"Introduction" and Grocery spending.

[qubit]

That was fun to see someone else’s grocery receipt. Thanks for sharing! If you’d like to cut back on red meat, I’d recommend reading about the effects cattle ranching has on our planet as well as the health benefits of cutting red meat. I was raised on meat and potatoes, but my family eats mostly plant-based now. It’s a triple win for savings, the planet, and our health. Wishing you the best!

[SusanBAnthony]

We are pretty loosey goosey now but when I stay at home I put a lot of effort to reducing grocery spend. A few thoughts, some of which are repeats:

Think about what you are buying single serve and don't need to- like a big tub of yogurt vs. individual. This can be tough because my kids are assholes who eat like horses. Often I immediately divide large containers into smaller portions in ziplocks or Tupperware.

Think about how much each meal costs. A meal with expensive meat + expensive other ingredients (avocado, red bell pepper, etc) is once a week at most and needs a few rice and beans type meals to balance it.

No breakfast cereal- make a big pot of oatmeal (or do it overnight in the Crock-Pot) or make quick breakfast breads like zucchini bread.

Grow a garden (this is obviously not for everyone).

I got suuuuuper PT jobs with a veg farm and a bread stand and the farmers market (like 3 hours a week for each) which resulted in free food- my pick of leftovers at the end of market.

Absolutely no food waste. Everything gets eaten.

[memenee]

Try and cook as much as you can from scratch vs buying convenience foods. It tastes way better, is healthier and generally cheaper.

And also try to cut down on the red meat simply because it is so pricy. My family isn’t big red meat eaters so this is one thing one don’t have to worry about. Good luck!

[sloan]

Holy steaks Batman.

Meal planning is #1, I’m still far from perfect at it because some days I’m just not up for making what I planned or forgot to defrost the meat or whatever, but it helps big time.

There are a few things you get that we just don’t buy (juice, creamer, soda is rare) but we do meat daily. I’ll stretch it by doing things like tacos or meat sauce, and I often get a rotisserie chicken and immediately pull the meat off and portion it out into 3-4 meals worth for soups or baked pasta dishes, then make stock from the carcass.

For stock I simmer it another hour or two after I’ve strained the carcass out and put it in ice cube trays to freeze- then rehydrate to about a cup or so per cube when I use it, that way it doesn’t take up so much freezer space. This keeps me from buying chicken broth but also is just SO much more flavorful than the store bought stuff, and while it sounds like it takes forever it isn’t much active time- I just set an alarm on my phone so I don’t forget about it on the stove.