Living on Less – Groceries

 In 2010, for our family of three, I spent a total of $4026.43 on groceries (after using coupons).  This amount includes any cleaning supplies that I don’t make, dishwasher detergents, soaps, home and beauty products and paper products.  This amount also includes meat. 

I saved $863.86 using coupons.  That is $77.43 per week net for groceries (after using coupons) and includes money used to purchase food in bulk to add to my freezer and pantry stockpile.   I averaged a $16.61 savings per week on coupons.

Now when it comes to coupons, I will never be the woman that goes to the store and purchases $250 worth of groceries for only $5.50.  That is for the extreme couponers.  However I feel that for a small amount of time spent on couponing it is worth saving $16.61 a week.  If you don’t think it is worth it, I am sure that on December 31st if someone would have handed you a check for $863.86, you would have taken it and been thrilled. 

It adds up. 

Don’t let anybody tell you that some things aren’t worth doing as it does add up.  It’s the little things like turning off lights and unplugging things, turning down the thermostat, taking shorter showers and doing your laundry in cold water that adds up to big savings over time.  The same is true of watching food sales, using coupons and stocking up on good deals.Recently I read in the newspaper that along with gasoline going up in price, several food commodities will be going up.  Coffee, pork, sugar and butter are just a few.  Also many manufacturers are continuing to reduce the sizes on their products, but keeping the price the same.   That is another fancy way of saying they are charging you more for less.

So what is a consumer to do? 

Now more than ever you need to watch the sales and stock up when there is a good deal.  When there were sales on butter over the past two months I bought a lot and put it in my freezer until I was ready to use it.  The same was true of coffee.   Sales usually cycle every 12 weeks so if you run into a good sale, buy what will get you through the next 12 weeks.  If you can’t afford to stock up, buy the amount you can afford.  You will still save money.

Over the past year I have accumulated an ongoing stockpile of food bought on sale and in bulk.  Again,  I did this on an average of $77.43 per week.  This includes canned goods, baking supplies, meat, cheese, cereal, pasta and more.  I have enough food on hand to feed us for several weeks or up to about 4 months and I would only have to add fresh produce or dairy products.   I also have plenty of toilet paper, deoderant, bar soap, toothpaste and shampoo.

If an unexpected expense arises I only have to buy minimal groceries and I can direct that money towards the expense.  

I need your input.

With that in mind, I will be writing an article in the near future about an emergency food menu for a family of four.  By emergency food menu I am talking about a temporary reduced amount of money that you have to spend on groceries due to some financial emergency – it could be a major car repair, medical bill, or being laid off and you must live on a reduced income.  So send me an amount to mcomfort59@gmail.com and I’ll see how far I can make that amount stretch into a week’s worth of groceries.  (Please be reasonable.)  Actually I would like two amounts from you – an amount that you would normally spend per week on groceries and the reduced amount. 

When deciding on an emergency food menu, please keep in mind that I would expect the average household to have the following on hand in their pantry – Flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, cinnamon, chili powder, garlic powder, ketchup, mustard, vegetable oil, peanut butter, bread, jelly and margarine.  I hope I haven’t left anything out. 

Now for a recipe. 

I use the following seasoning mixture to make my own sausage using 1 lb. ground turkey or 1 lb. ground pork.  1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground sage, ½ teaspoon thyme, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon water.  Mix this into the meat mixture and then refrigerate for about an hour so the spices have a chance to infuse the meat.  Then form into patties and fry.   This is delicious.

Posted by on Jan 7 2011. Filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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