We Mainers are cheap! I mean, THRIFTY! Haha.
Honestly, I think some of why our grocery bill is so low is because food is cheaper here. When my father was up here visiting, he went shopping with me, and he kept yelling things like, "Oranges are 4 for $1 here! They're 89 cents each in NJ!" and "You pay less than $1 for a dozen eggs! Holy cow!" etc etc.
But here's a few other things I do:
1. I never, ever, EVER buy bread. I go to our local bakery distribution center and pick up "expired" bread for FREE. You have to really look at it, to make sure you're not grabbing something moldy, but the last time I was there, I picked up an ENTIRE TRASH BAG of bread that was dated 3 or 4 days ahead (meaning, it was Dec. 31st and the bread was dated Jan. 4), for absolutely nothing, and stocked up the freezer.
2. I only buy meat/poultry items when they're on sale, and when they are, I stock up. I plan meals around what's cheap, not the other way around.
3. I don't buy name brands unless they're cheaper than the store brands.
4. I never buy packaged or prepared foods - canned soups, frozen dinners, stuff like that. It's just too expensive. I'm a do-it-yourself-er... if I can do it myself, I probably do. Like, instead of buying granola, I make my own. It's healthier and incredibly cheap.
5. I don't buy "special" foods. The only special item I ever buy is soy milk. Special-diet foods - like vegetarian "meats" - are expensive, and I just never buy them. If I want to eat vegetarian meals, I make recipes that use legumes (so cheap!) or just eat pasta and sauce or stirfries.
That's all I can think of. The funny thing is that I think $60 a week is HORRIBLE and way more than 2 people should be spending, so this thread is kind of a reality check. LOL! Once upon a time, I survived on my own on $10 a week for food. No freaking joke. It wasn't the healthiest diet in the world, but you'd be surprised how much you can eat on that little when you absolutely have to.
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Darn straight!
