Grocery Savings Strategies

by Kat Kinsman, Posted Apr 7th 2008 @ 12:24PM

Some years back, a friend took it upon herself to tell me she thought I'd make an awful mother. I'm sure there was an itemized register tape of reasons why that might have been so at the time, but the one she cited simply floored me -- I bought store brand groceries. It wasn't even that the items were necessarily of inferior quality (though she hastened to add that she wouldn't really know, having never tried them herself), but rather that it made me "look poor" and that my hypothetical children would be taunted for that.

As it happens, I was poor -- or if not poor, at least painfully broke, having moved to New York in pursuit of an impractical dream*, unlikely to pay off in the short term. I had the luxury of youth and utter selfishness, with no dependents to feed, but certainly not that of being able to suffer appearances. Buying that box of name brand noodles would mean not having train fare to get to work. Once there, the small soup from the fancy next-door deli seemed like a splurge compared to the slightly more modestly priced vat from the steam table joint around the corner. But I happened to know that if I came around at the end of the lunch rush, the accompanying artisanally-baked half slices and packets of crackers were replaced by whole, pillowy sandwich rolls that would, if need be, sustain me until bedtime. I scrimped, pinched, and lived as close to the bone as I could. I nearly high-tailed it back to Kentucky once after having the week's remaining grocery money ($7) forcibly taken from me by a gang of teenagers, but managed to stand my ground.

After two years, my dedication paid off, and I was finally handed a paycheck that covered a bit more than the bare necessities. I took that surplus cash, marched right to the grocery store, and for the first time, grabbed a cart rather than a basket, and started sweeping in whatever looked delicious to me, regardless of price. Recognizable pastas, name brand soups, full priced juices -- who was calling whom poor now, huh?

Ya know what? As much as I was expecting, heck, aching for a noticeable flavor upgrade, it all tasted just the same as the store brand. The only thing that had been cheap was my friend's judgment. Lesson learned -- hopefully one she'll teach her own kids.

Read: Grocery Store Savings and share your stories and strategies in the comments below. We'll feature our favorites in an upcoming story on AOL Food.

*Call me when they start auditions for Metalsmithing Idol. I'm there, planishing hammer in hand.

Filed Under: Budget Cuisine, Guilty Pleasures, How To
Tags: america, guilty pleasures

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Reader comments (Page 5 of 10)

4-08-2008 @7:30PM Kite said... 1. Call for a produce shop and save up to $30.00 off of a food bill per week. chains are 75% higher on cost for produce! (fl)
2. Always go online to coupons first to clip, then shop thrus & sun paper for other coupons. Avg savings ($16.00). per week(fl)
3. Always let kids choose one or two days of food items...this really saves(make sure they know the rule of eating the veg).
4. Always eat first, before shopping!
5. Never take a man or kids to the store(unless yours is the chef of the house!) Like my husband! Great cook and knows how to fix it in Five minutes or less.(most dinners)!

We have learned how to save over $200.00 to save some and go wild on fishing trips...I love my man!

Kite from PSL
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4-08-2008 @7:27PM Kryste H said... A deep freezer is a good investment. It costs only a few dollars a month (depending on size) and saves several hundred dollars a year. Get meat on markdown days, portion it, wrap well, date and store it. I have fed a minimum of 7 people a day using this method, plus buying bulk items dry goods (rice, pasta, etc.) and jumbo or commercial size items (ketchup, mustard, etc.). I make my own bread, it is cheaper for us. Our avaerage monthly grocery bill, including the extra on the electric bill runs $550 a month. This is for 3 meals a day, one snack, and only name brand sodas. $18.34 a day average for 7.
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4-08-2008 @7:32PM No name said... What normally happens when we go shopping,(by we I mean almost my whole family) is that my three helpers have to point out almost everything. They may be a good help when we get home and to find things for me, but it makes us buy at least 10 things more than the things that are already on our list. So my helpful hint to you is, to not bring your kids.
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4-08-2008 @7:37PM Gunnar said... If you live in Los Angeles (and a lot of people do), you have a universe of grocery shops to choose from and the differences can be huge, such as $.69 for one pound of Russet potatos at a "major chain" store - or - $.99 for 10 pounds of Russet potatos...not too hard. Same with onions - $.99 per pound in "famous store" and same price for TEN pounds in "alternative" store...matters to me.
- Wait for the right time of year to buy rice and buy a lot at the right place...you're set for a year at just a few dollars (I just bought for two years, knowing there's a rice crisis developing in the world.)
- Here's my milk routine:
(I) buy 2 gallons (as long as that gives the best price which it usually does in Los Angeles), 2% when available (usually is) - keep six bottles of clean 2-liter soda-type bottles (plastic) at all times - pour two cups of (cold) water in each plastic bottle and distribute the two gallons of milk evenly among the six 2-liter bottles. It will leave a few inches of air at the top. Put one bottle in the fridge and freeze the remaining five.
You have diluted the 2% milk slightly - makes no difference...you always have milk - you never end up with bad milk, you waste zero. You don't run out of milk and never have to make that extra trip just for milk...
Yes, it takes someone willing to take on this routine in the household, but if that is possible it's a great way to erase the "milk worry" completely...and you pay the lowest price. - Whenever you need another bottle you take it from the freezer - it thaws in about six hours in room temperature (and much faster in hot water)
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4-08-2008 @7:39PM Kite said... Never buy more than 10 days of meat and fish.

I find two days of fish $ 12.00
two days of chicken $10.00
two days of beef $22.00
two days of shrimp $13.00
Total meat bill for 6 =$57.00

10 days X 3 = $171.00 Meat

$400.00 is for produce and odds, this planning has worked for our family for over two years now!
one day no meat ( bean soup, with bread and butter)
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4-08-2008 @7:41PM jyl said... First off, I make my list then add up what the costs will be. I take only cash into the store. I leave my check book in the car, that way I do not overspend. It works every time. Also, when I buy bananas I buy a bunch of ripe and a bunch of green, that way I have bananas for a long time without them going bad. If I do not eat them all before they get too ripe I mash them up and freeze them to make banana nut bread. Almost nothing goes to waste in our home.
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4-08-2008 @7:43PM kate said... the way i save money is by buying fresh foods and actually cooking. taking the time to peel, chop and cook vegetables and prepare meals instead of buying partially prepared things costs less. if time is an issue i will cook a large amount and then keep the leftovers as lunches for the week. saving money and eating well are not at all hard.
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4-08-2008 @7:52PM misie said... Eat before to go shopping. With a full stomach you will not think about buying "junk food", extra snacks... When you are hungry you find everything tempting, cookies, chocolate barres...when you are not you stick to your list, no temptation
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4-08-2008 @7:56PM RMD said... I go to "Dinners In Thyme" and get 5 meals already prepped and ready to go in the oven or my freezer - per week! Less side trips to the store and I always have a meal on hand!

Go to easymealprep.com for a meal prep store near you - it's amazing! I hate to shop for food now...I get my own personal kitchen staff without the expense!
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4-09-2008 @12:44PM Beth said... When we go to the grocery stores, we check out the ingredients on the package. Sometimes the name brand products have more additives and chemicals and undesirable ingredients than the store brands do. So you are paying more money for something that is less healthy. For example there are some companies who put High Fructose Corn Syrup in all of their breads. Just because it says healthy or whole grain or has a national brand name doesn't necessarily mean that it contains the best ingredients.

Generally we try to stay away from prepared foods. They are usually more expensive than if you made it yourself, and often they contain high levels of salt and other ingredients that you'd be better off without.

We have also been to some of the club stores, and we have found that they're not really so cheap (not on everything Compare before you go), and they often don't have the selection you find in a supermarket. Some of them have lots of high calorie and junk food, as well. You're not saving money by buying these things, because you're not getting as much nutrition for your money.

When you have to go into the supermarket just to get a carton of milk or some other purchase that is usually at the back of the store, don't go up or down one of the aisles that has treats or other items that tempt you. For example, if you don't have a pet, go up the pet food aisle or an aisle that has non-food items that are of little interest to you. You won't be tempted by what my dad called, "impulse items."
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4-08-2008 @8:23PM EdieB said... I am a vegetarian so I enjoy all the fresh produce available, but there is no such thing as a manufacturer coupon for produce.I now clip all cleaning product and personal care coupons I can put my hands on and to my surprise have discovered some really great products.
One step that really works for me is to use an erasable calender to mark on with
the name of products that I have coupons for that will expire that week or month. Just 1 word(i.e Woolite,TPcharmin,bathsp,etc) I cut an envelope in half to make a holder for coupons that I need to use in the 1st half of the month and the other for the 2nd half and push pin them to the cork board.
One of the most frustrating things to me is to find a great coupon after it has expired.

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4-09-2008 @6:45AM Kimruns said... We buy very few items in bulk - we have a family of 4 and if things are around too long they end up getting thrown out or the big bulk package encourages us to use more than we really need. We don't freeze meats.

We save buy keeping our inventory low, just what we need. We go to the grocery 2X per week for meats,vegetables, and lunch items.

We go to Target once a week for snaks, bread, cereal, and sudries, they are all much cheaper there overall.

We go to the club warehouse for bottled waters and cheezits because we do eat a lot of that particular snak.

We've saved a lot buy avoiding impulse buys at any of our shopping venues.

We've saved a lot by not having to throw stuff out when it's too much for us to consume.

We save by watching which credit card we use, ours right now gives us 5% back in points on our groceries, which we apply to the bill.

And, we've saved time & money by not going to the store on a whim because we are out of something.
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4-08-2008 @9:06PM Brenda said... I do alot of what was already mentioned. I think that my biggest trick is whenever I notice that the Sunday paper has coupons for products that I use i will go out and get extra papers. I keep the coupon brochures until they expire because alot of times the sales will not be in sync with the coupons of the week. I will cut out coupons for what I use and have an envelope in my pocket book at all times ... just in case.

I check the supermarket ads to see if there are sales items that jive out with my coupons. I want to wait for a sale before using the coupons and by buying the additional Sunday papers I can get large enough quantities to last until the sale cycles back again.
I have been doing this for years and because I always have some sort of stock pile I don't plan many formal shopping trips. I will stop in the stores that I know have the best deals as I am passing by in my normal day to day travels so am also not wasting the gas for a special trip.

Learning how to cut up a chicken can save huge amounts of money. If you purchase alot of chickens when the price is really good and have a good knife and a large stock pot you can do the following:

Get custom packages of chicken parts, a huge pot of soup and chicken salad for pennies on the dollar.

1.cut up your chickens. It's fairly easy to run asharp knife along the breast bone and you will wind up getting cutlets for less than a $1.00 a pound.

2.wrap your mountain of chicken parts into 'family' size portions.

3. If you have enough chicken some of the cutlets can be pre-prepped into cubes.slices and fingers in addition to the cutlets and premarinated before freezing

4. I don't aim for perfection here because what is left on the bones will then get me a huge pot of chicken soup and a large amount of chicken salad also.I have invested in getting a 5 gallon stock pot for this purpose
throw the :0) badly butchered remains into a pot with with salt, pepper,celery and some onion ( whatever else you would personally use for soup)
I purposely leave a decent amount of meat while I'm choppin' 'em up.
When the meat has cooked remove to cool. There should be more than enough meat to yield a few gallons of soup and a couple of pounds of chicken salad.

And if you are really frugal you'll be using saved takeout containers to portion out the soup to also go into the freezer.

This is a combined stategy to save money and time.
My 5 gallon stock pot is used to make alot of different soups and anything else that I have found freezes well such as spaghetti sauce, stews,chili,mexi-meat(chop meat and taco mix)
Certain vegetables can be pre cooked and frozen.

If the various chopped meats ( beef, turkey, chicken, pork) are the best buy of the week they can be prepped into a generic mixture and meatballs can be cooked off in large batches and preportioned and frozen. Hamburgers and meatloaf can also be preformed and popped into the freezer A small meatloaf will fit into a tall 2lb deli container.

I save so much money and time by doing occasional massive prep and precooking procedures. I save on utilities by washing a few large pots occasionally as opposed to having the whole routine done every single day.

I have found that the local produce stores are about half priced when compared to supermarkets and the meat also tends to be alot cheaper.

I have learned which stores in my area do the reduced meat thing and if I'm passing by I usually stop in, just in case. And I don't spend as much time in the store because I'm usually only in to pick up the loss leaders.

Another trick. All grocery items tend to have best times to buy them.

Chinese seasonings and sauces will definitely be on sale by Chinese New Year.

Cinco D' Mayo is the time to stock up on Mexican

Condiments of all types will be cheaper during the summer months to coincide with Bar-b-Que season. Try to have your coupons ready these key times of the year.

I have gotten my overall grocery bill down to average out to about 30% of retail. Food shopping to me is like playing a board game.

The prize is when you get your groceries occasionally for free!!!!

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4-08-2008 @9:13PM yvette said... Invest in a dehydrator. When I catch fruits and veggies on sale either at my local store or at those road side veggie stands, I will buy in bulk and dry them. Once dried, I store in air tight containers. I do the same with meat scraps. This comes in handy for soups and stews, especially during the winter. I make my own dried herbs, chopped onion and garlic. with cheap roasts from the butcher, I will have him slice them to a 1/4 inch and make my own jerky. I even make my own fruit wraps and yogurt.
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4-08-2008 @10:35PM Ginny said... I go shopping once a week and I compare grocery store sales on line. Now all the stores let you shop their weekly sale flyer on line and you can create a shopping list and print it. Then I look at the things on sale from each store and then I compare my shopping lists to who had the best price on the same item. It is easier than going back and forth to the different flyers. I only buy what is on sale and freeze things in portions for my husband and I. When the kids leave it is hard to shop for just 2. This works out great. I always save at least 46% and the best I have done is 79% of my groceery total bill. I also use coupons. Another tip is to keep a list of what is in my house freezer and my extra freezer. When I plan to make a meal, I check my freezer lists to see where I put the items I need.
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4-08-2008 @11:10PM joanne said... Shop around the outer edge of the grocery store: produce, meats, fish, dairy, frozen foods. Everytime you shop in the aisles you are confronted with unhealthy, overprocessed, EXPENSIVE foods. Only enter the aisles for specific items such as canned vegetables. Better yet, become a vagetarian and save a ton of money on meats, fish, dairy.
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4-08-2008 @11:16PM Sabrina said... At the moment im a military spouse home with 2 kids so im always trying to save money. Before i go grocery shopping i make sure the kids and i have already eaten so we dont buy food we really dont need. I also clip coupons and check the local advertisements so i know where the best deals are for the month. When certain items are at a really great deal like spaghetti ill buy more than normal so i save in the long run. Its amazing how much i save each month.
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4-08-2008 @11:17PM Liz said... The #1 shopping tip in my book would be to never by groceries on an emty stomack. Not only will you buy more food because everything looks good but you will also by more junk food that will go straigth to your hips. This tip will not only save you money, it will also keep you from eating whats bad for you and keep the pounds off.
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4-08-2008 @11:24PM Melissa said... I always shop with a list. Before I go shopping, I put the list in order of the isles in the store. This way, I am not walking around looking for things or miss something on the list and "accidentally" find something I might want but don't need. Also, when my children were old enough, I gave them their own list and they took a cart and got what was on the list. Very VERY rarely did they have something that was not on the list. This made them feel important and made the shopping go much easier!
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