Penny Pinching Ideas-Part 1

Thanks to those of you who left comments for me on ways to cut my grocery bill. I got lots of great ideas plus there were personal opinions on if certain things really do work to save money. Exactly what I needed. I'm guessing most of you have enough to do already and don't spend your time constantly monitoring the comment section of my posts, so I thought I'd summarize what people mentioned plus share some of my own findings/brainstorming.

-The concensus among most people was that Sam's Club did not seem to save them more money. (I thought that this perhaps might be true but didn't know for sure so I'm glad others affirmed it.) No one said anything about trying to hit multiple stores which is something that is often suggested but to me seemed to be a bit crazy. (Is it really worth the .50 off a can of soup if you have to drive to another store to get it?) A lot of people vouched for Walmart's bargains.

-Jenny left me a mail order diaper website that seems to be comparable and sometimes even cheaper than purchasing in the store, especially if you prefer a name brand diaper. I didn't look through all the brands and I need to do a bit more investigating but I think I may order through them. Another plus is that they are delivered to your house so you don't have to try to haul a bulky diaper box through the store and to your house. (And it's free shipping on orders of $49 or more which is quite easy to do.) They also have other baby products which might be worth looking into.

-Kristi left some good information on two non profits, Food Net and Angel Food Ministries, that are trying to help people afford groceries. Food Net is a food distribution group that provides free food while Angel Food Ministries provides discounted foods. Neither have income restrictions and I appreciate that both of them follow a Biblical model for community where you receive when you are in need but then have opportunities for giving to the group as you can. There are two Angel Food locations close to me and I signed up for several things from them in March. It is advertised as food at 50% off normal grocery story pricing. It looks to me like their basic box is especially true of this. The fruit box I'm not so sure about but I signed up for one anyway.

-Natalie said she cuts out all snacks except for Goldfish crackers and popcorn. Nothing else fru fru.

-Natalie also offerred me the use of some old cloth diapers she has. I know cloth can be a real money saver; I'm just not ready to make that committment when hopefully we'll be out of diapers fairly soon. (Thanks though, you're a peach, Natalie!)

-I also know several people on here do freezer cooking. I often freeze our leftovers so I'm not throwing away food. My Granny took this to a whole new extreme. (If you are my family members reading this, quit laughing!) She used to keep a jar in her freezer just for food scraps. Anything that was left over and could be made into a soup went in there. Pasta, hamburger, vegetables, and more...she just kept adding to it after every meal. Then when it got full, she'd add some broth or tomato juice and make soup. Not kidding; I've eaten it many a time. (I've never eaten the same soup twice because each time she made it, it had different ingredients but that's another story.) I actually almost started doing that and then my husband talked me out of it.

One website I did like was HillyBilly Housewife. Usually, I think most sites tell me things I already know. (Like buy generic foods, shop the day old bread rack at Walmart, shop thrift stores, leave out expensive spices, etc.) But this one seemed more practical. I also kind of liked the site MommySavers. The articles were a little weak but there is a forum which lets people share and I thought the discussions that were up and going were relevant and helpful.