Tips for saving at the grocery store?

[finny1981]

Sunday mornings I make enough waffles (mickey waffles) and muffins to feed small army for 2 weeks and freeze them.

Do you then just microwave them to heat them up?

This is interesting to me because I am at work before the 4 kids are up in the morning and we spend a ton on cereal or waffles and this would work well for us I think.

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Not the op here but when we do homemade frozen waffles, we heat them in the toaster. That way they aren't soggy.

 

[LJSquishy]

Do you then just microwave them to heat them up?

This is interesting to me because I am at work before the 4 kids are up in the morning and we spend a ton on cereal or waffles and this would work well for us I think.

I also make huge batches of whole wheat waffles to freeze (my last batch had raspberries & sliced almonds in the batter) and to reheat them I put them in the toaster. It keeps them crisp. If your kids like soft waffles, the microwave would be fine. I also make & freeze whole wheat banana pancakes and those are great reheated in the microwave.

 

[clshirk]

Not the op here but when we do homemade frozen waffles, we heat them in the toaster. That way they aren't soggy.

Definitely toaster. We do this about every 1-2 weeks and stock up with a freezer of waffles.

 

[nugov2]

I haven't seen it mentioned, but what about Walmart price match? I save about $30 a week from my regular bill(and I typically did aldi and another big chain with Costco once a month). Now I do Walmart and Costco(and a small local store to get our Boar's Head lunch meat). I not only save about $30 a week, but also scan my receipt every week and have gotten $70 back since August through the savings catcher. How I work it is I use the ads that get mailed for free and write down anything that is a great deal and have them price match it at the register, then I scan the receipt to catch anything from stores I don't get free ads mailed to me.

I do love Costco for meats and toiletries.

 

[finny1981]

I haven't seen it mentioned, but what about Walmart price match? I save about $30 a week from my regular bill(and I typically did aldi and another big chain with Costco once a month). Now I do Walmart and Costco(and a small local store to get our Boar's Head lunch meat). I not only save about $30 a week, but also scan my receipt every week and have gotten $70 back since August through the savings catcher. How I work it is I use the ads that get mailed for free and write down anything that is a great deal and have them price match it at the register, then I scan the receipt to catch anything from stores I don't get free ads mailed to me.

I do love Costco for meats and toiletries.

Does it take a long time to have the cashier price match? I have thought about doing this at our Wal-Mart, but we grocery shop two weeks at a time for a family of 6 (three teens) and I was concerned that it would take a long time so I haven't tried it yet.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

My daughter-in-law (who has five kids) is very big on Walmart price matching. She organizes her cart while shopping so that the non-matched items are at the front, and the ones she wants to price-match are at the back, and she puts the appropriate store flyers with the items circled on top of the items. She has the items being matched from No Frills in one group, from Food Basics in another group, etc. So it doesn't take her long to check out. I do find that if there are good deals at some stores, the Walmart staff are prepared, they know a lot of people will be price-matching those items.

TP

 

[HeatherC]

If you shop at Walmart and have a smart phone, download their Savings Catcher app.
You scan your receipt and it will compare prices to other stores in your area and give you the difference back.

If you sign up with Bluebird they will double the money back until the end of February.

I started before Thanksgiving and have about $50 in a bluebird acct. Will use it to grocery shop at Walmart when we go to Disney in April.

 

[havaneselover]

If you shop at Walmart and have a smart phone, download their Savings Catcher app. You scan your receipt and it will compare prices to other stores in your area and give you the difference back. If you sign up with Bluebird they will double the money back until the end of February. I started before Thanksgiving and have about $50 in a bluebird acct. Will use it to grocery shop at Walmart when we go to Disney in April.

I'm up to $280 in savings using savings catcher. Last week I got a ton of Brailla pasta for $0.04/box and spaghetti sauce for $0.32 per jar. It's been a huge help to my grocery budget.

 

[nugov2]

Does it take a long time to have the cashier price match? I have thought about doing this at our Wal-Mart, but we grocery shop two weeks at a time for a family of 6 (three teens) and I was concerned that it would take a long time so I haven't tried it yet.

We are a family of 5(2 boys and 1 girl not teens though), but I shop weekly. I make sure I write out everything I think is a great deal on one paper with the price next to it and the store with the price. Then as I shop I cross off anything that isn't lower(it happens a lot) and I put anything that is a better deal in the basket of the cart(and if I have too much I still try to keep it separate somehow)I then put everything on the conveyer that is not price matched first and separate the price match stuff at the end in order on my list. I just tell the cashier everything from the strawberries(or whatever the item is) back is all price match. They never ask to see my ads, but I bring them just in case. Then as she scans the price match item I give her the price and she keys it in. That simple and no hold up on the line. The first couple of times it was a little clunky until I got a system down, but it is smooth sailing. Then I scan my receipt when I get in my car so I don't forget. It is very easy

I like going weekly because the deals change so much and I don't want to miss anything. I also will really stock up now on great deals that we eat regularly and if there aren't any great deals one week I won't buy much besides our weekly staples(fruit etc)

 

[Mizzoufan]

I mentioned price matching in above post. I put little stickers on the items so it doesn't hold line or cashier up. The savings catcher doesn't work to well for us since we are in a tiny community.

 

[nugov2]

I mentioned price matching in above post. I put little stickers on the items so it doesn't hold line or cashier up. The savings catcher doesn't work to well for us since we are in a tiny community.

That stinks. It checks CVS, Walgreens, Aldi all kinds of stores. I like that I can get the immediate savings at the register though too and why I don't just only rely on the app, but I like the bonus money that I get every week. Whenever I get the app notification that a lower price was found, I get excited to see how much I got

 

[pampam]

My daughter-in-law (who has five kids) is very big on Walmart price matching. She organizes her cart while shopping so that the non-matched items are at the front, and the ones she wants to price-match are at the back, and she puts the appropriate store flyers with the items circled on top of the items. She has the items being matched from No Frills in one group, from Food Basics in another group, etc. So it doesn't take her long to check out. I do find that if there are good deals at some stores, the Walmart staff are prepared, they know a lot of people will be price-matching those items.

TP

Me too. Plus, I also write on the top of the flyer what is at other stores, since No Frills, and Freshco price match too, but Food Basic doesn't. Sometimes the produce is better at one store over another. And I don't buy fresh meat at Walmart because of the way it's priced per package, not per pound.

 

[staceyeileen]

Aldi Aldi Aldi!!

 

[ekatiel]

Aldi Aldi Aldi!!

OP here. I wanted to update! I took y'all's advice and went to Aldi! I think I saved a TON! I made a list of semi-cheap meals, and tried to stick to it. This trip also didn't require too many toiletries, etc, so that helped. I went to Aldi first, and then if Aldi didn't have something I needed, I headed to our local grocery store (HEB). Here's what I spent:

Aldi: $52
HEB: $78. plus $5 for food bank donation
Disney GC: $50
Total: $185

I know I forgot an item or two, but I'm $15 under budget, even with the $50 GC thrown in. I think I may be an Aldi's convert, unless the food is just gross!!! I took a chance or two on items (a frozen rising crust pizza and frozen chicken wings). We'll see if they're as good as the brand names! Here's a list of our dinners for the next week and a half:
Creamy Burrito Casserole: 2 nights
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with fries: 2 nights
Chicken Spaghetti Casserole: 2 nights
Pasta with Sausage in a cream sauce: 1 night
Grilled Chicken with quinoa: 1 night
Frozen Pizza with Wings: 1 night
Brinner, waffles and bacon: 1 night

All meals except brinner will have a veggie side or baby spinach salad with them.

So pumped that Aldi's worked out for me! I put all the cool stuff in a cold bag and went right to HEB after Aldi's, so I didn't have to go home and unload in between trips. Thanks for the advice, guys!

 

[mj70148]

I have a few health issues and I'm allergic to gluten, eggs, and casein, so i thought it would be really hard to eat cheap in our house. We also try to stay away from preservatives as much as possible, eating fresh instead of canned, making our own sauces from scratch instead of jars, just to be healthier, and we notice a difference in how we feel when we stay away from processed foods. It actually isn't as much as we thought it'd be to eat a diet like this. We buy a ton of produce in a week, as well as ground beef/steaks from costco, and organic free range chicken. Before we had to make the switch, we ate a lot of foods like pasta, frozen meals, and lots of things from coupons (which are almost always BAD for you! processed preservatives all over!) each week. We spent maybe $150 per week then, and about the same now (sometimes a little more depending on what we run low on- like olive oil or seasonings). This is for two of us- and I know if we had 2 kids this would be a lot higher- but we do have friends and family over for dinners several times per week as well.

Just wanted to share in the offchance anyone thought everyone was making great suggestions for saving $ but not saving health- like me!

 

[stsomewhere]

I shop by myself. If I take my husband or daughter, they like to add things to the cat.

 

[staceyeileen]

I took a chance or two on items (a frozen rising crust pizza and frozen chicken wings). We'll see if they're as good as the brand names!

Never tried the wings, but we always buy the frozen pizzas. They're just as good as the name brands, and they come in lots of interesting toppings. The toppings they have rotate so if you find one you like, stock up. That goes for all special buy items.

I'm glad you had a good Aldi trip!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I shop by myself. If I take my husband or daughter, they like to add things to the cat.

I know this is a typo, but it made me LOL! I pictured you going around the grocery store with a cat in your grocery cart, and your husband and daughter sticking little bows or ornaments on the cat...

TP

 

[java]

Aldi's pizza in the fridge section is the crowd pleaser at my house. Only $5 for a plain or $6 for one with huge amounts of toppings. Does anyone buy fresh meat there? That is the one item I have not tried. Scares me as I know they don't have a butcher in the back. So worried about freshness?