Inspired by the grocery bill thread: how do you shop?

[Pooh Girl 71]

How do you shop? Do you do all your shopping in one place? Do you clip coupons? Do you shop via the sales ads?

The pet food is bought at PetSmart (usually) esp when the canned cat food is 25 cents a can.

I go to Sam's Club for certain things: boneless chicken breasts, milk, eggs, bottled water, bagged salad, etc

I then shop via the sales ads and tend to stock up when stuff is on sale.

Anything else is bought at Wal-Mart.

I do go to Kroger when they double coupons up to $1. That seems to be the only time I actually use coupons.

 

[teh fish]

I just walk into Harris Teeter and buy the same things. I also grab one of the sale advertisments and if i see something I like, I would get it also.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I don't do all my shopping in one place. Sam's Club and Kroger tend to be the best on milk (got it for $2.70 a gallon at Kroger the other day), I prefer Ukrops for ground beef, and we definitely go through the sale ads each week to see what's on sale. I try to use the coupons I clip when something is on sale to get the biggest bang for my buck.

 

[N.Bailey]

I usually go from store to store in our town and buy what's on sale. I stock up on anything I can while it's on sale too. I only buy my meat products from 2 of the stores in our town. I rarely use coupons, but if I have one and I'm going to buy that product anyway, I will use it. I do not let them dictate what I purchase, unless of course on the few occasions when I've literally been paid to purchase something. That's a pretty cool feeling when it happens!

We visit Sam's club occasionally, but it's quite a drive for us, so it's not a weekly thing. I'm more interested in getting DVD's, computer software, or video games than food there, but I'll slip over and see what they have in the food dept. and we'll buy whatever strikes us at the moment. I never found Sam's to be a deal on soaps, detergents, paper products or that type thing. I get a better deal at my local grocery stores and as I've said, stock up on it while it's on sale.

 

[Cruisin]

I shop only in one grocery store.

I hate shopping for food as it is, I don't think I could go to more than one store

I do make occasional trips to the Costco store, but the nearest one is 1 hour drive away so I only go a few times a year.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

gotta love Ukrops! They do have great meat there.

 

[IandGsmom]

I go to Costco for certain things that we eat alot of like cerel but usually go to Safeway. No coupons for me, I thinks its such a pain.
Pet food I buy at Walmart.

 

[cgcw]

Most of my grocery shopping is done either at Sam's or at a local produce market. We almost always get our milk at Sam's, along with bananas, strawberries & eggs and a lot of meat. Most other things I buy at the produce market.

I don't go to the chain grocery stores very often. When I do, I tend to spend a couple hundred dollars at a time. I'll buy when we need that I can't get elsewhere but I also buy the current sale items. Before I know it, my cart is full beyond full and my checkbook is drained.

 

[oogieboogie]

Sunday is grocery day at my house. DH clips the coupons out of the paper and I get my list ready.

Then we go to 3 different grocery stores (they're all within 5 minutes of each other) and buy the items that are on sale and has a coupon. Since 2 of the 3 do double coupon, it makes for cheap sale items!

We end up with at least 40% savings at each store just by using the store sales and coupons.

 

[buddy&wooz]

I go to Stop & Shop and throw stuff in the cart, then come home and realize all the stuff I forgot . Every so often I try to get organized and I even have a computer printout shopping list, but I get out of the habit much too quickly!

 

[browneyes]

I go to the grocery store, or I go to Walmart's grocery section. Ad match is great. Time consuming though. I also clip coupons. I think cashiers hate to see me come in.

 

[100%Disney]

I shop at Harris Teeter for food and Walmart for non-food.

 

[preshi]

I have DH bring food home all the time from work (Trader Joes)

We also go to TJ's once a week to do major shopping.

I go to Target and get anything else I need

 

[neosnightmare]

for me, its publix for my daily sub for lunch and food

and walmart for everything else.

 

[Nancy]

I pretty much shop at the same store and don't go all over the place. I use coupons, the store I shop at doubles them up to 99 cents. I will go to 1 other store in the area if they have BOGO's that are for items I use. Their prices are higher then the store I shop in so I don't make it a habit to shop there much. Once in a great while I'll go to Aldi's...but only for a few items....like this week coming up they have a special purchase on Powerade and a few other things I would buy, and they are name brand products.

 

[swea_pea1]

I go to Sam's for stuff that I use enough of that I can buy it in bulk and not have to store it forever (mac & cheese, pasta, those little cups of applesauce, etc.). But mostly I go to Kroger. I sometimes use coupons.....I shop on Sunday so I pick up the newspaper when I walk in the store and look at the coupons. If there are coupons for stuff I buy and they'll save me at least the cost of the newspaper, then I use the coupons and buy the paper. If not, then I don't. My husband gets so embarassed and tells me it's about about the cheapest thing he's ever seen anybody do.

 

[tar heel]

Coupons and shopping sales are a pain, but not using them is like throwing away $ -- I had $9.80 today at Target for film, deoderant, Triscuits, batteries and fruit bars plus every single one of those items was on sale. I carry a Ziploc bag of coupons in my pocketbook.

I shop at two grocery stores, Harris Teeter and Food Lion. Which I go to for my main trip of the week depends on the weekly specials and what other things I'm out of. HT is a good bit more expensive on regular prices but has a more extensive sale list and doubles coupons. It is rare that my checkout order does not require a code from a manager because I saved too much -- usually 40-50%. I also buy some things at Target and Walmart -- I would probably shop at the latter more if it were more convenient. Lately I've been buying most of our milk at a convenience store b/c it and Aldi (which I stopped at today for just milk) have the best prices in our area.

I have a list for main shopping trip, but sometimes I don't for supplementary ones.

I'm a very careful shopper, but we eat well. I buy steak, shrimp, pork tenderloin, etc. -- I just get it when it's on sale.

And I absolutely hate to take a ds or a dh with me when I shop -- I spend so much more when I do.

 

[Keli]

I should use coupons more but I've always been terrible at it. I just don't have the hang of making them work for me.

I go to Aldi's first and buy all of the items I need that they sell. I buy most staples there like bread, milk, lunchmeat, veggies, fruits, rice or pastas, frozen chicken and pork. Then I go to our super wal-mart and pick up the stuff I can't get at aldi's. That's usually things like tp, detergents, some meat, a few spices, and any name brand stuff that my family really likes and doesn't want the generic verision.

 

[Lucky4me]

When I have the energy I go for the sales. Today I went to:

Aldi's:
.50 bread and hamburger/hot dog buns.
$1.89 gal of milk
.95 extra large eggs
.29 a lb bananas
4.99 bag of frozen chicken breasts
2.99 whole seedless watermelon
green peppers 4 for $1
cucumbers-same
tomatos- .99
celery .49
$1.79 cereal
Assorted junk food we did not need- cheap.

CVS

Maybelline Buy 1 get 1 free mascara (Volume x-press) $6.49 plus $1.00 coupon
Kellogs cereal- $1.88
Dove shampoo-forgot price-cheap- $1 coupon

Walmart-

44 lbs of dog food- $14.99
various facial products on sale
various cleaning products on sale
kids party birthday present


I spent a total of $160 at all three places. With what I already have on hand I won't need to shop for a couple of weeks except for milk and produce. I don't clip coupons anymore unless I find them in the store. I save more money this way.

You really can't beat the prices at Aldi's. The quality of most items is surprisingly good too.

 

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