Today’s question is from Mary:
Like many families in this current economy, we struggle just to make ends meet. Paycheck to paycheck is how we have been living.
Due to a slight loss in income, money is tighter than it ever has been. As a result, I find it hard to stockpile. If you don’t have extra money to spend, do you even try to stockpile, or do you just try to save on the items you normally buy?
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Food storage overwhelmed me until I decided to dedicate $10 every week to it. My only rule is I buy one item in bulk each week with my $10.
$10 is a number that doesn’t stress me out and I like seeing a big stack of canned corn or 20 boxes of mac and cheese on my shelves! It adds up quickly. Especially when you shop at Aldi.
This topic is so timely for us. My salary is reduced for at least 2 years, and I find myself going through my pre-reduction stockpile too quickly. The best I’ve been able to figure out is that I have a set amount of $$ I can spend each week on food. I challenge myself to menu plan and shop strategically to come in below that amount. I spend the difference on stockpile.
The clearance bin at the meat counter is my best friend. Things are marked down 30-50% or more and can go into the freezer for later. Another shopper joked with me that “if it ain’t on clearance, it ain’t on the table.” Too true!
I have a policy if I don’t have a coupon for it I don’t buy it, except for produce and meats (hamburger or chicken but it must be onsale). My mother was even in town the other day and she said she caught herself the other day at the store saying she didn’t have a coupon so she couldn’t buy it. lol
What I would do is spend as little money as possible on food for a month. Even if that means nothing but beans for a month, or making all of your bread from scratch, or eating pasta 4 nights a week because it was on sale for a great price. Or having for your fruits and veggies only carrots, cabbage and bananas because they are cheapest. And then use that extra money to start building up a surplus of stuff that is on sale for a very good price that you use with some frequency and that is a relatively cheap food. Because in the long run, you will spend less on the things you normally would want to buy if you stockpile when they are on sale.
I’m sure all of the tips I would offer have already been shared, but I did want to add this: Though you may have the coupons to buy 10 of something, consider all the people who are struggling to add just one or two of that same item to their stockpile.
I like to think that most of us are responsible stockpilers, but then I hear of someone crowing about getting 10 free bottles of hand soap. Yes, you may think your store has plenty on Monday, but are they still going to have enough for everyone by Sunday if everyone buys 10? Just a reminder that there is always someone struggling more than you and every deal will come around again.
There’s so much good advice here! How lucky we are to have such excellent collective wisdom.
My contribution is that many of us need to do better at eliminating as many forms of pickiness as we can! Whether it’s our own preferences for certain brands or family members who will only certain things (husbands who want meat and potatoes or kids who eat only white cheese and canned corn or whatever!), indulging these kinds of preferences will only result in longer stocking-up time. Note that I’m not talking about medical issues or sensory-related things – obviously those must be addressed. A stubbornness that has no such origin must be confronted as interfering with the family’s financial health.
Find a store that marks down meat, the day before, or the day of the “sell by” date. Yesterday, I got 10 pounds of 85 $ lean hamburger for 99 cents a pound at Albertson’s. Ask a butcher what their policy is on this. Get to the store early or it will all be gone.
Use less meat in your meals, or find good meatless meals.
Make your own spaghetti sauce, in large batches, using 1 1/2 or two pounds of meat for a triple batch. I spent $18.00 on a large crock pot, at WalMart and use 1 1/2 pounds of cooked hamburger for a triple batch of spaghetti sauce. I use three 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce and three small cans of tomato paste. We get the sauce and paste at Sam’s, but you can often get good deals when it is on sale at grocery stores. I add 1/2 can of water to each can. Add Italian seasoning, or Oregano and Basil to suit your taste, and garlic powder, and onion powder. ( We buy the large containers of spices at Sam’s. It saves a lot! ) I cook the sauce on low, all day, and then fill three quart size jars with the sauce and freeze. Just make sure you leave about 2/3 inch empty at the top, for expansion in the freezer. This is the basis for three meals. Buy spaghetti noodles when they are a loss leader.
Once or twice a year, large containers of Oatmeal is a loss leader. I will buy as many containers as my freezer will hold. We eat oatmeal for breakfast frequently, and I use the uncooked oats to make healthy oatmeal bread, in my bread machine. Using a bread machine will save a lot of money, and the bread is much better. I’ve seen nearly new machines at garage sales or Goodwill for $5 to $10.00 each.
Plan you meals around loss leaders.
If you use cold cereal and have an Albertson’s store in your area, buy it when Albertson’s is a loss leader for $1.00 a box. We found that the Albertson’s brand of raisin bran has a lot more raisins and tastes great.
Price match at Walmart. This week, I got grapes for 77 cents a pound. This week I will get Strawberries for 99 cents a pound. Frozen grapes are a treat! Freeze strawberries.
Breakfast for dinner is very good. You can make waffles very inexpensively. Those frozen (thawed) strawberries on waffles are a special meal.
You can save a lot of money if you just plan ahead. A few years ago, I fed our family of three adults on $25.00 a week. I can’t do that any more, with inflation, but I can do it for forty.
Keep a positive attitude, and make it a challenge to see what great meals you can create for a little money. It gets to be a game, and it is fun, not a drudge.
Find a store that marks down meat, the day before, or the day of the “sell by” date. Yesterday, I got 10 pounds of 85 % lean hamburger for 99 cents a pound at Albertson’s. Ask a butcher what their policy is on this. Get to the store early or it will all be gone.
Use less meat in your meals, or find good meatless meals.
Make your own spaghetti sauce, in large batches, using 1 1/2 or two pounds of meat for a triple batch. I spent $18.00 on a large crock pot, at WalMart and use 1 1/2 pounds of cooked hamburger for a triple batch of spaghetti sauce. I use three 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce and three small cans of tomato paste. We get the sauce and paste at Sam’s, but you can often get good deals when it is on sale at grocery stores. I add 1/2 can of water to each can. Add Italian seasoning, or Oregano and Basil to suit your taste, and garlic powder, and onion powder. ( We buy the large containers of spices at Sam’s. It saves a lot! ) I cook the sauce on low, all day, and then fill three quart size jars with the sauce and freeze. Just make sure you leave about 2/3 inch empty at the top, for expansion in the freezer. This is the basis for three meals. Buy spaghetti noodles when they are a loss leader.
Once or twice a year, large containers of Oatmeal is a loss leader. I will buy as many containers as my freezer will hold. We eat oatmeal for breakfast frequently, and I use the uncooked oats to make healthy oatmeal bread, in my bread machine. Using a bread machine will save a lot of money, and the bread is much better. I’ve seen nearly new machines at garage sales or Goodwill for $5 to $10.00 each.
Plan you meals around loss leaders.
If you use cold cereal and have an Albertson’s store in your area, buy it when Albertson’s is a loss leader for $1.00 a box. We found that the Albertson’s brand of raisin bran has a lot more raisins and tastes great.
Price match at Walmart. This week, I got grapes for 77 cents a pound. This week I will get Strawberries for 99 cents a pound. Frozen grapes are a treat! Freeze strawberries.
Breakfast for dinner is very good. You can make waffles very inexpensively. Those frozen (thawed) strawberries on waffles are a special meal.
You can save a lot of money if you just plan ahead. A few years ago, I fed our family of three adults on $25.00 a week. I can’t do that any more, with inflation, but I can do it for forty.
Keep a positive attitude, and make it a challenge to see what great meals you can create for a little money. It gets to be a game, and it is fun, not a drudge.
I agree with all the post, we’ve been there too many times! But like stated before be patient, talk to like minded friends and family work together. Ask for gift cards at holidays,etc. But most importantly don’t waste anything. I save old bananas(even pieces) until I get what equals 3 and make great simple banana bread we eat for breakfast. Bread scraps(of any kind bread, corn bread, pancakes,biscuits) use these to stretch casseroles. Especially casseroles of free over abundant things like squash. I learned that if you make things kids don’t like look like something they do they will eat it. Like the squash blend it up add onions, cheese and lots of bread crumbs they don’t know it’s(that ole yucky squash). All these tips and more can help you to stretch things you have on hand. Don’t get discourage,keep faith, things will be better.
I give myself a newspaper budget, which is dramatically shrinking thanks to the generosity of others. My grandpa gives me his coupon inserts, and I’m fairly certain he has his bridge club collecting for me as well – he frequently gives me multiple inserts.
I only buy toothpaste when I can get it for $0.25 or better. I have had drugstore runs where I have bought 30+ items (toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, cleaning supplies) and only paid $5.01 out of pocket, not including rewards.
Rolling rewards is my favorite way to save money. I also go to our local farmers market and haggle. I only buy staples at grocery stores. I eat a granola bar (or something) so before I go inside so I don’t go in hungry. I plan meals ahead with my planner, bought for less than $5 because Borders is going out of business and I have a Borders rewards card that got me 15% off.
My story is a little complicated because I am allergic to dairy and wheat. I pretty much don’t have a “convenience food” allowance because everything seems to have either wheat and/or dairy products. I have been teaching myself to cook more with beans, rice, and especially oatmeal, so I have more funds for those than if I didn’t have the allergies and could by wheat or dairy.
This has all been said, but it never hurts to reiterate… I go to coupon mom each week and go to the grocery store deals tab and find the items with the highest percentage saved each week. I have a cheap newspaper subscription and I get several papers at walmart (4-8) each week for a dollar, which I am always glad to have as I provide for my family of 7, elderly parents and occasionally my brother’s 3 kiddies. I have enough coupons to get the best out of “buy 10, get $$ off” deals. We have quite a little stockpile going this way. Hubby is going crazy because he has to move soup to get to his cereal. He doesn’t remember last year when we had no cereal or soup and couldn’t afford to take the kids to the doctor for ear infections. I am having to be very patient with him as I run out to the store to buy $16 worth of juice for $3.40 including CRV tax. I pay sometimes for my groceries with pocket change, but that’s because that’s all it costs. Take your time, remember to rotate your stash and think about all your family needs, like emergency supplies. (I felt like a real hero when we needed our emergency ponchos at Disneyland and our emergency microwave mac and cheese at Legoland – LOL.)
Suggestions for starting a stockpile:
I believe you just have to start small. Don’t stretch yourself too far out of your comfort zone, esp. when financially strapped. That being said at some point doing the same thing over and over again is going to produce the same result each budget period.
Become familiar with how to play the drugstore game, my favorite is Walgreens, and read the Blogs that have already done the work of how to get the best value. On an item, but always double check your coupons and local sales before you go out to see if u can get the same deal or better. I usually pick a day that I have some time to play with, after reading the blog the night before I am armed w/ my strategy. Then I go into my local Wags, usually I have all the same deals as the blogs. Sometimes I have to get a rain check… Always get your rain checks esp. on items that come out free after RR!!!!
Set a dollar amount. I.e. set aside 5 dollars for stockpiling; at the drugstores u can get some great deals on multiple things for under 5 dollars. If u don’t have to buy toothpaste and deodorant for a couple of weeks that now frees up another 5 dollars maybe even 8 or so toward groceries… maybe u use that during this budgeting period on meat or produce, or smaller items, or maybe you roll it into your budget for your next budgeting period (monthly, weekly etc… however you have your budget outlined).
Also try a few DIY that may be eating into your budget. I.e. make your own dishwashing powder and alternate it with store bought so it lasts longer. Substitute vinegar and baking soda for cleaning products or buy bleach at the dollar tree. Use baking soda shampoo… peroxide costs a dollar vs. crest or Listerine @ $5… little things can set free a lot of money but you do have to step out and take a step forward in a new direction …
Talk to Friends or Neighbors that grew up in a poor country, they def. can tell you alot about how to stretch your money very very very far. I learned from a Russian Friend that you can actually make about 6 different meals from one meal, just keep cooking with the leftovers and add veggies or another side dish, or mix it into soup or stew etc. From another Friend i learned to see the Potato as a Veggie not a Sidedish, when she cooked she always cooked the potato as a veggie and then with a side of rice.
What do these Friends have in common, they grew up in pretty much two different continents, there stockpile is pretty much the same Potaotes, Rice, Beans, Flour as long as you can fed your family, even how small the stockpile, you did a good job.
My family is in a very similar situation. Stockpiling has really been a great help to us. I stockpile through couponing. I don’t do alot of couponing and I am not aslways successful, but through just trying I have been able to put up enough noodles, sauces, marinaides, dressings, cereal, popcorn, etc….to last my family for the next 6 months. For all of those things, I either paid nothing or very very little. This website helps so much. They tell you what coupons to clip, what store to go to, and what you will pay! Follow their instructions and you will succeed!
How exactly do you make a price book? Wouldn’t you need to go to the store every week and check all the things on your list until you see the price drop for each item? Is there an easier way? I live out in the country and figuring out rock-bottom prices seems like it is going to be very difficult.
I would try stockpiling with the food that you already have, and then when you have enough to make a meal, use that day’s budget to stockpile something from the store.
The secret is to cook meals into separate ingredients for readily available freezing and stockpiling. For instance, if you make pasta and sauce, don’t combine them. Freeze the sauce and the pasta separately. You can then make the sauce into sloppy joes with just a little bit more ground beef, and the pasta into pasta salad.
This means you have to be very creative with how you prepare your food. There is a reason that my husband tells everyone that he’s never had the same meal twice in a row. He just doesn’t know he’s having leftovers.
If you save everything leftover, you will eventually be able to have enough to create an extra meal. And the money from that meal will let you have enough to stockpile something from the store, say four extra boxes of pasta. And those four extra boxes of pasta bought on sale for 75 cents (as opposed to $2 each) will let you buy something else. Etc.
We are in the same boat, but I believe it is even more important to try and stockpile now because prices seem to be continually rising – who knows where they will be in a year? If things get even worse, then you will still be able to feed your family and brush your teeth
) Our situation is difficult because we live in a rural area with few shopping options. No one does double coupons or buy one get one free. I had never even heard of Aldi or Publix or other great stores before reading this blog. I have to drive an hour and a half to get to the nearest Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Costco, and Grocery Outlet store, so most of the time a few good deals are not worth the gas money. I do try to save up enough money so that when I do go and hit all those stores, I can really stock up. I’ll spend a day and get all the great deals I can, and usually spend more than $500. But those things will carry me through for weeks, and I have a large family. The hard part is being very disciplined in all other areas so I can save up enough money. I go to U-pick farms to cheaply get fruit to freeze for smoothies and muffins. I never pay full price for anything and diligently search clearance shelves and clip coupons. I may not be able to get nice shampoo for 50 cents a bottle, but matching coupons to sales I can sometimes get it for $1. So I will buy as many as I can afford to, and won’t have to buy shampoo for a long time. Knowing prices is a huge help. For example, I know that Costco is by far the cheapest place to buy things like yeast and taco seasoning, while I can get cold cereal for a much better price at my grocery store when they have their big cereal sale (usually twice a year). Check your area for farms or other local sources for food — we have a bee farm that will sell a bucket of good honey for $22, and that will last a long time – and honey is one thing that keeps going up in price.
I know I’m preaching to the choir, but we hardly ever pay money for family activites – when I look at how much it would cost to take my family to the movies, I can get a cart full of food for that price! I also shop thrift stores for my kids’ clothes. I am very picky and sometimes leave with nothing, but other times I can get good quality, name brand clothes for a tenth of the cost. I also try to save money every year to hit the day after Thanksgiving sales. I don’t just buy Christmas gifts, but gifts to use for baby showers, weddings, birthdays, etc. I feel better about life if I know I don’t have to decline a shower invitation just because I can’t afford a gift. Just be diligent, creative, and don’t give up!
I forgot one more thing — if at all possible, plant a garden!! One year we planted tons of corn, and what we didn’t eat we cut off the cobs and froze. We had corn all year, for almost no cost (except a little hard labor!)
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