A few months ago, when my husband and I decided I would quit my job to be a stay-at-home-mom, he told me, “Your new job is to figure out how we can afford for you to stay home.†As one who’s always been a) a worrier about money and b) a lover of a bargain, I was eager to rise to this challenge! It also helps that I’m c) a bit of a control freak and this quest has helped me feel some control over our financial well-being also. So, today I thought I’d share with you some changes in my grocery-getting that have really helped our family save money and stay on-budget.
The first thing I’ve done is take advantage of a low-cost grocery program called Angel Food Ministries. Before I explain it, let me tell you that is seems too good to be true, but it is actually true and I will testify to that! Here’s the dealy-o: Angel Food Ministries has a monthly menu of foods that will feed a family of four for one week. The food is very good quality and is only $25 for one unit (you can order as many units as you would like). You place your order and pick it up once a month at a participating local church. Here’s what I ordered and will be picking up on Saturday, October 27th:
(4) 5 oz. Ribeye Steaks
(1) 3 lbs. Breaded Frying Chicken
(1) 2 lbs. Salisbury Steak Entrée w/ Gravy
(1) 24.5 oz. Supreme Pizza
(1) 2 lb. Chicken Chunks
(1) 24 oz. Pork Roast
(1) 16 oz. Chicken Breast Fajitas
(1) 12 ct. Corn Tortilla
(1) 15 oz. Pork & Beans
(1) 16 oz. Fresh Carrots
(1) 24 oz. Homestyle Hashbrowns
(1) 16 oz. Corn
(1) 16 oz. Bean Soup Mix
(1) 5.5 oz. Pancake Mix
(1) 7.5 oz. Mac & Cheese
(1) 7 oz. Lasagna Dinner
(1) Dessert Item
Yes, my friends, I am getting all that food for $25! The menu is different every month and they also offer a number of specials that you can purchase in addition to your regular order. The specials are such a great deal that we actually bought a freezer for our basement just so we can order additional specials if we like more than one! Here are this month’s specials:
OCTOBER SPECIAL #1
Meat Combo Box $18.00
4 8-oz T- Bones
2 lb. Ribeye Roast
OCTOBER SPECIAL #2
Strip Steak Special $18.00
4 8-oz. K.C. Strip Steaks
4 8-oz. New York Strip Steaks
OCTOBER SPECIAL #3
Family Convenience Meal
Special from Golden Cuisine $18.00
Five Delicious Individual Dinner Entrees with 2 sides per meal:
o Cheese Manicotti
o Macaroni & Beef
o Beef Pattie & Gravy
o Chicken & Noodle
o Chicken Breast & Mushroom Sauce
Includes five breads, five milks, ten margarine cups, and five desserts
Angel Food Ministries has been a real blessing to my family. Go to their website to see if it is available in your area! I strongly suggest you try it, you literally have almost nothing to lose!
The other way I save my family money on groceries is shopping at everyone’s favorite close-out store, Big Lots. I shop there for all our non-perishable grocery items like canned vegetables, soups, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, mac & cheese, olive oil, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, etc. I also often find baby food there which is great. In addition to food items, I also save a lot of money buying household items at Big Lots like dishwashing detergent, dish soap, laundry detergent, fabric softener, and household cleaners. I usually make a couple of trips a month to Big Lots and if I see a really great deal, I buy it (often more than one of it) whether I need it at that moment or not, as long as I have the money and its something we’ll need eventually. I still shop at the big local grocery store for fresh produce but that’s about it!
All right, so now you all know what a cheapskate I am, but what can I say? I’ve been gainfully unemployed for over five months now and we’re not broke, so it works for me!
For more great Works for Me Wednesday tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.
I so love your cheapskating ways. Excellent idea!
Oh, I’m so sad this isn’t available in my area! I was getting all excited. But thanks for the reminder to shop Big Lots. I always tell myself I will, but never make myself go there as it’s out of the way. But I’m sure I could save $$ if I made the effort to go.
Thanks again!
They just started doing Angel Food Ministry at our church! I really need to put in an order next month – I forgot to get it in on time this month. Amazing how much food you can get for only $25… Great tips! 🙂
I will have to look into that Angel Food thing, especially since I just bought a chest freezer!
Coming in underbudget in the grocery category is a constant challenge, but I’ve made a game of it: if I’m under budget, we use the extra money for dining out. Going out to eat is one of my favorite things to do, but since we became a one-income household, our excursions have been few and far between. The promise of a nice dinner that I don’t have to cook or clean up gives me incentive to scour the ads and shop wisely.
We don’t seem to have all that good of deals at my local Big Lots but I love Grocery Outlet for canned non perishable items.
I just discovered them recently! I can’t wait until I get mine.
I also reccomend Aldi’s for some good buys, and to save time you can comparison for everything at walmat. If there are several items you want to get that are on sale, all at different stores, take the ads into walmart and they will match the price (if their’s isn’t lower). It can get confusing, espeically if the list is long, but it is worth it to save the $$$.
That is amazing…I hope it’s in my area! Thanks…
Okay, you’re getting me excited here! Could you please comment on the quality of food and how many people you feed with it. Is it gone in about a week?
Thanks.
Monica, the food quality is very good. No expired foods or seconds or anything like that. I have two little ones who don’t eat much so it lasts our family quite awhile. They say it will feed a family of four for a week on average, but I personally think that most months there is more than a week’s worth of meat in a single order. Hope that helps! Feel free to email me if you have any more specific questions!
Darn! None in my area. Oh, well. Maybe someday!
And I really don’t shop at Big Lots enough. My MIL is always getting great deals there, but I usually don’t even think about them when I’m on my way to buy groceries. I’ll have to make it a point to stop in there the next time I need to stock up on canned goods.
Thanks for the tips!
Dang! I’m in Ohio too. I’m going to check it out right now and see if they’re in my area! Thanks for sharing!
Great tip! I checked and we have one near us so I’m going to join this.
The Angel food is wonderful – I have 7 kids – 6 of which eat ‘dinner” food. With 2 specials the food would get us through 2 weeks with supplements of veggies and produce. Everyone should try it at least one to see if it is good for your family! If it is not in your area, call your church or a church in your area and ask them to start it!
In addition to Angel Ministries, SHARE, run by Catholic Charities, runs a very similar program. If Angel Ministries isn’t in your area, SHARE might be. If you’re in the Western states, check out the SHARE website at
http://www.sharecolorado.com
You really did a great service in passing the word along. We just got signed up today in Nebraska and I’ve been able to get some of my friends involved as well. THANK YOU!!!
I can’t tell you what a blessing your post is. I have been out of work for over 3 years due to personal illness and we have exhausted our savings and have just about maxed out our credit cards. I am not able to return to work but don’t qualify for SSDI because I’m not taking the meds I was on for the past 6 years since my gastric bypass in June. I’m trying to find ways to reduce our spending and our food budget is one that really needs trimming. My sons live at home again and my spending has doubled so this program will go a LONG way toward cutting my spending. God bless you and thanks again. (i’ve got to spread the word on this so i hope you don’t mind, but i’m going to put up a post on my site about it)
Briggie ^i^
Yay! I went grocery shopping today and got $200.01 worth of groceries for $102.20!