OH THAT'S CHELSEY

3 generations farm women

Grocery Savings for a Farm & Ranch Family

Like most of the lessons my parents taught me, I didn’t realize they were lessons until I was an adult. Keeping our grocery spending in check is one of those lessons. It was a culture I lived and one that Kyle’s family also lived. Which has been such a blessing not to have to find a compromise on our styles over groceries!

My Quick List of How We Keep Grocery Spending as Low as We Can:

  1. I drink water.
    • Kyle is still purchasing drinks, but I subscribe his Propel to save money.
    • My parents supply the farm with bottled water and I’m doing my best to bring my cup + refill jug filled to wean ourselves off the waste and expense.
  2. Grocery shopping — if it’s not on sale we don’t buy it other than milk or eggs. When cheese, meat other than beef, dry goods, and canned goods are on sale we fill our pantry to get us to the next sale cycle.
    • We don’t go to town or to the grocery store often. Having to shop our pantry and freezer helps us keep our food rotated through without wasting as much.
    • Everyone recommends meal planning and I’m no exception. It’s definitely helped me make sure we are reaching for frozen pizzas less.
    • Watching the price per oz or price per item is something I also take the time to do. Almost on autopilot, I reach for the family size or the larger of the item if we have a choice thinking it will be the cheaper one and that hasn’t always been the case. The little number in the corner of the price tag showing how much each oz/item costs is the number I compare rather than the price for the whole package.
      • If we end up buying a larger version of a package than anticipated and it’s perishable, I’ll make a plan to use it right away to avoid wasting it. It’s the worst to try and save money then end up wasting all that money because the food was wasted.
  3. Bulk beef – This is SO HUGE. We save significant amounts of money buying beef as a half and get to enjoy all the more expensive cuts. A half fits in the freezer easier for us than a whole and it’s simply worked out that way to share with someone rather than taking a whole animal ourselves. I cannot emphasize enough how much money it saves us to buy a half of beef at a time! If you would like to do this for the first time and are unsure of where to source beef, call your local butcher and ask their thoughts.
  4. Using a few subscriptions has saved us money, kept our inventory managed without extra, and been such a help for me keeping mental tabs on everything. Highly recommend!
  5. When chicken breasts are on sale I stock up. Then bake them, chop them up, and store them in as much as I would use for a recipe. Then when I need a quick meal I can pull a chicken bag from the freezer and heat it quickly on the stove which helps us avoid grabbing a frozen pizza.
  6. Sometimes, I buy treats when they are on sale… Telling myself that they are on sale. In reality, I can reign that in and simply skip them. Even when they are on sale, they are still an expense, not free.
  7. We’re (as in me, not Kyle ;))currently working on eliminating packaged snacks. When life gets wild starting with calving and doesn’t let up until after harvest, I’ve relied on packaged snacks to fill the gaps. This year, I’m trying to bake protein muffins, slice summer sausage and cheese, and have fruit.
  8. Costco/Sam’s Club are places we occasionally hit when we get away a couple hours to a big town. There were definitely more snack options that we’ll leave now, but we use the Kodiak Cakes Pancake mix steady. Buying the pancake mix in bulk is significantly cheaper for us.
  9. The logical point to make here is growing a garden… And I’m not there, yet. I’m hoping someday, but right now, I’m not scheduling any time to go pull weeds in the summer.
  10. Eating at home rather than eating out on the road. This is a new one for us and the area of spending I’m working to be really intentional about this year. Read more here.

This isn’t a money saving idea, but it fits in the food and save culture: We don’t have a dog, but I’ve been saving a dog dish to haul our scraps to the farm for that dog or my mom’s cats. It’s not a money saving strategy per say, but it feels less wasteful to scrape our plates in anything other than the garbage destined for the burn bucket.

What would you add? What culture, habits and mindsets are so natural to you that you don’t even realize it’s a part of you while you’re keeping your family fed?

Leave a Comment

The Comments

  • Avatar
    Laura
    January 20, 2025

    When my kids were younger we kept “french fry” money in the car. If they could gather enough spare change out of the car for a fast food drive thru we would go. If there wasn’t enough we would pass. It also made them think about how much it did cost for the drive thru trip.

    They also were willing to contribute to the “French fry” fund for future trips.

    • chelsey
      chelsey
      > Laura
      January 24, 2025

      I LOVE THIS SO MUCH! I’m really trying to not give the impression of money scarcity to the kids. I want them to feel like if they want something they can go find a way to earn the money to make it happen. I feel like your tradition honors that perfectly. Thanks so much for sharing this 🙂

  • Avatar
    Janet Marie
    January 21, 2025

    I don’t have a family or live on a farm. I have a small condo in a big city. My food saving tips are 1) cook as much from scratch as possible, 2) cook big batches and freeze. Soups, chili, pasta dishes, stews are frozen in individual portions (for me—families can freeze family sized portions), 3) buy a high quality water filter system and eliminate bottle water purchases. (For the hubby, find a powder mix that he likes). This will eliminate plastic bottles, waste, cost. 4) bake your own bread.

    • chelsey
      chelsey
      > Janet Marie
      January 24, 2025

      Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this comment! I love how even though we live in vastly different places, the steps we can take to manage our groceries are the same. Great tips! I really appreciate you leaving them here for us!

  • Avatar
    Terry
    January 30, 2025

    Grow lettuce or a tomato or something in a tub. Just start like that and you’ll be amazed how easy it is and how much you’ll use what you grow!
    Also we invested in a great water filter/ ionizer that ended the plastic bottles

    • chelsey
      chelsey
      > Terry
      January 31, 2025

      Great suggestions! Will see what we can get in the ground this spring!

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