are worth taking advantage. The key to couponing, and you will see this in just one episode of Extreme Couponing, is combining a manufacturer coupon with a sale at the grocery store. Take the example this week:
Red Baron Frozen Pizza
Sale at Kroger: $7/2 pizzas
Manufacturer Coupon: $1 off two pizzas
Price per Pizza: $3
Extreme Couponers also buy in bulk, which completes the savings trilogy.
Tip 6: Be Loyal to your grocery store.
Using a loyalty card benefits you in the long run. Let's take Kroger for example because that is what I use. I shop for groceries there once a week. If I spend $300 a month, I get 30 cents off on my gas that month at Shell. With my receipt, I fill out a survery online about the store and get 50 fuel points. Per month, this increases my fuel points by 200 or 20 cents. I am also entering a sweepstakes with every receipt for $5,000 at the end of the year! Occasionally, I will get extra coupons at the register. For example, I got a coupon for $2.00 off my groceries from Yoplait. Not yogurt, GROCERIES. Yoplait saw I was loyal to their product and just gave me $2.00. Score!
I hope these tips have been helpful in getting you started to some grocery savings! How are you budgeting or saving on groceries? I would love to know! I have included the recipe for my budget friendly Monday dinner....pizza soup!
Pepperoni Pizza Soup
Courtesy of George Duran
Ingredients2 1/2 cups prepared tomato-basil-garlic soup1 1/2 cups water2 cloves garlic, minced1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (or other short pasta such as ditalini or alphabets)2 green onions, sliced2 teaspoons dried oregano, plus more for broiling1/3 cup diced pepperoni1 cup grated mozzarella1 cup grated Cheddar
DirectionsPreheat the broiler.
Put the tomato soup, water, and garlic into a large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. When it is boiling, add the macaroni, green onions, oregano, and pepperoni and stir well. When the macaroni is cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes, pour the soup into oven safe bowls. Top each with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Cheddar. Sprinkle on some oregano and put under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Cost of Meal: $6.71 for 3 servings
(my pantry items on hand included: garlic, dried Marjoram, elbow macaroni, cheddar)
Glad to see your blogging again! This soup sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteCarrie and I were trying to figure out if this recipe came from you!
Deletewe are pizza soup aficionados although my recipe is considerably different =P. watching subscribe+save amazon deals on regular staples is useful as well, especially if you're in an Amazon Fresh market (only Sea/LAX so far but quickly expanding).
ReplyDelete