Because Fabgrandpa and I are both unemployed right now, we are having to be frugal with our money. One of the budget categories I can save the most on is groceries. I have been brainstorming to myself for the last few days on ways to be able to save more on them. Here are some of the things I have come up with:
Use Coupons: Using Coupons is the obvious money saver for most people, but we don’t buy a lot of things that there are coupons for. We shop mostly the perimeter of the store–you know, the produce, meat and poultry, and dairy aisles. I do use the few coupons that match up, but I don’t buy things just because I have one.
Buy On Sale: I try to stock up on certain items when they are on sale at good prices. For instance, a couple weeks ago, Boston Butt Pork Roast was on sale for a ridiculously low price, so I bought a large one and had it sliced into pork steaks. Having a small freezer has really been handy for this.
Make Fewer Trips To The Store: While it is true that I used to travel 85 miles one way to buy groceries when we worked at the Grand Canyon, now we only live 13 miles away from a decent grocery store. Since our car gets about 26 miles to a gallon of gas, that means we have to add the cost of a gallon of gas every time we go there.
Make A List: Yes, this should be a no brainer, but I sometimes to forget to do it. And every time I do, I spend more dollars at the grocery store than I need to. Also, on some things, if I buy it because I can’t remember if I need it or not, it can mean that something goes bad and I have to throw it away. That is not only wasteful, it makes my cost of groceries go up.
Buy In Bulk: I don’t do this often, but on some things it just makes sense. Because I eat gluten free, and not all grocery stores sell all of the items I like and use all the time, when I do come upon something that I like, I buy several. The closest place that sells gluten free tortillas that I love is 40 miles away near my mother’s home. I buy all they have on the shelf whenever I visit Mama.
Order On-line: Sometimes, ordering online can save a ton of money, especially when it comes with free shipping. We signed up for Amazon Prime so that we could get free shipping on just about anything we buy from Amazon. This is so helpful when I can’t find gluten free items I like in our hick town.
So, what other ways do you save money on groceries?
Unfortunately I shop at the most expensive grocery store around because they have THE BEST produce section anywhere, hands down…and I refuse to go to more than one place for my groceries. I used to use coupons (which I HATED to clip) but found I was buying things just because I had a coupon, and in the long run, spending more money. I NEVER buy anything unless it is on sale…and most times it is a BOGO offer and I only buy 1. Milk is usually my only exception. When I can look at my receipt and see that I saved almost as much as I spent, I call it a good day! * I stay away from Walmart for grocery shopping because you can’t go in a Walmart and not shop the entire store! You end up buying things from the dept. store side that you didn’t really need. Plus, it sucks you in for at least 2 or 3 hours! *
I live out in the country, and trips to the grocery store can sure add up the gas used to get there more than a couple of times a week. I shop in my own pantry first. Hubby plants lots of potatoes and onions as they can be cooked in so many ways. It’s rare for us to go to the grocery store without combining the trip with other business in town. I grow a few herbs and strawberries in pots by the back door, on shelves so I don’t have to bend to tend them, sciatica makes bending or sitting on the ground too hard on me. We never turn down anything that is offered to us free of charge, be it rice, deer meat, canned or fresh produce, etc. What we can’t or won’t use we swap out with friends or family for what we do like to eat. Freezer cooking, that is making more than enough for one meal, keeps us in something on days when we don’t feel like cooking or burning gas to run to resturants, etc. I also keep milk in the freezer. Pour off a little to allow for expansion, and when thawed take it and shake, shake, shake until the fat content is blended back in, and we just saved a trip to the store! I often buy a gallon and freeze it in smaller containers. It thaws faster and makes for less waste if it goes bad before we finish it. I often make potatoes that have been smothered down with one link of sausage instead of the whole pack like we used to, we really don’t miss the excess meat. We eat crawfish, fish and crabs and see that some is put into the freezer for later meals. Living in Louisiana we are blessed to have it all within our reach, and my husband loves to catch them. I enjoy being outdoors with a good book while he fills our freezer with what he catches, I get a mini vacation while he works, ha! We’re just country folk, and make a meal out of our homemade hushpuppies with fried fish or fresh butterbeans! I made myself hungry!
I find that in addition to the grocery list, writing out a meal calendar helps the budget. I don’t do anything elaborate. I just think through our meals for the week and try to do things that stretch (pot roast on Sunday means pot roast sandwiches on Monday and Tuesday).
Meal calender for sure helped us. Have not done it in a while but it helped. A list is great and never go to the store hungry lol