My method

Just like everyone else, I have a method when I grocery shop.
1. I check the ads and make a list of all the sales I would like to take advantage of.
2. I check my freezer for what I already have
3. I make my menu for the week
4. I start my grocery list with the items I have to have to restock or for my menu and then based on what money I have left, I use what's left to stock my pantry or freezer from my "want sale items" list.

Im sure you have noticed from our picture there are only 3 of us. However, my husband takes leftovers for lunch everyday so I really work on a budget that feeds a family of 4.

Our current budget is $100 a week for everything. That is all food items, toiletries, makeup, pet supplies and anything else that is needed.

I know many people spend less to feed a family of 4 and save by buying from bulk bins and discount stores. However, in our area there are no stores with bulk bins and our discount stores are very limited and a pretty good distance from home.

For the most part, I shop at Meijer. They have a great produce section and a very nice meat department and their prices are fairly reasonable. They do have really good sales, however in this area prices are just higher on many things.

I do not do coupons. I did try coupons for awhile but what I have found is that I save more money buying the store brand than I would buying the name brand and using a coupon. We do have one store in our area that doubles coupons, however they are priced higher than any other store so the double coupons really dont save any money.

I work really hard to make sure my family gets lots of dark green veggies and lean meats. I mainly buy ground turkey. Its leaner than ground beef and less expensive so its a good choice all around. I do buy ground beef when I find it marked 40% off because its close to the sale by date. And because I am diabetic, I only use whole wheat pastas and brown rice.

To save money I also make my own laundry soap and all my own household cleansers. I will be posting about those later on. I must say that I do love my laundry soap and cleansers, they work great and cost virtually nothing to make.

I hope explaining the method of my madness helps!!