Grocery Shopping Tips

[cwasil]

Looking for a few tips on things I can do better or what your general grocery bills are so I know I'm in line.

Over the last year I've taken the grocery shopping responsibilities away from my wife. She just seemed to be a very impulsive buyer that didn't take sales or coupons into account. She meant well and we sure did eat good but after one month of, I kid you not, $1200 in grocery bills for a family of 5 I asked if I could try. Being an engineer, I'm kind of methodical about the whole process and if I'm gonna do it I'm gonna maximum the savings for my time. I look at the sales items in the flyers and try to marry them up with the coupons I have on hand. I get the coupons from either the Sunday paper or online print outs. One night during the week I'll travel around to the four stores in our area picking up the sales items from each of the places ending up at our cheapest store where I'll buy the basics like milk, bread, etc. that isn't on sale. I'm at the point where I'll pass up certain sales because I'll have, for example, 10 bottles of bbq sauce already or a 5 month supply of Purex. Time consuming process but I feel that if I save our family $200-$300/month by shopping a little smarter and taking the time it's well worth it. I get some funny stares though...not many dudes use coupons...my kids are worth it though.

Not sure how some of you guys get those tremendous discounts of 60-80% off...If I get 40% off by shopping the sales and coupons I think I've done a good job. Our food bill fluctuates a bit due to holidays, birthdays, etc. but generally it's in the $500-$600 range per month now. I read these forums regularly and I've gotten some good tips based on other folks questions and thought I'd ask to see if anyone could add something to my situation. I enjoy this...kind of game really to buy nutritious food at a reasonable price. I could feed my family Taquitos and Slim Jims and we'd make out like a bandit but fruits, vegetables and fresh meat are a different story sometimes...I'll shut up now and listen. Thank you.

 

[Nicolepa]

The biggest key is to stock up on non-perishables when they go on great sale. The sales run 12-16 week cycles so stock up enough to last you until the next sale. For example, I just got brand name spaghetti for .75 a box. That is the cheapest I've found it. I bought 20 boxes. That is enough to last us about 10-15 weeks. If there are coupons out there I will order 10 or so online from thecouponclippers.com. If you look at the ads the day they come in and order your coupons they get there in plently of time. (She is in FL and I'm in WA.)

Only buy the produce that is one sale that week. If corn is on good sale then buy a bunch and eat it a couple days that week. If apples are on sale, that is the fruit we buy for the week.

Bread freezes so when it goes on sale buy a months worth. I never buy snack foods unless they are on great sale. My kids know this, so they put in their request for x,y,z next time it goes on sale.

 

[Ava]

If you have a farmer's market in your area, check their prices for fruits & veggies. We have one in our neighborhood every Sunday and their prices are usually comparable to the grocery store. Plus with a farmer's market you know the produce is fresh & locally grown. I've also found that it lasts longer because it's fresher than what is sold in the grocery store. When I buy produce from the grocery store I feel like I have to eat it within a week max but things I purchased from the farmer's market have stayed fresh for up to 3 weeks.

Also buy up meat when it's a good price and freeze it. I'm the only meat eater in my house, but we still buy the family packages and then divide it up into individual serving sized bags before we freeze it.

 

[pumpkinfish]

Looking for a few tips on things I can do better or what your general grocery bills are so I know I'm in line.

Over the last year I've taken the grocery shopping responsibilities away from my wife. She just seemed to be a very impulsive buyer that didn't take sales or coupons into account. She meant well and we sure did eat good but after one month of, I kid you not, $1200 in grocery bills for a family of 5 I asked if I could try. Being an engineer, I'm kind of methodical about the whole process and if I'm gonna do it I'm gonna maximum the savings for my time. I look at the sales items in the flyers and try to marry them up with the coupons I have on hand. I get the coupons from either the Sunday paper or online print outs. One night during the week I'll travel around to the four stores in our area picking up the sales items from each of the places ending up at our cheapest store where I'll buy the basics like milk, bread, etc. that isn't on sale. I'm at the point where I'll pass up certain sales because I'll have, for example, 10 bottles of bbq sauce already or a 5 month supply of Purex. Time consuming process but I feel that if I save our family $200-$300/month by shopping a little smarter and taking the time it's well worth it. I get some funny stares though...not many dudes use coupons...my kids are worth it though.

Not sure how some of you guys get those tremendous discounts of 60-80% off...If I get 40% off by shopping the sales and coupons I think I've done a good job. Our food bill fluctuates a bit due to holidays, birthdays, etc. but generally it's in the $500-$600 range per month now. I read these forums regularly and I've gotten some good tips based on other folks questions and thought I'd ask to see if anyone could add something to my situation. I enjoy this...kind of game really to buy nutritious food at a reasonable price. I could feed my family Taquitos and Slim Jims and we'd make out like a bandit but fruits, vegetables and fresh meat are a different story sometimes...I'll shut up now and listen. Thank you.

You can't see me now but I'm standing up and cheering for you! I'm a logical thinker as well and plan ever grocery shopping trip out before we leave home. If DH comes with, we have a POA (plan of attack) while on the drive over to the stores.
Sometimes I need to grab 2 carts to seperate everything out. I shop at our Farm Fresh where they will give you $15 off when you spend $25 in a certain grouping of products. So I'll use that in one transaction and turn around and use the $15 in the next transaction. I'll do that as often as needed to get the most bang my buck. Also every Wednesday is double coupons up to $1. It's important to know if your local grocery stores do something similar.
check out Hot Coupon World/A Full Cup for upcoming sales and great deals in your grocery/retail stores.
If you haven't already, I suggest jumping on a coupon train and posting the coupons you need the most ("wants"). ShiPooOwner is my train leader and is awesome!
Like a PP posted, look out for meat sales and stock up. I also buy the larger family sized packs and divide up and freeze when I get home. I also map out our menu each week. With fruit/veggies, I buy what's in season except I'll stock up on frozen fruits/veggies when on sale. Just as nutritious as fresh and last longer .
Those are just some ideas to make the dollar extend further.

 

[Gretchen3ajoshmom]

You've joined our secret society!! My DH and I shop together- I methodically check adds on line and print out grocery lists of sale things we use- and cross-reference with my coupon box to maximize savings - We never walk out of a grocery store with less than a 50% savings.... We have "our system" down though.... I have a running list of "good" prices for all items we use and are we are not brand loyal... I drive my ds13 nuts- he only gets Pizza Rolls when they are 10 for 10 AND I have a 0.35 coupon that our store will double! I don't mind paying 0.30 for them not 2.49!
Good luck, it takes time to get it down to a "science"- being an engineer, you should get it in no time- esp. if this social worker/mechanic team has!!!

 

[cwasil]

Thanks you guys for confirming what I'm doing is correct. I purchased a little deep freezer when I started all this and do stock up on the meat when it's on sale. I've got my little excel sheet for good prices on various grocery items, cuts of meat, fruits and vegetables. I stock up pretty good when I see sales for toilet paper, dish detergent, etc and even go out and buy dry goods in bulk. Tonight, between coupons and sales, I'll get 8 boxes of Kelloggs cereal for $3.50 if I'm doing my math right. Not sure why you guys are able to get over 50% and I'm lucky to hit the 40% mark. The only difference being is that I have no local store that double coupons. Oh well, it's a far cry from our old grocery bills anyways and I'm still including diapers and junk like that for our 2 & 3 year old.

FYI, I thought it might be worth it to just get a full pig from a local farmer instead of buying the "grocery store" way. I don't think it's worth it from a money standpoint. I paid $160 for a buddy of mine who raises pigs, chickens and cows for this purpose and the butcher was $204 for their part. So far, I've gotten 90lbs back plus hams and bacon come in a couple of weeks. I think I'll be looking at around $2.50/lb for pork products. I'd like to think it's better tasting and possibly healthier but skeptical. I do know, however, that I'd never pay $2.50 for any cut of meat outside of ribs. Have any of you guys ever done the math with a cow on this?

 

[kwhite1022]

Wow seems like you got screwed by the processing on that pig!

We have done only cows, but we usually end up paying (processing and all) around $1.66 per pound. Thats including steaks, tons of hamburger, stew meat, and roasts. These are also chemical free animals, so they taste better IMO. I have not been able to come close to this at my grocery store. Perhaps its just a difference in areas, or the animal, but man it seems like you paid an awful lot.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Welcome to the world of couponing!

One thing to add to the great suggestions above - learn to CVS. We have a thread every week on the CVS deals here on the Budget Board. You can get a $25 gift card for each prescription you have filled at CVS and when you combine that with the Extra Care Buck (ECB) deals and coupons then you can get diapers, toiletries, paper products, OTC meds and snacks for free or cheap!

We are lucky enough to shop at the Military Commissary (tax free) but I maximize our savings with coupons. I follow Hot Coupon World and read up on their forums for the stores I have near me for the latest deals. I order extra coupons from ebay to stock up on things we use. I have about 100 rolls of free toilet paper and about 35 boxes of spaghetti (9 cents each box after coupon) in the pantry now among other things.

Funny that you're contributing this to being an engineer. I was an Engineering major in college so maybe that is where I get the methodical savings plan from too.

Happy shopping!