Cutting Food Costs by Cutting Out Items

June 24th, 2008 at 08:47 am

Groceries are one of our biggest expenses each month. Here are ways we have cut down some of the costs.

Bottled water - We no longer buy bottled water since we use a Brita filter at home. If we do need bottled water, we get them free at my husband's work gym.

Convenience foods - We buy less premade, frozen foods and cook our meals from scratch.

Coffee - I haven't gone to Starbucks in a long time. I make my coffee lattes and chai lattes at home. For coffee lattes, I use instant espresso powder, hot water, and hot milk. For chai, I buy chai concentrate and add hot milk. I got this machine (with a giftcard) to make coffee drinks at work. http://www.yummysf.com/?p=150

I have lots of recipe books but I find that the online recipe sites are great. Allrecipes.com is one of my favorites because it has recipe reviews.

If you have any other ideas, please share.

Posted in Groceries | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Cutting Food Costs by Cutting Out Items”

littlemama Says:
June 24th, 2008 at 09:14 am

Recipezaar.com is good too.
sagegirl Says:
June 24th, 2008 at 09:19 am

We have cut out bottled water also, for cost and environmental reasons. We have a Brita Filter also and reuse gallon jugs to keep in the fridge. We also use some drink mixes (mixed in the gallon bottles).

I plan a weeks worth of meals at a time and shop according to the list. We try to make things that will create left-overs for my work lunches also.

I try to only go to the store one day a week (usually Sat night or Sunday afternoon). I find I blow my weekly budget if I make a bunch of little trips in between.
twotinytoes Says:
June 24th, 2008 at 09:29 am

Great ideas! I also make extra for dinner so we can use the leftovers for work lunch. Sagegirl, I like the drink mix idea. I want to do sliced lemons or cucumbers in water like they do in spas.
homebody Says:
June 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am

I make tea and Crystal Lite Lemonade and mix instead of the yummy iced tea lemonade at Starbucks. I have been known to make my own mixed coffee drinks too, especially the yummy ones with ice cream in my Vitamix, but I'm too fat now!

DH cooks a few things at a time on the grill using the briquets. Last weekend he did carne asada and marinated chicken breasts, then we reheat. These both freeze well too.
klbb90 Says:
June 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm

I recommend you go to the library and get the book "The Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Daycyzn (spelling off on both books probably) and "Your Money or Your Life" by Joe Domingez. I wish they had been around when I got married. They will help immeasureably.
baselle Says:
July 3rd, 2008 at 08:51 pm

I bring cloth bags because often you get a bag credit between 3 cents - 5 cents per bag. Not much, but better to get it than not get it.

Saving Money Without Being Cheap

Saving money doesn't have to mean being miserable but being more creative.

Cutting Food Costs by Cutting Out Items

6 Responses to “Cutting Food Costs by Cutting Out Items”

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