Money Matters

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

:)bride — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 23:52:46 GMT

Do you have a publix near you, or a winn dixie? Both of these stores do a ton of BOGO free. Take advantage of these deals, and only buy what you need. Plan your meals and freeze items so you don't end up letting food go to waste.

Also, if you are ok with shopping at Walmart, they pricematch any competitors item that list the actual price (not a % off, of BOGO). For instance, one of the discount grocery stores had an ad that listed boneless skinless chicken breast for 1.88/lb, with no brand listed! So I went to walmart and got the best brand I could find, 99% fat free, specially trimmed chicken breast for the same price.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

Stephanie&Shawn — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:00:42 GMT

I'm a fan of the www.grocerygame.com. They have a $1 trial. It's quite entertaining.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

urbankitten — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:43:45 GMT

I tend to buy items in bulk that end up being costlier when i have to purchase them in the grocery store. these things are toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, rice/noodles, cereal, and meat. I do this a few times a year so that when i go to the grocery store, I only purchase fresh food things for the next 1 or 2 weeks.

Sam's Club, BJ's, and Costco are some options.

I buy frozen meat from sams club because you can keep it for about a year. fresh meat is expensive and i don't like cooking all the time. you can get a few lbs of individually frozen salmon fillets for under $20, a 10lbs bag of boneless skinless chicken breast for about $13. You can also get the non perishables or items that are brown bag lunch staples at one of these places too ( think cereal, apple sauce, drinks, crackers, etc).

When I go to the grocery, I am usually only buying produce and since produce is expensive i have a limited budget and buy only what is in season and what i know i like and will eat. The meat and starches (rice/noodles) are already at home in bulk so i am buying only the finishing touches for fresh fruits and veggies needed to complete a meal.

believe it or not, buying certain items in bulk saves money, even though i live alone and have no kids. it just depends on what you are buying. By doing this, i can limit my grocery bill to be only about $250 or less a month because most of the stuff I need is already at home and i shop in bulk 2 or 3 times a year.

if you have a Sam's club around, the annual membership is only $40, which is well worth the savings when you can get about 40 rolls of toilet paper for less than $15. Since you have a baby, this may help too because you can purchase diapers there (unless you are using cloth nappies) and formula (unless you are breastfeeding). A friend of mine said that those two things were the most expensive part of her baby budget. Stocking up on tooth paste, shampoo, body wash/soap, and other house hold essentials is great there and it also ultimately cuts down on the grocery bull because you have to purchase them less often,

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

illinikayaker — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:45:45 GMT

Nothing wrong with clipping coupons. :) In fact, the grocery store we go to doubles coupons (yeah!) and offers coupons for their own generic brand (which is actually pretty darn good).

We also plan our meals for the whole week before doing our grocery shopping and that way it's easier not only to plan use what we have on hand already or is going to go bad soon, but it's easier to plan a nutritionally balanced weeks worth of meals

Stock up when stuff is on sale, and when I'm getting low on a staple, I make a note of it so I can watch to see if it goes on sale even if I don't need it quiiite yet.

Buy as much in bulk as you can and rather than looking at the big price on the label, look at the unit price (in tiny print up on the top left of the store's price label) which will help you get the best value for your money.

**Fun unit price story, I was getting chocolate chips to use in baking and by checking the unit price, I discovered that Ghirardelli chocolate chips were 20% cheaper than the store brand chips! Scoooooore!!! :)

Shop your local farmer's market. It's usually cheaper, not to mention more nutritious and eco friendly!

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

Kentuckychick_8201 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:06:49 GMT

I shop at discount grocery stores for what items I can and then I buy sales items elsewhere. If you shop at places like save a lot you can really save a lot of money.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

2knights — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:27:44 GMT

I'm a member of The Grocery Game (at www.thegrocerygame.com). It does involve clipping coupons, but it takes the work out of having to figure out where to use them - the site automatically matches up coupons from the paper to that week's sales at whichever stores you choose in your area. You can get a 4-week trial for $1, and then you can see if it works for you. No obligation after that!

Good luck!!

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

RyansRose — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:31:03 GMT

Actually, I'm pretty lucky that my best girlfriend is a member of Sam's Club and let's me just come shop with her whenever I need to buy bulk. I was with her recently when she renewed her membership and I think it's only like
$30 a year for the basic membership, so it would be totally reasonable to find a friend and go half-sies and then shop together. Plus it's a great excuse to get out with my girlfriend for a few hours at a time!

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

h.sugarpie — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:25:40 GMT

The only other thing I have to add from the other posts is Costco. I buy a bag of chicken breasts and other meats as well as peanut butter / cheese sticks. Going once a month and buy the things you use the most! Even though there is a monthly membership I make that back.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

RyansRose — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:48:24 GMT

There are a few things that we do to keep our grocery costs down. I know everyone's situation is different, so I hope these help!

1. I buy generic on the stuff we go through a lot of: milk, toilet paper, tissues, bread, soda. It saves us a lot of money in the long run. There are some things I won't compromise quality or flavor on, but generics have come a LONG way since the days of our parents or when we were kids.

2. Our community has all the supermarkets clumped together on one main road, all less than 2 miles from each other, so I'm not afraid to shop around if I know that one store is having a sale on something I need or always sells an item cheaper. Because I usually shop at the same place, and I am a price-watcher, I can recognize when a sale is a good value or if it's just a promotion to get me to buy something. I'm not afraid to switch brands and try something new if the sale price justifies it.

3. I buy a lot of non-perishables at the Dollar Tree. I buy generic pain relievers there, all our shampoos and conditioners (I've checked - the brands I buy at the Dollar Tree are available at my supermarket for about 3x the price), body wash, toiletries like q-tips and cottonballs. You can also gind good deals on snacks there like chips, cookies, & candy. And condiments! The generic store brand condiments are always at least 35 or 50 cents more expensive at the supermarket than the name brand ones at the Dollar Tree!

4. I know a lot of people have talked about not buying pre-packaged food as a way to save money, and in some cases I agree (head lettuce lasts about 10 times, no exaggeration, longer than bagged salad!). However, there is a "waste" issue in our household and I am absolutely loathe to throw away food. Buying snack packs for lunches helps with portion control AND with not having leftover half-bags of snacks shoved in the back of the cabinet or fridge. We also buy a lot of individual servings of yogurt and fruit cups (versus fresh fruit because again, we have the "waste" issue and frankly, we just never eat all the bananas or peaches before they go bad).

5. The supermarket we use most (Stop & Shop) has a rewards program when you use their little scanner card at the checkout. For every $100 we spend in groceries, we get a coupon for $10 off. Additionally, for every 6 gallons of milk we buy, we get a coupon for a free gallon of milk. We are definitely a milk household, so that earns us a free gallon of milk about once a month. The $10 coupon basically means we spend $90 to everyone else's $100 in groceries.

6. Some people might disagree with this tactic, but I find that we spend less if we shop more often. When the cupboards are bare and there is nothing in the fridge, we tend to go overboard stocking up on groceries. It is very convenient for me to stop at the store on my way home from work, so I do that a couple of times a week to pick up any staples we are missing and then we do one bigger trip every couple of weeks. Those weeknight trips help me spread out the bigger shopping trip and I'm usually in a hurry to get home and have dinner, so I don't lollygag around the store buying more than we really need.

7. Last one! I pass a roadside farm stand on my way to and from work, which is possibly the cheapest way imaginable to buy fresh veggies. The corn is always better (fresher, tastier) than at the supermarket, and 50 cents an ear is a deal to me. Fresh green beans, lettuce, peppers, zucchini, potatoes - always there on my way home from work. And the best part is that I can buy enough for our dinner with whatever change is in my wallet or car.

All this talk about groceries and food has made me hungry!

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

dec13th — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:34:12 GMT

Avoid paying full price for your items. I do this with sales + coupons. When something is on sale, stock up. Put extra in the freezer or the pantry. Plan a menu and plan it around what you have in the house and what is on sale. You could find a farmer's market or a local produce place for fruits & veggies.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

Crash*Into*Me — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:21:07 GMT

My ideas are the same as the pp's. I clip coupons, but I never remember to bring them. The thing that has helped me the most is to plan out a week's worth of meals before I go to the store. I write out everything I will need for each meal, plus sides and then cross stuff off if I have it in the house.

I buy quite a bit of store brand items, although there are some things I'm not willing to switch. I also overlap meals and rarely use the called for amount of meat. I'm not a big ground beef eater, DH can't live without it. Say I make spaghetti-I cook enough of the beef for his portion of spaghetti and leave it off mine. There's enough meat to make another meal or two!

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

sugardumpling — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 13:58:33 GMT

i go online and print out circulars for 3 supermarkets that i like. buy what is on sale provided i need it. use coupons, store key chain cards, bring my own bags (you get 2% off bill) watch the register, get rain checks. I only buy store brand cerals, breads and peanut butter and snacks. i get the 20 pack of scott toilet paper when it is $4.99- $9.99. and meat, chicken pork has to be less than 1.99 per lb and i get the family sized pack and break it up into dinner sized portions in the freezer. as an added incentive, i take whatever amount is listed on the bottom of receipt and dump it into out ING account.

and avoid convenience foods, prepackaged stuff etc.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

sweetiebird726 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:15:59 GMT

we generally buy the generic version of a LOT of things, and stock up on pantry staples when they're on sale. I don't actually use coupons generally (half since I forget to bring them and half because they are for things I don't buy) but when we go grocery shopping we always have a set budget in mind that we can't cross. If we find we're spending above that, we start taking out things that aren't as immediately necessary.

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

fliang — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:59:46 GMT

Plan your meals.
Cook from scratch (no pre-packaged foods)
Consider cooking in large batches - sometimes it's quite economical to double recipes.
"Bulk up" your meals with inexpensive ingredients - when I make enchiladas I add about 2 cups of cooked long grain rice to the meat filling. (add some salsa to keep the filling moist) Just by adding the rice I can make 24 enchiladas instead of 12. Eat more vegetarian meals.
Look for cheaper sources of protein (tofu, eggs)
If you cook meat make sure you are price concious - i.e. it's cheaper to buy and roast a few whole chickens and then shred the meat up than to buy chicken breasts. Also, many inexpensive cuts of pork and beef can be cooked slowly/braised and taste really good.
Don't waste anything - for example, if you roast chicken and pick the meat off, freeze the bones and skin in ziploc freezer bags. When you have 2-3 chickens in the freezer you can make a huge batch of chicken stock and then freeze it in different portion sizes. Homemade stock tastes awesome (especially in risotto) and is cheap and easy to make.
Veggie soups as an appetizer are your friend. I made ginger carrot soup, celery soup and potato leek often. The ingredients are cheap and if you puree your soups I find they taste really rich and yummy. This is a good way to fill my DH up with inexpensive and healthy food so when it comes time to eat the main course he eats a smaller portion of the more expensive stuff (ex. meat)

Re: Trying to cute back on grocery costs...

Emmybean — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:59:58 GMT

I don't clip coupons because I generally don't buy a lot of prepackaged food, but I always shop sales and stock up on things we eat anyhow when they are less expensive.

I alternate weeks at Trader Joes vs. the "normal" Grocery Store.

I have several meals that are made every week, and plan other meals before shopping.

I shop with a list and stick to it as much as possible.

I know where specific things are cheapest (ie, eggs are cheaper at TJs, milk is cheaper at Fred Meyer, DH's energy drinks are cheapest at Target) and plan the purchase of those items around shopping at those stores.