Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (Full Version)

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daughter_of_faith -> Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 8:31:02 AM)

I posted this in the SAHM/W thread in WO:
quote:


Hey ladies...just a quick question since there are several of us on tight grocery budgets from the sounds of it. Is there a thread somewhere geared towards this? Setting up a good grocery budget, planning meals, that kind of stuff? I know we talk about it in this thread some and also in the working mom/wives thread. Let's face it...we all want to feed our families, right?

I guess I was just curious if there were ideas about this or of that nature somewhere. This is one wife/mom that would gladly borrow from others (and share if/when I found something).


The response was a general consensus to start a thread here for all of us grocery shoppers (men & women) to post what we're doing to cut our bill at the store.

Maybe we use a set menu & shop entirely off a list. Others might use an online tool to shop the sale ads. What is it that works for you? Are there other things you would like to try? Is there a way to eat healthy food at a reasonable cost?

With today's rising food costs, we're all kind of in the same boat of trying to make our (limited) funds stretch the extra mile & this is extremely important especially with our food purchases.



Shells54 -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 9:09:22 AM)

Thanks for starting this thread. I am really interested in this topic. I am not sure if I will have a bunch to offer cause I am definitely not doing very good. I keep going over our budget every week [:o]



linaire -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 9:12:28 AM)

Great idea for a thread! I'll be popping in to pick up tips, and if I find any of my own, I'll be sure to share!



sisrev -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 9:43:19 AM)

There are several on-line sites for brand name coupons you can print off of your computer. HERE is one I've used. Also, a website called Money Saving Mom HERE posts information each week about certain store's specials. We recently relocated and don't get a local paper, but I've discovered that Winn Dixie's website has a tool that you can pull up the sale paper, and even make your grocery list from the sale paper and print it off. A lot of store websites have that feature, as well.

One thing you need to remember, just becuase it's listed in the sale paper does not mean that it's necessarily a good price. Winn-Dixie always has a lot of Buy-one-get-one-free items, usually on name brand items. Sometimes, though, even at BOGO, a generic or store brand is cheaper. I don't mind trying store brands--some are just as good as brand name, some not, but I will try it at least once.



Karaboo2 -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 12:45:08 PM)

There is a fairly decent coupon website for Canadians. It is Save.ca You request the coupons you'd like, and they mail them to you the next day. I usually receive my coupons within 72 hours of putting in my request (and the coupons are good for at least 3 months ... some are good up to a year)



Georgia-Peach -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 2:46:42 PM)

I love threads on this topic, I am always looking for new ways to save!

I have gotten better at stockpiling and that has saved me money. For instance today I had to run and pick up wipes for my son. I had seen in the sales paper that Kroger had Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for $1.99/lb. I bought 7 packs of chicken breast plus I had a coupon from Kroger that took $2 off a purchase of $7 or more on fresh poultry. That right there saved me a ton of money on chicken.

I am also implementing leftover nights or turning leftovers into a new meal. That definitely helps me to stretch the food further between shopping trips since I only do two big shopping trips per month. I do have to go back in between for milk and fruit, but that is usually it.



daughter_of_faith -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 3:33:26 PM)

For us, I've gotten really organized. But honestly I don't have the time (or as much time) because of work now.

DH, DS, and I decide what we're having for meals for the week. Ie: DH picks a meal, DS picks one, I pick one...and then we seem to have some that always crop up week after week (spaghetti, tacos). In reality, we've gotten tired of that...so we tried a couple of new recipes this week (easy oven bake & a new tuna casserole). We were impressed.

Anyway, before writing things down, I take stock of what is in my kitchen (fridge, freezer, cupboards). Then while writing down what we're going to have for meals, I write down what we need so I don't forget something. When we go to the store, we shop directly off the list. I usually write down the PRICE of the item as well...or what it should be. That's how we determine whether we buy it or it gets kicked off the list until next time. It's kind of a weird system & hasn't worked quite as well lately.

We've done well sticking to the list. This last week, we bought only 2 or 3 things that were not on the list. Kicker is...at least one was an item that didn't make it on the list, but should have. LOL

Someone mentioned shopping in bulk. Do a lot of you have memberships at Costco, Sams, or other big warehouse stores? DH & I had a year membership at Costco; however, we found that it just didn't work for our family. Maybe we're just not big enough? (It's just the 3 of us)...but it takes forever to go through a bottle of 409 from there (we're still using it....18 mos. later). I think it would be great for diapers/wipes (if DS were still wearing them, but he's outgrown that stage).

Does anyone have suggestions on making a membership like that pay off? I know it's going to vary some family to family because of the size of family, ages of kids.

We often end up at Wal-Mart just because that's a place where we can pretty well get everything so we're not running all over everywhere.



Wild-Rose -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 3:55:25 PM)

Look for roaster chickens. These are bigger than fryers. Closer to 7 pounds. This is the most meat for the least money and least amount of work. Just rinse it off, take out the giblets. You can stuff it if you want to. Sometimes I just stuff a whole head of garlic in there. Roast it for about 1 1/2 hours or so depending on the weight of it. These roaster chickens are enough for my family to have 2 meals plus I make soup with the bones.

If you roast it with the garlic, then use the roasted garlic to make garlic butter or you can put the garlic into your baked or mashed potatoes. Yummy!



peculiar_lady2 -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 7:05:29 PM)

quote:

Does anyone have suggestions on making a membership like that pay off?

hehehe.....for us it pays off greatly!!!!!!
even if we didn't buy food there though we wold still have a Sam's card because with it we save on gas. (we also found another gas station in town that gives 3¢ off per gallon when you pay in cash)


I am trying to make a compare list so I can more easily figure out what I need to buy where.



zoebob -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 7:12:56 PM)

Instead of making a menu for the week I look at what is on sale each week. If chicken is on sale this wee I will stock up on chicken. If beef roasts are I stock up on that. I stock up on whatever is on sale and then figure out what to make. THat usually lets me have some of everything in the freezer to make what I might want.

I also will check if it's really cheaper to buy the name brand or not...or I will combine those sales with coupons.

One of our stores here also does buy so many of these products and get 20 cents a gallon off gas. Those items are also on sale so I will stock up on those things and get the added bonus of the gas sale. For example, this week I can get 20 gas points if I buy hamburger helper and toaster strudel(my breakfast weekness): something we use anyway for quickie meals and it's on sale and I have 3 coupons for those products. ANother 20 points if I buy cereal and granola bars. There's also gas points and sales for cleaning products and paper products.

I don't spend a lot of time on coupons but scan through briefly and if there's a product I use I cut it out. I do this on Sunday AM before I leave for church usually so it doesn't take long. I wake up about 75 minutes before we leave and shower, dress, eat, and get the kids moving in that time.



cindybode -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 8:07:02 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: daughter_of_faith

Does anyone have suggestions on making a membership like that pay off? I know it's going to vary some family to family because of the size of family, ages of kids.



Even with a large family, I've found the warehouse clubs to generally not be worth the membership. What you need to do is break down the prices of what you normally buy into single units and then compare. For instance, if you normally buy 12 rolls of toilet paper for $__, divide it out and determine what one roll costs you. Then go to the warehouse club and look at the price of the 100 roll pack, or whatever it comes in, and figure the price per roll. Do this with all of the items you would normally buy, and then decide if you'd save enough to justify the membership fee. You will probably be surprised. The warehouse clubs sell things in huge lots that make it difficult to compare, but when I broke down the prices I found I did better at my usual stores. Of course prices are different all over and your mileage may vary. [;)]

The single most important tip I can offer is to actually learn to cook if you don't already know how. You can buy a week's worth of meat, rice, veggies, etc. for the price of a couple day's worth of prepared/processed foods.

I do what zoebob does and figure out my meals around what's on sale instead of planning meals first.



PrincessDonna -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 8:19:48 PM)

I don't think I would do better with a bulk store membership.

I buy the Saturday paper, which has sales fliers and coupons in it. I buy the Sunday paper, which has more sales fliers and more coupons in it. I end up with double coupons of most things, which comes in handy when there are really good ones.

I go through, store by store, and write down the sales I think I might use. Take the list to Walmart and use all those other sales prices there...just have to tell the cashier where it's on sale and for how much. I have a top amount I will pay for many items, especially things like meat and diapers, because they are always on sale somewhere. Coupons also often correspond to the sales in the next week or two. I cut out every coupon we might use if it were on sale too, even if it is something I would normally not buy or would buy store brand. Then when it goes on sale the next week, I have the coupon too. Many new products are almost free with combined sales and coupons...I'll try most anything for free! LOL

I also stock up on things when they are on sale. I currently have three weeks ahead in diapers and pullups because I found a great sale. Then I hope for another great sale before those run out, and there will probably be one. I don't let us run out of things that we need because that is when it becomes expensive...when you buy things because you HAVE to even if they aren't on sale.

I generally save at least $20 a week in coupons, and at least twice that using competitor's ads at Walmart.



sisrev -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 10:16:48 PM)

Anybody here remember the Tightwad Gazette? This was a newsletter that used to be published that was full of all kinds of money-saving & frugal ideas. Her strategy for grocery shopping was to do as several posters have mentioned, instead of making menus & lists and just buying what you need for that week, shop the sales, stocking up on sale items, coupon deals, etc, and make your menus based on what you have available in your pantry/frig/freezer.

I do find a Sam's Club card worth the membership, but I don't buy from there just because it's there, I do comparison shop. Some things I buy in bulk and part of the savings comes from not having to go to the grocery store so often because I have a pantry full of basic necessities and staples. The convenience is worth it to me if the price is right.



cindybode -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 10:47:08 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: sisrev

Anybody here remember the Tightwad Gazette?


All of those newsletters were published in book form some time ago. I have all 3 volumes.



Mrs.Wifey -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/7/2008 11:56:10 PM)

We don't save much money at Sam's on groceries, we find the biggest savings is actually on clothing or other major household items. I can routinely find DD's clothing for $4-5 less then a regular store. Same for my favorite button down shirts.

I don't really have many money saving tips but I have found 2 major ones for our household-

1) keep a "master list" of what you buy, and record prices. It's a pain for the first 2-3 trips, but it really helps me find the best sales.
2) Shop as little as possible. We save an enormous amount now that I only set foot in the grocery store twice during a pay period. Before I would just stop for random items that we needed, and then end up buying 15 more that we didn't need.



Georgia-Peach -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 7:42:41 AM)

We have a Sam's Club card through my in-laws business and they pay for it so it is free for us. But, it is a 20-25 minute drive to get there and in the end we spend more on groceries than we save. Maybe we are doing something wrong, but it is just not worth it to us. I only shop at Kroger for groceries because once you have spent $100 you get $.10 off what gas normally is per gallon. We usually spend enough in a month that we are always able to get $.10 off.



lexie -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 10:45:06 AM)

I find the easiest way to save money when grocery shopping is not to take my husband with me. Seriously.

The best way for me to do it, is to look at the flyers each week and then set a menu for the week around what is a good price. Coupons for groceries here aren't that great, and usually the ones that I do have, the item still ends up costing more than buying the store brand equivalent. I also stock up on items we use that are on sale. Last night I bought 4 large packs of paper towels because they were $2 off.

For groceries I buy seasonal local vegetables as much as I can. I also price match when I can.

Find out what stores will price match other things. I don't shop at Walmart, but a store in my neighbourhood price matches, so if Walmart has a good sale I get it at my local store.

I collect coupons for everything, even for brands I haven't used (for cleaning stuff and personal stuff a lot). Then when the items go on sale, I combine the coupons with them. I still talk about the time I got laundry detergent for $2.

We don't belong to Sam's Club or Costco because they aren't close enough for it to be worth it for us. Plus, in the apartment we don't really have anywhere to keep stuff. But once we own a house I'm going to look into a membership, because then we'll have a deep freezer and I plan to cook meals ahead of time and freeze them.

Kara - I use save.ca a lot (sometimes I get mine in less than 24 hours) but I don't find it good for grocery savings...more home and personal stuff.



zoebob -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 10:49:09 AM)

The grocery stores around here double coupons under $1 all the time. They will occasionally have weeks where they will double 4 $1 coupons or triple coupons. Since Walmart doesn't double coupons at all I find that many things are cheaper at the other store.



JoyfulLady -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 11:44:26 AM)

-We buy beef in bulk from a rancher friend. This makes everything,
including steak, average $2 a lb.
-I watch for chicken and pork to go on manager's specials (typically on Monday and Tuesdays early morning) and stock up. I repackage and freeze and it will last a long time.
-Sam's club, for us, is good for baby wipes, some canned items, toilet paper, condiments like ketchup and salad dressing (since we prefer name brand) and pasta. We only make it there 2-3 times a year but it's still worth it, and my MIL pays for our membership as a Christmas gift.
-I stock up on sales/clearance items.
-I make a monthly menu and then a list according to that. It really helps!



isaacsmom -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 11:57:01 AM)

We're getting ready to butcher our calf, so that'll be around 200 lbs. of beef (grass-fed) for less than $1/lb. (counting the cost of the calf when we bought him). Right now I spend around $10/week in beef, so that'll be a nice grocery bill relief.

Hubby has been able to bring home quite a bit of chicken lately (from work) so we're set for a while.

I don't use coupons, I went through the Sunday paper yesterday and I didn't see a single thing I'd buy. It's rare that I find a coupon that I'll use. Mostly because I don't buy name-brand and I buy mostly whole foods (meats, grains, produce, etc.) and cook from scratch.

My husband gets paid weekly, so I shop weekly. I make a menu for the week and make a grocery list from the menu, take an inventory of our toiletries, etc. and add those to the list if any are needed. I try not to go over $60 per week (that's about all we can do at this point).

I don't stray from my shopping list, that saves us a ton of money and keeps me from going back to the store for in-between trips where I'd nickel and dime us to death.

I keep a list of all the meals I cook and add to it as I try new recipes. So when it comes time for menu-making, I pull out the list and choose the meals from there.

We have a free membership to Sam's through hubby's job, but we've yet to take a trip there because it's too far to drive (40-ish miles), and with a family of just 4, I don't know if we could do any better buying in bulk.



Mrs.X -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 3:25:11 PM)

A grocery store that I go to has a really big bulk foods area, so I try to buy as much of my list from there. The cereal there is stale though, so I don't that. But, if I get a spice that is too small to register on the scale, they charge $.04 cents for it. So, I just buy a tiny amount everytime I go, enough to last me until the next time. I get pasta, rice, flour, pintos, sugar, cornbread mix, pancake mix, raisins and stuff like that from the bulk section. I also get very large packages of meat and separate it in freezer bags and freeze them. So, I pay like $14.00 for ten pounds of 22% ground beef.

Another thing we do is eat a lot of beans and tortillas, LOL!

Regarding the making leftovers into another meal. I do that with leftover veggies and meat and make it into a stirfry with rice and some asian sauce. I just make sure I add the already cooked meat last, so that it doesn't get over cooked, just warmed up.

If I use box food for something, like Rice A Roni, I add more rice and chicken broth to make it stretch further. Same with Kraft mac n cheese, I add more macaroni noodles (that I bought in the bulk section) and add a little more milk and cheese. One box of food isn't enough for us 4, so I try to just stretch it without having to use another box of food.

Another thing I do to save money is making meat stretch further. If I'm making a stirfry or pasta dish that needs the meat to be cut into pieces, I cut the meat into really small pieces. That way, we still get meat in every bite, but I didn't use much meat in the first place. I can use one chicken breast in a stirfry and feed all four of us. And, I also add a lot of peas too to make it have more substance than just rice or pasta, plus peas are cheap.

I also buy frozen veggies instead of fresh, unless they don't come in frozen like asparagus or bell peppers. I heard somewhere that frozen veggies are more nutritious since they are picked when they are ripe and immediately frozen rather than being ripened on the truck and at the store where they lose nutrients. Not sure if it's true though.



sisrev -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/8/2008 5:34:28 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: cindybode

quote:

ORIGINAL: sisrev

Anybody here remember the Tightwad Gazette?


All of those newsletters were published in book form some time ago. I have all 3 volumes.


Yes, I have a three-in-one Tightwad Gazette book that I at Sam's a few years ago. I've also picked up some tips from a book called "Miserly Moms" by Jonni McCoy. The pricing comparisons are outdated now, unless there is an updated version, but the principles are the same.



firefightermama -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/9/2008 8:45:49 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: lexie

I find the easiest way to save money when grocery shopping is not to take my husband with me. Seriously.



Me too!


I have a Costco membership, and I don't find it saves any money, but I do find that they have things I can't get anywhere else. When we go there we buy auto oil by the case, large packs of printer paper, baby clothes, wipes (not diapers though, they are more expensive than the grocery store), and it's the cheapest place for cd's and books. We also buy coffee, certain salad dressings and usually seasonal items. Oh, hubby's favorite work socks are from there too.
We call it the hundred dollar store. Every trip costs a hundred dollars. (we're usually right in that area, no matter what we went for!)

My money saving tricks are to buy store brand. I always buy store brand. Around here, name brand stuff, even with coupons are more expensive than the store brand. There are a few things you can't budge on... ketchup (Heinz) mac n cheese (Kraft) and tea (King Cole).

We try to buy our beef from local farmers, so that's usually cheaper too.



Georgia-Peach -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/9/2008 9:16:22 AM)

quote:

I find the easiest way to save money when grocery shopping is not to take my husband with me. Seriously.

Me too[:)]



Mrs.X -> RE: Tasty, Thrifty Tips for Store Savings (9/9/2008 11:19:08 AM)

Around here, the specific diapers we need are cheaper at Costco than anywhere else. We also buy their wipes, TP, men's socks and Tritan brand fish sticks. Best fish sticks I've ever tried. We don't pay for membership because my dad just put me on his. We are Executive Members too, so that means we can go there when it opens and don't have to wait for 11am like everyone else.

A lot of their stuff is not cheaper because sometimes they only sell brand name and don't make it inKirkland brand. Like Infant Motrin, they don't have a Kirkland brand for that. And, nicotine patches, they only sell Nicoderm CQ, which is almost twice as much as Walgreens brand nicotine patches. Their cigarettes aren't cheaper than corner stores either.



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