That's it, I am convinced ...

MommyToAshley wrote: it is cheaper to eat out.

I just got back from the grocery store. I usually stock up, but I thought I would try planning the meals for the week and go to the store more often.

I spent $150, and all I got was

--Two packages of chicken (given they were skinless chicken breast, and the hormone and antibiotic free, but they were buy one get one free)
--A roast (3.5 lb english roast)
--Two packages of Laura's ground sirlion
--large bag of carrots
--large bag of onions
--celery
--10 lb bag of potatoes
--milk
--cheese
--eggs
-- juice (juicey juice it costs more, but at least it's 100% juice)
--two green peppers
--some misc fresh veggies (salad, salad topings, broccoli, tomatoes)
--some misc fresh fruit (bananas, apples, peaches, pinapple, and grapes)
--a package of egg noodles
--a package of elbow macaroni
--and chili seasoning

I am making homemade chicken noodles in the croc pot now. I figure we will eat one meal and freeze the rest. I will use the remainder of celery and carrots again tomorrow to make a roast and we will get a couple of meals out of that. Then, I plan to make some chili. We'll probably have salad or a fresh steamed veggie with each meal. (oh, and I bought a loaf of italian bread to make some garlic bread). And, that comes to $150! (that's not counting that I am using some ingredients that I already have). We could get that many meals eating out on the same budget. Not to mention we'd probably save because we wouldn't have to pay for the electricity and water to cook the meals and clean up afterwards. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but it seems to me like eating semi-healthy at home is more expensive than eating out.

Boys r us replied: I so agree! Groceries are expensive! Then the time and effort to cook and like you said the electricity...ughh No wonder we eat out 3 or 4 times a week(okay..that admission just made me feel bad)

my2monkeyboys replied: I think eating out is at least very close to eating at home, depending of course what you choose to eat when you go out. Comparing a steak dinner out to a pot of veggie soup at home with not be the same, naturally. But if you plan on eating a steak at home or out, you'll really not spend much more to let someone else cook it/clean up afterward for you.
I realized this the other week when it cost me $35 to feed 4 people cheeseburgers and chips for dinner!
I no longer feel guilty for spending money eating out the way I used to.

lisar replied: I have to agree I can spend $150.00 at the store and it wont last a week anymore. I remember when $150.00 would last me a month.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Depends on what you buy, and how you shop. Looking at the price per gram is a more accurate cost estimate, when you're comparing prices between products.

Shopping when things are on sale is great, too... take for example, toilet paper.. right now in my area Royale is on sale, at 4.99 / 12 double rolls or 24 single rolls.. down from 9.99 for the same... except the store brand is 5.79 for 24 double rolls.. so when i'm shopping, I compare...

Royale:

regular price: 9.99 for 12 double rolls: comes to 0.83$ per roll.
24 single rolls: 0.42$
sale price: 4.99 for 12 double rolls: 0.42 $ a roll
24 single rolls: 0.21$

Store brand:

regular price: 5.79 for 24 double rolls: 0.24$ per roll
sale price: 4.99 for 24 double rolls: 0.21$ a roll

Savings of half the cost or not, the store brand rolls are STILL half the price of the sale Royal rolls. But most people will still buy the sale Royal rolls, because the ticket price is cheaper, even if the cost per roll isn't. Tricky.

Turkey breast and deli meat - don't get me started on the waste of money deli meats are.... you can get 1lb of turkey breast for 3.99... or you can get a package of deli turkey breast for 1.79$/100 grams... if you break it down, you're actually paying about 8.12$ per pound by buying it deli style.. you can save 5$ every time you buy a pound of turkey breast for sandwiches and slice it yourself. Pretty much the same for ham and chicken.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: In all seriousness, I can spend 150$, fill up a basket and a half, and have meals for about 2 weeks, maybe I'll have to pick up a loaf of bread and a bag of milk above and beyond.

Kaitlin'smom replied: wow that does seem like a little for a lot of $$

I spent 100 and got tons of things I have never tried to buy per meal stuff. I had to get better about what I bought I try and stock up when things are good prices. I have also been buying more things we use alot of in bulk and freezing what i can in portions so it last longer. Meat seems to be the most expensive, thankfully I have some meat from MIL from her cows (oh yummy) and chicken and pork I get from schwans.

mummy2girls replied: wow where are ya shopping? i shop at the walmart supercenter and i get a ton more for the price of 165 dollars. and im buying for the dayhome as well.

example of my last grocery shopping trip:
4 frozen juices
2 bags of frozen corn
bear paws
fruit cups
pudding
3 sparkling waters
2 dozen eggs
3 ground beef
cottage cheese
2 frozen lunches
BBQ sauce
Margarine
laundry soap
dish soap
pinesol
2 cake mixes
1 icing
things to decorate them
pasta
sauce
whole chicken
porkchops
Drumsticks
shakenbake
potatoes
cheese
4L milk
OJ
lunchables
juice boxes
snacks for jennas lunch
salsa
32 pack water
side kicks
Rice
KD
Cereal
Oatmeal

mckayleesmom replied: I usually spend about 120 and it usually lasts about a week and a half, but I usually buy stuff that can go for more then one day or meal..

MommyToAshley replied: I get what you are saying, I do try to stock up on stuff when it's on sale. I think it's the fresh veggies and fruit that cost so much, especially this time of year. But, I just don't like the taste of canned veggies and fruit and you really can't stock up on fresh vegetables. I don't care as much for the frozen either, but they are better than the canned to me.

And, I agree with willsmama... you have to compare what you are eating to what you would get when you go out to eat. But, I think it costs just as much to buy a steak in the grocery store and cook it as it does to go out to a steakhouse and eat. Have you priced a T-bone in the store lately? I could buy cheaper meals and stretch the dollar more, but it won't do any good if we wouldn't eat it. And, I don't think I bought anything elaborate (actually pretty moderate if you ask me). My point is that we could buy a similar meal out at a restaurant and it would cost about the same, if not cheaper. Groceries have gotten way out of hand, I think.

MommyToAshley replied:
Try adding frest fruits and vegetables and see how much your grocery bill goes up.

stella6979 replied:
Ugh, I know what you mean. The only cheap fresh veggie around here is corn on the cob, but the cost of fresh broccoli, green peppers, carrots, etc....makes me want to puke.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I think that the types of fruits and vegetables matter quite a bit, too, cost wise.

We mostly only buy:

onions, garlic, celery, carrots, spinach, cabbage, beets, and potatoes
zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber (all 3 of which I grow in the summer, and freeze/can them. They taste better than the store bought frozen or canned. And, free. ) Peas I always buy in the huge bags at Costco, frozen. They taste the same.

apples, bananas, grapes, peaches, melons, and strawberries

I do buy other types of course, but I usually only buy them when they're in season. I can a lot of my own stuff, and it does taste a lot better than storebought canned stuff. Not as good as fresh, but hey - i'm all up for saving money.

MommyToAshley replied: I am going to try to grow some vegetables myself next summer. I will have to talk to you about how to can and freeze them when the time comes. My grandma and grandpa used to have acres of farmland and I remember how yummy everything tasted. You're right... much better than store bought.

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I have the same problem.

We also buy a lot of fresh veggies/fruit. I don't like the canned stuff everyday, either. However, that has gone up in price, too. I remember when you could buy canned veggies 4/$1...and that was only a couple of years ago. So last night when I made my taco soup and paid almost $1 a can for the 7 cans it calls for, I don't feel like I got a good deal by eating at home by the time I added the meat and other ingredients. And this is not even a made from scratch, fresh veggie meal that we normally eat.

It disgusts me.

Kaitlin'smom replied: ya the fresh fruits really add to the bill, wish I knew of a good way to keep banannas longer. I will only buy them when on sale. I hope to try and grow some of my own next year.

mom21kid2dogs replied: In order to continue to eat fresh fruits and veggies (we freeze onions, peppers and tomato puree from summer stock), we eat 3 meat free meals a week. Otherwise, I doubt we could do it. Going to the grocery store literally takes my breath away from the cost. It is out of hand.

mummy2girls replied:
i do add fresh veggies... My list was just a sum i never added all foods... But i do add beans, carrots, mushrooms, and cucumbers, lettuse and bananas and apples... So i do spend under 170 when i have all them in

mummy2girls replied:
actually here bannanas in under 50/lb, cucumber are 99cents per one, brocolli and cauliflower costs me under 1.25. And appeles are not that bad of price. and pears as well i can get quite a bit for under 5 bucks.

AlexsPajamaMama replied: I am at that point too, groceries are soo much money lately.Its sickening.
I have been sending alex to school with lunch money...he can eat for 4 days at school for $5...instead of adding lunch stuff to my grocery bill to feed him at home.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Fruit in canada isn't that expensive.

Quite often we can get bananas for about 21 cents a lb... and apples, I pay 2.79 for a 10lb bag.. mushrooms are fairly expensive, at about 2.79/lb, cucumbers are 3 for 1$ in season (small ones, english are about 1$ each).. brocolli are about 1.79 for 2 heads, it's the same price with or without the stems, so i always get with stems and chop the stems for stirfry or snacks with ranch dressing...

onions are about 2$ for a 5 lb bag, potatoes are about 3$ for a 10lb bag, garlic is 1$ for 5, the best greens for your $ are fresh spinach, which is about 3$ for a huge container of loose leaf spinach.. other than that, cabbage is about 99 cents a head, lettuce is about 1.29 a head.. celery is about 1.29$ a bunch...

grapes are usually about 2.79$ a lb, so i don't buy them as much. Peaches are about the same price as apples in season... and I use them up in things, freeze and can them for winter use, too... like muffins, cobbler, coulis.. melons are usually a good price year round, but we really only buy the honey dew, the cantaloupe just grosses me right out, texture wise.

Keep in mind I usually buy fresh when I can, from farmers markets... and so i don't have the overhead of import fees, and I buy lots more in the summer/fall, and can/freeze lots for winter use. Obviously we still buy "fresh" in the winter... but a lot of our veggies in the winter are leftover processed ones that we grew in the summer, and a lot of our fruits are leftovers that have been processed over the summer wen the prices were good. Homemade strawberry jam, apple turnovers, and vegetable soups are just examples.. i dehydrayte some veggies, like carrots, zucchini, onions.. very easy, just about free... and extremely cost saving.

Calimama replied: Wow that's nuts. Have you thought about shopping somewhere cheaper? Do you use coupons? Or do they have a preferred savings card like Albertsons? That saves a lot as well. $150 lasts us almost 3 weeks and we buy more fruit and veggies than we can handle sometimes because there are days that Bella will only eat that stuff. But then again we shop at the commissary.

I recommend shopping smart (not saying you aren't). Browse the ad's and see who is having what on sale. Let's say Albertsons is having a huge sale on meat.. than get that there and get everything else at your normal store. Use coupons/preferred card. Here we have days that our coupons are double.. try to save your shopping for that day. Buy stuff that is on sale if you have room to store stuff. So if toilet paper is on sale this week... even though you don't need it, next week when you do.. you won't have to buy it full price. When you find meat on a really good sale buy it, freeze and when you need it, it's in your fridge and it was half the cost. You could also try investment cooking.

mckayleesmom replied:
Now that are gas prices are going down I might be able to make it to the commissary at Cherry Point. It's always been more gas then worth the trip before. I use to love the commissary.

Calimama replied:
I love love love ours. We fill our cart to the brim and it's still usually under $150. It's insane how much cheaper it is compared to out in town. Plus they take coupons on top of the savings.

Nina J replied: I don't do all my shopping at one place anymore. I get all our fruit and vegies from a fruit and vegie sho. Our supermarket charges 50 cents for a kiwi fruit and the fruit and veg market I go to charges 10 cents.

I check out the discount supermarket once a fortnigt. They stock things like excess product, nearly out of date stuff, etc. But, you can get things like 30 cans of coke for $5, 100% juice for $2, good pasta sause for $1 a jar. It's just luck really, but I buy snacks like cookies from there because they're usually $1 and they taste awesome, there is nothing wrong with them.

Shop around though. I used to do all my shopping in one place and once I switched I saved so much money.

Plus the savings mean I can splash out on other things. We don't get regular potato chips or anything, we get veggie chips. They have 80% less saturated fat than normal chips, taste awesome and are 100% natural. My favourite flavor is bbq. They are more expensive but worth it, and the money I spend on them I don't even notice since I save money from regular shopping anyway.

gr33n3y3z replied: its easy to spend money at the food store
But we do not buy cheap cuts of meats and never will but at the sametime if its very high we just wont buy it until it comes down then we will eat more pasta type meals.
I have tried store brands and most are very nasty and poor in taste or loaded with salt like lunch meats.
We have also found sometimes the name brands were cheaper then the store brands.
And prices of foods vary from store to store and state to state heck here in NJ the food is cheaper a hour and a half up the road at the same store that we have down here go figure.

kimberley replied: i feel your pain. our weekly bill went from $120 per week to never under $200 a week the past few months . i hate the way everyone is gouging due to "oil prices". we are down from 1.20/L to about .92/L but the groceries are still the same.

not sure if you have any there, but we have been shopping in the chinese grocery store. way cheaper for things like meat and produce. then just buy box/tin stuff on sale (we check all fliers before shopping). i am on the verge of finding a farmer and buying by the pig or half cow.