Saving money on food: STEP 1 Making a kitchen inventory

In order to save money on groceries, you need to know what it is you buy and what a good price really is.  This sounds intuitive but takes some time.  What do you eat and how do you cook?  Make a list by group (grains, cereal, oils, sugars etc.) of everything you currently have in your refrigerator and pantry.  My list is below, but will look different from yours.  List everything on a spreadsheet and make a grid with the grocery stores nearby where you shop.  Don't be afraid to include grocery stores, big box stores, discount stores, and foreign food markets (Asian, Latin, European etc.) What you are doing is creating a list of prices on the items you purchase so you can see what the current prices are.  Be careful to note price per pound etc. so you get an even comparison.  By the way, some of this can be done at home, as Sam's Club and Costco have some prices online.  Notice the differences in prices and circle the lowest.  Food prices change with market demands, seasonal pricing, drought, etc. so this is something you may want to do twice a year or so.  What you are learning here is the price for items you typically buy, so that you know what a good deal is.  This is a list that you can keep in your purse where it is handy.  As you work with this method, you may find that you don't need the list anymore because you know when you have a good deal through experience.


As a disclaimer, I do not buy prepared food or shop with coupons.  Here is what a typical menu may look like for us for the day: (keep in mind that I homeschool so I don't have boxed juices, granola bars, string cheese etc. around)

Breakfast:
oats, milk, raisins, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and milk
or whole wheat pancakes from scratch
or scrambled eggs

Lunch: 
leftovers from last nights dinner

Dinner:
brown rice
homemade chili
diced in season garden vegetables
in season fruit
(cook enough beans to freeze or use for another meal)
(make extra chili to use for say baked potatoes for lunch tomorrow with broccoli and cheese)

Snacks: (of course, with all these kids)
air popped popcorn
dried fruit
unsalted, dry roasted nuts
fresh fruit
fresh veggies
piece of cheese
homemade whole wheat bread with butter and honey

PANTRY STAPLES LIST GRAINS	Smiths	Walmart	Winco	Costco	Sams Club
red wheat
white wheat
white flour
corn meal
oats
brown rice
white rice
pasta
quinoa
popcorn
spaghetti
lasagna
manicotti
egg noodles
FATS/OILS
canola oil
olive oil
mayo
dressing
sesame oil
LEGUMES
pinto bean
black bean
split peas
lentils
garbanzo b.
kidney b.
SUGARS
honey
white sugar
brown sugar
molasses
corn syrup
maple syrup
jam
p sugar
DAIRY
powder milk
evap milk
butter
cheese
cottage cheese
sour cream
cream cheese
eggs
cream
COOKING
b. powder
b. soda
yeast
salt
wht vinegar
bals vinegar
asian vinegar
fish sauce
pepper
cooking spray
soy sauce
worst sauce
hot sauce
apple c vin
liquid smoke
corn starch
vanilla ext
almond ext
cocoa
chocolate chp
CONDIMENTS
ketchup
mustard
pickles
brown must
dressing*
mayo*
salsa
bbq sauce
NUTS/SEEDS
sunflower s.
peanuts
PB
almonds
pecans
walnuts
tahini
sesame s.
poppy seed
VEGTABLEs
can tomato
coco milk
coconut
dry potato
can green chiles
can tom paste
can crush tom
can olives
frozen
FRUIT
raisins
applesauce
dates
apricots
cranberries
can pineapple
can mand org
frozen
MEAT
tuna
beef
chicken
bacon
pork
SPICES
allspice
basil
bay leaves
bouillion-beef
bouillion-chk
bouillion-veg
cardamom
celery seed
chili p. HOT
chili powder
cinn
cloves
cumin
fennel
ginger
montreal
nutmeg
oregano
red pepper
thyme
HOME
Kitchen/bath
Dish soap
DW liquid
garbage bags
sponges
kitchen towels
al foil
plas wrap
zip bags
TP
wax paper
HYGIENE
shampoo
conditioner
deod- men
deod-women
bar soap
diapers
wipes
toothpaste
dental floss
toothbrush
dental stick
razors
gel
hair spray
makeup
feminine
hair things
Laundry
laundry soap
bleach
stain remove
CLEANING
bleach
comet
glass cleaner
pine sol
paper towels
OTHER
light bulbs
batteries
stamps
bandaids
medicine
vacuum bags
ibup
kids ibup
kids actemin
acetmin

Happy shopping!  Maybe some of these work for you or feel free to share other ideas.