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Grocery Shopping Advice

June 27th, 2007 at 10:27 pm

I was just wondering what method of grocery shopping you all use -- is it weekly from sale ads with coupons? is it always Aldi's? is it once a month at a warehouse club?

I was down to almost nothing in all categories (dairy/fresh produce/staples/paper products/etc) and stocked up today with a trip to Sam's. After $340 on all grocery and household items (no books/clothes/office supplies, etc) I feel I am adequate now in the dinner dept. and snacks etc (also have diapers and dog food to last 24 days, etc). while I am certainly tired after my 1 hour of shopping and 1 hour of putting all things away (I stash my surplus all over the house) I am relieved I don't have to do it again for awhile. Does anyone else feel this way? I have eight gallons of milk which should get us to the expiration date of 7/16. We're not extravagent eaters and usually follow the same menu weekly (chicken one day, meat loaf another, soup and salad and sandwiches another, grilling another) I like to bake the kids snacks twice a week (a batch of brownies or cookies and Jell-O) I'm thinking that while I like to save money like anyone and have been known as the Coupon Queen for quite some time, I simply might manage my time, budget and kitchen better with a trip to Sams twice a month. (I am a Secondary Member on my parents' card and don't pay for the membership).

What works for you?

6 Responses to “Grocery Shopping Advice”

  1. Maismom Says:
    1182990526

    I quit Costco membership because they are not really a good deal. I can get things so much cheaper from drug stores, like Rite Aid and Walgreens.

  2. mom-from-missouri Says:
    1183002958

    I buy the majority of my food at Aldi's in bulk about every 6 weeks. I buy the canned goods by the case, working around what I have in the garden or have canned myself. I even get a lot of frozen stuff there-I just take a couple of coolers when I go. (its usually about 4 grocery carts when I go-but it comes out to around $250 a month to feed my family--always feeding 5 of us, sometimes 7)
    There is a Walgreen, CVS & Dollar General and near my church, so on Sundays I check out there sale ads and hit them after church. I get my shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, soap...at these stores. If I do the coupon and or rebate thing, I can usually end up getting these items for free. But to take advantage of the free, I have to check their ads and shop weekly. If I don't get it there on Sundays, I don't go. Its 30 minutes from my home and I usually only go to that town on Sundays.
    I have a small pantry in my kitchen, but I have a huge one in my basement. So, I have to watch my dates and rotate the food thru.

  3. baselle Says:
    1183003174

    Pricebook, grocery flyers, collecting and using rain checks, and eating produce in season. I rarely go to Costco, and I never go without the pricebook.

  4. nance Says:
    1183003520

    I don't purchase a lot of food at club warehouses. They charge more for many items.
    I shop weekly, for loss leaders at two or sometimes even three stores. I use coupons if available for the sale items.
    We purchase bananas, chocolate chips, baguettes, shredded cheese, pepperoni, bread flour, yeast, tomato sauce and paste, coffee, and sometimes milk at Sam's. Those items are more reasonable there, than at the grocery stores, but that is about all we get there in the food category.

    I get spices and cocoa at a food co op. The rest of our food is purchased on sale at the chain grocery stores in our area. We don't have Aldi's here.

    One Albertson's here routinely has 85% lean hamburger marked down to $.99 to $1.49 a pound the day before expiration. It is sold in packages of about five pounds. I double wrap it, and freeze it in amounts that work for my recipes. I purchase bone-in chicken breasts when they are on sale for 99 cents a pound, and de-bone them, and remove the skin myself. I use the bones, and whatever meat is left on them to make chicken broth for soup and cooking. I purchase London broil, round steak, and chuck roasts when they are on sale for about $1.69 a pound. I stock up when there is a good sale. You really need a freezer to save on meat. I make my own bread, in a bread machine. I make oatmeal bread, and purchase Quacker Oats when it is on sale for 10 for $10.00 in the 42 oz size. I freeze the containers. We also eat oatmeal for breakfast frequently. I don't pay more that $1.25 a box for cereal, because I get it when it is a loss leader, combined with coupons. It costs much more at the warehouse clubs.
    We use store brands on many products, too.

    I check the ads every week, and purchase the loss leaders, planning meals around them. I have a well stocked freezer (two actually) and pantry. Some weeks, I don't buy any groceries. I freeze milk, when it is on sale, or free like it was this week.

    It takes a little extra effort, but you can save a lot of money, making food from scratch. Today, I made a chocolate pie, using a recipe for homemade chocolate pudding, found on line, and made a graham cracker crust, too. If you use a store brand graham crackers, it is cheaper to make the crusts than to purchase a store brand crust.
    I bought boneless ribs yesterday, marked down, and cooked them in the crock pot with barbeque sauce. I put it in the refrigerator, overnight, so I could easily remove the fat, and reheated it tonight, for barbeque sandwiches. The ribs were marked down to $1.66 a package, and served four adults.

    With a little extra work, you can reduce your food bill by about half.

  5. reflectionite Says:
    1183013343

    i have begun shopping at the markets every sunday morning, for our fruit and veges. usually at the supermarket they cost around $60-$70 for us, but at the markets it cos us $40.then i do my grocery shopping (dairy, cleaning, toiletries, oats, rice etc) at the supermarket which last week cost $57, and i get our meat from the butcher that is next to where i work (meat for the week is usually around $20) . because they all know me there they usually charge me less, or will give me 200 or 300gms more of whatever it is i ask for. effectively, it's an extra meal!
    anyway. but this is just for two people. Smile we budget around $70 each for food a week, not including takeaway. i probably didnt help you vvery much though!

  6. Ima saver Says:
    1183032612

    I eat out every night!! lol

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