Oh, and are there any secrets the rest of us don't know, like certain things go on sale every 3 months or something?? I REALLY need to work on getting my grocery spending down!

__________________
Stay at home mom to my 3 boys... ages 5, 3 & 1!

I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

I am not brand specific on very much. I buy Miracle Whip (big containers at Sams), Tresseme, Country crock (again big one from Sams). That is about it, otherwise it is pretty much what is cheapest. Actually my dh prefers Aldi's brand spaghetti sauce and Sam's club frozen veggies.

__________________
~Happiness is a large family~

I love seeing how much we save at the stores! I wish they included how much you save on the generic brands vs buying name brand. I really have no idea how much I've been saving all this time, but I'm sure my dh and I would be impressed! I know I could keep a running total myself, but taking 3 or 4 kids to the store with me doesn't allow for that.

Does any one freeze milk? If so, how does it turn out? We go through 4-5 gallons of milk a week, so I would LOVE to be able to stock up when there's a sale!

Not brand specific. and I generally buy name brand- mainly bc I can get it cheaper with a coupon, than buying the generic. I honestly think that stock piling is key, because once you have done that- you can buy more of the things on sale. Thats how I do it.

__________________
Stephanie

I buy whatever is cheapest with or without a coupon.
I buy as many of something as I can when it is on sale and stockpile.
I base my shopping list on whats on sale and what I have a coupon for THEN I make a menu out of what I have on hand.
I made a lot of things from scratch - it is cheaper than buying meals ready to eat.
Use all leftovers, nothing was wasted. Sometimes they were reheated other times they were incorporated into different dishes.

Wow. We are a family of 5 (4adults) and a 18 month old. I can buy everything (Tp etc) for 200-250 a month. And I don't do bulk shopping. I just shop @ Savealot

__________________
Charlotte *Wife to Tim* 7/8/05* *Mom to Elizabeth 07/10/06*

There are no stores here that double coupons. I shop weekly, but if I plan it right, I can go about two weeks without setting foot in the store. I buy two gallon packs of milk at Costco (still thinking about cutting it with dry milk).

I make a menu by using the store ad and whatever I have in the freezer and pantry. I buy in bulk when things are on sale. Frozen veggies are good thing to have on hand.

I generally buy whatever is a better price per ounce or per pound. Sometimes, it's the store brand, but sometimes it's a name brand.

Ninety percent of the cleaners and detergents I use are "homemade" or Costco's brand.

I only use coupons for my haircolor

__________________
Attaining financial freedom is like eating an elephant . . . it takes one bite at a time.

One more meal-planning site, looks pretty good: e-Mealz - A Meal Planning Resource for Busy Moms and Frugal Family Cooks

__________________
Ami,
mom of 6, 4, & 2

We buy brand-specific for deoderant, shampoo/conditioner, bodywash, dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, cat food, cat litter, toilet paper, butter and pickles. Scott 1000 sheet TP is wonderful - it lasts a really long time and it's good quality. I wait until the giant 12 roll packs go on sale and buy it then because I can't ever find any coupons I could use on the smaller packs. As for the rest of my brand-specifics, I buy them as needed hoping for a sale. If I can get a coupon for it, that's a bigger bonus.

The woman who started The Grocery Game has said that stores rotate their sales on a 12 week schedule, so you should buy enough now for 12 weeks til it goes on sale again. I haven't actually kept track - maybe I should do that to really see. It seems like some things go on sale more often then others.

__________________

There are only a few things that I buy name brand, Miracle whip and Heinz ketchup. The other stuff I buy what ever. I try to do most of my shopping at Aldis. Lately I've been keeping a price book and refering to it when I need something to see what store has the best price. I'm also trying to keep all my stockpiles organized with a sheet of paper and then when something is running low add it to my grocery list. I'm going to start doing that again better. We are a family of 4 and I spend $300+ a monthly on groceries and toiletries. I'm going to start doing better since I'm going to be going back to school in January. So are budget we'll be even tighter.

Janice