Monday, September 21, 2009

Groceries, Groceries, Groceries

I have an issue with our grocery budget. Since we started buying diapers for Justus, I always seem to go over budget. This is the week I decided I was going to figure out how to spend less on groceries and come under budget. The google searches began....

After searching out ways to reduce grocery spending, it looked like my 2 options were going to be to give up shampoo or to start making more things from scratch. I know giving up shampoo seems a little extreme, but apparently its all the rage now. Something about using baking soda and water and eliminating chemicals from your body or something like that.

I went back and forth between the two options. Initially I decided to try giving up shampoo. It would take less time than baking huge stockpiles =)

But pretty sure my husband would not be too thrilled about this option and would eventually insist on counseling for me which would probably be more money than our grocery bill currently was so I decided to tackle making things from scratch. Monday after everyone got up from naps, they all got cooking T-shirts on, we played some music and we made 2 dozen banana muffins, a dozen blueberry muffins, and 2 loaves of banana bread (I had just bought a large supply of bananas on sale that I needed to use) The mixing everything up only took about 40 minutes so it wasn't too much time. The flour fight, the sugar dropped on the floor, and the nursing Justus was what made the experience a little lengthy.

We now have a nice little baked good stockpile in the freezer. My thought is to use these for snacks and breakfast and see if we can reduce our bill that way. I'll let you know if I actually follow through or if in 3 weeks I suddenly remember all the baked goods in my freezer that I forgot to use and then end up throwing them out b/c they've gone bad.

So if you happen to see me with greasy hair, you'll know this whole freezer stockpile thing didn't work for me.

9 comments:

Candace and Justin said...

haha - I love it.

Hannah Carrigan said...

I so would have been there! I love to bake. =)

Ashley Hawkins said...

You can also make homemade waffles and pancakes. A box of bisquick, a dozen eggs and oil makes about 40 or so waffles with our waffle maker. That is a lot cheaper than buying them. We spend about $5 on waffle and pancake mixes.

rachel said...

We're in the cost cutting mode too! Planning on making our own granola this weekend - cereal is so pricey!
Good idea with the baked goods. Aislin loves 'helping' to cook so it accomplishes two goals: edible treats and a playful afternoon.
Hugs to A, E and J from Aislin (she asks to check in on your blog anytime the computer is up!)

Ashley Hammond said...

cheap diapers at diapers.com. And it's free shipping if you spend over $49 on your order.

Kari said...

Rachel,
I found a recipe for granola but wasn't sure if it would taste all that great. let me know what you think and your recipe!

Kari said...

Ashley,
I've checked out their site before but I can get diapers cheaper at Kroger with the store deals, the coupons, and the cellfire coupons stacked together. But its definitely a good deal for anyone who lives where there's not a Kroger =)

Sara Beth said...

Kari--
If your baking stockpile goes well, those recipes I sent you have LOTS of quick breads so you can change it up. I just made the 3 grain peanut bread, coconut banana bread, and poppy seed bread for our freezer recently. I think breads are a great way to save on otherwise expensive breakfast options!

Sara Beth said...

Oh, and I'll agree with Ashley--we make up a big batch of waffle batter--eat them fresh and freeze the rest and have our own eggo type breakfast once or twice more from the leftovers!