Smith Brothers Farm $12.36
Can you believe it? I signed up for home milk delivery. Yep, I sure did. And let me tell you why.
Besides the fact that fresh, local milk is better for you, when I wrote down my 12 goals for 2014 I had one thing in mind, getting organized. So, how is that going to save me money?
Well, for years now I’ve felt like I was always zipping into the grocery store for “just one thing” and milk was always at the top of the list. So I decided that if I had it delivered, I’d spend less time running to the grocery store, thus spending less money on groceries in general.
I’m not sure if it is going to work, but my goal is to try and use the items in our pantry and freezer more and just go grocery shopping once a week instead of making 2 or 3 small trips.
Even though I am not great at planning meals ahead of time, I’m optimistic that my new goal of shopping less often will work out in the end. We’ll see.
Mr. Produce Guy – Free
Last week we enjoyed another basket of fresh fruit and veggies from Mr. Produce Guy. Yum-O!
So there you have it, milk and produce. That’s it. 😉
How often do you buy groceries?
Do you get your milk delivered? Do you think it cuts down on your shopping trips?
Mavis wants to know.
Total Spent This Week $12.36
Total Spent This Year $12.36
Total Spent This Year on Garden Seeds/Supplies $0
Nicole says
So I eat organic and have seen real improvements in my health taking pesticides and GMOs out of my diet. Do u have suggestions on how someone could save $ and still eat this way? I spend $180 a week on groceries (everything we need is included, not just food) easily. I don’t eat sugar, flour or processed foods so the bulk of what we eat is grass fed meat, organic veges, organic fruit and seeds/nuts. I am aware of the clean 15 and try to not buy those organically. So how can I spend less? Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
I would say just keep on trying to reduce your budget slowly and don’t waste any food. Leftovers rule and also buy in bulk when you can. 🙂
Lisa says
Nicole-
We have been doing a lot of that as well. Our Winco has started carrying organic produce at a cheaper price so we still shop there. We buy ALL of our meat from local farmers. We have some farms here that charge $7/lb for grass fed ground beef but if you buy a cow (or half or quarter) that price will be 1/2 that at least. We buy 1/4 cow and it lasts our family of four for six months. Of course you must have a chest freezer. Gardening has helped as well. We grow hordes of veggies in the summer and process them for later. I just made spaghetti last night with sauce from August when I made HUGE batches of spaghetti/pizza sauce and froze. The meals are super fast to put together and seriously just the cost of the seeds to grow the produce.
Also, are you buying your “other stuff” where you buy your groceries? Sometimes it is better to buy cleaning supplies, paper supplies etc somewhere else or on Amazon. It can be much less expensive depending on what you are getting.
Good Luck!
Tina says
I had the same plan for my grocery shopping in 2014. I was in the habit of stopping several times per week for a few items. Hoping to save time and $$$.
Krista S says
on the subject of meal planning, if you’re new to it, start with just one week but give yourself about 10 recipes. You can either write them down and choose one everyday or do what my daughter loves doing and putting them on strips in a bag and picking one at random that she gets to help with when she picks it. Same goes with brother, maybe have Lucy the puggle dog pick one:) Anywho thats how i started meal planning and now i do full months in advanced as well as holidays as far as 3 months away.
Mavis Butterfield says
What a fun idea Krista! 🙂 I’m sire Lucy the Puggle dog would have a blast.
Wendy Steele says
Hello Mavis,
I think your plan for Milk Delivery is a great one!!! Saves time $$$ AND gas!!! No one can go to the grocery store and just buy ONE thing. So if you were headed there for milk a couple of times a week–I believe this home-delivery move will save you TON$$$$$!!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
Let’s hope so, I hope by paying a little more for milk it will cut down on my spending in the long run. 🙂
Karen in VA says
Regular milk delivery is awesome! I, too, have milk delivered (in glass bottles) and it definitely cuts down on the trips to the store “just for milk”. And often I would need milk for a recipe and hot have it on hand, or have enough. And, the delivered milk is all natural, no growth hormones, etc., so the extra cost is worth it. Not to mention, it tastes fantastic! On another note, my sister, who lives in Kent, has been getting Smith Bros. milk delivered for nearly 20 years, and has never been disappointed!
Mavis Butterfield says
Awesomesauce! 🙂
1authorcygnetbrown says
I am interested to know how well the milk home deliver helps you manage to only pay $100 for groceries. If it works for you, perhaps it will work for me as well!
Erin says
Getting milk delivery from Smith Brothers has saved me a ton of money. I was buying milk at Costco because they had the best price on organic. So I was going to Costco every week….you can imagine how that ended! Now I can do Costco every other month. Plus the Smith Brothers milk is delicious!
Lynne says
Mavis, I’m with Wendy on this – cutting down on the temptation to pick up just one or two other things while you’re in the store to pick up milk has to have a good impact on your spending. Here in NY, we have a chain of drive-through stores that sell milk and other staples. I avoid the over-priced staples, but the milk is consistently fresh and costs about what you’d spend elsewhere, so this is where I shop for milk. It certainly beats a quick run through a temptation-laden supermarket!
On the subject of garden goals for this year, I agree with you about growing what you and your family will actually eat (and for this purpose, I say your chickens count as family, so go for some kale!) and am wondering if you’ll be setting goals beyond that.
Jessika says
Milk delivery is a great idea! Wish we had something like that locally. I like your idea of eating from your pantry more often too. We just set our budget for 2014 and my goal for the month of January is to eat almost entirely from our pantry/freezer and spend almost nothing on groceries (except for maybe milk and eggs or a particular ingredient for a recipe). I have a $50 gift card to our local co-op that I plan to use for the staples if we need anything. So far, six days in, we are doing great!
Julie Snider says
Everybody loves Smith Brothers, but we got milk that had curdled SOLID from them on 3 different occasions! 🙁 I’d love to try them again, but I don’t think my man would go for it. I definitely think it helps to reduce your trips to the store!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I’m telling you- try using your own meal planning series. Test it for a month or two. Even if you don’t stick to the plan, I bet you will find it both a time and money saver. And as I said yesterday, I try to plan two weeks at a time but I often have a few days that I go rogue, so to speak. It still works for me though.
KK @ Preppy Pink Crocodile
Bible Babe says
My shopping depends on the weather, and if I can get a ride or if my son and I have to walk with our back packs. We only have one truck, so since town is only a couple of miles, walking is most of our transport. I have a large pack and my son has one slightly smaller, so we can carry a lot of groceries (I once carried 30 pounds of meat home in mine). Sometimes we shop once or twice a week, sometimes only every other week, and on some Sundays, I get to go couponing with my friend, so i try to stock up big.
Linda says
I’ve considered milk delivery. We have our produced delivered (CSA). I could add milk but we don’t drink a ton. I do buy it from Costco and freeze it but I’m trying to reduce my Costco trips.
Nan C says
We had Smith for YEARS (plus I had it growing up). I got rid of it last year (yes the taste is great – but after much searching I’ve found Lucerne to be just as good!). I don’t like their minimum of $10 per week (40% of your monthly budget will be on milk!) and if you don’t order $10 per week – they add the difference to your monthly bill – no exceptions. They also are overpriced by about 25%. Also their customer service sucks (I’ll spare the details..) I was their #1 fan for years but no longer 🙁
shelby says
I get Smith bros too! I am a mama with two small boys and man do I hate lugging gallons of milk from the grocery store. It was the best thing I have done since getting chickens! I think their milk tastes WAY better too!
Renay says
We have been using Smith Brothers for years – love them! Local, organic, and I help to employ folks who are my neighbors. You can change your order any time you want, add or subtract. Never had a problem ever.
I make a meal plan specifically because we are busy and I buy what is on sale. Basketball game Tuesday night? Crock pot dinner. You get the picture…days you have time, make a lasagna, days you don’t are crock pot or soup days. Plus by buying sale items, it can be really economical.
You can really free up your time and mind for other things – like dreaming as you look as seed catalogs!
Jennifer says
We love Smith Bros. The milk tastes so much better! It is easy to skip a week on their website if you are out of town, or just have too much milk left over. My kids love their chocolate milk for special lunch treat ($0.40 from them versus $1.35 at school!) It is also SO great to have a special delivery when you get back from a trip and your fridge is empty (milk, bread, lunch meat, cheese). And since their milk is so fresh, it lasts a very long time.
Jennifer says
I find it is easier for me to make a list of meals while I am putting my groceries away. I tried to make a meal plan, and then shop, but then I find things on sale at the store which throws everything off. As I take the groceries out of the bags, I make a list (that I stick on the fridge) of the meals that I bought/have on hand. Then, when it comes time to make dinner I just find something on list that sounds good, and cross it off.
sheila says
Would LOVE to get milk delivered but I don’t think it’s available in my area. Since we have our own cattle, theoretically I could get it directly from the source, but honestly, that ain’t gonna happen for multiple reasons. I get a gallon for $1.99 with a limit of 6 gallons at Aldis. With a 4 yo, 2 yo, and a 2 month old, we use every bit of it. I get my quota every time we go to town whether we need it or not and I just put the surplus in the freezer. Next best thing to delivery.
Robin says
We have a lovely Nigerian Dwarf milk goat. They don’t eat a ton, because they are small, but they make a LOT of milk for their size. They milk is they best I’ve ever tasted. Doesn’t taste “goaty”. And I LOVE her. I’m not sure that we save money though. I don’t have much time for making yogurt and cheese, but some do. I love never having to go to the store for milk and it’s my therapy to sit quietly while she munches and I milk.
Cheryl says
We are trying to eat entirely from pantry and freezer this month. So far, so good. A stockpile is a must as far as I’m concerned and that’s on everything.
Milk delivery sounds great – but absolutely NO WAY would I pay $6 a gallon for milk. That’s highway robbery for our area. Never pay more than 1.99/gal. Sorry but I don’t care how fresh it is – I wouldn’t pay that.