Shortly after I decided to become a stay-at-home mommy, Mark and I decided that we needed to take a hard look at our budget and make some adjustments. I am a product of my father, for sure. If our savings account drops below a certain amount, it's like a red siren is going off in my head continually until that number is back to the "safety" minimum. I go crazy. I start eliminating the slightest purchases, say...the irresistable $1 large Dr. Pepper from McDonald's and move up from there, to say, not buying cold-weather maternity clothes when clearly, I needed them!
It became critically obvious that something had to change. So, I dug deep into the world of couponing and found a wonderful little hobby. It saved us tons and tons of money. Ok, not really. I thought it did. And theoretically, it did. I was getting a lot more for our weekly grocery allowance of $75, but I was still spending the full $75. But the extra stuff was not exactly stuff we needed or used on a regular basis.
And now, as our lives are evolving, we are challenging ourselves to find even more savings in our modest income. Grad school ain't cheap, people...and if I want to start in the fall, we need to be thinking this far ahead. Currently, our grocery budget is $300/month. I would love to see that reduced to $150 or less by the end of the summer. The big question, however, becomes...how?
So now, here I am, with a hardened resolve to live a simpler life, pondering my soon-to-be harvests of fresh produce and our larger bulk purchases of beef and pork, wondering now which is the better method for saving money at the grocery store: couponing or shopping the perimeter? If I can get myself back in the habit of cooking meals from scratch and from pure ingredients, would that in turn reduce our grocery cost more than couponing already does?
If you are unfamiliar with the term, shopping the perimeter is exactly as it sounds: going around the walls of the store and purchasing fresh items vs the packaged shelf stable ones usually found in the aisles of the store. When I first heard of this concept, I instantly thought, how absurd...how could you go into the store and not need stuff from the aisles? But, when you examine the layout of a traditional grocery store, it really opens your eyes. For example, in my store (I work part-time in the bakery of my favorite grocery store) STP would include: Bakery, Deli, Produce, Seafood, Meat, and Dairy. In the simplest forms of groceries, what else do you need?
So, on to couponing. There is such a thrill that comes with getting $100 worth of stuff for say, $10. It's awesome knowing that I'm saving so much money. But, in reality, I'm still spending money on things I wouldn't ordinarily buy. Granted, some things, like free body wash and shampoo will always be welcome here. But, often, I'm left with a cart full of misc. stuff that I still need to purchase companion items for in order to make meals. Thus bringing in the rest of my budgeted money. So now, I'm able to buy more items, but those items may not make up desirable meals.
This finally clicked a few weeks ago when I opened the fridge to reveal 2 boxes of cream cheese, 2 containers of hummus, and as many condiments as you can imagine. In the freezer: 3 boxes of broccoli and cheese, some Gorton's fish fillets, and garlic texas toast. Yuck. On to the cabinet. 3 jars of peanut butter, 6 boxes of various dried pastas, and 4 packs of tuna fish (among other randomness). No bread. No meat. No milk. No eggs. I distinctly remember those aforementioned items costing around $10. I could have spent that $10 in a meal plan following STP and made a full meal, with leftovers for another meal or lunch.
So, a bunch of food that we don't eat or a little food that we do eat and can stretch?
If I get used to cooking with fresh ingredients now, will it be much easier (and much cheaper) to make meals out of what I harvest with little supplementing from the grocery store? Or will I still be buying convenience foods and ignoring my stockpile (like all the stuff I canned this past summer)?
Anyone else want to take on this challenge with me? Do you think STP/fresh cooking would work for your family? Why or why not?
I wish I had the time/means to do the math and figure it all out. I wonder if doing it from scratch really IS worth the time, effort and money. For instance, the pot roast I made today... It was nearly 2 lbs and cost a little over $9. It took all day in the crock pot. I know I could have run in to the store, grabbed one of those microwave meat pack things for like $5 and it would have been ready in 4 minutes. Granted, we have enough leftovers for another dinner (but who knows if they'll actually get eaten). And, sure, I was wicked proud of myself for making the roast but I can see why many families might opt for the packaged stuff first. I also get coupons for that meat pack stuff occasionally and, of course, never get coupons for meat!
ReplyDeleteThat's where I am Naomi, I'm trying to decide which is really cheaper. We buy our beef in bulk because I know that's cheaper, and I know a lot about the cow's life before it was born. We buy from relatives and while their stuff isn't "organic" (as in, fed organic grain), it's close enough for me. But, we don't eat a lot of meat. We eat a lot of poultry. But, if I eventually lose the cost of purchasing produce from the store, STP will leave me only purchasing a little meat and dairy and basic other staples (flour, sugar, etc). Possibly bringing my cost at the store down to less than $30/wk. That would be amazing!
ReplyDeleteBut, when we look at time and effort, the amount of time that I spend now on organzing, clipping, sorting and searching for the best deals doesn't hold a candle to the amount of time it takes to prepare meals from scratch and grow things in a garden! And I'm going to say that both are equally fun. ;)