Saving on groceries?

[tvguy]

That's another thing that hasn't had any good sales. I normally get arm & hammer detergent at fred Meyer (kroger) because every few months it'd be really cheap on sale. It's been months and I'm almost out. So I'll either have to suck it up or buy All since it has still been on good sales.

I know some of the sales is prob the manufacturer and some the store and all related to supply. Still hard to adjust when we all get used to the sale cycles and then stuff isn't on it any more.

I bet ham will be on sale tomorrow at a lot of stores.

 

[nycdisneygal]

We really plan a lot around whats on sale at local supermarket aand also freeze meat when its on sale.

 

[TwoMisfits]

My wife about fell over today. Gain liquid laundry detergent DROPPED from $14 a bottle, to $7 a bottle. No idea why.

They are probably shrinking the bottle and need to clear the shelf. I've stocked up on quite a few of these "clear the shelves for the smaller product" deals the last 6 weeks...

 

[bearzabout]

The game I play at the grocery store is “what do I want that I can’t have”. I go down my list of sale items, find nothing but empty shelves, then continue to play the game until I walk out nearly empty handed. This new world is going to take some getting used to.

 

[dreamin_disney]

We had to get a new fridge last year. It’s not as deep as our old one so we have less room . I hate it! We had the LG French doors( 2nd time breaking down wasn’t going to pay $1000-1500 for repairs) that I loved because the shelves were deep And ice maker was in the door section. The new GE is also French doors but shorter depth shelves And ice maker inside takes up shelf space. We needed a fridge ASAP so we were stuck.

we save money because I can’t fill my fridge like I use to lol!
we cut down on meat purchases.

 

[barkley]

i caught a good deal the other day. went to the now $1.25 store for some aluminum pans (best prices anywhere) and noticed they had A1 in the smaller 5 oz. bottles. did a quick calculation and realized that for $2.50 i could net the identical amount of A1 i can't find for any less than $4.50 per bottle elsewhere. stocked up so i'm good for the summer months. i like to stick to my list when shopping but it's to a point that i do well to spend a bit of time in stores scanning the aisles for good deals that i can take advantage of now vs. paying out the nose for later.

 

[MrsPete]

Lots of ways to save at the grocery store:

- Lots of people mentioned Aldi's (love it for chicken, fresh vegetables, nuts and cheese). Love it. Also love Lidl (better than Aldi for canned goods, bread and coffee).
- When you find an item on sale, stock up.
- Look for non-grocery store options. For example, we love the Asian Supermarket, but it's some distance away, so we go a couple times a year and stock up on the items we like. We love the (reasonably priced) bulk spices at an expensive health food store near us. Do you have a bread store nearby? Ours always sells mix-and-match 3 loaves for $1.99.
- Watch your bill carefully. I constantly find that stores have one price on the shelf /a different price rings up in the computer. I've found it twice this week -- once at Target, once at Lidl.
- Read the first Tightwad Gazette book for a great grocery-store book method. The author "walks you through" a system for creating a book that'll compare prices for the things you buy constantly, and it'll allow you to identify when things will go on sale.
- Cut back on your beverages. The average grocery bill is 30% beverages -- and most of them offer little-to-no nutritional value. Embrace water, lemonade and iced tea.
- Cut back on individually packaged items. You're almost always paying a high price for all that packaging, and it just ends up in a landfill. This includes K-cups for coffee and individual snack packs.
- Embrace frozen vegetables. They're just as nutritious and won't go bad if overlooked for a few days. If roasted, they're very good.
- Look for meals that use less meat; for example, instead of cooking a chicken breast for each person, slice the meat thinly and serve less per person.
- Stop buying shredded cheese. Blocks are almost always cheaper, and you don't get the icky cellulose with which they cover the shreds.
- Learn to make things for yourself. For example, you can make a whole crock pot full of yogurt for the cost of 2-3 little containers.
- Do you have a couple bites of vegetable or meat left after dinner? Save it in a container in your freezer -- keep adding that last little bit for a couple weeks, and when the container's full, it's "free soup day".
- Bake a big potato for everyone, and top them with leftovers.
- If you find yourself over-spending on pre-packaged food because you just don't have time to cook, consider doubling what you're cooking (when you have time), then freezing it. When you're busy, you already have a good, homecooked meal ready.
- Read websites like Budget Bytes for low-cost ideas.
- Carbs are very cheap, but don't over-do. An unbalanced diet is no bargain in the long run.

 

[barkley]

these days with gas prices it's not a great savings to chase sales at multiple stores that having you driving all over the place BUT i do suggest that if in the course of your normal travels you will be passing by a store you might not normally frequent you check out their online ad to see if they've got any good deals. this past week i put this into practice while running errands and ended up clicking some coupons online (i have the store's membership card for the odd occasion i go there) which resulted in-

2 24 packs of water @ $1.79 each

2 jars of prego pasta sauce (not my fav but works in a pinch) @ .99 each

2 cans of store brand veggies/2 cans of store brand canned beans @ .59 each

3 5'ish pound whole chickens @ .99 cents per pound (excellent deal these days).

if i had driven there specifically to buy this the gas cost would have eliminated any savings but since we were passing by it was worth stopping in.

 

[mefordis]

Be sure you are looking at people who have similar families if you want to accurately compare food budgets. A retired couple is going to need quite a lot less food than a young family with kids. As people age it is surprising how little food they need.

 

[barkley]

Be sure you are looking at people who have similar families if you want to accurately compare food budgets. A retired couple is going to need quite a lot less food than a young family with kids. As people age it is surprising how little food they need.

older people do tend to require fewer calories than their younger counterparts however our nutrient needs are just as high if not higher so that can uptick the cost of groceries. that said-yup, it's nearly impossible to compare one household's budget with another's even if you were to go w/identical items purchased unless you are located in the identical location. regional prices can vary dramatically.

 

[barkley]

anyone in the market to save on charmin toilet paper might want to check out this weeks target ad- if you do pickup or home delivery (not shipping) it's on sale for 20% off. i've been keeping an eye on the prices for a while and when i ran the numbers a few weeks ago i realized their current (non sale) price (per sheet) is a bit lower than i paid LAST summer on sale at costco. with the 20% off it's a very good savings. we don't normally buy in store b/c it's a bit of a drive for us but dh is going to be nearby tomorrow so i'm taking advantage to stock up before fuel prices drive the price up (gagged when we ran into town for an appointment today and saw regular at $5.29 a gallon ).

 

[focusondisney]

Thanks @barkley. I use charmin & didn’t notice the discount. Just ordered for pick up tomorrow. Very happy with 20% off.

 

[barbarabini]

Dollar for dollar - Butchering your meat - is going to save you the most money.
I try this for every good meat sale.
Near me, Shoprite had a sale. 1.99/lb london broil. 2.99/lb angus london broil. (already cut steaks steaks run from 6.99 and up) I bought a few of each. Brought them home and broke them into 5-6 steaks each. 4 london broils = 24 steaks.
Chicken - 2.99/lb breast this week. I bought 10 lb. Broke it down to - 3 meals thin sliced cutlets (usually 4.99/lb or more), 2 meals chunks/kebab/stir fry. 3 meals - tenderloins (usually 4.99/lb) total 8 meals.
Chicken 1 whole - 1.29/lb - broke up into pieces and more breasts.

 

[barkley]

Dollar for dollar - Butchering your meat - is going to save you the most money.
I try this for every good meat sale.
Near me, Shoprite had a sale. 1.99/lb london broil. 2.99/lb angus london broil. (already cut steaks steaks run from 6.99 and up) I bought a few of each. Brought them home and broke them into 5-6 steaks each. 4 london broils = 24 steaks.
Chicken - 2.99/lb breast this week. I bought 10 lb. Broke it down to - 3 meals thin sliced cutlets (usually 4.99/lb or more), 2 meals chunks/kebab/stir fry. 3 meals - tenderloins (usually 4.99/lb) total 8 meals.
Chicken 1 whole - 1.29/lb - broke up into pieces and more breasts.

i've used this practice for years-saved me tons. i will add that most stores that have in store butchers will take a cut of meat on sale and cut/grind it into the cut you desire free of charge. i've had butchers in shock by asking them to grind up into burger something like the above mentioned sale london broil but when i point out that the per pound price is so much less than lesser quality (higher fat content) ground beef they acknowledge i'm right and prepare the item for me. whatever is the least expensive non ground beef i have had cut into stew meat or ground. when i broke down and bought a meat grinder attachment for my kitchen aide (a great investment if you've got a kitchen aide) i started getting sale pork and making bulk sausage (so easy to season for a variety of types). we buy the crazy big pork loins when costco has the occasional sale and break them down into multiple roasts, individual chops and packages of ground (i've not done it personally but i've heard of folks taking those large tenderloins up to the butcher area at costco and having their butchers slice them into chops-same chops they sell but at a fraction of the cost).

 

[snowwite]

Another Aldi fan here. I buy lots of fruits and vegetables there, as well as eggs, milk, cheese, canned goods. We don’t eat much meat, each week we have pasta and vegetables, beans and rice and vegetables, and eggs with mushrooms and spinach. I do buy organic chicken at Costco in large quantities. We like Costco soups and will have them for dinner with a salad.

I love Trader Joe’s and Aldi! This time of year I grow some herbs abs veggies in a container and also shop at local farms and farmers market. The price of eggs is silly. cheapest I found this week was $4.79 for 24 Egglands best