I thought we could all share what we've changed in our shopping to help each other. Here's mine so far:

No more sodas being bought (I keep a 2L of sprite in pantry in case someone is sick and that is all now)

Stopped by individual bottled waters saves over $15 a week

Pushing potty training on ds so I can stop buying pull ups and wipes

Cut side items from meals: Example: Spaghetti Dinner is now spaghetti with meat sauce and salad with dressing only. No more garlic toast. Any sides that do not add nutrition to the meal are out. No more chips with sandwiches, we use carrot sticks, celery and fresh fruit.

Cut serving sizes on snacks etc. back

No more conveinent individually wrapped snacks etc. I buy bigger boxes when cheaper and split into store brand baggies myself

No more paper plates---I can wash the dishes

Kids get a glass of milk at meals and any refills are ice water and we've completely done away with apple juice. We still have orange juice but I buy the frozen and make it myself because it is cheaper.

We now have a left over night, a breakfast night, and a grilled cheese/soup night so everything is getting used up and I really only have to plan 4 meals a week and dh bbq's two of those on Sat/Sun so its really easy with him grilling a meat and serving it with salad or steamed veggie only.

So far these things are saving me a lot! My bill is actually lower now that it was a few months ago!

I'm really interested to hear everyone elses ideas.

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Standard of Living and Quality of life are NOT the same thing.

I have done alot of the same as you. My bill has lowered about $40 a week.

I cut snack sizes back

Cut milk back (give the kids smaller glass sizes and only two a day instead of three)

Buy less pop (hubby takes it to work instead of buying something while out so I still have to get it but I quit drinking it so that helped)

Quit buying sticky notes and started cutting scrap paper into squares

Use smaller amounts of shampoo/conditioner/body wash

Use less laundry soap

No more buying baggies for hubby's lunch I use the cheap tupperware now

I quit snacking so that one really helped!

Recently went to vinegar for cleaning

I know there are more, just can't think of them right now!

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Jenifer
Proud wife to one amazing man
Proud mom to four awesome kids

Fall is my favorite season!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I bought my last 12 pack of soda. I bought sprite because the kids had an upset stomach. I will be making sweet tea for dh and I and koolaid for the kids. They don't drink it often but they like the change from juice. I'm slowly weeding out convenience foods. I'm buying more dried beans. I'm stocking up on sales at this point. Yesterday I spent 63.04 for a cart full of groceries with no coupons because I'm shopping the loss leaders. I probably could've gotten it lower with coupons, though. I'm going to see if I can get that amount every pay period. I'm also simplifying my meals with only one side dish instead of 2.

We are stocking up on sales when possible - especially the B1G1 (or 2)Free. Also the 10/$10 with 11th item free - we get our frozen veggies, some school snacks for DD and tuna that way. I buy milk when it's on sale and freeze it. I've been buying the close-to-expiring bread ($.32/loaf). Watching for sales and matching with coupons. I also, for the first time, used Angel Food Ministries this month and was pleased with that so I may start doing that every month.

I too have stopped buying things like pop and not nearly as much junk food. I am also making alot more trips out of town (about once every 6 weeks) to stock up at cheaper places like aldi so that I don't have to buy certain things at the local grocery. Even with gas prices, this does save, because my sister and I try to make the trip together and carpool.
I have also cut back on laundry soap, I didn't realize before that you can use less than the reccomendations by the manufacturer, thanks ladies here on mommy-savers for teaching me that
And of course we do a garden every year and I can and freeze so we don't have to but canned veggies, salsa, spaghetti sauce, marinara sauce, jams and jellies pie fillings, green peppers and onions for cooking and so forth, this saves so much!!

we just eat less junk and more healthy foods and we are saving money and...surviving

well we are
1. making snacks at home i used to buy ds mini candy bar to put in his lunch box now we just make sure we have a small treat made up.
2. i bought a couple good sets of microfiber clothes for cleaning to cut out so much paper towel consumption and only use homemade cleaners when i need them..
3. dh cut back on his flavored water to only buying it every two weeks
4. we bought re-usable stainles steel sig water bottles the kids think they are great so they are drinking more water becuase it stays cold so we are completely doing away with plastic water bottles from the store.(my kids would ask for one in the check out every time we were somewhere)
5. cutting back our portions

so far we are saving some money we just can't wait until farmers market time..

A good change is to make meat an ingredient instead of a main dish. Casseroles, soups, stews. I have heard reference to eastern cultures that consider meat a condiment.

Instead of reducing side dishes, I have increased them. Salad, veges, and a casserole. Leftovers last longer; I cook less, and then shop less. The price book has cost per ounce, which highlights what to serve more of and what to serve less of.

I know ground beef is not a particularly expensive meat, but when I made meatloaf more often, we weren't able to limit the portion to a quarter pound per person. It just didn't satisfy us. I cook fewer meatloafs now.

We have done a lot of what has already been listed.
- I make our sweets for lunch.
- Cut back on the sugar used in the sweets so that has helped our health and saved money.
- I make bread in a bread machine. (While the yeast is costly, I get a lot of use out of it.)
- I make pancakes and waffles from scratch and then freeze them for quick breakfasts in the mornings.
- I buy big blocks of cheese either on sale or at a wholesale place and then shred it myself. Freeze it in layers and then transfer to reused baggies.
- No more buying lunch meat. Instead we buy a turkey or chicken on sale and then smoke it. We use all parts of the bird. . .lunch meat, stock, casserole meat, etc.
- Buy almost no processed foods.
- Make my own ice cream. (No preservatives!)

There's more, but these are what came to mind.

Buying frozen oj instead of the pre-made.
More veggie offerings at each meal (good filler and good for you!)
More soups this winter - so more simple soup and veggie nights for dinner.

I have been doing many of the things listed already. There are a few that I plan on doing eventually.

wafflemaker-next time one goes on sale, I am gonna snatch it up. My kids love homemade frozen pancakes so I know would love waffles too. Plus doing them myself, I have more possiblities.

Thinking of gettng a food slicer to be able to buy big hams or turkeys breasts and slice my own lunchmeat.

I too quite buying shredded cheese and just do it myself, no more individual snacks, I am hoping to do a garden (plant some things in big pots)

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