With the arrival of twins, we started grocery-shopping every other week instead of every week. It meant more planning, but it also meant less hassle and less wasting of food, which helped us save about $100 a month in food cost.
Once we became settled into this new grocery shopping pattern, there has been almost no last-minute grocery store trip and no just-because kind of impulsive food purchase. By the end of the two-week, you can see our refrigerator becoming quite empty, and it feels great to know that we put everything to the table.
However, when it comes to fruits and vegetables, every-other-week grocery shopping presents a challenge. I figured we can use frozen fruits and vegetables during the second week and it has been working great. Kids actually love frozen fruits more than fresh fruits! Also, since it's almost impossible to find an organic milk that does not expire until my next grocery shopping, CJ usually makes a trip to HEB in the middle of the two-week period for another gallon of milk.
I make and pack CJ's breakfast, lunch and snack to take to his office, so there isn't really any spending on food while he is at work. Also, Elisha and I do not like eating out, so we rarely gets to eat at restaurants. All in all, we are spending a little less than $500 a month for food (without counting in twin's formula cost), but, more than the saving, I really like the simpleness and peace this every-other-week grocery shopping has brought to our family.
TAPO
Showing posts with label Grocery Shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grocery Shopping. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
Something's Got To Go
I got sick over last Thanksgiving week. It was meant to happen. I was running on an empty gas tank for a while, and just...crashed. I have not been sleeping nor eating enough to survive the pressure of motherhood. Everyday seemed to be just way too short to take care of the four human beings living with me.
Lying sick in bed, I decided to let go of something that has been dear to me. Cooking. Cooking everyday. I decided it is okay to feed my family a few frozen meals each week as long as they are free of harmful ingredients.
Now that Elisha is 6 years old, homeschooling alone is a daunting task. With twins crawling and being introduced different kinds of solid food, I have been spreading myself pretty thin. I had to think over: what can I give up without compromising the quality of our lives? No more cooking EVERYDAY.
I still cook quite a bit, but now I spend about three half-days to prepare for two-week's meals, usually right after our every-other-week grocery shopping.
Here is a list of what I have been doing to streamline and simplify cooking:
1. Chop, marinate, freeze chicken thighs. I would thaw and use them to make spicy chicken with carrots and potatoes or honey glazed chicken with potatoes.
2. Marinate chicken thighs with soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and then freeze them. I would bake/grill them in a toaster oven, and then shred the meat to add to burrito bowls.
3. Fry and freeze bacon, and add them to our Sunday sandwich lunch.
4. Make pork cutlets and freeze them. We eat them either with rice or a big bowl of salad.
5. Make burritos (baked beans, shredded cheese, bacon, egg), and freeze them. These are mostly for CJ's weekday breakfast, but they come in handy as an easy lunch menu for Elisha and me.
6. Cook a big pot of chili. This is solely for CJ's weekday lunch.
7. Bake bread pudding with lots of egg, milk, and honey. This is also for CJ's breakfast. (Yes, somebody eats A LOT!)
8. Bake, slice and freeze 2 bags of sweet potatoes. I add them to breakfast oatmeal, which makes kids gobble up their otherwise plain oatmeal.
Here is a list of frozen food from Trader Joe's we have been trying and enjoying:
1. Meat lasagna
2. Kalbi (Korean style short ribs)
3. Organic grilled vegetable pizza
4. Tilapia cutlets
I would love to hear what y'all homeschooling mamas are doing to feed your family well without killing yourselves.
Everyday Is a Miracle
Lying sick in bed, I decided to let go of something that has been dear to me. Cooking. Cooking everyday. I decided it is okay to feed my family a few frozen meals each week as long as they are free of harmful ingredients.
Now that Elisha is 6 years old, homeschooling alone is a daunting task. With twins crawling and being introduced different kinds of solid food, I have been spreading myself pretty thin. I had to think over: what can I give up without compromising the quality of our lives? No more cooking EVERYDAY.
I still cook quite a bit, but now I spend about three half-days to prepare for two-week's meals, usually right after our every-other-week grocery shopping.
Here is a list of what I have been doing to streamline and simplify cooking:
1. Chop, marinate, freeze chicken thighs. I would thaw and use them to make spicy chicken with carrots and potatoes or honey glazed chicken with potatoes.
2. Marinate chicken thighs with soy sauce, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and then freeze them. I would bake/grill them in a toaster oven, and then shred the meat to add to burrito bowls.
3. Fry and freeze bacon, and add them to our Sunday sandwich lunch.
4. Make pork cutlets and freeze them. We eat them either with rice or a big bowl of salad.
5. Make burritos (baked beans, shredded cheese, bacon, egg), and freeze them. These are mostly for CJ's weekday breakfast, but they come in handy as an easy lunch menu for Elisha and me.
6. Cook a big pot of chili. This is solely for CJ's weekday lunch.
7. Bake bread pudding with lots of egg, milk, and honey. This is also for CJ's breakfast. (Yes, somebody eats A LOT!)
8. Bake, slice and freeze 2 bags of sweet potatoes. I add them to breakfast oatmeal, which makes kids gobble up their otherwise plain oatmeal.
Here is a list of frozen food from Trader Joe's we have been trying and enjoying:
1. Meat lasagna
2. Kalbi (Korean style short ribs)
3. Organic grilled vegetable pizza
4. Tilapia cutlets
I would love to hear what y'all homeschooling mamas are doing to feed your family well without killing yourselves.
Everyday Is a Miracle
Friday, September 11, 2009
Apples to Apples
Apples are in season, and we are taking a full advantage of its nutrition, varieties, freshness, and lower-than-non-season price.
Near where we live, there is a small Greek-owned grocery store called Produce World, and across from the store is Dominick's. Between the two stores, there is difference of up to $2.50 per pound for apples depending on its varieties!
It's not only apples.
I'm looking at http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/ right now:
Bluberries (non-organic):
$1.99 per pound at Garden Fresh Market
$5.59 per pound at Jewel-Osco
Cranberries (non-organic):
$1.99 per pound at Trader Joe's
$3.49 at Garden Fresh Market
I don't know exactly how some stores can lower their price so much while others can't (or don't). However, I know Trader Joe's lower their price by directly dealing with producers instead of going through dealers in between.
So, where would you buy your apples today?
Near where we live, there is a small Greek-owned grocery store called Produce World, and across from the store is Dominick's. Between the two stores, there is difference of up to $2.50 per pound for apples depending on its varieties!
It's not only apples.
I'm looking at http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/ right now:
Bluberries (non-organic):
$1.99 per pound at Garden Fresh Market
$5.59 per pound at Jewel-Osco
Cranberries (non-organic):
$1.99 per pound at Trader Joe's
$3.49 at Garden Fresh Market
I don't know exactly how some stores can lower their price so much while others can't (or don't). However, I know Trader Joe's lower their price by directly dealing with producers instead of going through dealers in between.
So, where would you buy your apples today?
Friday, August 21, 2009
Grocery Steals of the Week
I found two great deals from mygrocerydeals.com.
Jewel-Osco is selling 1 pint Mocha Almond Fudge Haagen-Dazs All Natural Ice Cream for $1. Regular price is $3.19, so you are saving $2.19! I need to stock up a few of these for desserts!
Jewel-Osco is also selling 1 LB Organic Driscoll's Strawberries for $1.50. Regular price is $3.95. I'm going to get a few of these and wash & freeze for smoothies!
TAPO
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Double Coupon, Double Saveon
Did I tell you that I feel exhilarated when I use double coupon?Last Friday, I bought a 10 oz. A-1 steak sauce at $0.99! The original price was $4.50, so we saved $3.51. From my weekly search at mygrocerydeals.com, I found out it was on store sale at Jewel-Osco for $2.99, and then we found a $2.oo off manufacturer's coupon from Sunday paper.
As I had written before, when we were planning our wedding, we saved over $3000 by using coupons, online promotional codes, haggling or simply by asking for discount. C.J., who was not much into using coupons at that time, came to see what those little coupons can do. Now he is the one who brings coupons books and Sunday paper for me to check every week.
One Dollar Here, One Dollar There, One Dollar Everwhere!
TAPO
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday is for Grocery Game
Did you know that you can check what's on sale in your local grocery store from the comfort of your home? mygrocerydeals.com will save you not only money, but also lots of time and driving related to grocery shopping.
Two of our local grocery stores, Dominick's and Jewel-Osco, update their list of on-sale items every Thursday. So every Thursday, I check mygrocerydeals.com for hot deals of the week at those stores. Last month, we purchased two containers of 2 lb strawberries at mere $4.00, which comes down to $1 per pound! We had lots of fresh strawberries, and froze the leftover to make fruit smoothies later.
Here are some of the hot deals for the the upcoming week:
Jewel-Osco
Cherries Regular/Red/Black (1.00 lb) $2.99 (was $4.99)
Strawberries (1.00 lb) 2 for $3.00 (was $7.90)
Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat 9 Grain Bread (24 oz) $1.99 (was $3.19)
Santa Cruz Organic Strawberry Lemonade (32 oz) 2 for $3.69 (was $7.38)
If I buy all of the above items while they are on sale, I'll be spending $11.67 instead of $23.46. It's a saving of $11.79! You see how this grocery game works? Ok, now I got to go to snatch those deals!
TAPO
Two of our local grocery stores, Dominick's and Jewel-Osco, update their list of on-sale items every Thursday. So every Thursday, I check mygrocerydeals.com for hot deals of the week at those stores. Last month, we purchased two containers of 2 lb strawberries at mere $4.00, which comes down to $1 per pound! We had lots of fresh strawberries, and froze the leftover to make fruit smoothies later.
Here are some of the hot deals for the the upcoming week:
Jewel-Osco
Cherries Regular/Red/Black (1.00 lb) $2.99 (was $4.99)
Strawberries (1.00 lb) 2 for $3.00 (was $7.90)
Arnold Natural 100% Whole Wheat 9 Grain Bread (24 oz) $1.99 (was $3.19)
Santa Cruz Organic Strawberry Lemonade (32 oz) 2 for $3.69 (was $7.38)
If I buy all of the above items while they are on sale, I'll be spending $11.67 instead of $23.46. It's a saving of $11.79! You see how this grocery game works? Ok, now I got to go to snatch those deals!
TAPO
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Food Cost Savings #2 - Outsmart retailers!
I. Take Advantage Of Sales
People call me a coupon-lady or a bargain-hunter. Whenever I get to use coupons or find grocery items on huge sale, I can't help becoming so excited. Several months ago, I found a great website which lets you know all the sales going on at local grocery stores. It's http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/.
I registered several grocery stores in my neighborhoods: Dominick's, Jewel-Osco, Trader Joe's, Garden Fresh Market, and Walgreen. I check the website regularly to see if the items on my next grocery shopping list are on sale. Two weeks ago, all kinds of Brownberry bread were on sale for buy one get one free, and since we pack PBJ as snack everyday we bought four and put them into a good use!
People call me a coupon-lady or a bargain-hunter. Whenever I get to use coupons or find grocery items on huge sale, I can't help becoming so excited. Several months ago, I found a great website which lets you know all the sales going on at local grocery stores. It's http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/.
I registered several grocery stores in my neighborhoods: Dominick's, Jewel-Osco, Trader Joe's, Garden Fresh Market, and Walgreen. I check the website regularly to see if the items on my next grocery shopping list are on sale. Two weeks ago, all kinds of Brownberry bread were on sale for buy one get one free, and since we pack PBJ as snack everyday we bought four and put them into a good use!
II. Get To Know Different Stores In Your Neighborhood
Have you noticed tomato is over $2 and at major grocery stores such as CostCo, Dominick's and Jewel-Osco? Two months ago, I found the same kind of tomato at $0.78 at two of the smaller local produce markets! How about apples? It's $1.59 or more per pound at major stores, but I bought Fuji apples and juicy Cutland apples at $0.99 per pound at a local ethnic grocery store! Spanish onions were $0.69 per pound at one store, but it was $0.29 at another store! In general, I found fruits and vegetables are cheaper at smaller local produce markets.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Food Cost Savings #1 - Limit the number of trips & Pack lunch
When we first got married early this year, the food cost for the first two months came out close to $450 a month. After taking a close look into our grocery shopping habits, cooking habits, and eating habits, we realized how wasteful we had been!
Going out to stores three or four times a week, cooking too much or too little, letting food go bad and eventually into the garbage, not knowing what's in the freezer, buying lunch everyday... So we set out to strip ourselves of bad habits and replace them with new, good habits.
I. Set A Budget
First of all, we set our monthly food budget at $200-$250, which means, each day, we have $6.60-$8.30 to spend for food for both of us. Once we set our food budget, we logged in all spendings on food on our paper spending log and kept track of it using spreadsheet. In this way, at a specific time of a month, we know how much we have left to be spent for food for the month and can stay within the budget at the next grocery shopping. Since we started implementing this budget in June, our food cost has stayed consistently at around average $250 a month, and according to my husband, we are still eating like a royal family!
II. Limit Trips To Grocery Stores
One of the very first habits we changed was limiting grocery shopping to three or four times a month. As we used to run out to stores whenever we need a little thing here and there, this was not an easy change to tackle. We now go to CostCo every two weeks for daily staples such as milk, bread, egg, pasta, and meat. We also go to smaller local stores once or twice a month for fresh vegetables and fruits. This means we have to plan for the next two weeks' meals beforehand, and it turned out this saves us from a lot of headache of daily meal planning and those hectic last minute trips to stores.
III. Pack Lunch
Another major step we took was packing lunch. We have been packing our lunch & snack & drink everyday since June, and this means we are saving at least $10 each day, which is more than $2500 a year! What are we packing for lunch? Pasta with sausage or meatballs, fried rice, and stirfry dishes are our favorite lunch menu. For snacks, we throw in PBJ, banana, apple, homemade cookies, or nuts.
Going out to stores three or four times a week, cooking too much or too little, letting food go bad and eventually into the garbage, not knowing what's in the freezer, buying lunch everyday... So we set out to strip ourselves of bad habits and replace them with new, good habits.
I. Set A Budget
First of all, we set our monthly food budget at $200-$250, which means, each day, we have $6.60-$8.30 to spend for food for both of us. Once we set our food budget, we logged in all spendings on food on our paper spending log and kept track of it using spreadsheet. In this way, at a specific time of a month, we know how much we have left to be spent for food for the month and can stay within the budget at the next grocery shopping. Since we started implementing this budget in June, our food cost has stayed consistently at around average $250 a month, and according to my husband, we are still eating like a royal family!
II. Limit Trips To Grocery Stores
One of the very first habits we changed was limiting grocery shopping to three or four times a month. As we used to run out to stores whenever we need a little thing here and there, this was not an easy change to tackle. We now go to CostCo every two weeks for daily staples such as milk, bread, egg, pasta, and meat. We also go to smaller local stores once or twice a month for fresh vegetables and fruits. This means we have to plan for the next two weeks' meals beforehand, and it turned out this saves us from a lot of headache of daily meal planning and those hectic last minute trips to stores.
III. Pack Lunch
Another major step we took was packing lunch. We have been packing our lunch & snack & drink everyday since June, and this means we are saving at least $10 each day, which is more than $2500 a year! What are we packing for lunch? Pasta with sausage or meatballs, fried rice, and stirfry dishes are our favorite lunch menu. For snacks, we throw in PBJ, banana, apple, homemade cookies, or nuts.
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