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newbride

What are some things that you make at home to cut costs on the grocery bill?

I'll go first..............

I recently invested in a bunch of canning jars and grew & canned my own veggies this year. I also made jam and spaghetti sauce. I went to the fabric store and bought a yard of flannel to make covers for my swiffer wet jet. They work much better and they're washable! I also bought a bread machine at Goodwill for $10 and have been making my own bread (yummmm Smile

) But there's got to be other ways I can utilize what I have at home, put a new twist on it, or stretch it further. Give me your ideas!!!

nataliesmom · Coupon Lover Joined: 10 Nov 2005 Posts: 2422 Location: AZ

I went on a diet. Very Happy

I know it sounds silly, but true. I only eat fresh fruits (small amounts)/vegis (free marked down bagged salad with coupons), meats-mostly chicken (lots of foster farms coupons), and Slim Fast (free with CVS ECB's). No starches. I only drink water and coffee. This is super cheap!

billycarrie1984 · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:53 am Post subject:

how did u make your own spaghetti sauce?????????? that sounds yummy Very Happy

Janetlydia · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 6:45 am Post subject:

We make our spaghetti sauce too.

1 large can or 3 small of tomato sauce
2 large tomatoes diced
1 onion
minced garlic (to taste)
mushrooms
bell peppers
oregano
chives
thyme

We sautee the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms in olive oil, when they are done, we drain the oil.
Cook whatever meat you plan on using, and drain any liquid left over.
Add tomato sauce and veggies, Simmer until the tomatoes are soft.

I use all the seasonings to taste. You can also put other veggies in it. I have used squash and zuchini sometimes.

Other ways we save, there is a place called the cash-n-carry barn. They sell homegrown organic produce. I refuse to buy it anywhere else.
The other day I bought:
2 pounds okra
1 pound green beans
1 pound tomatoes
1 pound eggplant
12 ears of corn

I paid $2.15. No coupons either!

We buy everything that we can at the commissary, everything is sold at cost, they have awesome sales, and they take coupons. I watch sales, and compare with my coupons to get them cheap or free. If I can, I will stack coupons at Target to get cheap formula and diapers.

steph124ny · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 10:55 am Post subject:

I cook enough to make 2 meals and then freeze half. I also buy meat in large sizes and portion it out. Since I never know who's going to be home, I package chicken breasts individually. I cook a lot in my crock pot, too.

Steph

BrendaP · prev. banned as lisnoillie Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 1431

steph124ny · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:42 pm Post subject:

Rene S · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 1:44 pm Post subject:

Newbride, I LOVE the Swiffer wetjet suggestion. I'm going to try this!

I use old towels/dish clothes instead of paper toweling when I can. There are certain things that don't need toweling--wiping out the tub, cleaning a spot on the carpet, etc. Just wash and reuse!

I bought a chest freezer to be able to stock up on meat, bread, and other items when they are on sale.

Buy veggies when they are in season and "blanch" them (this means partially cook them in boiling water for a minute or two, then rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.) Package in freezer bags, label, and freeze! You'll have veggies that taste better at a fraction of the cost later. To me, it's easier than canning and you don't need special equipment. Very Happy

Brooke · ~ Banned ~ Joined: 09 Sep 2006 Posts: 4089

jonnysmomma · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject:

ive blanched corn(both on and off the cob!) green beans, peas, and carrots. YUM YUM

I also have a deep freeze and stock up on cheap meat. I also stockpile and buy on sale. I budget and write a list of 20 meals i want to make for supper(that allows for eating out, eating at parents house, frozen pizzas, etc) and make my grocery list off of that and sales ads.

shashabell · Coupon Lover Joined: 13 Mar 2006 Posts: 17342

I rarely use disposable plates unless I can get them for free. I'd rather just wash a plate and save money. I can always get dishsoap cheaper than paper plates.

newbride · Posted: Wed Sep 27, 2006 9:42 pm Post subject:

jonnysmomma · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 12:24 am Post subject:

PM for ya NewBride!

Old Refunder · CF Q&A Queen Joined: 28 May 2005 Posts: 10057

We really avoid all the over priced, over processed, over chemicaled, over packaged gimmick stuff that floods the markets. Bad part about that is it's usually the stuff you can find the most coupons for Sad

Even at a "good" price, it's still isn't "good" food Wink

Rene S · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:31 am Post subject:

Rene S · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:34 am Post subject:

By the way with the swiffer idea - have you seen what one of the acutal swiffer pads looks like, with the little flap on them? I used an actual swiffer pad as my pattern because that little flap works wonders! And it seriously only cost me around 5 bucks and they last forever!!!
![/quote]

I cut some out last night and am going to sew them up this weekend. Another saving tip: I went to Joann Fabrics and bought some fleece from their remnants bin--super cheap and who cares with the pattern is?

I'm also going to try to make my own swiffer dusters. I think you can piece two fleece together, sew in the middle and then cut the edges so they are "frilly." Worth a try, since I use a lot of these for dusting!

vogt0047 · Coupon Clipper Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 516

I second the flannel swiffer idea. I got a bunch of fabric at a rummage sale that I've been making sleepers out of for my son.

I also do once a month cooking. It saves a ton of money and its much easier to watch portion sizes.

shashabell · Coupon Lover Joined: 13 Mar 2006 Posts: 17342

I've heard of people using femine pads on their swiffers.

shashabell · Coupon Lover Joined: 13 Mar 2006 Posts: 17342

Here's some general frugal things I do (probably most people do, I don't know)

Rinse out shampoo bottle to get an extra one or two shampoos out of it.

Use plastic bags from the grocery store instead of garbage bags.

Cut Huggies disposable washcloths in half to use on my son. (I find there's too much soap left in it if I use an entire cloth - and I don't want to re-use it.)

Use real plates instead of paper ones (like I posted earlier)

Make my own refried beans by boiling dried beans. A bag of dry beans is so cheap and makes a large pot full. (I have bean soup the first day, then boil them down the second day for refried beans and make burritos)

Sometimes I skip adding ground beef to spaghetti sauce. I just buy the jarred stuff (when it's on sale and I have a cpn of course0 that "claims" it has meat in it. Oh, and rinse the jar out and add the saucy water to the pot.

Make a grocery list after you've studies the sale papers and matched coupons. Stick to the list. Don't pick up more than one impulse item like chips or cookies. (but do indulge yourself sometimes). You'll blow your savings and your figure. LOL

newbride · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 8:50 pm Post subject:

Spartacus · Posted: Thu Sep 28, 2006 9:51 pm Post subject:

On my swiffer, I use socks. I save all our mismatches/worn out socks for cleaning purposes. I also save my husbands work shirts, and cut them up for rags. The best part about the socks is you can use them to clean and then throw them in the washer.

Janetlydia · Posted: Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:06 am Post subject:

I cut up old towels into squares to use on my clorox ready-mop. When I went to buy the refills, I think they wanted $4- for a 12pk of dry cloths! WE got new towels last Christmas, so all our old cheapos got the cut. I do like the flannel idea though, and when the ones we are using are too worn to use anymore, I am going to do that.

lhawana · Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 11:54 am Post subject:

I'm not sure where you guys live, but over here we have a "yuppie" grocery store and a cheaper one. I've actually noticed that at the cheaper one I can save almost 40 dollars when buying the stuff I need. And its the same thing because I'm still getting Kraft Salad Dressing, Lay's chips..ect. I'm just not paying for the fancy lighting.

soniainmn · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 12:43 am Post subject:

great tips! thanks for posting Very Happy

gus44107 · Posted: Thu Oct 12, 2006 1:36 pm Post subject: Grocery bill

The best thing I ever did was invest the time and energy into making a price book. Some surprises I found with the book:

Milk on sale here is cheaper than powdered milk (used to use for baking). So I buy sale milk and freeze.

The most expensive grocery store around here has the best price on TP and toothpaste.

Scrutinizing package sizes is VERY important. Crest sensitive toothpaste is 4.1 ounces and colgate's sensitive is 6.0 ounces. Both are sold in the same sized box and I always look at price per unit and not cost of package - I never did that before the price book.

Sometimes largest package is cheapest, sometimes smallest is. No one store has the best prices.

Cindy

jonnysmomma · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 3:16 pm Post subject:

I made theSwiffer/Clorox mop refills by gettting some fleece material on clearance at WM and cutting them to shape around my last Clorox pad. It works great!! I paid .62 for the material and i can reuse them over and over. I love it and recommend it highly!!!

lou2006oct · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:58 pm Post subject:

I got a dehydrator and have been buying up apples to make apple chips. My kids love them, they are healthy, and this time of year the apples are getting cheap! I have yet to experiment with other fruits or making my own jerky.

newbride · Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 9:52 pm Post subject:

Momma Beaver 3 · Coupon Lover Joined: 21 Oct 2005 Posts: 3370

We have 6 hungry little mouths to feed so we look for every way we can to be frugal. One thing we do is share our crops. A large pack of seeds costs the same as the small pack. So we opt for the biggest we can get and go crazy. We generally yield more than we will need to can for the year so we trade with our neighbors who do the same with their garden (they have 7 mouths that need feeding). Also, offer your time if that's possible. There's a potato farmer up the road who needs help when the crop is ready. He's always gives a kind donation of potatoes for our help. Since nobody plants the same things, we get a variety of wonderful fruits and veggies at the expense of a few packs of seeds and a little bit of work.

lou2006oct · Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2006 9:13 pm Post subject:

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what do you do to cut the grocery bill down?