Saving on Groceries

[yeahdisney]

This year I am back to paying cash at the grocery store. I am willing to shop aldis.

We are eating what is down in the freezer so I can see what really in down in that chest freezer. And we have a stand up too.

I do buy meat when on sale and you have to clip that dang digital coupon. And then I buy extra.

I am willing to hit the stores for sale loss leader as they call it: when I am already in town and I have the time.

I think I am going to attempt herbs in pots outside this year- because why not.

I do like letting target deliver for free when they have $10 off 50 or 60 and a gift card deal to throw in too. I will ask who else needs something in the extended group to get that deal.

I buy things like chips when they are 2.50 bag must buy 4. Cereal must buy 4. Irritates me. But 5.99 a bag is nuts. And single cereal is high.

I don’t know how young families do it.

I read someone is trying to go to the store every 14 days. Mostly for produce. That is decreasing their bill.

 

[disykat]

Yep, eating down what's in the freezer and pantry is crucial. Lettuce is my thing that gets thrown away most, though I try really hard not to throw away any food. Most produce I can catch and freeze before it goes to waste. But there again, you have to use it!

 

[barkley]

Now I shop approximately every 10 days. I spend less overall.

doing our primary shopping once a month has made a huge impact on our grocery budget. it was born of necessity when we moved here and made more possible b/c of ultra pasturized dairy products. I will do a costco and/or trader joes trip every other month or so but the bulk of everything is done once a month for basic staples (meat I just watch for sales).

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

I scour the circulars to menu plan and game plan our grocery list. I know what we eat protein wise so shop sales when they are available and freeze in meal sized portions for us. I know what we will eat as leftovers and what we won't so I plan serving sizes accordingly. We shop Aldi, Shoprite, Acme and BJs. Acme is our most expensive store but is weirdly cheapest for eggs and it's on our way home from work so we just pop in real quickly using self checkout and out in 5 mins. Maybe 10 if there are other loss leaders. Aldi is 5 mins from work and never too busy on our schedule so we are in and out in 15 mins usually. Shoprite is a couple mins away and that's where we do the bulk of our shopping. BJs is every couple of months for paper goods mostly though I do follow several couponers on instagram and have had great success using pick up orders from Walgreens/CVS/Target to keep some paper good costs and toiletry prices super low. I have to compare prices, but I make time at night to look at the deals and make multiple lists of what's on sale. Sometimes what's on sale isn't worth it as I don't like to stockpile too much but it's always worth a glance. I always use digital coupons everywhere I shop (except Aldi of course) and I do find they make a big difference. I know it's not easy for everyone to shop at different stores, but it makes a big difference for us price wise and not a huge inconvenience so it's not so bad. The planning just takes a little more time. DH sometimes is like "we have to go somewhere else?" but everything is really within 5 mins of work or home (except BJs) so we aren't wasting gas and then when he sees what we get for the money he is pretty impressed.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I wish I had the patience and discipline to plan. I utilize coupons the Meijer coupons as much as I can. They are pretty good at personalizing things, but I know I could do A LOT more.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I've been going at the issue from trying to further reduce our food waste. I feel like we already do pretty well, but there is always produce that goes bad before we use it, or yogurts or something that will expire. And sometimes I cook too much and it sits too long. When I throw something away I always think about what it cost. I made an informal policy with myself that if we have to throw something away, I won't buy that item again for a long time, and unless it's specifically needed for something. So far I think it has helped. I recently got one of the items that I've been skipping for a couple of months, and we consumed it all right away.

 

[AnnaS]

I try to avoid going from store to store for sales since I end up picking up extra things that were not on my list besides that sales item. I do go once in a while. Stop and Shop is a tiny bit closer to me than Shoprite. I will run there for one or two items (better parking lot) in between my shopping or if I see something on sale that lasts a while and I am short on it. Think 20 pack of toilet paper or something similar.

Every supermarket has sales. One week it's Kellogs, another week it's Post. One week it's Barilla pasta, another week it's Ronzoni. Whatever product I use, if on sale, I buy if I use it often unless I have a ton or don't need as often. Perishables - I will buy an "extra" if something is on sale - like Philadelphia Cream cheese and has a long expiration date.

Of course, there are always items I need that don't go on sale often and buy. I freeze a lot. Don't like to waste food. Certain products, I like only a certain brand but there are times if I need something and brand does not matter, I buy whatever is on sale or store brand.

Since I use Almond Milk - the expiration is better than whole/2% milk. I buy 2 - 4 cartons when I shop. I don't go shopping unless I run out of milk, eggs or bread (I freeze bread/bagels also/take out as I need).

Try to make many things at home rather than buying prepared food - wether it's frozen food/meals, cupcakes, brownies, etc. Pre-made/packaged usually more money.

Kids in school - make little snack bags at home rather than prepackaged.

It is hard with a big family with prices today. I am shocked when I see what my kids pay for certain things. They grab and go. Don't usually pay attention to flyers/coupons. Buy a small package of something - when the week before the bigger package was on sale for same or less $$. They are getting a bit better.

 

[LilyWDW]

My current budget is $100 a week ($400 a month) for just myself. That DOES include paper products and a few other non food items.

Within easy walking distance I have a Jewel, Whole Foods, and Marianos (Kroger). I HATE Marianos. They sometimes have decent deals, but are overall expensive and the customer service is horrible. Often on a Saturday morning they have one set of self checkouts open and one other checkout, so lines get bad.

Within longer walking distance/short bus ride I have Trader Joe's and Fresh Market.

Medium bus ride (15-20 minutes) I have an Aldi.

Long bus ride (40+) I have Walmart, HMart, and a number of other specialty spots.

So my normal shopping is at Jewel. I try to keep up with their sales and coupons to help with the prices. It is a simple walk (about 7 minutes one way).

I will go out to Aldi if I need to stock up on canned items or I see some interesting deals. I will likely go this weekend (need canned veggies and they have a good deal on apples).

HMart is once a month at most for a handful of specialty items and a couple "treats". For example, Korean sweet potatoes are a go to for me to just bake up and eat with breakfast or lunch. But it is like a 45 minute bus ride so it's not something I want to do very often.

What I can not wait for is the Farmer's Market to open back up. That will happen in April (yay!!!). While some stuff is more expensive then going elsewhere, other items can be cheaper for MUCH better quality.

 

[Imzadi]

Within longer walking distance/short bus ride I have Trader Joe's and Fresh Market.

Medium bus ride (15-20 minutes) I have an Aldi.

Long bus ride (40+) I have Walmart, HMart, and a number of other specialty spots.

I think you are the only other poster here, besides me, who has ever mentioned having to take buses to get supplies, (aside from those visiting Disney.)

The ride itself can be an ordeal. I always have to plan out how many items I can reasonably take back. Usually, I take a collapsible luggage cart with me. Yet, I have to lift up and place the cart and boxes/bags of groceries into the luggage/cargo hold of the bus myself, which can be heavy.

A couple times I forgot it and I bought way too much groceries. When walking from the bus or subway stop, I can only handle 4 well-stuffed grocery bags if I have no cart.

So, how HEAVY the items are is also a big factor, even if they all fit into the bags. Usually if I'm taking the bus/subway, it's to stock up my pantry. These items, Walmart will no longer ship individual cans of so I can stock up an assortment. I do not want 6-12 cans of ONE item. One time, I had gotten so many canned items, at 1 lb per can, those bags were way too heavy. About 25 lbs in each hand. I basically had to stop every block to put down the bags & rest. What is normally a 10 minute walk turned into a half hour. (Taking a cab or Uber, even the short distance would have cost way more than the savings on groceries and defeated the purpose of the trip.)

I'm making a Trader Joe's run tonight. I *think* I'll only get two well stuffed bags of items, So, I won't need my cart. Of course, that's how I get into trouble the few times I didn't bring a cart and bought more than planned.

 

[TippyThomas]

I think you are the only other poster here, besides me, who has ever mentioned having to take buses to get supplies, (aside from those visiting Disney.)

The ride itself can be an ordeal. I always have to plan out how many items I can reasonably take back. Usually, I take a collapsible luggage cart with me. Yet, I have to lift up and place the cart and boxes/bags of groceries into the luggage/cargo hold of the bus myself, which can be heavy.

A couple times I forgot it and I bought way too much groceries. When walking from the bus or subway stop, I can only handle 4 well-stuffed grocery bags if I have no cart.

So, how HEAVY the items are is also a big factor, even if they all fit into the bags. Usually if I'm taking the bus/subway, it's to stock up my pantry. These items, Walmart will no longer ship individual cans of so I can stock up an assortment. I do not want 6-12 cans of ONE item. One time, I had gotten so many canned items, at 1 lb per can, those bags were way too heavy. About 25 lbs in each hand. I basically had to stop every block to put down the bags & rest. What is normally a 10 minute walk turned into a half hour. (Taking a cab or Uber, even the short distance would have cost way more than the savings on groceries and defeated the purpose of the trip.)

I'm making a Trader Joe's run tonight. I *think* I'll only get two well stuffed bags of items, So, I won't need my cart. Of course, that's how I get into trouble the few times I didn't bring a cart and bought more than planned.

I don't have a lot of experience with busing or public transportation at all, but I always assumed, apparently wrongly, that there wouldn't be room or the ability to bring much home on a bus. I guess it must be a bit easier to do than I'd imagined. I'm sure it's not exactly easy, but at least doable.

 

[AnnaS]

For anyone taking a bus,

Can you do grocery delivery once in a while/a few times a year and stock up on the heavy/large non-perishable items?

 

[barkley]

first-kudos to you on this type of shopping, it is a tremendous undertaking!

These items, Walmart will no longer ship individual cans of so I can stock up an assortment.

do you have an amazon prime membership? if so take a look and compare prices with walmart b/c amazon sells a number of single can items at comparable if not lower prices (I just ordered 2 single cans of swanson's broth for the identical price as walmart as well as del monte canned sliced peaches-though i'm also giving the amazon brand a try b/c it's the same price as walmart's great value).

I'm making a Trader Joe's run tonight. I *think* I'll only get two well stuffed bags of items, So, I won't need my cart. Of course, that's how I get into trouble the few times I didn't bring a cart and bought more than planned.

hands down it's the one store I can't stick to my shopping list at

 

[LilyWDW]

For anyone taking a bus,

Can you do grocery delivery once in a while/a few times a year and stock up on the heavy/large non-perishable items?

I do have access to grocery delivery (got a great deal at Christmas for Jewel) and I do use it. Usually when there is a great deal on my flavored waters, gatorade, or canned goods. So those things that get super heavy.

For grocery trips I usually take a backpack and then 2 cloth bags to carry stuff home in. I do also have 2 grocery carts; 1 big and 1 smaller. I hate using the big one.

But that is the fun of living in a big city with no car! At least I save $400 a month not having a car lol.

 

[Imzadi]

I don't have a lot of experience with busing or public transportation at all, but I always assumed, apparently wrongly, that there wouldn't be room or the ability to bring much home on a bus. I guess it must be a bit easier to do than I'd imagined. I'm sure it's not exactly easy, but at least doable.

There are a couple steps to climb to aboard a bus. So, it's a matter of lifting up the cart and making sure the cart and the jumbled assortment of bags will fit through the narrow bus aisle to get to a seat. There have been times I had to put stuff into the bus in segments, a couple of bags dumped onto my seat at a time, go back to the curb for the rest I placed right in front of the bus door. I tell the bus driver I'm going back for those bags. I make sure I'm the last one on the bus so no one is waiting behind me. Unloading is the same way, telling the driver I still have a couple bags on the bus. Dumping my bags right onto the curb by the bus door and running back in for the rest. Then, once the bus is gone, slowly loading the cart up Tetris style and bungeeing it.

OR, I'll try to stow the cart in the cargo hold - that's IF it's the kind of bus that has one. I usually don't have the strength to lift the cart up and in by myself. And I don't want to rely on a stronger man who can do it, but who may not be there. (And believe it or not, the DRIVER will not load the cargo hold many times. ) Again, I may have to load a couple bags in at a time, and then the empty cart as it goes in sideways, so it doesn't roll around in the hold.

Some buses now have a wheelchair accessible ramp to be able to wheel on a cart. But, it takes up so much time for the ramp to be lowered and raised, that it's a major annoyance to all the other passengers to have to wait through that, when it's not a person in a wheelchair but someone with a bunch of packages. I try not to do that.

As for subways: the subway cars themselves are roomy, with a big door to get in. The newer cars also have areas at the ends for a wheelchair to slide in. That said, it is getting DOWN/UP to/from them underground, is still a problem. Even with all the ADA laws. LOTS of stairs. The few stations that have an elevator, they never are working when you need it. OR they are working only on one subway platform, in one direction - the one you aren't going in. There are stairs between the two platforms. Or you have to leave the station by going up stairs to get to the other direction. Usually, you have to walk/wheel to the next stop, or if already on a train, shoot beyond the stop you want to another stop that has an elevator that is working, to take you down to the level of the subway platform going (back in a U-turn) to the stop with the elevator you want.

I've been getting various household items & furniture on a Freecycle-type group for sustainability. It's not as scummy as FB Marketplace. In this group, many college grads need to get rid of the furniture their parents bought for them while here at college, when they graduate and go back home or onto their next journey in life. Usually, the furniture is barely used. (Everyone shows pictures of their items they are giving away so we know what we are getting when we show up.) I've been fortunate to get some great like new items.

One time, when I was new to the group, I was gifted an Ikea Kallax 2x2 cube storage unit. (Picture below.) But it was in Brooklyn. Empty, the units actually aren't very heavy, especially on my luggage cart. Just big and bulky. I bungeed the Kallax onto my cart, was doing really great wheeling it along the street until I get to the subway station and find the elevator was out of service. AND there was no way to get the Kallax unit through the subway turnstyle to try to hobble it down the stairs. This station was unmanned, so they didn't have a regular entrance door to open and walk through.

The nearest subway station with an elevator was a good 30 blocks away - about a mile and a half away. I usually walk a lot in the city. The Kallax was well bungeed on the cart, so I figure I'll walk it. What I didn't realize was that part of Brooklyn was all UPHILL! By the time I get to the station I was thinking I should have left it on the curb for someone else, and just buy a new one and have it delivered to my home.


Kallax 2x2:

After being in the group a while, I learned that most college students have a Kallax unit they need to get rid of. It took several months, but I now have acquired FOUR Kallax units stacked as a 4x4 full wall unit, and all the same color. AND people close by me were getting rid of theirs, so I didn't have to subway them again. (Which I don't think I would have done anyway.) And I have swapped out several pieces of my furniture to incoming college students. It's kind of a "Circle of Life" sustainability exchange. <cue The Lion King music. >

 

[Imzadi]

hands down it's the one store I can't stick to my shopping list at

I didn't make it to Trader Joe's tonight. The wind is too gusty here. I swear I saw Dorothy & Toto blow by! It would have been too grueling trying to get a cart full of groceries home in this wind.

 

[Imzadi]

For anyone taking a bus,

Can you do grocery delivery once in a while/a few times a year and stock up on the heavy/large non-perishable items?

The problem with grocery deliveries is that between fees and tipping the deserving driver, it eats up any savings I am going for. Walmart brand canned corn is 68¢. Here in NYC, where there is so little shelf space in the grocery stores here, they only carry Del Monte, and it's $2.79 per ONE can. When I can buy 4 can of the Walmart brand items for that price, if I'm paying the membership fees and tip, then I'm only getting say, two items at a discount. I might as well just go down the street and buy a couple cans here and wait until I can do a pick up myself.

(The math probably does work out and I probably would be saving, it just doesn't seem that way. )

 

[Travel60]

I'm shocked to see so many people writing about buying cans of stuff. I can't think of the last time I bought a can - maybe evaporated or condensed milk for a recipe. If something is not available fresh, I buy frozen (vegys, fruit). With frozen, I can use as much as I want and save the rest. Plus canned vegetables taste mushy and tinny. Do you buy cans because that's what you grew up with or are they cheaper?

 

[Imzadi]

do you have an amazon prime membership? if so take a look and compare prices with walmart b/c amazon sells a number of single can items at comparable if not lower prices (I just ordered 2 single cans of swanson's broth for the identical price as walmart as well as del monte canned sliced peaches-though i'm also giving the amazon brand a try b/c it's the same price as walmart's great value).

I do have Prime and I did end up doing some grocery shopping at Amazon last night. I was getting a couple other non-food items and I happened to do a search for "low sodium" to see what came up. I wasn't expecting much, since the last time I had looked Amazon list most things through Amazon Fresh, (which meant tipping the driver for delivery,) or buying 6-12 pieces of a item.

I was actually surprised and pleased to find they actually had more single can items available through regular Prime shipping, (or free with a $35 purchase for non-Prime members,) than the last time I looked. I did buy several single food items, (a couple cans each.)

And I did find that Amazon had lower prices on low sodium tuna and a Starkist variety I never had before that had no salt added for the same price as regular. Whole Foods version of no salt added tuna is $5/can.

I hope Amazon keeps this up.

 

[barkley]

The problem with grocery deliveries is that between fees and tipping the deserving driver, it eats up any savings I am going for. Walmart brand canned corn is 68¢. Here in NYC, where there is so little shelf space in the grocery stores here, they only carry Del Monte, and it's $2.79 per ONE can. When I can buy 4 can of the Walmart brand items for that price, if I'm paying the membership fees and tip, then I'm only getting say, two items at a discount. I might as well just go down the street and buy a couple cans here and wait until I can do a pick up myself.

(The math probably does work out and I probably would be saving, it just doesn't seem that way. )

Walmart does free shipping with a minimum order of $35. I live rural and they don't offer delivery but I would likely still opt for shipped to my door (I get stuff within a few days) to avoid cost of driver tips.

I'm shocked to see so many people writing about buying cans of stuff. I can't think of the last time I bought a can - maybe evaporated or condensed milk for a recipe. If something is not available fresh, I buy frozen (vegys, fruit). With frozen, I can use as much as I want and save the rest. Plus canned vegetables taste mushy and tinny. Do you buy cans because that's what you grew up with or are they cheaper?

I buy some canned b/c there's no frozen version or it ends up mushy/off on texture if I defrosted it to eat-sauerkraut, sliced beets. green beans, dolmas and pears come to mind. I use dry beans to make stuff like chili but I like to have a variety of beans on hand for salads/side dishes (black, kidney, garbanzo)-i don't think they even sell those frozen. no issue with tinny tasting.

 

[Imzadi]

I'm shocked to see so many people writing about buying cans of stuff. I can't think of the last time I bought a can - maybe evaporated or condensed milk for a recipe. If something is not available fresh, I buy frozen (vegys, fruit). With frozen, I can use as much as I want and save the rest. Plus canned vegetables taste mushy and tinny. Do you buy cans because that's what you grew up with or are they cheaper?

We were talking about ordering pantry items, stuff meant to have a longer shelf life. I buy certain canned stuff which isn't mushy: canned corn, chick peas, black beans, pinto beans, all no salt added. And tomato paste - well that is mushy!

More and more canned vegetable companies are realizing no salt/low sodium is a real market. Canned vegetables don't HAVE to have all that salt normally added. Target has a whole line of no salt added canned vegetables. Many of them are organic too. Libby's canned vegetables (at Walmart) are mostly canned with no salt, AND they do not cost more for the privilege of eating healthy.

I don't eat a lot of fruits as I'm pre-diabetic and fruits are too much sugar, when some non-sugary vegetables will have the same nutrition. Also, I have Oral Allergy Syndrome in which I'm allergic to many RAW fruits, raw nuts & seeds and some vegetables. (I'm actually allergic the TREES and some fruits DNA mimics the tree DNA, which is why I'm allergic to them. However, I can eat the fruits of they've been heated as the heat breaks down the protein or enzymes so I can then have them. So, I can have fruit baked, boiled, stewed, in compotes, and nuts & seeds roasted. Even the canning/jarring process heats the fruits enough for me to eat.

So, occasionally I'll have pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges. Sometimes canned peaches & pears. All of those packed in fruit juice, not syrup. I also have on hand cranberry sauce for cranberry mayo to slather on a chicken salad sandwich, and applesauce for my pork chops. This is why I don't need to buy 6-12 of each canned item for occasional usage, along with a lack of storage space in a tiny apartment.

I do buy several cans/pouches of low sodium tuna and Walmart's brand of low sodium canned chicken at a time. Some of those are for emergency rations and get rotated out every few months. Other times, I eat those a lot as a quick and easy protein.

And I get cans of low sodium cream of mushroom soup and chicken & beef broth for sauce bases.