Win $500 from Libby’s!!!

the biggest thing that saves us money is meal planning…if I don’t plan well, I end up WAY overspending!! I am so excited about this giveaway…this is something that would help a lot of people!! thank you~thank you.

I do the same thing with my parents. I’ll fix a big pot of beans and invite them over and they will fix a pot of stew and invite us over. It helps!

I agree that menu planning is a must. It helps me stay on track and not spend money on eating out. I also have learned how to save time by cooking extra on one night in order to do a quick meal on another.

Yep, meal planning here too. And I only plan a week in advance, so I can base it all on that week’s sales.

We live a block away from my parents and my mom loves ordering food in and cooking for us so we’re there a lot. They have a pool, too, so it makes it even more fun in the summertime!

I menu plan and coupon in order to save us money. It helps a lot-that way I’m not buying everything that looks good at the grcoery store!!

Sharing meals and shopping with my mom really helps alot!

we have stopped driving, joined a csa, are growing our own food and eat rice sand beans three times a week. saves a boatload

We share meals with friends…at least once a week, we have another family over (usually after church) for lunch….they bring what’s available, we bring what’s available, and we always end up with a great throw-together meal! Better than the food, though, is the opportunity our families get to interact with other adults and kids older than them….we all sit at the table and discuss politics, church, hobbies, etc.

I remake leftovers rather than letting them go bad in the refrigerator. Rice with fish, then leftover rice in a casserole, stirfry, or added to refried beans and meat for burritos… Cook it once, use it several times!

What a great giveaway!

We always menu plan, and stick to it! When we don’t stick to it, we regret it because food ends up going to waste! So, we plan a menu based around sales, stick to it, and most of meals are very cheap!

Another thing that we have started doing is eating more vegetarian dishes. It is healthy and much cheaper!

We shop sales, clip coupons, and buy our beef (1/2 to a 1/4 at a time) from a local farmer–that saves tons of money when it comes to groceries.

I also plan leftover days in my meal plan.

I just started looking at cost of our grocery bill and discover we spend way to much. I started cutting back by making things homemade. Menu planning is always a big help too.

Buying whole fryer chickens is one of my favorite ways to stretch my grocery dollar. In my area, you can usually find them for less than $1 per pound–I just bought some on sale today for .58 cents per pound! I roast them one night, and our family of 4 usually eats at least half the meat that night. I pick all the leftover chicken off the bones and use the cooked chicken meat for a second meal, like chicken enchiladas or chicken stir-fry, the second night. I even use the bones by stewing them with vegetables and seasonings to make delicious home-made chicken broth. It’s a really good bang for your buck.

I only “big” shop once a month.
I then only go for produce, bread and milk, etc. about bi-monthly.
I buy as much in bulk as I can (canned goods, powdered milk, canned juices, condiments, baking supplies, canned meats, pastas, soups, etc), I cook large quantities at one time and prepare meals to freeze. I have found that buying lots of what is on sale and just having a marathon cooking day saves me both time and money. I can just pop a frozen meal in to heat up and add a side salad or bread and we are set. I think it also saves energy since I am only heating the stove and oven one major cooking/baking day. With summer here, that is less time to over work the air conditioning as well.

I also stock pile. For instance, with the Iowa floods, I anticipated corn products going up so I stocked up on as many corn related items as I could before the prices sky rocketed. I have cases of canned corn, bags of cornmeal, boxes of corn muffin mix, oil, etc. I have a large utility room and have two floor to ceiling shelf units that are almost full of stocked canned and dry goods that I rotate and restock. Most were bought on sale. I also have a small second refrigerator that is full of dry goods wrapped in plastic wrap to keep out pests and maintain freshness. I also use a small chest freezer for shrink wrapped meats that go on sale.
My sister gives me home canned produce and it is added to the inventory.
Every little bit helps!

Casseroles and lasagnes go a long way for lunches the next-day reheated…or making a few at a time and freezing the others.

Coupons, coupons, coupons! And I only buy what we need for the next 2 week menu (unless there is a great sale!)

Stocking up when you run across that great deal is the best tip I have. We try to plan our menus based on what we already have in stock that was bought mostly at sale prices.

shop the circular that comes in the paper for the sale items. prepared foods and frozen is always more expensive - unless you can get a great deal on bulk. do less trips to save gas.

monica

I try to have a meatless dinner one night a week, featuring baked potatoes or beans. We also have breakfast food one night a week, such as eggs, pancakes, etc. Soup is also a big staple at our house, especially in winter. A little meat goes a long way in soup!

Saving left over hamburger from tacos or meatloaf. Most people would throw it out. I am talking like half cup or less left overs. Simply save it in sandwich bags and throw it in the freezer. Now you have a great add in for soup, mac and cheese, stew. I do it all the time. Plus it’s already cooked when your running late.

well,the things we do are use coupons, buy in bulk when possible, and buy the generic brand when possible. Problem is- I was doing those things before the cost of everything increased. So….I am not sure what to do now to help even more. I could give up eating I guess- that would help my weight loss goal too That doesn’t work for the kids though.

Anything to help with the cost of groceries would be a huge help.
I am loving all the tips.
Mine is “buy when it’s on sale. Stock up :)”

I really try to buy things when they are on sale. I hate for food to go to waste so I try to really use up everything in my fridge.
I wish I had more money saving tips!

This is a great giveaway! It will really help with the grocery bill!

I like to buy a lot of fresh foods but find that half of it goes bad before I can use it, so my tip is, just buy what you need for that week. Make detailed shopping lists and stick to it so your not overbuying, overspending, and then wasting food.

I just wish I could follow my own advice more often.

I don’t have anything new to add - coupons and sales are a must!

I only shop once a month so I MUST buy in bulk. I try to use Sams and I always use coupons. A dollar, a dollar there saves a bundle in the end!

What an awesome thing Libby’s is doing. Everybody could use this the way the economy is right now. Good luck to all:)

I’m a big believer in coupon clipping, sale watching & buying items at places that offer “bonus bucks” or money off your next purchase (i.e., CVS). You really can save A LOT of money that way.

Another way that I save money is not spending coins. I always break bills (even if the total is only $5.01) and put the coins in a jar. One year, I rolled over $500 in coins. You never miss the change and at the end of the year, you’ve got Christmas shopping money or whatever you want to use it for. I’d love to win this AWESOME giveaway & appreciate the chance.

Have a great weekend!

I joined a local produce co-op that allows us fresh vegeables and fruit in our home every other week at a fraction of the cost. Then I carefully plan out my meals and a list and combine it with coupons. We eat a couple of meatless meals each week and that helps a ton also!

I have a few suggestions that I like to do. FIrst I make a big pot of bean maybe several pots of diferent kinds and freeze them into individual serving in bags, it really helps.

I also love to shop the sales or fruit or produce that is in season!

One of our big savers is having a family garden. Not only do we enjoy fresh fruits and veggies, we get to spend a lot of time together taking care of it. I also love to fix brown rice with a lot of my meals - inexpensive and healthy.

We split the purchase of a side of beef with a few other families. We purchase the cow from a local farmer then pay the butcher fees and get to select how we want the meat sliced or prepared. Then what %fat we want the ground beef to be.

We all stock our freezers with a variety of beef and it pretty much lasts the entire year. It might not be overall cheaper because we end up with steaks, etc whereas if I watched the sales ads I would just be buying whatever is cheapest. But it’s quality and it’s a good price if we were planning on buying steaks, roasts, etc anyhow.

“Fresh” beef…One of the benefits of living in Iowa.

We do plenty of meal sharing in our house with frequent neighborhood BBQs and smaller parties. I don’t think it is a big saver for us, however, since we seem to do most of the cooking. It’s plenty of fun though!

We always freeze our leftovers though so that saves us money down the road. And meat is still relatively inexpensive here in TX (Brisket, Pork, etc) so it pays off.

About a year ago I decided to replace any light bulbs that blew out w/ the new compact flouresent bulbs. So far I’ve managed to lower our monthly electric bill by a consistent $31.50 !!!!!!!!! An additional $500 would ROCK!
~Lana~

Still trying to figure out how to save money in our house. With a picky toddler in the house I feel like we waste so much food. Any ideas?

If you have an Aldi nearby, get all the groceries you can from there. Then teach yourself to play the CVS drugstore game for everything else you need.

We shop a lot at Aldi’s it really helps and trying to plan a menue helps a lot too. Thanks for this opportunity.

I try to meal plan as well and have breakfast for dinner once a week. We limit the eating out to maybe 1 time every two weeks. If we want pizza we make it at home. Everyone gets to make the kind they want. I make the my own pizza dough and use whole wheat flour as well. The kids never miss a beat and love having pizza that they made themselves.

Menu planning is certianly my number one food saver. I also try to double up on recipes to freeze for later.

I have a million tips but my best one is to plan and plan well. Act as if the grocery store is 100 miles away. It is all of that “running to the store” that does you in, because you are tempted in every trip to get things you don’t realy need.

pick me please!

blessings, Penny Raine
http://www.pennyraine.com/blog

Awesome!

We’re working on incorporating more beans into our diet, because they’re inexpensive, they’re full of nutrients like protein and fiber and everything else good, and they taste pretty okay, too, with enough barbecue sauce.

Thanks for the chance!

Amy @ http://prettybabies.blogspot.com

With the price of essential items going up we have really cut back on the non-essentials like candy and pop. We know how much we have to spend on groceries and we don’t allow ourselves to go over it, even if it means passing on a treat we’ve been wanting (hard for a preggo lol!). And we have a rotating monthly menu of easy, cheap meals so we always know what we need to buy each week which helps with just buying whatever sounds good. That has been the main money saver for us.

Aldi’s has to be the best grocery store simply because everything is cheap. You can buy a ton of food and it will cost half of what you spend in a regular grocery store. Also use coupons and look for buy one get what ever free deals at your stores.

Menu planning from my stocked pantry is what helps save us money. I stock my pantry as I find good deals and from our local club store. I vacuum seal & freeze meat I buy in bulk so it can last longer. I try to only shop weekly for perishables & fresh produce. I also have a strict budget…if I am over I am done & figure out a new meal if I missed something. Same with my gas budget I only put so much in a week and don’t fill up until the next week.

Thanks for this opportunity. Please pick me!

We’ve been going to a local butcher’s (actually in Amish Country where the meat is all natural) and buying whole chickens (dead) for $4 each. We coat them in oil and seasoning, wrap in foil and grill until done, then slice up for cheap and tasty lunch meat throughout the week. To mix it up a bit, I found marinated turkey breasts at Aldi’s for $5 (for 2 lbs), baked them then sliced for a change of lunch meat.

We’re actually big fans of Libby’s brand veggies at our house. Our picky eater won’t do other brands!

I car pool with my sister-in-law to grocery shop and we also trade dinner nights. One night a week I’ll cook, and another night she’ll cook.

Buy multiple Sunday papers. Visit the many coupon sites out there and read up on your stores policy. Wait until stores run their loss leaders and stock up on the items you need in conjunction with your coupons. I save a ton of money

My tip would be, when buying almost anything, look at the sticker marking the price on the shelf. On that sticker is a break down of the price into how much you are paying per a standard unit of measure. This allows you to compare across multiple brands and sizes. Often it will tell you the price per ounce, which is a very common unit of measure on most food staples. Sometimes you can save quite a bit that way.

I love my supper swapping girls. I cook 12-15 servings of food (1 very large meal) once a week and then split it 3 ways. I keep one and give 2 away. Then, they do the same for me each week. I save lots of money by buying in bulk, and I get to share food and not have to worry about “what’s for dinner?”!!

I am fortunate enough to have a basement where my wonderful husband built a lot of shelves for storage. We also have an extra fridge and a chest freezer. I try to purchase items when they are on sale, as well as buy our meat in bulk, and then divide it up into smaller packages. It isn’t easy keeping costs low these days.

I second all the “plan a week of meals” comments! Works for me!

Buying whole chickens is really a menu-stretcher. Buy them when they’re on sale, and you can get at least two meals out of them.

I make sure to re-use any leftovers we have either immediately or by freezing them and using them later. Also I don’t buy packaged meals - we do things from scratch around here!

We try to buy almost everything when it is on sale…especially meat and toiletries. We also have at least one “bean” meal a week. Dried beans are so cheap and so good for us! In the winter we eat a lot of soup too, which is very economical.

The most expensive thing we do is eat out too much…so we’re trying to cut waaay back on that.

We go grocery shopping once every 2 weeks(when we get paid) I plan meals for 14 days.
Also we use coupons online and from the paper. Compare ads, etc etc….

What we do in my house is we cook big pots of food so it lasts almost a week! just take it out of the fridge and put it on the stove. Sometimes we will add things to it, and it changes the whole entire meal!
haha I love my household Hope this helps!

I have 3 teens in my household. A couple of years ago, I bought a huge slow-cooker/crockpot and challenged each of them to create a dinner once a week using the little recipe pamphlet that came in the box. No surprise, they became really competitive with one another, trying to outdo one another in their culinary skills. It’s brought us all together for family dinner around the table….and they’ve moved on from the crockpot to more adventuresome meals.

First off let me say I ask myself the same questions most days. Glad that I am not the only one. I use coupons along with weekly sales. Our town also doubles the coupons, so if it is 50 cents then it really is a dollar on top of a sale item, it can really save me money. Thanks Libby’s for offering us mom’s some relief on our grocery bill!!

One of the best tips I have is that I sit down and take the time to plan out a menu for the month based on the calendar of events (you know taking into account meetings, events, etc…).

With the cost of produce and groceries in general I also plan those meals so that if I need a 1/2 an onion on Monday night’s meal, I plan a meal on Tuesday night that uses the other half. We have virtually NO waste!

I also keep a ziploc bag in the freezer for meat scraps, you know not enough to feed the family with, but after a couple times enough to make soup out of.

I also take and clean out the vegetable drawer and puree anything wilted to throw in the freezer as a soup base.

I coupon & buy in bulk to save on groceries. I divide the meats into freezer bags. Things that cost more like grated cheese, I buy the blocks & grate them myself. Left over meats are saved for pasta & taco nights. Left over produce is used as stir fry or to go with other meats or stews & soups. Salad night loaded with fresh veggies & then a fruit desert helps the budget. Libby is a brand I love & this sweeps is great.

I use coupons, buy from whats on sale, and shop at several grocery stores to save money. I also use the shopping bags in my garbage cans, instead of buying bags. I shop at garage sales 3 days each week and am amazed at all the NEW stuff I find. (I haven’t had to pay more than .50 for a bag of vaccuum bags since I started going to garage sales. We bought all our decorative curtaing rods, new in package, for under $2.00 ea! If you go to a few sales and there’s nothing good, keep trying-you WILL find great buys!

We’ve made a game of getting the lowest price per item at the end of a shopping trip. For example $100 divided by 20 items or $100 divided by 50 items- my husband and I compete to see who does the best. Even trips where we only buy one or two things count. This really helps when we want to splurge because then we buy cheap on the rest of the items to keep our price per item down so we don’t lose the competition.

I definitely shop the sale papers and usually plan our meals around items that are in the buy 1, get 1 free sales for the week. I also use coupons when I can, and I’ve even started hitting the really cheap grocery store and buying what I can there. It definitely makes shopping more of a chore, but with prices going up the way they are - I don’t really have much choice.

I love reading all these tips. We too can sure use help with the soaring prices. Over the past 5-6 months, we learned this trick by accident. Instead of doing food shopping weekly for our family of four, we now go bi-weekly. The only thing that we pick up fresh each week is Milk. We do not even look at the sales paper unless it’s the week to go shopping. In addition, we always use coupons and a list and we do not buy anything that’s not on the list. We’re fortunate to have a freezer, which we freeze our breads and meats in, so they last for a few weeks.
We not only are saving a bit of money, but we’re also saving time and fuel.

We eat a lot of beans. Lentils and split peas do not even have to be soaked overnight. Just put a one pound bag in crock pot with 8 cups water, some salt, and cook on low for 8 hours. White beans or black beans must soak overnight, but can also be cooked in 8 hours in the crock pot the next day. Not that it is soup season, but I do have some good recipes on my site!

I’m a big believer in coupons and scoping out grocery store flyers for the best deals. I have a hard time with menu planning, but I agree that it definitely works! $500 would work pretty well too.

My wife is a master at cooking and making the right portions - that’s key, too. On the other hand, we purposely make more of items that we can eat for leftovers, such as lasagna or rice dishes. Two cans of soup, potatoes, some meat, and an onion make a huge pot of soup that will last a couple of days.

I buy cheap cuts of meat and then cook them in the crockpot for 10 hours. It saves money and they come out delicious!

I must say that I am struggling with this BIG TIME! But have started menu planning, and I try to base my meals on what’s on sale at the store.

I pick and choose 4 snack foods (Goldfish, string cheese) a month that the kids can get. When those four packages are gone, then need to make due with less snacking.

We share meals with friends, buy in bulk, and make a lot of freezer meals.

I keep a tentative menu plan on hand before I go shopping–that way I am flexible if an in-store special comes to my attention, I can replace a meal or two and bump them to the next week. Also many grocery stores discount their meats and deli-whole chickens substantially in the evening. I’ve have picked up chickens for as little as $2.50! They are great shredded on salads, wrapped in tortillas or as chicken salad combined with inexpensive sides.

I make a meal do double-duty (sometimes triple!) . . . like my roast chicken dinner one night becomes fajitas the next night, and chicken soup the next!

I wait for really good sales and then stock up like crazy. I also serve a lot of pasta and rice dishes. You can find so many great recipes online, so pasta never really gets boring.

I feed my family Ramen noodles three meals a day

My main thing is to “never pay full price.” Except for milk (which I do still always buy at the cheaper 2/$too much) price, I only buy what is on sale. One of our best investments a few years ago is an upright refrigerator that I use to store extra meat, some convenience meals and lots of bread. I have a threshold price for all of the items we use most often and will stock up (buy 4-6) of those items when they’re at the low prices, so I always have them on hand even when they aren’t on sale. And like Margaret, there are weeks that I don’t need to shop at all (which I love!).

What a generous contest! I don’t know that I have any tips — I need to work on saving in the kitchen. I tend to love convenience, which costs extra. But I did have a post on creative ways to use leftovers here. That does help to makes plans for them rather than letting them grow mold.

By the way, something is wrong with the space to put my url above. Whenever I try to, it takes me back to the place to put my e-mail.

Cook once eat thrice. Yes 3 times from the same meal. We cook enough to last for 3 meals usually a different way.

I’ve switched my grocery shopping to once every two weeks. I try to make meals that stretch over two nights. We only go places if we can make a few trips out of going (unless it is right up the street.) We’ve found that we need a lot less of that extraneous stuff that we would pick up. Oh, things on the clearance rack . . . We didn’t need it, but it was cheap and wasn’t it so cute?! Well, we’ve cut much of that out!

Thanks Libby!

Great idea of sharing tips!! I can’t wait to read them all!

I menu plan a week in advance and it seems to really help out. By doing this I can buy and use large containers of things by planning meals that take a common ingredient over several nights.

I try and always cook double batches of everything to have left overs the second and sometimes third night. When serving the leftovers one night I’ll add a special type of roll the next I might add a jello salad etc… A little something to make it different.

I always have on hand a night of easy cook up food in case something last minute pops up that leaves no time for cooking but still lets us avoid the high cost of take out food.

Creativity goes a long way in the kitchen. It’s amazing how good something tastes by throwing a few items together in a pot and letting them simmer.

I cook a lot with noodles they are great for bulk and inexpensive.

I love making homemade pot pies from leftovers which is funny because no one notices that the pot pies are leftovers they think mom worked hours in the kitchen on them.

I never throw away those last two pieces of bread in the bag they become delicious stuffing.

Thank you for the great giveaway!

fluegas5(at)gmail(dot)com

I used to get groceries once a week, then every two weeks, & now I get groceries once a MONTH.
But that’s not what matters. What matters in order to stay in the budget, is to have a meal plan. For the weekly, the bi-weekly, or monthly shopper shopper, this is so important!

Also, on pizza night, instead of spending $40 on 2 large or extra large pizzas, I make our own. It may take a while to find the right recipe for you that’s pizzaria quality, but once you do, it means spending UNDER $10 for two extra large, extra cheese, supreme, loaded pizzas!

Oh! I hope I win the $500!

buy easy premade frozen dinners.

this is a blessing, i hope i win. i have 3 kids and me and my hubby are both out of work right now. we are at the bottom of the food chain. we could really use this

Like so many others, the biggest thing that saves me money is meal planning…and then forcing myself to STICK to the plan I made. Which is never as easy as making the plan in the first place…

The best way to get my family to spend time together around the dinner table is letting my little girls be involved in planning and food preparation as much as possible. The most successful meals are the ones where my little girls participated in choosing the menu, prepping the ingredients, and cooking the food.
Thanks for the fun giveaway!

Times are tight. My DH is self employed and I have had to get creative with our grocery budget. We like to eat as healthy as we can and sometimes that can be expensive.
I sit down with the local grocery store papers and compare their sales with coupons I have. I then plan out meals each week.
Blogging about coupons and deals has become pretty popular, so I like to read other blogs and how they are saving money.
Thanks for the chance on easying our budget with Libby! Thank Libby for us!

I am trying to do meal planning. I do great for dinners but am still struggling with the rest of the menu!

I try to plan our meals weekly and not eat out. We save money that way. I’m currently looking into a foodcorp.

I try to stretch our meals by using a bit less meat and a filler like a veggie or something!

I try to buy in bulk as much as I can to save money.

coupons and sales

Changed the family diet from meat and potatoes to rice and beans.

Don’t know what we will do if the cost of living keeps going up - stop living I guess.

Libby’s is a great product.

Thank you 5minutesformom.com for the giveaway.

Loved reading other posters tips.

Coupons, coupons, coupons. Stocking up when the prices are low. And CVS!

It’s only hubby and I at home. Over the last few years we have cut down massively on going out to eat and instead make healthy meals at home. Hubby is the one who cooks everything but we have a good time cooking together many times.

We actually go to the grocery store almost every week for fresh veggies and fruits because if we have them any longer than that they go bad and it’s a total waste.

Thanks for the opportunity to enter.

We buy Libby’s! Libby’s taste better and cost the same or less than other brands.

We make a meal we can stretch into another meal. A ham dinner for one night is a ham bone used for red beans and rice for the next night and also gives about two more meals that can be frozen.

don’t shop more than once a week

Menu planning, coupons, eating out WAY less.

We eat a lot of chicken, and I find the pre-frozen chicken costs a lot less, and tastes just as good in recipes.

We try shopping now like the “Europeans” — trying to buy only what we need for the week or even a few days at a time. (Luckily we live pretty close to grocery stores so it doesn’t waste gas making more trips.) Otherwise, we tend to not use everything and have to throw away a lot before we even get to it.

Like others have mentioned:

* plan menus,
* have a list, try not to buy stuff not on the list
but… by the same token,
* stock up on staples when they are on sale
* have at least one meat-free meal a week (we have some veggie favorites like black beans & rice)
* use up what we have in the fridge

I buy in bulk when I can, and actually eat leftovers now! Sometimes I see what’s on sale at the grocery, and make meals according to that. Groceries are so expensive right now!

Would love to be considered for this give away, what a blessing that would be!

I plan my meals ahead and look for meal ideas that I can cook once and eat twice. I also try to be realistic with the amount of food that I need by planning out just one week’s worth of food and preparing “casual meals” like sandwiches or breakfast for dinner. I try to prepare meals with basic ingredients that are not gourmet (expensive) or hard to locate.

We eat a lot of breakfast foods. Even though the cost of some items has gone up, a dozen eggs are still considerably cheaper than a steak dinner.

Meal planning and only shopping 2x/month

I buy meat in bulk when it’s on sale, and then divide it up into packages that contain what we need for one meal. Our freezer is usually stocked!

Also, when possible, I make a double batch of something we like when ingredients are on sale and then freeze half of it.

We try to stick to only one “big” meal a day–usually lunch–and eat less at the other 2 meals. It’s also better for our health, but definitely helps the budget.

I can’t believe how much food costs nowadays. After getting laid off and taking a job with half my original salary, I’ve had to do some serious improvising. I find healthy foods that are very filling in supermarkets on sale, and stock up. Whenever yogurts or veggies are on sale, I stock up since everyone can have 1-2 a day. And to keep the veggies fresh up to a week later, I buy those ‘Green Bags’, which keep food seriously fresh! I am so happy I found those bags. $10 for 20 reusable bags, and I put everything in them!

As a grandmother I can only say that the years when you can have all your children around a table are precious memories and all too short. I know you have heard it before and you brush it off but some day when your children are trying to gather their own children around the dinner table they won’t have the time for you. It’s understandable because in today’s economy they have to work twice as hard for what the dollar bought just a few years ago. It’s hard to fit in a possible Sunday dinner with the folks afterall weekends are when they can catch up on the laundry and all the other chores around the house and all the errands. So hold on tight to these years and if you can try to remember to have a possible sit down dinner with your parents.

We like to save money by finding “budget fun”
during the summer months.
Summer’s time for our library’s free reading
program. The children really enjoy the reading
challenges and especially the prizes ~ free to
us and fun for them! Some of the prizes
involve treats or even things like pizza as
well as a free pool party at the end of summer.
We like it that they are having fun learning as
well as saving our family treat & fun money, too!

I’m trying to use the websites that combine coupons and specials to get things practically free, but it’s a lot of work and half the time the store doesn’t actually have the special, so it’s hard work to save just a little money!

I only shop twice a month and plan a very detailed menu. I’ve also been trying to buy more staple items and less prepared foods; cooking from scratch is healthier, cheaper, and it opens up a lot more options when just have a variety of ingredients on hand.

We rarely go out to eat, those kinds of outings can quickly cut into a tight budget.
And . . . I avoid the mall like the plague, I cannot go there without spending money on stuff I want, but don’t need, so now I just stay away altogether. If I simply HAVE to get something at the mall, I take my husband along because he loathes shopping an dthis way I know we’ll be in and out of there as fast as possible!

sharing meals and stocking up on buy 1, get 1 free sales.

With the rising cost of gas, going on a family vacation is out of the question this Summer. However, just because you can’t afford to go to an amusement park doesn’t mean you can’t find fun locally. Our Zoo is only $6 per person, a local museum is only $3, swim time at the YMCA is CHEAP!
You can find many area attractions to keep your kids happy, without breaking the bank.

We try to buy in bulk when we can - and not buy the expensive individual sized snack packs. We just buy a larger bag and break them down into baggies to make our own snack sizes!

My fiance owns a convenience store. He looks through all of the sales papers to find the sales for things he needs at the store (He can get it cheaper this way than he can get it through his suppliers-crazy…and what we need at home. He also clips coupons. He finds all of the bargains this way. He is already going to his store so he goes shopping often-depending on when the sales are. We are also very careful while shopping in that we look at the the price breakdown to see what it costs per unit. We buy in bulk when there is a great sale. We also eat leftovers. I use my discount cards at all of the stores too.

This is a wonderful giveaway! You gals rock!

we plan a weeks meals based on th wednesday supermarket ads

The ice cream man is so expensive!!! What I do is let the kids pick out what they what at the store and when the kids see the cream man I tell them to go to the fridge!!! But on Fridays we get buy from him!!!

I pre-shop. I plan my meals around our weekly ad and coupons I sit down with my cook books and the lap top and figure everything out. BEFORE I go to the grocery store and I type up a list on the computer that includes prices.. I know aprox. how much I am going to spend on groceries before I walk out of the house. I usually spend around $50-70 per week on our family of 4 and I usually save as much as I spend, so If I spend $50 I am usually getting around $100 worth of groceries (because I saved $50).
I actually have turned a chore I used to hate into a game to see how much I can save. Grocery shopping is fun now.

Thanks for entering me

I started 1 month ago with coupons. I get the Sunday paper, match sales with coupons and now get 17% always to a whopping 85% off.
So coupons and matching the sales.
main stores:
Publix,
Walgreens
CVS

I keep a pricebook for all grocery and household items, so I know exactly what is or isn’t a good sale price, and I stock up accordingly. One more tip: always pay attention to expiration dates and always use the closest-to-expiration products first.

The most important thing is to have a true budget — one that includes your monthly income and expenses. This budget should include an emergency fund, which can be built up pennies at a time if necessary. Next, it is vital to budget the weekly income and expenses. It sounds harshly disciplined, but it is the only way to keep informed about your financial status, and to bolster your ability to get ahead, even when times are tough.

We cut out a lot of meat. We still have meat with most meals because I have boys and they just wouldn’t settle for anything less, but we add beans or cooked wheat berries to ground beef, or mix in a lot of vegetables. Eggs are a great substitute and I know my kids will eat them. Limiting the amount of meat I use in each meal cuts a ton out of our grocery budget.

I feed our family of nine for $100 a week by doing the following: cooking from scratch, scouring the grocery ads and planning the menu around what is on sale, growing a big garden in the summer so I can preserve produce for use in the winter, getting my kids involved in the whole process. Sometimes they are a lot better than I am at making a really great menu for less.

I have no tips. I live in an apartment and can’t grow a garden. I would love to have an extra $500 to add to my grocery budget for the year!

Planning a menu and avoiding convenience foods helps with our budget. Wonderful giveaway!

we raised 3 girls and all their friends and now the grandkids… meal time is family time and you will be there and help either with set-up,perpare or clean-up and you ate what was there or went hungry.along the way we learned that homemade isn’t alway better.semi homemade can be just as good and saves time and most of the time money.

Have a container garden with tomatoes and cucumbers and you will save money and