Some Things I've Learned About Food Shopping:
Since we live almost completely on SS benefits, money is tight at our house. We have learned much during our 57 years of marriage. I've learned how to shop in order to hold on to as much of our
money as possible. Believe me, it takes it all for other things.
Here are some tips for frugal shopping which result in great food, almost anything you want to eat without going gourmet.
Don't buy what you think you need. Buy what's on sale. If you just must have it now, buy as little as possible if you're paying full price. Wait until it's on sale then stock up. Buy enough of the on sale items to last at least a month if you're sure it's the lowest sale price available. Take a little extra money, if you have it, the first time you go with this plan in mind. If there's no extra, just use what you have very carefully. Don't buy prepackaged foods, they're money grabbers.
Be selective, if chicken or hamburger are on sale this week, buy twice or three times as much as you normally would. Next week do the same with another item or items. Make sure what you buy is on sale. My motto now is: "If it's not on sale, I don't need it." Don't worry that you'll have to
serve the same thing a few times during that early perid. Soon, you have a variety of meats,
veggies etc. to choose from. Buy a few cans of tuna and intersperse this with your more desirable
meals. One of our favorite meals is tuna salad, green peas and homemade applesauce served with Ritz or other crackers. We serve this about twice a month. Needless to say I stock up on tuna wherever I find it on sale.
Sav-ALot/Aldi's type stores have great buys and their brands are usually equal to or almost as good as
brand names. Watch newspaper ads. Make a list of specials at regular stores, but before you shop at them, first visit your discount grocery, taking your list with competing prices with you. You'll likely find some of your items even cheaper there. Remember: brand names are not always best. These discount stores have great products too. I bought prunes, raisins, and dried plums at Sav-A-Lot and they're some of the best I've ever eaten, I also like their yogurt which is 50 cents per carton, Tombstone Pizza is always cheaper there.
Stay well stocked with chicken and hamburger. They're so versatile as we all know.
Occasionally buy something special like salmon steaks, good shrimp, good steaks or something else
you seldom can afford. I bought a bulk pkg of filet Mignon which we stretched over a long period of time. We just never eat that, but it was a special treat when we did. Even frugality needs a holiday. When I find butter, cheeses, chocolate chips, sugar, canned veggies we like (I like canned green peas better than fresh or frozen, so recently I bought 24 cans at 59 cents per can. Right now they're 50 cents at one store, so maybe I'll buy more), I buy several since I know I'll be using it regularly. I watch for the very lowest price. Last Christmas, I hardly had to buy any items for my
Christmas baking because I'd already found them at a great price. One store in our area has sugar for 50 cents per pound or less about once every quarter. I stock up then, trying to keep about 40
pounds on hand at all times in case the sale doesn't happen on schedule. If I do run out, Save-A-Lot has it for about 59 cents a pound all the time.
Name brands no longer are a high priority on my lists. I still use my favorite coffee, and only Crisco solid shortening (which I only use in pound cake). For most of my married life, I thought Lipton Tea was the only good one, but no longer. The store brands are just as good. Save your money for other things.
I buy milk, bread and eggs when I need them, but I keep my eyes open for stores that sell them cheaper. Roses sells bread for $1.25. Some of the dollar stores sell it for $1.00 on certain days. Walgreens usually has a great price on milk and sometimes eggs. Kmart occasionally has a sale on eggs. Keep you eyes and ears open and try not to make special trips, check the store out when you're on that side of town. Don't make special trips unless it a really terrific deal or there are several items you can buy there.
Warehouse clubs are not always the best deal. You've had to pay to join, you might not use all of the bulk size before it spoils and the serving cost may not be cheaper than you can buy it on sale at your regular store. Focus on per piece or serving price, not whole box price. Make sure you are truly getting a deal.
I usually buy approximately $175.00-$225. at the beginning of a month, maybe $30. a week thereafter. Of course we have a garden, fruit trees, grape vines, and bee hives, so we preserve excess for future use. That's about $375 per month usually. One month, when we had a big tax bill, I just bought the milk/bread/eggs plus a few incidentals because money was tight and I had plenty of
everything from my stockpile. If I see a GREAT deal I buy it then.
Did you notice that I haven't mentioned coupons? If you don't focus on brand names, you won't focus on coupons as much. I still clip the ones I know I will use, but I don't buy ANYTHING simply because I have a coupon. Focus on savings using weekly store ads and making lists. Stick to your list, don't buy on impulse.
We never run out of food.There are 3 adults living in our household and I
usually have 7 for lunch on Sunday, sometimes more. I hear people who
buy week to week talking about having no food in the house. I just wish I
could help them learn more about grocery shopping and food
preparation.
