The cost of food keeps going up what is the best way to buy food and save money for 8 people?

Question

I been living in total h**l i am finding it hard to help out my family of 7 including myself which makes it 8 people on my household. I work 1 job full time and most of the time take over time on the night till 9 or 11 pm.

I been constantly working my hours off and cant take it i only get paid about 400 to 500 dollars every 2 weeks and to say for the least its not enough to feed my family because they always invite guess to eat the food i always buy each week and theres constantly nothing on the fridge.

So i wanna ask is there a way to buy food that better benefits the food i buy?

I mean cheaper food because the cost of rice as risen to 2 dollars in new york city and telling everyone to conserve food isnt working and the bag of rise is about 18 to 23 dollars a bag.

Honestly i feel like a man wearing rags i cant buy clothes anymore i been wearing this old clothes for 6 months now but i still look decent is there a way?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

go to cosco or sam's club

Answer 2

Check out Angel Food Ministries and see if there is one in your area.  They have a ministry providing inexpensive food to families.  Also check out possibilities for food stamps.  With that many people in your household you should qualify.

Other than that I'd say keep your eyes open for other money making opportunities.  They are out there, you just have to take advantage of them.

God Bless!

Answer 3

I know exactly how you feel, you are not alone. However try the following hints:

Only buy what's on sale: includes one day sale or discontinued items

Brand identity: Generic. Read label. Most contain the same ingredients

Bulk: Place 1 day portions into freezer bags. Can goods & dry items

Dept HR: Contact local branch for EBT food stamps. $50 may help

Portion control: Cook enough for only 1 helping per person instead of 2

Leftovers: Eat the next day; I do not like to do but have to. LOL

Beverages: Limit on sodas and teas. Drink more water.

Students: If cheaper eat breakfast and lunch @ school; not @ home.

Adults: Limit vendor machine purchases. Sack lunch instead.

Shopping Trips: Only on these little 'super saving days'

Good Luck!

Answer 4

There are coupon sites on the internet where you can print food coupons.  Tell your family to try and minimize having gueats over.   Explain to them your financial struggles.

I don't know how much you earn, but you might be eligible for food stamps and/or food from a soup kitchen pantry.  Also, focus on providing nutritious, but low cost meals.

Additional details:

Some supermarkets raise their prices around the 1st of the month and then lower the prices after that.   A lot of people receive social security and other types of checks on the first of the month and evil people in the supermarket industry know this and know they will be shopping on the first of the month.

Answer 5

You have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T. What kind of cutbacks can you make? For example: I drink bottled water. Now at $1 a bottle on something that covers over 65% of our planet is not smart. So I bought one of those water filters that s***w into your faucet. I have bottles that I refil over and over again. I take them to work. Do you have a lot of small appliances around that house that are always on? I cut my electronic bill almost in half by unplugging all the clock radios and night lights. I also bought some of those florescent bulbs that look a lot like a regular bulb. These things use 80% less electricity than regular bulbs. You would be surprised, but these small things add up. I know I was spending money on the water filter and energy efficient bulbs but these things will pay for themselves in a month providing they pertain to you. If you really need the money right away start cutting back on your food costs. Romain noodles cost a dime and they taste just as good as campbells chicken noodle that costs $130 a can. Ok no chicken in romain noodles, but you are probably just missing about 4 tiny pieces of chicken. Put a brick inside your toilet 'chamber'. You will use a little lesser water each time you flush..Before you know it you will be ahead. Wanna be creative? Find yourself leaving lights on? Buy a motion sensor switch, the lights will turn on when you enter the room and will turn off (by a set amount of time) when you leave the room. I have one, they cost $15 at HomeDepot. Need new windshield wipers for your car? Who says you have to buy 2? You only need the new one on the drivers side, leave the old wiper on the passenger side.  So remember you have to start thinking S-M-A-R-T! Yours truly seahorsehawrey.

Answer 6

not only should you buy and both but also, when your family invites guests kindly ask them to bring over a dish of food to add to your meal. That way you don't use more food than you normally would. I'm sure they wouldnt mind at all

Answer 7

Try finding outlet stores. These are stores that are ran by the manufacturer. In my small town there are two bread outlet stores where a loaf can be purchased at one half to one third the cost of the normal grocery store. Any grain centered good can be bought at bread company outlet stores for quite a bit cheaper.

If you live in NYC, there should be a much wider variety of outlet stores than there are here.  

Answer 8

Grow your own fruit, vegies, herbs. keep chickens use their manure on your fruit and vegies...Endless supply of fresh food and it's organic!!!

Answer 9

  buy  in  bulk  and  every  body  has  to  eat  at  the  same  time  to  divide  food  equally.

Answer 10

Trying filling your family up with really cheap, cheerful and mega quick soups and, if you can get hold of some slightly overripe fruit from a local market/store that they're willing to sell off cheap, try making a quick and easy jam/jelly to tide them over.  If you go to the link below you'll find what I do to make soup.  If you click on my name at the top of the article, it'll also take you through to my cheap, easy and quick jam making.

Answer 11

buy in bulk, here are a few link's

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=...

http://personalbudgeting.suite101.com/ar...

http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/S...

don't forget the goodwill stores

they have clothes and some with the tag's still on them.

thrift stores

you can find stiff there also

second hand stores

my college professor showed me where he got his dress slacks for class & i went & got a few pairs for my son, cheep to!

Answer 12

Shop at the end of the day, most shops drastically reduce the prices of foods at their "sell by" date, so buy and freeze.  This means (depending on your freezer) you can keep them for up to 3 months without problems.

Bulk buy - whenever shops have a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGOF) on, do it, but only if it's things you need.  I do this for things like detergent, toilet and kitchen rolls.

Go to a garden centre, buy some vegetable plants, some compost and cheap pots.  Depending on the weather near you you may be able to plant up some fruit and veg and get a crop this year - failing that, next year you'll have your own supply of fresh, pesticide free food.

I grow my own fruit (too many too list), herbs, tomatoes, chillies, potatoes and peas.  Small outlay for a constant supply of food!  

Answer 13

i think that diffuclt but you can use eggs with macrona  

Answer 14

The first thing to do is put your foot down and tell your family to stop inviting guests to your house to eat.  That is ridiculous.  Next, use a local food bank if you have one.  There is a great web site called hillbillyhousewife that has tons of money saving recipes.  Buy in bulk when you can.  I know it's very difficult and you will really have to sit down with your family and tell them straight up how tough it is on you.  Sometimes they just need to be made aware.  Good luck to you, I'm sure you'll get lots of good advice on here.