tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1013379591296728385.post7983380916283485390..comments2022-11-04T07:01:53.727-05:00Comments on Faith in the Shade: A Confession: I'm a CheapskateAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780817961887030699noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1013379591296728385.post-70725880612722517012013-02-27T18:44:40.101-06:002013-02-27T18:44:40.101-06:00We have just started to meal plan and it is defini...We have just started to meal plan and it is definitely helping us to stay focused on our grocery spending. We keep adding more to our list of things to make at home, so that helps as well. Becky Elmucciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10115211713006910388noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1013379591296728385.post-70835752496805773372013-02-26T17:14:22.313-06:002013-02-26T17:14:22.313-06:00Behind rent, food is definitely the biggest part o...Behind rent, food is definitely the biggest part of our budget. I think I just have a family of big eaters. Making a menu ahead of time definitely helps. The fewer trips to the grocery store the better! Budgeting, shopping, creating menus is super exhausting. I don't know how you do it!! Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17061585160412939803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1013379591296728385.post-5901925362316141952013-02-26T11:43:56.236-06:002013-02-26T11:43:56.236-06:00I frequently pray for the Lord to give me wisdom a...I frequently pray for the Lord to give me wisdom and creativity to be a better steward of our finances. Here's what I do so far:<br />I buy the majority of our groceries at Aldi<br />I coupon. Mostly I play the drug store game, getting gobs of essentials for super cheap or free: diapers, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairspray, hairgel, razors, shaving cream, bandaids, feminine products, wipes, etc.<br />I scour the grocery store ads when they come in the mail each week. I find the cheapest prices on meat, produce, and possibly canned goods and circle them. Then I price match at WalMart. I always have gobs of produce this way and I always get the best price on meat.<br />When things are cheap, I stockpile. When red bell peppers are 30c each, I buy about 30. We have a chopping party and freeze them. Ditto avocados. I mash them with a tad of lemon juice and freeze them. I have about ton of frozen avocado right now. When diced tomatoes were 25c each at Albertson's a couple weeks ago, I bought about 50. Price-matched at WalMart so I don't have to go to a bunch of different stores. <br />We unplug appliances before we go to bed at night. Our electric bill went down by $10/month with just this!<br />I'm embarrassed to admit that I've taught the kids now to only flush {ahem} messes. This rule does not apply to the guest bath. ;) <br />Only stinky dirty kids get a bath more than once a week. I wash their hair in the sink to save on showers. That way I can turn the water off when I'm not using it. <br />I'm sure there's more.<br />God is always faithful to give me ideas when I ask. I'm ever impressed with that.<br /><br />Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13910562548296620853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1013379591296728385.post-77130827685191463042013-02-26T08:44:25.185-06:002013-02-26T08:44:25.185-06:00I do the same thing with lists! I find that making...I do the same thing with lists! I find that making lists of what we need now and want down the road helps so much with controlling our spending. We make sure the item stays on the list for at least 30 days, and sometimes after that period we have figured out a way not to buy the item at all. <br /><br />As for groceries, I know what you mean about quantity going through the roof! Our chest freezer has helped me a lot; on months that I didn't spend the entire budget (few and far between, but it happens), I buy freezer goods with the leftover money, which helps me on over-budget months.Justinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03807946719626251318noreply@blogger.com