Being lazy costs $$. Not planning ahead costs $$ too. Having to run out for supper with 5 costs a minimum of $40 for McDick's. If we want a decent meal where we can sit quietly and not listen to mayhem (we're demanding I know) it is about $60...just to sit! Nothing special about this meal.
$40 to $100 may not seem like much for some to spend on a whim BUT I would rather spend that on a date night, or a couple decent pairs of shoes for the kids, or any form of entertainment that will last longer than 45min. Because we eat and run! For us and for those sitting around us...
This is why I have become a prostar at the grocery planning. In order to show people how I do it I have to plan ahead and track my spending. I'll take a months worth of shopping trips and show receipts!
But in order to prep for that here are my own house rules for food!
1) No snacks that come in crinkly packages...this sucks more for me than the kids. I try to bake 2-3 snacks a week. The only crinkly packages in my cupboards are soup crackers, raisins, nuts, and tuna.
2) I make all my own sauces and condiments. It's really easier than it sounds!
3) My cupboards are fully stocked with spices, stocks (in case I have run out of my own), and baking supplies.
4) Be wary of "house brands". These are not always cheaper. Safeway is really good for showing how much you are paying per 100 grams on their prices. I rarely buy house brands.
5) Contrary to #4 sometimes house brands are cheaper. And I buy it. Let's face it. Crap is crap. And if my kids are dying for some KD crap...I'd rather pay .48 cents for crap than $1 for the "better" crap.
6) I try my hardest to go grocery shopping with the smallest number of kids possible. Kids are a distraction and it is easy to break focus and just buy all the things and not look at prices! And then buy yourself all the things to make yourself feel better because your kids are driving you insane. This is what causes me to break the budget many times in the past. No matter how badly your kids are behaving...you do not deserve a new dress.
7) I watch flyers. Sometimes Costco is cheaper, sometimes Superstore is cheaper, sometimes Walmart is cheaper...sometimes Shoppers! Watch out. I would thought I could coupon but that takes time. And I watched one episode of Extreme Couponing and almost died of a heart attack at the extreme hoarding going on!
8) Beware of Super Centres that have it all. It is easy to blow the budget on a good deal that isn't food!
People say they can't afford Safeway or Co-op but it is a lot easier to stay on budget when there is no other option at the store that isn't food.
9) For fun snacks my kids get to pick out two fruits and two vegetables that they haven't tried before. Sounds lame but kids really just like to have some control in their opinions and choices. Who doesn't? And they have come home with some cool stuff.
10) If it is out of the budget, I don't buy it. It will just have to wait for next week. Or figure out a cheaper option.
11) A little more time (and I mean seconds) can save you at least half! Yep. Sliced bread doubles the cost of a loaf. I can buy 4 loaves of whole wheat unsliced bread for $3. It stays fresh longer and tastes better. This rule applies to many other things.
12) Meal Planning is an absolute must.
13) Do a cupboard inventory every week to see what you have leftover that could be turned into a possible meal...beef up a meal on the meal plan...and to make sure you don't end up buying double! I have cayenne pepper to last generations :s
14) Don't be a snob. When my "random" household items is quite long I stop at Dollarama to see what they have. You would be surprised to see how much brand name stuff they carry.
12) Meal Planning is an absolute must.
13) Do a cupboard inventory every week to see what you have leftover that could be turned into a possible meal...beef up a meal on the meal plan...and to make sure you don't end up buying double! I have cayenne pepper to last generations :s
14) Don't be a snob. When my "random" household items is quite long I stop at Dollarama to see what they have. You would be surprised to see how much brand name stuff they carry.
It's summer! I'm way less experimental during the summer...which means an even cheaper bill! We just want to eat something and get back outside. Or BBQ. Lately my bill has been $100-$150 a week :) I've even gotten a few compliments from the cashiers lately...Which means more money for stuff that I want to spend $ on.
This is awesome! Thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteI am meal planning and trying to stick to a budget too. Before I started doing this there was one month that we spent just over a grand on food! $1000!! That was an eye opener.
One of the huge things I noticed was the amount of waste from intended meals that never happened. I'd buy veggies or fruits for a specific meal and then forget about them or never find a good day where I was prepared to do an intensive dinner and just end up throwing them out a bunch of stuff when it went bad. Also started a veggie garden to hopefully help out with this in the summer.
We've also cut down on the crap in order to stick to the budget too, but we still cave for junk food. Buying in bulk helps a bit too sometimes. At Coop, if you buy the case of 12 KD, it ends up being cheaper than 12 boxes of the no name stuff that no one in my house will eat anyway (cuz frankly it's just gross tasting). And it doesn't really go bad, it's got an expiry date, but I just don't look and I've never gotten sick.
I really need to start baking rather than getting impulse baking from the coop bakery. It's getting better though. Generally I stick the the $150 a week and a lot of the time I am under that. :)
Totally agree! Unfortunately it is much more difficult to stick to this plan eating healthy, creating fun and yummy meals.
DeleteI have never understood why boxed, processed foods are cheaper. Healthy choices should be for everyone.
The budget has gotten harder with trying to stick to a Paleo diet but it's been worth it! I'll have menu plans up too to keep me honest and on task ;)
Sounds like Co-Op does have a good deal on KD! Part of my rationale is not to cave so one day they won't want it lol. They will either thank me for it or resent me for it! They have started asking me for my homemade Mac n cheese rather than the boxed stuff ;) finally!!
LOVE meal planning. I can't wait until my stomach is fully back on track and we can do it again (so much food got thrown out with queasiness!). We have a white board in our hallway so that we both know what to cook if the other one isn't around. It's worked better than I could have imagined.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we always had the fruit treat! If we were good we could pick a fancy fruit (like Dragon Fruit or Star). I LOVED it and can't wait to do the same with our kids!
Thankfully for us, crinkly foods are usually out because of my allergies. I just wish I had more time to bake! I do homemade trail mix often with dried fruit and seeds. It's great to hide in my purse! Care to share any good baked snacks recipes? :)