Any tips on ways to reduce grocery bill?

[TexasErin]

I'm trying to cut down on my grocery expenses. We went to the store the other day and I bought food for three nights----nothing extravagant- stuff for taco soup, a cornbread/sausage casserole, and pork chops with some sides. We bought a few extra things like milk and oreos and it was $171......crud- could have eaten out good three times for what I spent to cook and then clean the kitchen.....

But, I would like to find ways to spend less. Anybody got any tips or cheap meal ideas?

Thanks!
Erin

 

[MSSANDRA]

Biggest thing that helps me is that we eat the sales. We eat and stock up on what is the featured item that week. For example, I would not have gone to the store planning to buy pork chops because that is what I wanted to cook, but rather to buy chicken breast because they were .99 cents a pound. When pork chops are on sale, we would have them, plus put a few packs in the freezer for later. We buy the fruit that is season ( well, I did buy the kid 2.79 a pound grapes the other day), oranges are a good deal right now. We also stretch meat. Healthier and cheaper. Use one pound of sausage instead of two and add more rice or whatever.
Stock up where there are B1G1 deals (it was cereals today). We don't buy soda or alcohol drinks for daily consumption, we are not product loyal on many things, and I try to shop alone. While convenience foods do cost more and I greatly limit them, they are cheaper that eating out if you are in a time crunch. I do keep a family size, nice quality lasagna in my freezer at all times.
I like to have my money for other things (WDW ) so I try to save where I can!

 

[ceecee]

That does seem high. Maybe shop at Aldis? A lot of people do well there. I can make a huge pot of Taco Soup for under $10, I use chicken in it and buy it when the breasts are $1.99 lb. I stock up on canned items when they are on sale as well. Maybe start using more coupons. I spend more with coupons because I try new things I wouldn't normally buy.

 

[disney212]

This is something I posted on the Eat at Home Board but I hope you find it helpful. Sorry it is so long but at the end was a shopping list with prices that I actually paid.

I used to teach a living/eating/cooking on your Army pay class to young soldier spouses so I fancy myself pretty good with stretching a buck. I am an ole’ country girl with no formal training but did end up running my own catering business for a while as one of my “1000 Army Wife” jobs. My family consist of me (a lady never tells her age but I will tell you my DH is younger than me, I married directly out of high school and had my first kid at 20), DH 42 (my second marriage, his first), DS 24, DD 23. DD is moving out next month and DS is a full time graduate student living at home. DH and I both work full time and I have been cooking this way since I had kids, DH and I have been married almost 14 years.

We cook at home 99% of the time for dinner and we pack most of our lunches for work. DH and I usually take leftovers or I get a turkey breast when they are on sale and roast it and we use it for sandwiches. DS is Gluten Free so I make a lot of GF meals or items he can eat if the meal isn’t GF. I have found it is pretty easy when you are not using prepackaged items. I do not use formal recipes, things change each time depending on what I have on hand. I am very lucky that although my mom was a typical 70’s/80’s mom and didn’t cook, I have a wonderful granny and ex-mother in law that taught me how to cook without wasting anything and stretching everything. They called it depression cooking. It is a very healthy way to eat, I have Crohn’s so have to be careful about fat and since I tend to run on the Pooh side of the equation I try to watch those calories. If you see I listed something as fried it is either dry fried in a skillet with non-stick spray or oven fried using my convection setting. With the exception of flour, sugar and beans/rice I try to shop the perimeter of the store. I also have a freezer and love to get things that are on sale and freeze them, I do this with everything from peppers to nuts to veggies. We keep our grocery bill to $300 per month which isn’t too bad for 4 adults.

We aren’t big leftover fans for dinner but I do a lot of what I call “Part Deux”, you will see what I mean below. I don’t buy packaged convenience items or sweets due to the above reasons but for these 2 weeks I baked a pumpkin pie the first week and it is brownies for the 2nd week. We have a lovely family run produce store close that sells local produce and am able to get fresh fruits and veggies for the week for less than $10 as they sell what is “in season”! I also keep items from the garden in the freezer which helps a lot. Another tip I use is to buy bags of frozen THIN SLICED boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can get multiple meals off 1 bag due to their being portioned to about 4 ounces each and the casserole/rice meals only use 2 portions of meat which healthier and cheaper and my family doesn’t realize it is light on meat. I use ground chicken instead of turkey because in my opinion it picks up the flavor of the beef better so I can use less beef, when using ground meat in recipes I use a 50/50 mix of ground chuck and ground chicken. I will use part of the apples to make pancakes with apple topping one weekend morning so I do double-dip a lot on items. Here we go!


Friday - BBQ Turkey Kielbasa with homemade oven fries and mixed veggies.
Saturday –GF chicken/beef meatloaf with oven roasted sweet potatoes and corn
Sunday - cookout – homemade burgers with grilled veggies and slaw
Monday – kids were gone so DH and I had meatloaf sandwiches and fruit
Tuesday – chicken/beef chili
Wednesday – Part Deux night - nachos using leftover chili
Thursday - Crockpot green beans with ham & potatoes– I use a smoked turkey wing to add the smoky ham flavor to the beans and then stir in cubed lean ham before serving
Friday – Order a Pizza
Saturday – Grilled Chicken with a side of left over green beans and potatoes
Sunday – Indulgence night! Pork Chops with “fried” apples(I put the apples in a skillet sprayed with non stick spray and soften them using a bit of apple juice, then at the end I stir in cinnamon, a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and few drops of light maple syrup to help caramelize them); baked mac and cheese (high calorie yummy variety – one of my few indulgences my tummy can take on occasion), daughter will eat what is left for her lunch as long as it holds out since I don’t make it very often.
Monday – Crockpot Roast with Potatoes and carrots
Tuesday – Part Deux night – pork fried rice using the leftover grilled chops
Wednesday – GF Pasta with Chicken and veggies
Thursday – Part Deux night – open faced roast beef sandwiches using leftover pot roast and peas/carrots out of the freezer
Friday – Soup Beans and corn bread and skillet “fried” taters(using another one of those smoked turkey wings and stirring the cubed ham in at the end for the beans).
Saturday – Beef/Chicken taco’s with a side of Part Deux refried beans using left over soup beans to make refried beans
Sunday – Chicken and Dumplings (not GF but son has plans)

All of this, not counting the pizza which I am getting because someone gave me a gift card, cost less than $100 and it is comforting and very healthy.


Items Purchased:
Turkey Kielbasa $5.00
10 lb taters 2.99
5 lbs mixed veggies - from GFS 4.99
2 lbs ground turkey 4.78
2 lbs ground chuck 4.58
2 lb sweet potatoes 1.98
Slaw mix 0.89 on sale
Sandwich rolls 0.79 clearance but still good
canned chili beans 1.29
tortilla chips 2.5 on sale
2 packs frozen green beans 3.98
smoked turkey wings 2.37
1 lb cubed lean ham 2.5
Bag of thin cut frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts 7.99
Pork Chops - 1 1/2 lbs 5.99 on sale
GF Pasta's 3.96 on sale for .99 each so I got 4 - amazing deal as they are normally $2.99 each so I stocked up
Bagged Green Apples 2.99
Two types of Cheese for mac & cheese 6
Gallon 1% milk 2.39 on sale
Chuck Roast 8.69
Rice - 5 lb bag 4.99
Bread 2.89
corn taco shells (I make my own flour tortillas) 1.89
Apple juice 1.99
tea bags - can't live without our iced tea 1.99 coupon!

Grand Total $90.40



I spent an additional $7 and some change (can’t find my receipt) for grapes, peaches, carrots, onions at the produce market.

I also had basics on hand: flour, butter, sugar, cocoa, nuts, spices, canned pumpkin, beans, etc.

 

[TexasErin]

These are some awesome ideas! I am bad about not watching the sales ads, but rather buying what sounds good at the time. What's the best place to find coupons? Any good websites for grocery coupons?

Thanks, Everybody!

 

[4HppyCamprs]

The tip I repeat most often is not to let the cupboards run dry. Stock up as much as you can on non perishables when they are on sale and then fill in around those with fresh foods to make meals. Buy in bulk if you have space for the meat or buy fresh but on sale if you don't. Plan your meals for the week based on what is on sale and what is on hand rather than what you "feel" like. We have a extra freezer and pantry so we are ale to mix and match pretty well. Know your prices so you can spot a good deal. If you have to buy every ingredient at "rack rate" it will be the most expensive.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[wiigirl]

For winter I like to do a lot of soups and stews. Cheap meats...cheap canned items...add heat. Perfect!

 

[kellia]

Besides shopping sales and using coupons, the biggest thing I do is leave dh home!! He is worse than the kids and I feel bad about always telling him "no", unlike the kids, because it's his money, too.

 

[edk35]

This is something I posted on the Eat at Home Board but I hope you find it helpful. Sorry it is so long but at the end was a shopping list with prices that I actually paid.

I used to teach a living/eating/cooking on your Army pay class to young soldier spouses so I fancy myself pretty good with stretching a buck. I am an ole’ country girl with no formal training but did end up running my own catering business for a while as one of my “1000 Army Wife” jobs. My family consist of me (a lady never tells her age but I will tell you my DH is younger than me, I married directly out of high school and had my first kid at 20), DH 42 (my second marriage, his first), DS 24, DD 23. DD is moving out next month and DS is a full time graduate student living at home. DH and I both work full time and I have been cooking this way since I had kids, DH and I have been married almost 14 years.

We cook at home 99% of the time for dinner and we pack most of our lunches for work. DH and I usually take leftovers or I get a turkey breast when they are on sale and roast it and we use it for sandwiches. DS is Gluten Free so I make a lot of GF meals or items he can eat if the meal isn’t GF. I have found it is pretty easy when you are not using prepackaged items. I do not use formal recipes, things change each time depending on what I have on hand. I am very lucky that although my mom was a typical 70’s/80’s mom and didn’t cook, I have a wonderful granny and ex-mother in law that taught me how to cook without wasting anything and stretching everything. They called it depression cooking. It is a very healthy way to eat, I have Crohn’s so have to be careful about fat and since I tend to run on the Pooh side of the equation I try to watch those calories. If you see I listed something as fried it is either dry fried in a skillet with non-stick spray or oven fried using my convection setting. With the exception of flour, sugar and beans/rice I try to shop the perimeter of the store. I also have a freezer and love to get things that are on sale and freeze them, I do this with everything from peppers to nuts to veggies. We keep our grocery bill to $300 per month which isn’t too bad for 4 adults.

We aren’t big leftover fans for dinner but I do a lot of what I call “Part Deux”, you will see what I mean below. I don’t buy packaged convenience items or sweets due to the above reasons but for these 2 weeks I baked a pumpkin pie the first week and it is brownies for the 2nd week. We have a lovely family run produce store close that sells local produce and am able to get fresh fruits and veggies for the week for less than $10 as they sell what is “in season”! I also keep items from the garden in the freezer which helps a lot. Another tip I use is to buy bags of frozen THIN SLICED boneless skinless chicken breasts. I can get multiple meals off 1 bag due to their being portioned to about 4 ounces each and the casserole/rice meals only use 2 portions of meat which healthier and cheaper and my family doesn’t realize it is light on meat. I use ground chicken instead of turkey because in my opinion it picks up the flavor of the beef better so I can use less beef, when using ground meat in recipes I use a 50/50 mix of ground chuck and ground chicken. I will use part of the apples to make pancakes with apple topping one weekend morning so I do double-dip a lot on items. Here we go!


Friday - BBQ Turkey Kielbasa with homemade oven fries and mixed veggies.
Saturday –GF chicken/beef meatloaf with oven roasted sweet potatoes and corn
Sunday - cookout – homemade burgers with grilled veggies and slaw
Monday – kids were gone so DH and I had meatloaf sandwiches and fruit
Tuesday – chicken/beef chili
Wednesday – Part Deux night - nachos using leftover chili
Thursday - Crockpot green beans with ham & potatoes– I use a smoked turkey wing to add the smoky ham flavor to the beans and then stir in cubed lean ham before serving
Friday – Order a Pizza
Saturday – Grilled Chicken with a side of left over green beans and potatoes
Sunday – Indulgence night! Pork Chops with “fried” apples(I put the apples in a skillet sprayed with non stick spray and soften them using a bit of apple juice, then at the end I stir in cinnamon, a couple tablespoons of brown sugar and few drops of light maple syrup to help caramelize them); baked mac and cheese (high calorie yummy variety – one of my few indulgences my tummy can take on occasion), daughter will eat what is left for her lunch as long as it holds out since I don’t make it very often.
Monday – Crockpot Roast with Potatoes and carrots
Tuesday – Part Deux night – pork fried rice using the leftover grilled chops
Wednesday – GF Pasta with Chicken and veggies
Thursday – Part Deux night – open faced roast beef sandwiches using leftover pot roast and peas/carrots out of the freezer
Friday – Soup Beans and corn bread and skillet “fried” taters(using another one of those smoked turkey wings and stirring the cubed ham in at the end for the beans).
Saturday – Beef/Chicken taco’s with a side of Part Deux refried beans using left over soup beans to make refried beans
Sunday – Chicken and Dumplings (not GF but son has plans)

All of this, not counting the pizza which I am getting because someone gave me a gift card, cost less than $100 and it is comforting and very healthy.


Items Purchased:
Turkey Kielbasa $5.00
10 lb taters 2.99
5 lbs mixed veggies - from GFS 4.99
2 lbs ground turkey 4.78
2 lbs ground chuck 4.58
2 lb sweet potatoes 1.98
Slaw mix 0.89 on sale
Sandwich rolls 0.79 clearance but still good
canned chili beans 1.29
tortilla chips 2.5 on sale
2 packs frozen green beans 3.98
smoked turkey wings 2.37
1 lb cubed lean ham 2.5
Bag of thin cut frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts 7.99
Pork Chops - 1 1/2 lbs 5.99 on sale
GF Pasta's 3.96 on sale for .99 each so I got 4 - amazing deal as they are normally $2.99 each so I stocked up
Bagged Green Apples 2.99
Two types of Cheese for mac & cheese 6
Gallon 1% milk 2.39 on sale
Chuck Roast 8.69
Rice - 5 lb bag 4.99
Bread 2.89
corn taco shells (I make my own flour tortillas) 1.89
Apple juice 1.99
tea bags - can't live without our iced tea 1.99 coupon!

Grand Total $90.40



I spent an additional $7 and some change (can’t find my receipt) for grapes, peaches, carrots, onions at the produce market.

I also had basics on hand: flour, butter, sugar, cocoa, nuts, spices, canned pumpkin, beans, etc.

WOW I am sooooo impressed!!! I am more impressed that you work full time and still cook from scratch. You are an inspiration!!! I just read this to my dd and husband.

 

[LilyWDW]

These are things that help me. However, we do budget more for groceries because that is where we prefer to spend the money. We rarely eat out (usually only when mom has a late doctors appointment or something) and we like good food. We also eat breakfast, lunch, AND dinner at home plus all snacks plus at least one fruit and vegetable smoothie per day.

1) Make a meal plan based around what is in the freezer, cabinets, or on sale.
2) Make a grocery list and stick too it!
3) Go when the grocery is not as busy. I find if I am there and it is busy I pay less attention to what I am grabbing and what the price is.
4) If you have access, buy your fruits and vegetables from the farm or farmers market. Also, buy in season as much as possible.
5) Fill your freezer and pantry when there are good sales. It makes tip #1 so much easier.

 

[skeettafic]

I budget $120 a week for groceries and household goods including pet stuff.

Biggest tips --- make a menu and then make a list!!!!! I actually don't always shop the sales for our main meals but I do make a general menu and then might tweak it a little when I see the sale flyer. Stick to your list when shopping!!!! That is the biggest budget buster for us. If I happen to take DH or the kids with me, I inevitably spend more because things that aren't on the list make it in to the cart.

Like PP mentioned, we buy almost zero "convience"/prepackaged food. Every couple of months I'll let the kids pick a treat like prepackaged peanut butter crackers but overall any cookies, snacks, muffins, waffles, etc are all homemade.

I recently upped our budget from $100/week to $120 because we are trying to eat more natural meats, more organic, etc so it just costs a little more. I do try to use coupons as much as I can and look for places that double the coupons I'm using. I generally get cereal for under $2.00 a box and sometimes as low as .50 depending on the sales and coupons. When that happens, I stock up as much as I can. No kidding, at one point last summer I had 32 boxes of various Kellogg's cereals because they were all under 1.00.

Good luck!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I shop the sales. I only buy meat when it's on sale and keep the freezer stocked with meat.

I don't buy cookies at the store - I make them whenever I'm in the mood and freeze them. Then I have them to pull out when we want cookies. I learned this trick because my husband and kids don't seem to understand portion control. When I buy a box of cookies, they are all gone within 24 hours.
I've also stopped buying any kind of chips. We don't need them and they are expensive.

I'm in the process of learning how to cook lighter more healthier foods that still fill up the family. I'm finding that is more expensive too.
I have a farmer's market near us that I go to and get fresh stuff a bit cheaper than the local grocery store.

Diet coke is our budget buster. That's all my husband will drink. We go through a 12 pack every other day. For awhile I was getting the free coupons from mycokerewards.com. Unfortunately they haven't had those in awhile so I've been buying it from sales. I check every grocery store/drug store flyer looking for sales on Diet coke.

Those are my few tips for you. Good luck.

 

[momof3ds]

Grocery prices are different based on geography. You say nothing extravagant but for almost $200, I can buy food for 2 weeks, which includes 3 packed lunches a day, dinner 5 out of 7 nights and breakfast on weekends.

I do mostly bulk shopping


Is there a cheaper store you can shop at?

My taco soup would be:

$5 for ground beef or ground turkey (1/2 of a bulk sized package)
$2 for assorted beans (black beans and red beans again in bulk)
$2 for diced/ stewed tomatoes
$5 for seasonings, ranch dressing, green chiles
$5 for sour cream and cheese (also bought in bulk)

Total $19 and we'd have leftovers for lunches on weekends or frozen for another dinner.

Then, I would make taco burgers, tacos or nachos with the rest of the ingredients so that would be another $15.

2 meals plus leftovers for about $35.

Porkchops and sides

a bulk sized pack of porkchops costs us around $12.

$12 porkchops
$5 for a large bag of white rice or brown rice
$5 for salad or a vegetable

$22 total and we'd have leftovers. I'd usually make fried rice the next day.


I have never made a cornbread casserole but did make sausage soup yesterday.

$4 for 1/2 a bulk pack of italian sausage (purchased at a marked down rate due to sell-by date)
$5 for stewed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic and seasonings
$2 box of orzo
$1 for generic can of crescent rolls (part of buy1, get1 free deal)
$2 for 2 boxes of frozen spinach

Total $14 for dinner and leftovers.


So, that's about $71 dollars for 4 dinners and several lunches.

 

[awoogala]

It depends on how you are willing to eat/store
We save a ton of money by just not buying meat.
When we were all vegetarian, our grocery bill was super cheap.
When we buy meat now, we try to think of it as an ingredient rather than the focus.
Grow and freeze veggies in the summer, or buy them cheaper from farm stands and freeze.
We make crockpot chili for four, every Monday. We call it "clean the fridge chili" I put in everything we have that won't make it much longer- any vegetables go in- zucchini, sweet potatoes, celery, peppers, everything. Once it cooks down, my picky kids will eat it regardless of what's in it- because it tastes like chili.
We make "make your own salad" for dinner several nights a week- romaine, greens, cut up veggies, and beans, sometimes chicken.
Snacks for the kids are cut up veggies, olives, etc. Stay away from the prepackaged snacks- they cost 2 times the price for less nutrition.
We try to buy very little dairy of any kind- That also ups your grocery bill.
Eating as much fresh, unprepared food as possible can really lower your bills.

 

[Karabee]

Every grocery bill gives me a small heart attack when I pay it but we really shop only in 2 places - BJs or Trader Joes. Sure I hate paying $23 for paper towels but when we don't run out for 4 months its so worth it. Same with meat, and the cold cuts at BJs make the regular grocery store look even worse than they really are. I've learned buying in bulk is not bad - plus they send out coupons often and you can use manufacturers coupons. As for Trader Joes, so many people think its expensive like Whole Foods but that isnt the case at all. I find some of my best deals there, especially fruit and veggies and cheese and crackers. While its nice to think that I wake up to make lunch each day there are days I don't have time and they also have great prepared foods that are healthy. That easily saves $10 on a lunch I would have grabbed out. I totally agree its hard to save with groceries and it will only continue to get worse but avoiding your everyday grocery store is my key to saving.

 

[Mom_Rides]

I go through my cupboards, pantry, fridge and freezer to take stock of what I have. Then I make a list of the days of our menu time. I check the calendar for anything special going on and fill the menu in with those things. Then I fill in my menu with what I already have on hand. I also get input from DH and DD on what they want on the menu.

I fill in my grocery list based on what we don't have on hand. I shop at Aldi first then the regular grocery store. I need very little at the grocery store and I try to use coupons with the items I do buy.

Our grocery budget is $200 every two weeks and that includes all food, cleaning products, pet food and general beauty care, OTC meds. That is for DH, DD and myself plus 2 DSSs on the weekends. DH and I pack our lunches everyday but payday. We eat out only 2-3 times a month for dinner.

 

[lisalis]

Making a menu ahead for each week & shopping the sales are my two biggest budget go tos. I use couponmom.com to look at my local grocers' sales that can be stacked with coupons. I know there are other good ones as well. They are always listed in order with the best deals first. I also shop Aldi for bread, milk, cheese, and several other staples.

When shredded cheese goes on sale for $1 for 8 oz, 1 lb. butter for $1.50, or any other staple at a great price I buy plenty & throw it in the freezer or cupboard.

Every once in awhile, I do a clean out week where I plan meals around meat I already have in the freezer. Also, don't forget to double your batch when making soup or casseroles. You can put the extra one in the freezer for another week

 

[Soben]

Keys are:

1. Cut waste. I've heard that 40% of food is wasted. And I've done my share of wasting. Keep an eye on expiration dates. Eat your leftovers or learn to make less. When you're trimming the fat or the veggies, try to keep as much as possible. It's an attitude to always keep an eye out for ways to reduce the waste. Non-food, but I use 1-2 rolls of paper towels a year. Most wiping I use a towel. If an egg falls on the floor (food waste), I'll use a PT to get the bulk up so I don't have to wash it.

2. Learn what a good price is and stock up when it's below that price. If you keep a price list of your top 20-30 most purchased items, you'll know what the best cost per oz or lb is. There's food for sale in lots of different places, dollar stores, farmers markets, amazon. It helps you know what a good deal is.

3. Generally cook from scratch. Buy your lunch stuff in bulk and spend 15 minutes on Sunday breaking it up in containers for the week. It's usually better and cheaper to make something from scratch. Premade foods can sometimes look better than they are because they put in fillers and stuff to bulk it up, but the "real" food content is lower than what you'd make.

Those are the ways to save, you can take each one and go as in-depth as you want with it. Paying attention is the main key.

 

[TexasErin]

This gives me lots of ideas. We do often waste stuff because nobody ever eats the leftovers that we save; they're usually thrown out after they become science projects.

We also buy LOTS of prepackaged, brand-name stuff. And I never remember to take coupons, so I stopped clipping them.

It looks like my laziness (or not making the time) has cost us probably a lot of wasted money.

I'm going to go through the pantry and freezer and see what we can make meals out of. I'm also going to check out my grocery store's website for what's on sale and look at coupon mom.com

 

[JessB320]

This gives me lots of ideas. We do often waste stuff because nobody ever eats the leftovers that we save; they're usually thrown out after they become science projects.

We also buy LOTS of prepackaged, brand-name stuff. And I never remember to take coupons, so I stopped clipping them.

It looks like my laziness (or not making the time) has cost us probably a lot of wasted money.

I'm going to go through the pantry and freezer and see what we can make meals out of. I'm also going to check out my grocery store's website for what's on sale and look at coupon mom.com

Don't feel bad I was in the same spot as you! A lot of people do that, there is a reason they make all those snacks in the bright packages, because people buy them!!! If you want to start couponing, crazy coupon lady, coupon mom and couponing to Disney are all great blogs that you can also follow on Facebook. I would also search for a coupon blog in or near your city, that should cover smaller stores or regional deals for your area. Take small steps and don't get overwhelmed. If you only save 10% at first, hey that's still 10% !! Over time budget shopping gets easier and really becomes second nature. If you start by focusing on meat and packages snacks you will see money saved right away! Only buy meat on a great sale that week (the blogs will tell you if it's a great sale if you don't normally look at prices) get a package to use and a couple to freeze, after a few weeks you will have a freezer with cheap meat to pull from and if you keep up the cycle you never have to pay more on meat. With the snacks agai use the blogs they will lay out deals every week for you. Only buy the snacks on the deals, maybe buy a couple extra and pretty soon you have a stash of snacks for waaay less than what you use to pay.