Re: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

[Guest guest]

Yep, I pretty much do all of these things too  I'm poor... BUT I do eat well, and if something I really like is at a bargain price, I stock up.  Example:  the DelMonte grapefruit that comes in a jar already nicely peeled that needs to stay refrigerated can sometimes be $4.00 a jar - I got them for $1.59 at Everyday Deals, probably because they were going to expire soon.  I would never pay $4 a jar but for $1.59, you betcha!   I also shop at WinCo, where the poor people shop, and where you can buy tons of stuff cheaply in bulk.  I'm also a fan of buying the store brand, since a known brand makes it for them (WinCo / Hytop ketchup is Heinz)

I'll have to check out Grocery Game! Thank you for the tips and thoughtful reply, !!!

 

Hi everyone,Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):

1. Make a budget and stick to it.2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month, wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in my freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I found a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I pinned them to my " adventures in cooking " board on pinterest for those that are on pinterest). Just

using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used up stuff that had just been sitting.4. Buy only what you need and not what you want. Example: I love flatout bread but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread in a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If something is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!! We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more but I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration date but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.

5.

Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other things you need and buy them on sale.6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it just because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or need more than 1.

7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have coupons I use the coupons on top of the sales. www.couponmom.com is a free site that tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping.

8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I see on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to

recognize when something really is a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see something at a really good price I buy more of it than I need at that moment (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at one time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at least one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these on my pinterest boards, these would be on the " saving money " board. It is a bit time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of buying there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices

on eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per pound or ounce). It was very good to know!9. Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not tolerate generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent in quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.

10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get anything I can there (check out www.aldi.com to get an idea why it is so inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people have problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to shop either but when

you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go to the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't care how much they say their prices are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the prices in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).

11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart, across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go there and then Dollar Tree.

12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1 except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other " dollar " stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and other

cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be imported from countries without our safety standards. I also get some school/office supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons of stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is " only $1 " and so cute or cool or whatever. Those " only $1 " items add up fast!

13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list, it won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more you go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.

14. There's a website I read about called " The Grocery Game " that helps you not only match up coupons & sales but also tells

you which store has the best price that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile. They don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it looks very interesting. www.grocerygame.com. I think they're mostly in the western U.S. right now but adding more states.

I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

-- ___________________________________________________________________Please help support my website by doing your Amazon shopping through me with

this link:http://www.amazon.com/? & tag=pinkpussycasc-20 & camp=212361 & creative=392009 & linkCode=wsw &    

THANK YOU!  =^..^=

[Guest guest]

Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):

Very informative. Awesome tips. BTW, I hate using the coupons where you have to buy more than one thing. I buy the Kefir yogurt and I think its expensive so I went shopping for a coupon for it. Found on their web site. I printed it out and it was for TWO bottles. GRRRRRRRRRRRR

´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- ~-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*

[Guest guest]

Those are awesome tips and ones I should follow myself - I'm guilty of the multiple trips to the store in one week - and, yes, you always leave w/ at least one more thing than you intended to buy.

We have Aldi here, too and that is a great place to shop - very no-frills so you don't get "tempted" by other stuff. We also recently realized that Costco may not be the best for everything - we recently had a Wegmans open -and their prices are better than Costco.

I like the idea about the recipe site that you can plug in ingredients on hand - need to do that, too!

Excellent tips!!

Donna

To: exercisevideos Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:44 PMSubject: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

Hi everyone,Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):1. Make a budget and stick to it.2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month, wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in my freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I found a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I pinned them to my "adventures in cooking" board on pinterest for those that are on pinterest). Just using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used up stuff that had just been sitting.4. Buy only what you need and not what you want.

Example: I love flatout bread but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread in a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If something is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!! We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more but I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration date but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.5. Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other

things you need and buy them on sale.6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it just because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or need more than 1. 7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have coupons I use the coupons on top of the sales. http://www.couponmom.com/ is a free site that tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping. 8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I see on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to recognize when something really is a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see something at a really good

price I buy more of it than I need at that moment (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at one time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at least one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these on my pinterest boards, these would be on the "saving money" board. It is a bit time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of buying there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices on eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per pound or ounce). It was very good to know!9.

Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not tolerate generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent in quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get anything I can there (check out http://www.aldi.com/ to get an idea why it is so inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people have problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to shop either but when you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go to the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't care

how much they say their prices are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the prices in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart, across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go there and then Dollar Tree. 12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1 except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other "dollar" stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and other cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be imported from countries without our safety

standards. I also get some school/office supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons of stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is "only $1" and so cute or cool or whatever. Those "only $1" items add up fast!13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list, it won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more you go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.14. There's a website I read about called "The Grocery Game" that helps you not only match up coupons & sales but also tells you which store has the best price that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is

time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile. They don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it looks very interesting. http://www.grocerygame.com/. I think they're mostly in the western U.S. right now but adding more states.I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

[Guest guest]

You're welcome, ! I think I was doing a lot of this before too, but not as focused and definitely not checking the ads that well. Being careful to not buy things just 'cause is helping a lot too.To: exercisevideos Sent: Wed, July 18, 2012 4:11:52 PMSubject: Re: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

Yep, I pretty much do all of these things too I'm poor... BUT I do eat well, and if something I really like is at a bargain price, I stock up. Example: the DelMonte grapefruit that comes in a jar already nicely peeled that needs to stay refrigerated can sometimes be $4.00 a jar - I got them for $1.59 at Everyday Deals, probably because they were going to expire soon. I would never pay $4 a jar but for $1.59, you betcha! I also shop at WinCo, where the poor people shop, and where you can buy tons of stuff cheaply in bulk. I'm also a fan of buying the store brand, since a known brand makes it for them (WinCo / Hytop ketchup is Heinz)

I'll have to check out Grocery Game! Thank you for the tips and thoughtful reply, !!!

Hi everyone,Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):

1. Make a budget and stick to it.2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month, wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in my freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I found a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I pinned them to my "adventures in cooking" board on pinterest for those that are on pinterest). Just

using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used up stuff that had just been sitting.4. Buy only what you need and not what you want. Example: I love flatout bread but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread in a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If something is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!! We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more but I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration date but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.

5.

Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other things you need and buy them on sale.6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it just because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or need more than 1.

7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have coupons I use the coupons on top of the sales. www.couponmom.com is a free site that tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping.

8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I see on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to

recognize when something really is a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see something at a really good price I buy more of it than I need at that moment (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at one time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at least one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these on my pinterest boards, these would be on the "saving money" board. It is a bit time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of buying there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices

on eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per pound or ounce). It was very good to know!9. Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not tolerate generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent in quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.

10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get anything I can there (check out www.aldi.com to get an idea why it is so inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people have problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to shop either but when

you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go to the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't care how much they say their prices are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the prices in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).

11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart, across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go there and then Dollar Tree.

12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1 except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other "dollar" stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and other

cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be imported from countries without our safety standards. I also get some school/office supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons of stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is "only $1" and so cute or cool or whatever. Those "only $1" items add up fast!

13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list, it won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more you go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.

14. There's a website I read about called "The Grocery Game" that helps you not only match up coupons & sales but also tells

you which store has the best price that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile. They don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it looks very interesting. www.grocerygame.com. I think they're mostly in the western U.S. right now but adding more states.

I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

-- ___________________________________________________________________Please help support my website by doing your Amazon shopping through me with

this link:http://www.amazon.com/? & tag=pinkpussycasc-20 & camp=212361 & creative=392009 & linkCode=wsw &

THANK YOU! =^..^=

[Guest guest]

Thanks !I should have mentioned too there are a lot of online coupon sites too. The coupon mom site also directs you to online coupons where applicable too.To: exercisevideos Sent: Wed, July 18, 2012 6:22:31 PMSubject: Re: OT:

's grocery shopping tips

Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):

Very informative. Awesome tips. BTW, I hate using the coupons where you have to buy more than one thing. I buy the Kefir yogurt and I think its expensive so I went shopping for a coupon for it. Found on their web site. I printed it out and it was for TWO bottles. GRRRRRRRRRRRR

´¨¨)) -:¦:-¸.·´ .·´¨¨))((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- ~-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´*

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Donna!To: "exercisevideos " <exercisevideos >Sent: Wed, July 18, 2012 6:27:45 PMSubject: Re: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

Those are awesome tips and ones I should follow myself - I'm guilty of the multiple trips to the store in one week - and, yes, you always leave w/ at least one more thing than you intended to buy.

We have Aldi here, too and that is a great place to shop - very no-frills so you don't get "tempted" by other stuff. We also recently realized that Costco may not be the best for everything - we recently had a Wegmans open -and their prices are better than Costco.

I like the idea about the recipe site that you can plug in ingredients on hand - need to do that, too!

Excellent tips!!

Donna

To: exercisevideos Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:44 PMSubject: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

Hi everyone,Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about $150 off what I usually spend last month):1. Make a budget and stick to it.2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month, wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in my freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I found a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I pinned them to my "adventures in cooking" board on pinterest for those that are on pinterest). Just using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used up stuff that had just been sitting.4. Buy only what you need and not what you want.

Example: I love flatout bread but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread in a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If something is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!! We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more but I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration date but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.5. Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other

things you need and buy them on sale.6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it just because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or need more than 1. 7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have coupons I use the coupons on top of the sales. http://www.couponmom.com/ is a free site that tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping. 8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I see on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to recognize when something really is a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see something at a really good

price I buy more of it than I need at that moment (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at one time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at least one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these on my pinterest boards, these would be on the "saving money" board. It is a bit time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of buying there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices on eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per pound or ounce). It was very good to know!9.

Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not tolerate generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent in quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get anything I can there (check out http://www.aldi.com/ to get an idea why it is so inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people have problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to shop either but when you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go to the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't

care

how much they say their prices are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the prices in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart, across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go there and then Dollar Tree. 12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1 except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other "dollar" stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and other cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be imported from countries without our safety

standards. I also get some school/office supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons of stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is "only $1" and so cute or cool or whatever. Those "only $1" items add up fast!13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list, it won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more you go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.14. There's a website I read about called "The Grocery Game" that helps you not only match up coupons & sales but also tells you which store has the best price that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is

time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile. They don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it looks very interesting. http://www.grocerygame.com/. I think they're mostly in the western U.S. right now but adding more states.I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

[Guest guest]

,

Great tips! Thanks for posting this.

You're right about Kroger being expensive. I do go there because of my

coupons, since they double up to a dollar, plus I also get the gas reward (a

dollar spent grocery shopping=1 point for gas...every 100 points equals 10 cents

off a gallon.)It's still pretty pricey, though. Our family of 4 spends about

$200-250/week on groceries on average, mostly shopping at Kroger.

I go to Walmart once in awhile, too, and used to do Aldi quite a bit. (Just

don't buy their really cheap frozen hamburger patties (not sure of the brand),

unless you like beef hearts as the main ingredient. We found that out on our

second package, and gave what was left to the dog.) I did " circuit " shopping

when my husband was out of work, just like you mentioned. First I'd hit the

Dollar store, then Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger with my coupons. Back then we were

only spending about $125/week. I should start doing that again...I've just

gotten a bit lazy, I guess. Your post is inspiring.

I'll check out your pinterest board for more info, too.

Ronda

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about

> $150 off what I usually spend last month):

>

> 1. Make a budget and stick to it.

>

> 2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.

>

> 3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for

> anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month,

> wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in

my

> freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I

found

> a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it

> will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I

> pinned them to my " adventures in cooking " board on pinterest for those that

are

> on pinterest). Just using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used

> up stuff that had just been sitting.

>

> 4. Buy only what you need and not what you want. Example: I love flatout bread

> but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on

> sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread

in

> a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I

> was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If

something

> is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will

> be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground

> turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!!

> We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more

but

> I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration

date

> but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.

>

> 5. Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan

> menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other

> things you need and buy them on sale.

>

> 6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it

just

> because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy

> more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or

need

> more than 1.

>

>

> 7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have

coupons

> I use the coupons on top of the sales. www.couponmom.com is a free site that

> tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at

> many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping.

>

>

> 8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I

see

> on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to recognize when something really

is

> a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see

> something at a really good price I buy more of it than I need at that moment

> (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever

> because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at

one

> time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be

> good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at

least

> one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these

on

> my pinterest boards, these would be on the " saving money " board. It is a bit

> time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked

> around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of

buying

> there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd

> already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices on

> eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per

pound

> or ounce). It was very good to know!

>

> 9. Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand

> name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not

tolerate

> generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent

in

> quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.

>

> 10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near

> where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get

> anything I can there (check out www.aldi.com to get an idea why it is so

> inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything

> they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people

have

> problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to

shop

> either but when you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go

to

> the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't care how much they say their prices

> are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want

> that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the

prices

> in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).

>

> 11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I

> actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart,

> across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but

> not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go

> there and then Dollar Tree.

>

>

> 12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1

> except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other " dollar "

> stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and

> other cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be

imported

> from countries without our safety standards. I also get some school/office

> supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other

> snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget

> when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons

of

> stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is " only $1 " and so cute or cool or

> whatever. Those " only $1 " items add up fast!

>

> 13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list,

it

> won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week

> and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more

you

> go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.

>

> 14. There's a website I read about called " The Grocery Game " that helps you

not

> only match up coupons & sales but also tells you which store has the best

price

> that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is

> time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think

> it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile.

They

> don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it

looks

> very interesting. www.grocerygame.com. I think they're mostly in the western

> U.S. right now but adding more states.

>

> I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if

> anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ronda,Thanks for your comments! I've managed to cut our weekly grocery bill (4 people: 2 adults, a 10 year old girl who eats like a teenage boy and a 14 year old boy) from about $125-$150 to about $70-$80 a week. I used to primarily shop at Meijer. I've never spent enough at Kroger to get the gas discount and since it means spending way more on food than I need to, it doesn't really balance out to get the gas discount. I try to get gas at Costco whenever possible and have found the one in Livonia (where I work on Mondays) is usually 10-20 cents cheaper than the one in Brighton (near where I live) so I try to fill up there for the week (it almost lasts most weeks). I haven't bought the cheap frozen hamburger patties and for sure won't, now, yuck! I've bought 93/7 or 94/6 ground beef for years

now and, trying to be frugal bought 80/20 beef (probably at Aldi) two weeks ago... never again. There was so much grease, no matter how much I blotted the hamburgers I made with it, it was awful. I'll spend the extra (and the weird thing is, I've found 93/7 ground turkey to be cheaper than ground beef normally, I didn't expect that at all!To: exercisevideos Sent: Thu, July 19, 2012 6:47:45 AMSubject:

Re: OT: 's grocery shopping tips

,

Great tips! Thanks for posting this.

You're right about Kroger being expensive. I do go there because of my coupons, since they double up to a dollar, plus I also get the gas reward (a dollar spent grocery shopping=1 point for gas...every 100 points equals 10 cents off a gallon.)It's still pretty pricey, though. Our family of 4 spends about $200-250/week on groceries on average, mostly shopping at Kroger.

I go to Walmart once in awhile, too, and used to do Aldi quite a bit. (Just don't buy their really cheap frozen hamburger patties (not sure of the brand), unless you like beef hearts as the main ingredient. We found that out on our second package, and gave what was left to the dog.) I did "circuit" shopping when my husband was out of work, just like you mentioned. First I'd hit the Dollar store, then Aldi, Walmart, and Kroger with my coupons. Back then we were only spending about $125/week. I should start doing that again...I've just gotten a bit lazy, I guess. Your post is inspiring.

I'll check out your pinterest board for more info, too.

Ronda

>

> Hi everyone,

>

> Here's a response to questions I got about my grocery shopping (I shaved about

> $150 off what I usually spend last month):

>

> 1. Make a budget and stick to it.

>

> 2. Make a shopping list and stick to it.

>

> 3. Plan a menu in advance and make a list of the ingredients you'll need for

> anything you're eating that week (I did 2 weeks in advance earlier this month,

> wild for me). I am working hard to use a lot of the stuff that is already in my

> freezer, fridge and cupboards so I menu plan with those things in mind. I found

> a couple of cool websites that will let you put in ingredients you have and it

> will give you recipes based on those items (can't remember what they are but I

> pinned them to my "adventures in cooking" board on pinterest for those that are

> on pinterest). Just using what I already have saved me a lot of money and used

> up stuff that had just been sitting.

>

> 4. Buy only what you need and not what you want. Example: I love flatout bread

> but it is $3.50 a package. I decided I can live without flatout. If it goes on

> sale I might buy a package but I doubt it. We need flour (I make my own bread in

> a bread machine), I don't need flatout and I don't feel deprived either. If I

> was miserable without it, I'd find a way to work it into my budget. If something

> is hugely on sale too, I might buy more than I need, as long as I know it will

> be used. For example, I planned to buy 1 or 2 packages of Jennie-O lean ground

> turkey a few weeks ago. Aldi had tons of it marked down from $3.49 to $1.25!!!

> We love ground turkey so I bought 8 packs and wish I would have bought more but

> I was afraid to spend too much. These packs were close to their expiration date

> but as long as you throw it in the freezer, it is fine.

>

> 5. Check the store fliers (that come in Sunday newspapers) for deals and plan

> menus around those items. Also use the store fliers to find deals on other

> things you need and buy them on sale.

>

> 6. I use coupons but I'm very picky about what I buy (as in, I don't buy it just

> because I have a coupon for it). I also don't use coupons that force me to buy

> more than 1 of an item to get 20 cents off them if I don't actually want or need

> more than 1.

>

>

> 7. I'm waiting for sales on things as often as I can, and then if I have coupons

> I use the coupons on top of the sales. www.couponmom.com is a free site that

> tells you what items are on sale and/or have coupons associated with them at

> many stores nationwide (U.S.). I use that to help plan my shopping.

>

>

> 8. I've started making a price book where I keep track of the best prices I see

> on the items I buy regularly. I can use it to recognize when something really is

> a good deal and not just because the store flier says it is. When I see

> something at a really good price I buy more of it than I need at that moment

> (but sticking to my budget too) and store it but I don't do tons of whatever

> because i don't want to store a year's supply of toothpaste (for example) at one

> time (it would bust my budget too). If that works for you though, it might be

> good. There are lots of free printable price books on the internet and at least

> one I found that is a downloadable spreadsheet. Again, I have links to these on

> my pinterest boards, these would be on the "saving money" board. It is a bit

> time-consuming to put a price book together but it is so worth it. I walked

> around Costco one day just writing down prices of items I was thinking of buying

> there then compared them to some of the store fliers I had and the prices I'd

> already written down and was surprised to see that I could get great prices on

> eggs & cheese but that their meat was more expensive (comparing price per pound

> or ounce). It was very good to know!

>

> 9. Buy store brands whenever possible. I am only attached to a couple of brand

> name products (it has to be Heinz ketchup for me and my family will not tolerate

> generic pancake syrup, for example). Most of the store brands are equivalent in

> quality to the brand names but at a much lower price.

>

> 10. Shop at less expensive grocery stores. We have an Aldi and a Walmart near

> where I work on Saturdays so right after work, I go first to Aldi and get

> anything I can there (check out www.aldi.com to get an idea why it is so

> inexpensive to shop there, their store brand stuff is great too) and anything

> they don't carry (like Heinz ketchup) I get at Walmart. I know some people have

> problems with Walmart for various reasons and it isn't my favorite place to shop

> either but when you don't have much income to dispose of it works. I only go to

> the expensive stores (like Kroger, I don't care how much they say their prices

> are low, they aren't except sometimes on sales) when there is an item I want

> that is on sale for less than I can get anywhere else (and comparing the prices

> in the store fliers and in my price book tells me when to go there).

>

> 11. Going along with #9, don't stick with one store if you can help it. I

> actually have a Saturday circuit I take as needed: Aldi first, then Walmart,

> across the street is Meijer which is usually slightly higher than Walmart but

> not terrible and if I can't find something I really need at Walmart I'll go

> there and then Dollar Tree.

>

>

> 12. Shop dollar stores. Dollar Tree is the BEST, everything in it truly is $1

> except their greeting cards are 50 cents. Dollar General (and other "dollar"

> stores) is often higher priced than Walmart! I mostly get shampoo and soap and

> other cleaners there. Don't buy medicines there, I've read they can be imported

> from countries without our safety standards. I also get some school/office

> supplies, some food (especially candy for our weekly family night and other

> snacks) and miscellaneous other things. Make sure you have a LIST and a budget

> when you go into a dollar store. It is SO easy to get sucked into buying tons of

> stuff you didn't intend to buy because it is "only $1" and so cute or cool or

> whatever. Those "only $1" items add up fast!

>

> 13. Shop as little as possible. My family knows that if it isn't on the list, it

> won't be bought until I go grocery shopping again next week. I go once a week

> and am trying to cut that down further except for milk and produce. The more you

> go into stores the more likely you are to buy things you don't need.

>

> 14. There's a website I read about called "The Grocery Game" that helps you not

> only match up coupons & sales but also tells you which store has the best price

> that week (so you don't have to dig through the fliers yourself, which is

> time-consuming but worthwhile if you don't have a resource like this). I think

> it costs $5 a week to subscribe but it sounds like it could be worthwhile. They

> don't have Michigan stores yet so I haven't looked too far into it but it looks

> very interesting. www.grocerygame.com. I think they're mostly in the western

> U.S. right now but adding more states.

>

> I think that's it for now. If I think of anything else I'll post it and if

> anyone else has good idea, I'd love to hear them.

>

>

>