It's Cheaper to Do This than That Thread

[Action City]

Don't make your meal plan for the next week before going to the store.

Make your meal plan at the store based on what proteins and vegetables are on sale.

Last thing we would have thought about having this week was Corned Beef, but it was on sale last week, so it was Sunday dinner and leftovers for sandwiches a few days this week.

It would never work for me to make a meal plan at the store. Most stores have their weekly ad online. I work off that for my meal plan.

 

[tvguy]

It would never work for me to make a meal plan at the store. Most stores have their weekly ad online. I work off that for my meal plan.

. The flyer doesn't show you the quality of items they have on sale. On sale produce is no bargain if it is poor quality. It's soooooo easy.We hit the produce isle. asparagus, broccoli on sale. Frozen section, cut corn and peas on sale.....poof, veggies for the week set. Hit the meat counter. Corned beef on sale boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 a pound (stocked up on those), pork loin and short ribs. Poof, done.

 

[Action City]

. The flyer doesn't show you the quality of items they have on sale. On sale produce is no bargain if it is poor quality. It's soooooo easy.We hit the produce isle. asparagus, broccoli on sale. Frozen section, cut corn and peas on sale.....poof, veggies for the week set. Hit the meat counter. Corned beef on sale boneless skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 a pound (stocked up on those), pork loin and short ribs. Poof, done.

How often do you cook meals? My grocery store has very high quality produce and fresh vegetables, that is why I shop there. Though I have a well stocked pantry, there are still ingredients I need to buy every week beyond protein and vegetables. My meal plan is based on recipes, not what ingredients I can throw together to try and make a meal.

 

[tvguy]

How often do you cook meals? My grocery store has very high quality produce and fresh vegetables, that is why I shop there. Though I have a well stocked pantry, there are still ingredients I need to buy every week beyond protein and vegetables. My meal plan is based on recipes, not what ingredients I can throw together to try and make a meal.

Every Sunday morning. We like to eat fresh. We hit both the Walmart Neighborhood market, and the Local Chain (Raley's/Bel Air). But around here the trend is for the markets.....in an effort to reduce food waste....to start selling "imperfect" produce. And sometimes it's pretty sad produce. And what's interesting is....this chain....since 1935 marketed itself on top quality produce. But they discovered people are willing to sacrifice quality for lower prices.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article26872639.html

 

[DisneyHardin]

Don't make your meal plan for the next week before going to the store.

Make your meal plan at the store based on what proteins and vegetables are on sale.

Last thing we would have thought about having this week was Corned Beef, but it was on sale last week, so it was Sunday dinner and leftovers for sandwiches a few days this week.

This is exactly what I do. I buy some proteins based on the sale ad, but most of our meats come from the "Managers Special" area. There is no way to plan ahead what is going to be there on any given week. Once I finish at the store, I come home and put the menu for the week up on the white board.

 

[1st*toright]

This is exactly what I do. I buy some proteins based on the sale ad, but most of our meats come from the "Managers Special" area. There is no way to plan ahead what is going to be there on any given week. Once I finish at the store, I come home and put the menu for the week up on the white board.

I do a meal plan and shopping list based on the sale flyers, then adjust if there is something great on sale in the store that I wasn't expecting. Then I finalize the menu after shopping. There are almost always one or two meals in the planned menu that are based on previous week's meals that are in the freezer (or partial meals that only need fresh produce added), and those can wait until the next week if inspiration strikes at the grocery store. I've been trying to be mindful of using up all of everything I buy before it spoils, which (for me) requires a little more forethought.

I used to shop at only one grocery store per week, and rotate between stores so that I got everything I needed over time. We have lots of options in our immediate vicinity. I've found that I spend way less money by hitting a couple of stores a week - I pick up a few things at Aldi when I'm on my way home from picking up a kid at the gym, I stop at whole foods for the handful of things I can only get there when I need them (and buy most of our meat based on whatever they have on sale in a given week), and then I rotate between a couple of grocery stores and our local asian market for my "main" shop. I've reduced our grocery spend by a third or more in the past few months - mostly with more deliberate meal planning, but also being more price/value conscious and hitting different stores. No question, it does take more time, but like most things, there is a tradeoff of money vs. time spent!

Great example - I shopped at my asian grocery store last weekend - bought 5 or sticks stalks of lemongrass for $.80 - it was 1.79 per pound. Went to Whole Foods later that day - lemongrass was $9.99 per pound there! These two stores are about 2 miles away from one another!

 

[tvguy]

I do a meal plan and shopping list based on the sale flyers, then adjust if there is something great on sale in the store that I wasn't expecting. Then I finalize the menu after shopping. There are almost always one or two meals in the planned menu that are based on previous week's meals that are in the freezer (or partial meals that only need fresh produce added), and those can wait until the next week if inspiration strikes at the grocery store. I've been trying to be mindful of using up all of everything I buy before it spoils, which (for me) requires a little more forethought.

I used to shop at only one grocery store per week, and rotate between stores so that I got everything I needed over time. We have lots of options in our immediate vicinity. I've found that I spend way less money by hitting a couple of stores a week - I pick up a few things at Aldi when I'm on my way home from picking up a kid at the gym, I stop at whole foods for the handful of things I can only get there when I need them (and buy most of our meat based on whatever they have on sale in a given week), and then I rotate between a couple of grocery stores and our local asian market for my "main" shop. I've reduced our grocery spend by a third or more in the past few months - mostly with more deliberate meal planning, but also being more price/value conscious and hitting different stores. No question, it does take more time, but like most things, there is a tradeoff of money vs. time spent!

Great example - I shopped at my asian grocery store last weekend - bought 5 or sticks stalks of lemongrass for $.80 - it was 1.79 per pound. Went to Whole Foods later that day - lemongrass was $9.99 per pound there! These two stores are about 2 miles away from one another!

My mom when she retired used walk 3 miles a day and could hit several stores within walking distance. She knew that at Noon at one store that the rotisserie chickens put out at 8 am would be marked down $1. The next week she knew that the BBQed tri tips put out earlier that day would be marked down by $3 at a certain time. One entree item was always on sale each week in the Chinese Kitchen at another story. She could get a week's meal from each of those items.

 

[Action City]

This is exactly what I do. I buy some proteins based on the sale ad, but most of our meats come from the "Managers Special" area. There is no way to plan ahead what is going to be there on any given week. Once I finish at the store, I come home and put the menu for the week up on the white board.

I will sometimes buy from the Managers Meat Special area, but I freeze it for future meals.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Well whenever we shop we look at how much we're getting in comparison to the price as far as groceries.

Most often bulk or multi-packs saves you money but not always. Off-brand usually saves you money but not always.

We'll look at the size of the container and figure out how much that costs in comparison to another sized container, etc for example.

Pilsbury(.com) is a good place to get manufacturing coupons (and it's far more than just getting cinnamon rolls).

Costco is a good place and we love it just be careful what you purchase. We know items that cannot be bought in bulk from places like Costco because we won't use it all. Costco also has their own manufacturing coupons they use and we pay attention to that.

Going towards the middle-end of the season (depending on what season it is and what store) is a good way of getting items on clearance. I once had a cashier at Khol's ask me why I was buying a warm-type sweater in May as it was getting too warm for that...it cost me like $3..I told him this is the time to get them. I've gotten $1 summer shirts the last couple of years at Wal-Mart once they got uber clearanced priced.

For us majority of the time when a recipe calls for red or yellow bell peppers as well as green we just do green only. Typically red or yellow are two or more times the cost of green as our stores. But we'll also look into the price of a combo pack it's just it's usually not a very good deal.

 

[TwoMisfits]

This is exactly what I do. I buy some proteins based on the sale ad, but most of our meats come from the "Managers Special" area. There is no way to plan ahead what is going to be there on any given week. Once I finish at the store, I come home and put the menu for the week up on the white board.

Exactly, today at Aldi's, I picked up 6 lbs of boneless skinless chicken tenders (the perfect small size that means no prep) for $1.80/lb - it was discounted extra as a manager special b/c no one was buying it (b/c the bone in skin on thighs were 69 cents/lb). I never buy this b/c I'm happy to prep, but when it's cheaper than the full-on breasts (which were $2.30/lb still), I make meal plans that will let me use the "easiness of this" to my advantage...

 

[usnuzuloose]

Every Sunday morning. We like to eat fresh. We hit both the Walmart Neighborhood market, and the Local Chain (Raley's/Bel Air). But around here the trend is for the markets.....in an effort to reduce food waste....to start selling "imperfect" produce. And sometimes it's pretty sad produce. And what's interesting is....this chain....since 1935 marketed itself on top quality produce. But they discovered people are willing to sacrifice quality for lower prices.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article26872639.html

Interesting. I don't get the paper or read it. I don't like their tomatoes. When I get a chance I love going to Demio's and get produce.

 

[mjkacmom]

I find I save money by ordering my groceries online from our local supermarket. I combine coupons with sale items, can easily compare unit price, and there are some tricks, like you can request having your boneless chicken breasts sliced into thin pieces (while still paying $1.99 a pound). It’s very helpful for meal planning, and no impulse buying.

 

[pershing]

Most often bulk or multi-packs saves you money but not always. Off-brand usually saves you money but not always.

We'll look at the size of the container and figure out how much that costs in comparison to another sized container, etc for example.

They sure make it hard to compare by looking at unit prices! They will make you compare individual items to fluid ounces to liters to pounds, in order to hide which item costs more per how much you get! I always have google open on my phone when I shop bulk items!

Pilsbury(.com) is a good place to get manufacturing coupons (and it's far more than just getting cinnamon rolls).

livingrichwithcoupons is my bible for couponing! It taught me how to do coupon match-ups, stacked coupon deals, and where to get coupons. However, I learned over years how to really become a couponer. Not like my mother did at all! I was so green when I started. I didn't even know that in many stores you can use a store coupon and a manufacturing coupon on the same item! I didn't know you could use two coupons in many stores on a buy-one-get-one-free deal.

Now I carry store's couponing policies saved on my phone so I can educate the cashiers about their own stores couponing rules. For instance, the other day, I had to explain to a BJ's cashier that yes, I can use multiple manufacturing coupons on one multi-pack item as long as the coupon's verbage is met, there are individual UPC barcodes on each item in the multi-pack, and I don't exceed the price of the multi-pack. He was like, "Wow! They let you do this!" Um, yes!

CVS in particular is my favorite place to shop for free! Sometimes, I even make money in Extra Bucks for walking in the door and getting stuff for free. Again, I learned this over the course of years. Sometimes, I will use my CVS Extra Bucks to get basics like eggs and milk, if the Extra Bucks are expiring or I'm low on cash.

But some people will say, "Who's got time for this?" It is the Time Management Versus Saving Money dilemma. For those of us who have decent paying jobs with a lot of industry in our area, time management is worth more than couponing. For some, say parents who would have to pay high day care fees in order to work a decent enough job or those with little industry nearby, staying home and figuring out ways to save money while the kids are running around the backyard is worth the dive into the minutia! Ben Franklin's "A penny saved is a penny earned" means we have made a lot of money even without a paycheck! Yes, we have!

 

[barkley]

love threads like this-always pick up great new ideas!

for me the best savings I see applying these kinds of concepts are with (1) meats, and (2) canned goods.

with meats I've always looked to whatever type I want and then determine the least expensive way to go about getting it. with bulk (non cased) sausage it's almost always cheaper to catch a good sale on bulk pork then use the kitchen aide grinder attachment and make it up ourselves (we season it into whatever type we need). we use our vacuum sealer to put up 1# packages to freeze (and I buy the bags from the company's website when they have BIG discount sales-like right after Christmas when it was BOGO with free shipping). we like lamb in a variety of ways so since Costco sells legs for less than anyplace sells on the best sale around us we buy a couple, break them into a couple of half legs (plenty for multiple nights dining for dh/me) and then put the rest into either pieced (for stew) or ground (shepherd's pie or greek sloppy joes) 1# bags.

with beef it just depends on what's the best deal-buying it in the form of a good sale priced roast and breaking it down OR taking advantage of a GREAT sale deal (it's not often it happens these days but just yesterday one of the local stores had among their 'fabulous friday' deals 93/7 ground beef for $2.79 a pound so I stocked up and bought about 24 pounds). chicken is the only thing I don't try to break down-it's just better to wait for a good sale and stock up (boneless skinless breasts were 1.99 per pound yesterday so I got about 7 pounds to put into packets of 2 breasts each).

on canned goods it's largely knowing what we use on a regular basis and with some that we use large amounts of stocking up at case sales. with others it's watching for a good sale (or in a pinch if it's something I know I will use a case of over time-asking the store manager if they give a case discount, most of the major chains offer at least 10% off but sometimes it's 20%). every little savings helps.

CHeck goodrx for prescription prices and shop around. Prices can vary widely from one place to another

my pharmacist clued me into another savings-if you take any otc meds on a regular basis under the instruction of you doctor-ask the doctor to write up a prescription for those meds. insurance in most cases won't cover it HOWEVER-because it's being requested in the form of a prescription if you live in state that exempts prescription drugs from sales tax but taxes otc drugs, the otc becomes non taxable (can add up if you're on multiple otc's and in a high sales tax state).

 

[North of Mouse]

btw I hope everyone knows that cake mixes should be definitely tossed when expired. There are stories of toxic mold forming and stuff. Duncan Hines even recommends destroying the box and contents so no one else pulls is out of the garbage.

Totally false!! Look it up! Mixes like that are perfectly safe up to at least 6 mos. if they're kept cool and dry. We've used them after with no loss of flavor, and definitely no toxic mold!
Just another false thing that has been tossed around to try to scare people.

People with extreme allergies have to be careful with 'any' foods, (dated or not), otherwise stamped dates are 'best by', 'sell by' dates only. This goes for most any dates on foods. Look up Duncan Hines statement as well as other legitimate internet sites.

People are constantly passing around as truth things that have no basis of truth to them. Best to find out from truthful sources instead of just accepting scare emails, etc. Please don't spread false rumors.

 

[tvguy]

Interesting. I don't get the paper or read it. I don't like their tomatoes. When I get a chance I love going to Demio's and get produce.

LOL. I bring tomatoes in my lunch, but I am the only one in my family that eats them. The vine ripened tomatoes at Walmart aren't bad.
There is the Farmers Market at Country Club Center every Saturday year round and that is a few miles from me, and the "Certified" Farmers Market at Carmichael Park every Sunday year round which is walking distance from my house, but despite being called a "Certified: farmers market that one is pretty sad. More crafts booths and fewer produce booths than the Saturday one.
And I live a mile from the Farmer's Wife Produce stand, but they are closed for the winter, so farm fresh fruit and veggies are easy to get.
LOL I haven't been to Denios in probably 50 years. I try to avoid Roseville........AT......ALL.......COSTS.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Totally false!! Look it up! Mixes like that are perfectly safe up to at least 6 mos. if they're kept cool and dry. We've used them after with no loss of flavor, and definitely no toxic mold!
Just another false thing that has been tossed around to try to scare people.

People with extreme allergies have to be careful with 'any' foods, (dated or not), otherwise stamped dates are 'best by', 'sell by' dates only. This goes for most any dates on foods. Look up Duncan Hines statement as well as other legitimate internet sites.

People are constantly passing around as truth things that have no basis of truth to them. Best to find out from truthful sources instead of just accepting scare emails, etc. Please don't spread false rumors.

The thing you have to do...if a cake mix passes the use by date, add a little baking powder...the biggest reason the cake mix is dated for "x" date is b/c the lifting agent (usually baking soda or baking powder) eventually will no longer lift the cake, and only getting egg lift only gets you so far. Now, this doesn't mean you can use 10 year old mixes (b/c other products will start to go rancid in the mix - nuts, oils, etc), but they should last 6-18 months past the use by date (depending on flavor - nut mixes will be short for the aforementioned rancid oils reason) with no decrease in quality if they get this additional lifting agent added.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Not nearly as universally appealing as saving on food but I accidently found a money savings tip a few months ago. I use an expensive organic body lotion that I have to order online. I admit I buy it mainly for the scent. I had just a small amount left in the tube and slathered it on my chest and arms but ran out and had to use plain old body lotion on the rest of me. I discovered that I still got the experience of the luxurious feel and scent of the expensive stuff using it on my upper body where I could smell and feel it most of the day. It's a little thing but who would have thought of that? lol

 

[crisi]

Great thread! I know I have quite a few, I just can't think of them right now

But a couple that are probably not secrets to anyone: buying your spices in bulk is SO much cheaper than buying the little jars in the spice aisle. My grocery store has bulk bins and bulk spice containers. It's so cheap to get nutmeg, cinnamon, etc as well as things like taco mix, gravy mix, and onion soup. One of the biggest savers for me is sesame seeds. I put them on/in a lot of my food. You can get a little bag of them for almost nothing and if you like (and I do), you can toast them in a pan for a few minutes for the added flavor.

And even cheaper at the ethnic market - the spices I get from the Indian or Mexican market are a few dollars for HUGE bags.

 

[Hootenany]

Great thread!

We shop the perimeter of the grocery store (produce, dairy, meat). Everything else we buy on Walmart.com. We use the grocery parking lot pick-up so that we are not buying impulse items once inside. We also use the Walmart savings catcher and have gotten quite a bit of $ back through that!

We also found that when taking the kids to McDonalds for a treat, rather than buying them both 2 separate chicken nugget meals, we buy the 20 pc. nuggets and 2 fries. We bring drinks from home. Actually saves us quite a bit of money!