I need help with a budget!!

We make sure that we buy staples in bulk. So for us that means we buy rice in 25 kilo sacks from the Oriental wholesalers, we buy pasta and flour in bulk, we go to a cash and carry to get trays of tinned tomatoes and we occasionally get up early enough to go to the fruit and veg wholesaler to buy sacks on onions, potatoes and carrots. We buy spices by the kilo, and generally try to make sure that all we have to buy are odds and ends. We do eat meat, so we have whole carcasses from a local farmer (food ethics is critical for us, we only buy meat that we know has led a happy life) and fill the freezer once or twice a year. This really helps keep bills down plus we never end up with an empty pantry.

I always do a budget every month for groceries and the bills. I hate running errands and I always plan to buy everything I need at one place at one time if possible. I also figure out what I have left to spend so I make sure I have enough to pay the bills also. I usually shop at Walmart so I can get groceries and the side items all at once in one trip for the month. That also saves me on alot of gas money. I always need extra milk and bread during the month but I can get that at the local grocery during the month. I always plan for what we are going to eat during the month and I buy enough food for each day. I write me a list out for one weeks worth of food and when I go to the grocery, I buy 4 times the amount of what I wrote. That will give me at least 7 days of food to alternate with during the month. It works every time for me. Every now and then we will go out and get something to eat, but that helps out also because I have more food left over at home. I buy things to make meals and I buy enough to where there will be leftovers for my husbands lunch at work and also some leftovers for my lunch the next day. Making chili, vegetable soup and things like that has quite a bit leftover that you can eat on for a couple of days. I just like to buy enough to make sure we do not run out of food for my husband, myself and my daughter throughout the month. It is very easy to do. You can plan the meals for 7 days and buy 4 times that amount and you can alternate them all during the month.

I don't think I could plan my menu that easily because the kids are fussy and somedays don't want to eat anything except noodles. However I don't do a big shop at all. I do little shops just to get the things I have run out of, plus fruit and veg and bread. I usually spend about £60 on a week where I need a lot and some weeks I spend less than £10 I think my monthly grocery bill is £150 for me and my 2 daughters, which is pretty good. I think I save money because I always look for things on special offer. However I only buy them if they are things we normally use, or if they are cheaper than the store's own brand, as by buying their own products you often save a great deal. I buy things like lentils, beans, seeds and nuts in bulk to save money and they tend to make food more filling so you don't need so much of the expensive things. The main way I save money though is by making sure I use up my leftovers. IN the past I used to throw these away or eat them later in the evening. Now I save them till the next day which means I don't have to spend so much on the next meal as some of it is already made.

I would never be able to go just once a month, but I have tried to taper down to once a week. It's such a watse of tie to make all those little stops. I once tried to follow the monthly menu in Woman's Day (or Family Circle, I forget which) and I couldn't do it. Sometimes I'm just in the mood for something spur of the moment and then I need to go get the ingredients. You probably would save money if you did it, though, especially if you utilized leftovers.

I wish I could help you with this. I need to do better myself with it but its so hard because we work 3 jobs between 2 adults with 1 car. So most of the time I find hitting Wendy's or Taco Bell so much easier than trying to cook on our hectic schedule. I'm learning to use coupons which do help sometimes and there are some great coupons out there on the internet if you look up the major brands that you use. If your stores don't allow internet coupons you can email them and ask them to send them to you in the mail. Most of the time they will graciously do it and add extra coupons in. I'm gonna keep my eye posted on this one so I can get some good tips too.

I would look at going to a meat market, buying dry goods in bulk, these usually last a month or more. My fiance is in the military and we shop only every two weeks. At one time we did shop only once a month. It is workable and minimizes trips to the store, aside from milk and juice or water. I usually look through cook books and find casseroles, stews and things that you can make alot of and freeze for later. That works out great as it saves you money and you can save it for later. Like I made a big pan of lasagna and froze half of it. I made the rest 2 weeks later. It was a no muss no fuss night. I would also check the outlet bread store. They always have good deals on lots of stuff. If you don't eat a lot of beef, I would reconsider the side of beef, unless you have someone to split it with you. We did that once to. We split a whole cow between three families. That worked out well, we didn't have to buy beef for almost a year. Sometimes meat markets sell crates of chicken quarters for close to nothing. I once bought a whole box full weighing around 20 lbs for about $6. I used that for about 3 months. But definitely look into casseroles, stews and things you can eat as leftovers and are easier to freeze. If you do go bulk on your meat though I suggest you get a chest freezer, the meat tends to last longer.

I do basically what stephcjh mentioned. I figure out what we want in basics and just buy it for four weeks worth. I usually plan on 10 meals and times it by 3. I find that works better for more variety of meals, maybe not on the meats but on meals. Now I might have a few things that are specialty items that are a one time only for the month type thing but that's not always. For example one week might have a turkey (in our case the prepackaged sliced turkey in gravey) and the next week might be another thing like prepackaged BBQ pork so that way it might only be 4 specialty items. The rest I buy basics. I can find a varity of ways to cook up chicken for example. I also shop the discount stores first, but be mindful of prices because they don't always have the best prices. I go to Dollar General Market but that's a fairly new one in my area. I have done Sav-A-Lot in the past. Then what ever I can't get there I go to Wal-Mart for. Over all though I find that buying for the month saves us a lot of money, time and trouble.

well. i am a teacher in a middle school. and i have to work in the day and sometimes i work at night. and i cook on my own. i do not have a girlfriend yet. but i am sure i can find a good one later on. and i go to the grocery shop twice a day and buy the food for three meals. and i do not spend any money on luxurious things. cos i believe a penny saved is a penny earned. so why do i have to spend my money on these useless things. why not put the money in a bank or somewhere so i wont have to worry about my income. and i think it is cool not to lavish your money..........hope my way of cost helps..

I shop once a week and that's it. I write out a menu for the week. Next I write a grocery list of everything that I need to make the dinners, add breakfast and lunch stuff, milk, juice, butter ect. I go to the grocery store without children so I can get only what is on the list. I shop at walmart for all the boxed items, milk, yogurt, butter. I then go to the local grocery store for the lunch meat, produce and meats. They are much better quality than walmart. I usually try to get my meats before 10am because the hamburger, steaks, pork chops and all the meat left from the day before is marked down and has to be sold by 10 or they have to throw it away. It is still good meat. It was cut fresh the day before. I will but tons of hamburg and on Sunday I make meatballs, meatloat, and package the rest and freeze it. I freeze the meatloaf and meatballs until I need them. Even if they aren't on the menu for that week, I can use it another week and already have it purchased and made. We always have spighetti once a week. A few days later we will have meatball subs~ 2 dinners in one. I have also stopped buying chips. I will buy popcorn or nachos and salsa for snacking. It seems that they last longer than a bag of chips and are much more healthy. I also set aside $30 for one night of going out for dinner or a quick mcdonalds meal. This way I am not spending more that I have set aside. One more idea. Go to angelfoodministries.com and check out their menu. If it is offered in your area, they have a once a month program where you pay $25 and get a ton of food. I always check out the menu first to make sure it is things that we eat. Usually you get some type of chicken and a beef, eggs, side dishes, dessert. I think it is a menu for a week. Hope this helps.

I don't plan menus until I have been shopping. I buy what is on sale and I plan my meals around those things....I usually shop every other week because I have a small freezer. But I plan my meals to include things that I make with leftovers. For example leftover chicken gets bioled down for either soup or chicken and orzo, left over pork gets made into chow mein. So most meats give me extra meals that way. our eating habits change during the hot weather too, more salads so I have to shop weekly then.

thats a good idea soccermom. but better if you'll do the grocery every 15th of each month so to keep some consumables fresh. setting up your expenses for the month is the best way to save money rather than spending without planning. you will never know you already ran out of budget. and lastly, setup your priorities of expenses for the month. hope this helps.

We shop once a week at the local Aldis discount grocery store. We spend around 30.00 a week. We also buy food from the Angelfoodministries program once a month. I make out menus for the week every saturday. I try to make atleast on meal a week meatless,by using beans or eggs instead. Like omellets or beans and rice. We also use our leftovers for the next days lunches.

What is cost efficient for me is to cook one meal for multiple days. Eg make enough spag bol to last at least two days. You can then cut on amount of meat etc you use for the meal. Also create meals that use the same ingredients, eg I use carrots in a lot of meals so buy big bags of them which works out cheaper. Buy large packs and split them at home.

I do somthing like this, we plan our meals a week in advance and shop accordingly. This helps with spending as well as it keeps the pounds off since you are not randomly throwing things into your shopping cart. You would be suprise how much you can save, also by knowing what you are buying it is easier to spot coupons in the paper.

for me, i always try to save money by buying things that i will use and eat everyday in bulks... also, i buy things that can last long in bulks as well... that really saves a lot of money... i also try to buy things that are on specials and keep them for later use... these really helps a lot in keeping my bills down...