How do you save on groceries? Any tricks?

[jec2]

DH just did the grocery shopping for this week and called to say he spent over $200! YIKES.

I spent Friday and Saturday putting together weekly meal plans (thanks Amy--daisymommy) and told DH that we would would now take turns with dinner and would "try" to shop only once a week.

Me Oh My! $200 on groceries?! Granted, I think he picked up some things off the list (like the mylar balloon Finn went bonkers for!).

Seriously, how do you keep your grocery trips affordable? And, we don't eat much meat so I know that isn't driving up our bill.

[amazz]

For one I didn't send DH to the store by himself until I trusted he wouldn't buy things off the list and wouldn't buy all the name brand stuff. :) His mom only buys brand name so it took about 6 months for me to really convince him that bag cereal really did taste the same as the box cereal and it cost a lot less! And once your pantry is stocked it won't cost that much every week. There are some times we I let our fridge and pantry get down to the condiments and then our grocery bill can get up to $100 to get meals done for the week and also get things like flour, sugar, etc. (the cost of living is extremely low in our town so it would cost a lot more somewhere else). When I was living in a not so low cost area, I spent Sunday afternoon clipping coupons and made sure I used them only if I was already buying that stuff anyway. So to sum things up, here is my advice:
1. buy name brand products only when it makes a difference in the taste or quality of the product
2. stick to the list
3. don't let your pantry and fridge get too low on "regular" supplies
4. clip and use coupons for products you were going to buy anyway

HTH! and good for you for planning out your meals!
Angela
EDD 10/15/04
A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. ~Carl Sandburg

[tinkerbell1217]

3 words..WAL MART SUPERCENTER!!! I had been spending around $130 a week at Publix and now when I go to WMSC I am almost always under $100 a week. Ocassionally, I do spend more, but only weeks when I need extra diapers or wipes. And, during hurricane season here in Florida I end up spending more to replenish supplies every now and then. I haven't ever really used coupons since they rarely have coupons for what I buy except for diapers and wipes. I also NEVER go when I am hungry. It helps!

[jbowman]

One thing that we do to avoid spending a lot of money on groceries is go out to eat a lot (unfortunately I am only half-joking)! Seriously I avoid buying expensive processed food (like chips, cookies, frozen dinners, etc) and stick to the basics: fruit, bread, cheese, etc. Bags of chips, etc., can really drive up the bill, IMHO.

[C99]

Check out Miserly Moms by Jonni McCoy -- she has some great tips on how to save money as a SAHP and 90% of them are about grocery shopping.

I also do a meal plan once/week and shop accordingly, and that helps a lot with cutting down the expense. I've even started to plan lunch (my husband works at home) and shop for that, too.

I also shop at multiple stores, which is something I learned from the book. I used to shop exclusively at Trader Joe's, but then I realized that I was spending $4 on a bucket of cookies. It's important to me that our staples -- milk and meat -- are hormone-free/organic, so I still will spend the money on those. But produce and lunchmeat are a lot cheaper at a local market, so I buy those there. I buy bread at an outlet (it's next to Target and my bank, so not completely out of the way) when I am there, and buy baking supplies at Albertson's/Safeway. Aldi has some really good deals on basic things -- milk, bread, sugar, flour, cheese, etc. but it's so far out of the way for me that I don't save much.

I also not try not to buy a lot of convenience foods -- like the $4 buckets of cookies or individual packs of applesauce. :) I try to make more things from scratch that I would otherwise buy -- spaghetti sauce, cookies, tea breads, etc.

Oh, and I don't buy soft drinks and potato chips/snack foods on a regular basis. I do buy Teddy Grahams or Goldfish on sale for Nate, but don't buy a lot of those things for my husband or me.

[KrisM]

I went to the 2 local stores and to Sam's with a list of my normal foods. I wrote down the prices and sizes at each store. I then continued to do that with sale prices at the local stores. Now, I have a good idea of how much I am willing to pay for various foods and I stock up when I see them for that price. I don't have a ton of extra space for foods though, so it only works so well.

We don't buy a lot of pre-made things, either. We make our own spaghetti sauce, pizza, etc. It's much cheaper that way. We don't eat out very often - maybe once every 6 or so weeks.

I also do the math to make sure the size I'm buying is the best price per unit. The signs give most of the info, but occassionally, it gives one in $/oz and the other in $/lb, which drives me nuts. Shop with a calculator, if you need to.

Finally, watch the scanner as the foods go. A lot of times, especially at the beginning of the sale week, the sale prices aren't in the computer and the higher price rings up. This can cost a lot!

[brubeck]

Albertson's had a big problem with this and now by court order if it happens and you catch them they have to give you $10 off your bill. It doesn't seem to be happening anymore!

[DDowning]

try this site: www.grocerygame.com Its not available in all areas (it started in California) but the savings really add up over time. A couple of the mom's in my mom's group tipped me off about it and its really made a dent in my grocery bills - helps me figure out what's a good deal or not with all the coupons from Sunday's paper too!

HTH!

ETA: If anyone signs up from seeing this link here, can you put me down as a referral? My email is dede670 at aol.com (no spaces). Thanks!!!

[mharling]

- I do the bulk of our shopping at Trader Joe's and our local chain. I know which items are cheaper at which store and unless it's an emergency, only buy them at that store. I make an occasional run to a different chain store if there are enough good deals to be had.
- I clip coupons for things we use regularly and flip through the sale flyers every Sunday. Between watching the sales and using coupons, I stock up on things instead of paying full price when we really NEED something. Lots of things (e.g. shredded cheese, bread, cereal, butter) can be stored in the freezer to extend their life.
- I buy extra milk when it's on sale provided that the date is out far enough. I used to buy one gallon of whole and one gallon of skim at a time.
- I regularly buy store brand.

I have no idea how much doing these things saves, but I do know it helps. Now if I could just plan our meals better!

Mary
Lane - April 2003
Little brother or sister on the way - EDD March 2

[bostonsmama]

I'm the saving Queen! Like many of the PP's, I ALWAYS shop by unit price ($/lb or $/fl oz)...so that I can get the most product for my buck....sometimes that means the smaller size bottle of ketchup is actually cheaper than the larger one. I recently discovered Kroger, where the store doubles or even triples your coupon value (up to 50 cents). Recently, I bought $168 worth of groceries for $59 out the door...they paid me to take certain products....like a jar of Ragu on sale 2 for $3.00, then my 50 cent coupon tripled to $1.50-Free pasta sauce!

Also, I keep a running tab in my head of good prices. I won't buy Del Monte canned veggies or diced tomatoes for over 50 cents/can, nor will I pay over 99 cents for Cambell's Chunky Soups (plus I try to use coupons). I stock up when I see a great price, as well. I almost never buy generic products, but I'm also never brand-loyal (unless I really won't like the product). Depending or not on whether you'll eat prepared foods, sometimes that's where you'll get the best deals (especially with coupons and loss leaders). Almost every night I'll make a from-scratch meal like meatloaf, chicken cacciatore, or tortilla soup--but I love to supplement these meals with easy sides like Rice-a-Roni, Lipton pasta sides, prepacked caesar salad, frozen stir-fry veggies, or just-add-water Bisquick breads. Most of these items I get when they're on sale and heavily couponed...so they're almost free.

In my ten years of cooking and shopping, I've always been amazed at how much a home-cooked meal costs: my average lasagne--$6 for mozarella, $2 for pasta sauce, $3 for sliced ham, $3 for ground beef, $4 for ricotta, $2 for noodles, $2 for green pepper, $1 for onion=$23 plus tax and enormous prep time. Stouffers sells an excellent party size lasagna for $9.99 at most Walmarts. So, from-scratch isn't always best...I still make my own, but it's not a benefit financially.

Best advice, go though your weekly circulars and see what's on special, then plan your meals around those items. If cabbage is on sale, make pork chops and peppered cabbage. If chicken is on sale, try to make a special soup. A great site for recipes is www.allrecipes.com ...They have the best recipes with ratings and reviews for each one (I only use recipes with 5 star ratings and at least 15 reviews). If you have a particular ingredient you need to use, just type in what you have and a database will churn out any relevant recipes (from a list of thousands...all free). Best of luck! Final word: I never shop at wharehouse clubs either because it costs to join (yikes-$40/yr) and the savings don't warrant the membership fee or the useless crap you'll take out of there...who wants 5lbs of gouda, a gallon of olives, and a thousand yards of dental floss?


Ps, hubby and I saved hundreds of dollars this summer by growing most of our veggies: for $10 in seeds, we harvested Roma and beefstake tomatoes (so many we gave most of them away!), english cucumber, ocra, green pepper, buttercrunch lettuce, and green beans (bush). Fall crops will include potatoes, broccoli, romaine, swiss chard, and carrots.

[jec2]

Thanks everybody for your input. This is all food for thought.

The grocery game...This is intriguing, but almost "too good to be true." No? It's almost as if we spent less just buying spontaneosly. Of course, we have been eating out a lot.

Honestly, we are usually "pretty good" about shopping. Well, at least I try to buy the cheapest price per unit, shop on the exterior of the market, therefore very little processed foods (we don't buy chips, cookies, pop, etc), we don't each much meat. I do know usually what to buy at Trader Joes etc.

[jec2]

Wow, you are a savings queen. So, I have on occasion used a coupon at Ralphs to then discover it was a "double coupon." But, it was all by accident and haven't struck that again. How do double coupons work. I know I sound dumb, but really, how do I play and win at double coupons?

[jec2]

I think sending DH was a BIG mistake. He's the kind of guy who will say, "hey, you want $150 for those groceries? Well, I'll pay you $250!" He hates bargain shopping mostly because it reminds him of his childhood and how his mom was always so cheap, broke or a combo of the both.

[DDowning]

I just started a couple of weeks ago so it takes a while to get my stockpile going. My neighbor who tipped me off and has been with the list for over a year saves huge! One day her grocery bill totaled $192. She wound up only paying $38 after applying the coupons and other sales tips off the list! It does work! Other tips including only shopping on sun,mon or tues because the sales change every wednesday. I'm still on my free trial which only cost a $1. So far I'm not saving huge like my friend but I do see my savings growing each time!

[jec2]

maybe that is part of it. We've been eating out a lot lately (well the past 11 months!). so maybe that is part of the shock.

[HannaAddict]

I agree with all of the above, but the one thing I won't do is shop at Walmart. Even though I know Walmart is somewhat cheaper for the consumer, it is not a nice business and the savings come with a human cost. They are the largest user of our state's low income subsidized health plan versus paying their employees a living wage and real benefits (like Blue Shield or Aetna health insurance) and they are notorious in the legal community for discovery abuse in all variety of lawsuits. The book Nickled and Dimed has a great section on Walmart.

[quikeye]

Hi, I'm obsessed lately with grocery saving & couponing. It;s really nutty... but here goes:

* I read all of my local area paper ads for sale flyers, for both grocery & drugstores. (Drugstores usu. have cheaper pricing on dipes, and will occasionally have really good deals on canned foods, pastas, and jarred foods-- as well as cleaning supplies). I'm staying home now with a touch of insomnia, so it's not hard for me to browse my ads online (Sat for drugstores, Tues for grocery).

* I am a couponer. Like, kinda obsessive as well. I usually buy 2-4 papers a week, and will buy multiples of coupons from ebay or trade for them thru different means if I have a great sale coming up. (I'm always buying pampers coupons, and people who sell them usually sell others-- I'll buy a bunch of stuff I need and combine shipping).

* I match sales to coupons. Not just this week's coupons, but every coupon that's still available/not expired. Having multis lets me create a stockpile of items I won't have to pay retail for later and will always use (ex-- toothpaste, toothbrushes, toilet paper, pasta, canned goods, paper/plastic products, etc.) If I can get toothpaste for .50 each I'll buy a bunch and not have to worry about it later.

* After matching and figuring out what I want/need, I make a list and take the coupons w/ me shopping (all of them, not only the ones I need for the product I'm buying-- iin case I see something else I need). Yeah, I have a coupon "organizer"-- just a plastic accordion the size of an envelope, but I think owning a coupon prganizer puts me in a "special" category (the kind my dh hates shopping with) :) I rarely stray from my lists now, since I *hate* buying things that aren't on sale I don't :)

Funny, I don't buy a lot of premade products either but do shop for "lunch" stuff (meats, bread, granola/cereal bars, lean cuisines etc) for DH's lunch. We also like to snack on this kinda stuff during the day on weekends as well... Dinners are usually meat + veg + rice/grain, not a lot of premade couponing stuff. I never buy things w. coupons I wouldn't normally eat, but I do try new things often b/c I do have a coupon...

I also shop in Chinatown for my veggies-- it's INSANE how cheap they are; .29 lb for broccoli??! They don't have everything, but what they do it's soo cheap. Same w/ eggs (I'm always afraid I'll accidentally buy balut though!) I know not everyone has a chinatown, but farmers markets are also a great place to buy vegs cheaply. I don't like having them spoil though, so I don't stock up on things I won't use within a few days.

Mentioned it earlier but I stockipile essentials, and not just hosuehold stuff. I freeze bread & cheese when I get it on sale & it defrosts well (also keeps my freezer freeof ice cream-- no room :(). I'm working on about 30 boxes of pasta, 10+ boxes of cereal, 6 bozes of oatmeal, lots of canned tomatoes, etc. If I will use it, I figure I should stock up & cut down buying it at full price later (it takes $ to create a stockpile, but I haven't had to buy toilet paper for about 3 months+ now, nor will I need to buy toothpaste/toothbrushes for over a year, etc... things that are expensive that I can get for little $ I always buy, even if it will take me a while to use it.) But I don't stockpile things I won't use.

I do shop a lot since I will "travel" to different sales (I walk, actually-- have 3 drugstores on my little walking trek I like to take w/ ds)-- but I only buy what I've come for. I don't go to different grocery stores since I almost always ahve better deals @ the one I go to... plus I don't drive so dh would roll his eyes having to go to 2 :)

It's nutty I know. :) I actually started a yahoo group listing my sale matching to coupons for stores in my area (walgreens, longs, rite aid, safeway... sometimes others) : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bbbcoupons I started it actually to manage coupon trains for bbb members, but figured I'd post my lists there.

Great places to start couponing/grocery saving (that are free):

www.fatwallet.com/forums/c/57 (grocery coupon forum)
www.taylortowncoupons.com (list of ALL available/in date coupons from the past year; it helps me manage my coupons-- they will also "preview" the sunday coupons on thurs/fri, so you know what will be coming out for upcoming sales a few days in advance)

Sorry so long :)

[houseof3boys]

I use coupons pretty regularly and stock up on stuff when it is on sale. If low sodium goldfish crackers are on sale, I'll buy a few bags. If pasta sauce is on sale, I'll buy more than I need because of the sale. I wish we had an extra freezer since we seem to be eating a lot more frozen items lately since I am too tired to cook and have become addicted to frozen eggplant lasagna. :)

Finn willl always go crazy for the balloons too, btw. We started shopping at Publix (which you don't have) that has free balloons so we get one the minute we go in the store to help with the temptation of the mylar balloons they place around the store. Ryan just goes around pointing and saying "ba ba ba" for balloon.

[Jen in Chicago]

I love saving with coupons, and when time is available I will shop the ads and go to a variety of stores.

I buy chicken, turkey and beef from Sam's or Costco. I paid grocery store price for Chicken Breasts last night due to time and it killed me ($3.69 per lb vs $2.30-ish.)

Time is my obstacle, so I have to cave in sometimes and just suck it up! With a f-t job, a child who goes to bed early, and a husband that travels our grocery bill does pay the price sometimes... but I do save money and RARELY buy items that are not on sale.

Weekly meal planning has been great! I make simple cheap dinners, with occassional slurge, but it is rare.

Wine tip... for states other than PA (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr) Trader Joe's! In Chicago there was a man that gave me great recommendations on wines that were so cheap I was scared to buy them. He never steered me wrong, and ironically they are all now about twice the price than they were once upon a time... so I moved to cheaper choice... it is a cycle.

[KrisM]

Here in Michigan, if it is marked with a price, and the scanner rings it up more, then they have to give you the difference plus 10 times the difference. There is a $1 minimum and $5 maximum. I've gotten items just about free because of this. It doesn't work for sales, since the prices are not usually marked on the item.

[californiamom]

I am 100% with you on this. I will not shop at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club even if it means savings. I just disagree with their money-making principles and the way they treat their employees. I refuse to contribute to this.

Ana

[kransden]

I am a serious shopper. I don't have time to run all over town either. Here is what I do.

1. Certain things are on sale different times of the year. Fall for tomato sauces, canned veggies, soups etc. So I will buy a six month supply. Thanksgiving is when I get all my canned broth. It is usually around 50 cents a can. Xmas is when baking supplies go on sale. My dd loves manwiches, so when they go on sale I buy a lot. If I get six cans at 99 cents and they are normally 1.49 I have saved 3.00 kwim? You won't be able to do this all at once, but each trip to the store buy extra of something you know you'll use. You'll eventually build up your larder. So you'll have less and less stuff to buy at full price.

2. Try to shop during the first of the month and around the holidays. The sales are better. I compare flyers and circle items that are a good deal with my huge black magic marker. I take the flyer to the store with me.

3. Buy a freezer. It will pay for itself in year or two.

4. Use coupons if they are a bargain.

5. Watch the scanner. Prices are often wrong. I don't argue anymore, I just tell I don't want it. I don't have time to run a price check.

Good Luck!
Karin




Karin and Katie 10/24/02

[C99]

ITA. I won't shop there either, even though it would mean cost savings in some areas of our budget.

[daisymommy]

I spend about $100 a week on groceries. I hate clipping coupons, checking sale papers, etc. So if I did, I could probably save even more money. Here are my tips:

1) Keep your kitchen pantry/fridge/freezer stocked with the basics. As soon as you use something up, write it on your grocery list, and buy it on the next trip. Don't wait to run out of everything all at once, and then when you go to make dinners you have to stock your entire kitchen from scratch. It's much cheaper to replace $10 worth of basic stuff on each trip to the store.

2) If you eat meat, only buy 1 good size/expensive piece of meat each week. For instance, if you buy a pot-roast, then only buy chicken breasts for another meal. Don't buy a roast, whole chicken, & steak all for one weeks dinners. It really adds up.

3) Use your leftovers for something else. Remember that pot roast you served on Monday night? Shred it with some BBQ sauce and serve on buns with potato salad another night. Rememeber the grilled chicken breasts from Tuesday night? Chop them up and toss into soup a second night, along with leftover (uncooked) chopped veggies that went with the roast. Too many people throw out their leftovers when they could be a whole other meal.

4) Buy whats on sale. That's not to say drive yourself crazy driving to 3 different stores hunting down bargains. But if you need orange juice, chances are there are 2 different brands on sale each week. Same goes for pretty much every other ingredient you need.

5) If it's not on the list don't buy it!

[calebsmama03]

I had no idea about that! I always check my receipt at home and would end up going back with 2-3 things circled that were the wrong price (always at Albertsons!) Funny, it's been better lately. Now I know why!!

Do always check your receipt, though. I've gotten bad about grocery money lately because we're trying to go more organic and whole grain, but I do comparison shop for those things still, and I'll go to 2 different stores if need be.

Lynne
Mommy to Caleb 3/3/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif[/img][/url]

[jec2]

I agree, wine at Trader Joe's is the only way to go. We've recently found a favorite for I think $4.99 a bottle.

Do you buy the frozen meat/poultry at Costco? How big are the portions? Our refridgerator is smaller than average (aah, family student housing) so stocking up & freezing things is quite hard for us. But, maybe I should think about doing some more shopping at costco plus it is extrememly close to us we can walk there....ha ha and walk home with our 5 gallons of olives :)

[jec2]

FREE BALLOONS!!!!! I'm moving to Georgia (Georgia, right?)! I honestly don't know how I'll going shopping with him now two of the three stores we go to has balloons stocked up at the register. Now that DH has caved this might be tough. Note to self: buy ear plugs.

[bostonsmama]

LOL @ your olives! It is soo true! One time I unassumingly went in there (Costco) and came out with a dog bed, a 6 pack of windshield wiper blades, 36 disposable razors, 2000 Qtips, ten dish towels and a gallon of italian olives! It's almost impossible to leave for under $200!

But then again, I buy almost all of my groceries at a military commisary, where boneless skinless chicken breasts are about $1.87/lb, a 12-pack of Coca Cola is $1.99, and filet mignon is just over $5.00/lb (EVERYDAY)! We pay COST for every single item in the store, plus a 5% markup which goes to MWR to fund morale-boosters for our troops! No tax. I just shop at Kroger for those awesome loss leaders every other week. Like the others, I don't think I've ever picked up more than a case of beer from Walmart...I, too, know where those low prices come from!

We spend about $150 every 2 weeks, usually $120 goes towards meat, dairy, bread and produce at the Commisary...and I'll spend $20-40 on weekly sale items in my local stores like Farm Fresh, Kroger, and Harris Teeter.

Anyhow, you don't have to be obsessed to save money: do like you do, find a store that has good everyday low prices, then subscribe to a weekend paper, clip some coupons, and see what appeals to you...I almost never walk into the store thinking "I have to have eggplant this week." I do, however, walk in and look at the sales board and say, "Oh, goodie, aspargus is $1.20/lb, we can have that with the salmon that's on sale for $3.99/lb and that box of wild rice for 50 cents! Great, now what's on sale for tomorrow's dinner?"

[bostonsmama]

To win with double coupons, you have to know what an item should cost. I'm of the belief that stores that offer this program know they can often list an item highly priced enough to still turn a profit. To get the best price, find out how much other stores sell the product for: If Von's has Quaker Oatmeal for $1.99/box, and you have a 50 cent coupon, you'll pay $1.49. If Kroger has that same oatmeal for $3.49/box, but triples your 50 cent coupon, you'll still pay more at $1.99! At that point, it's not worth it. However, you can never go wrong when an item is free. I recently bought a 3M sponge that listed for 99 cents. I had a 35-cent coupon that trippled to $1.05, so they paid me 6 cents to take the product! So, try to just pay the least for an item...no matter how much it originally costs, if the item is free or less than 50 cents when you're done...then you come out the winner.

On wholesale club prices for meat...it can be a great thing cost-wise. The packages are usually two or more pounds. If you lack space, you can take the thawed pork, chicken or beef steaks out of the foam tray and seal them in individual ziplock freezer bags. Being small, they can fit in the nooks/crannies of your smaller freezer. When I went with a friend (as I've never paid that membership fee!), I bought a package of two large salmon filets for $2.99/lb and a 3-lb package of boneless porkloin slices for $2.10/lb, both of which I divided into baggies and froze. Don't be fooled, freezer space is one of those places that remains small, even when you have a 25 cubic foot side-by-side. So, you might invest in a tiny 4-5 cu ft freezer to put in a garage, storage shed, or balcony. They're usually $75 or less.

[mudder17]

I don't get it. It sounds intriguing, but how does it work? Do you input the stores around your area? Do you have to actually input all the prices yourself or does the program get the prices for you? Do you print online coupons or do you have to clip the coupons from your local newspaper?

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_garnet_6m.gif Breastfed 6 months and counting

[pritchettzoo]

I really like this website: http://www.cutouthunger.org/

I used to do a much better job of keeping our grocery budget when we were both students. I would get out the month's worth of money in cash and divide it into envelopes. We had so much for going out, so much for groceries, so much for Target trips, etc. Once the envelope was empty, well, time for fried rice! ;) Once DH got a "real" job, it was easier to forget how cash-poor we actually were/are. I really need to get back on track with organizing this. We're bad about staring at a full pantry and thinking, "We have NOTHING to eat!"

I think we easily save more than the price of Costco's membership fee over a year. There are several threads on favorite Costco stuff that might be good to look over for meal ideas. Their cheeses and meats are big money-savers for us.

Sending DH to the grocery store alone with the baby is BAD. My DH can go for milk and come home with $50 worth of practically nothing useful. AND he'll forget the milk! Sending him with a list sometimes helps matters, but he tends to stray from the list more than I do.

Maybe you could swap website know-how for grocery lists with Daisymommy? ;)

Anna