Grocery Shopping

[DLC55]

Ok PBS, I saw your comments about a website you use and I thought this would make a cool discussion since most of us want to save money, especially at the grocery store!

Money saving tips, coupons and anything else you do to cut the cost of your bills would be a great start to this thread. So post away!

I do have some questions but they'll have to wait until I get home from work.

[crazymomma]

We have a grocery store just down the street that with you store card you can save on your gas. For every $50 you spend you save 10 cents and it adds up with every $50 you spend. Last week I saved 40 cents that really added up in the end.
I think it's a great program.

[IRISH_EYES_99]

Our local store no longer takes coupons from the internet. They said to many people recopy and change the amount on them. Wonder how many other stores that will end up effecting. Affects us, & effects them!

[PoohsBigSister]

Irish..our store here will only take them if they are in color. Some, like Target, and Walmart - it depends on the checker you get. So, I save my internet coupons for the actual GROCERY stores - like Kroger and Safeway.

the site I use is called the grocery game. It costs me $20 every 8 weeks and what they do is match up the sales with the coupons from the past umpteen weeks that are current and valid. They have use a system on the lists - if it's green, it's free with a coupon, if it's blue, then your coupon puts it at the lowest price this store will put it at in the next 12 weeks (based on past history of store sales over the past two years), and if its in black, it's an ok deal, but don't stock up on it cuz it's not the lowest price. Anything that isn't on the list but it is in the flyer - well, those are not great deals really, and the price will definitely go lower soon.

I've learned alot from this site over the past year. Like, sales go in 12 week cycles!! and they really do!!! so, if something is a rockbottom great deal, and it's a non-perishable, buy enough to last you through the 12 weeks until it goes on sale again.

I bought Crest Pro Care toothpast a few weeks ago for $.78 a tube! it's my normal brand, and what a price! I collected extra coupons from neighbors, friends, and my coupon train, and bought 5 tubes. We use about a tube every three weeks in my house. So, this should last us until it goes on sale again. Shampoo, makeup, tp, papertowels, etc. I do that with!

It's been more than 8 months since I paid more than $1.50 for a box of cereal. For me or the kids. I bought 24 boxes of oatmeal last january, and am just now running out - but I paid less than $1 for each box. It's the new stuff with almonds and honey...

Ok..soo..if you don't want to pay for the service, couponmom.com has a free service that they offer that does something similar, but I tried it and it was a little confusing to me.

I use a binder with baseball card inserts in it for my coupons. I clip/organize/and match coupons to my list every sunday. takes me about an hour.

And... if i save less than 55% off my total, it's because it was an "impromptu" trip, and I should have planned better~!

LOL

[Tiffin]

oh how I wish the stores up here took coupons Other than their sale flyers ones!

When I lived in St. Louis wow the Wednesday and Sunday Paper where filled with the weekly coupons for the different stores.

The Anchorage paper has maybe two little flyers Usually hair/makeup stuff coupons or baby food/diapers. Non which we use LOL.

I spent wayyyy too much for food items. So I've been visiting the one store's "Clearance Corner" day old breads or maybe one corner got smashed of the wheat dinner rolls, cookies that the frosting got pressed into. Great deals I get this awesome wheat/7grain french bread that is 3.29 normally for 1.29. They also have a corner for the meats also. The meat sale by date is say 9/10 and so it is sold they cut the price of it in half. I'll gotten steak that go for 18.00 for 8.50 this way!

Can goods I only buy when on sale like 3 for 99. I'm pretty well stock up there cause I only buy beans or stewed/diced tomatoes All other can veggies the salt for me is too high. I buy Frozen veggies when they are 2 for 1 or buy 2 get 1 free.

Its the other things that also wreck our 'budget' diary products, dog treats, bird food and treats.

This month we are on a tight budget...I going to try going all month and ONLY buying the perishables. Got a freezer (top of refridge) full of things to be eaten. A pantry full of pasta's, can goods, and all kinds of dried fruits.

Will let you know how that works. Esp since MrTiff lol Does Not like Leftovers...well he will be eating lots of those this month! LOL

[PoohsBigSister]

LOL!! I hear ya tiff!!! I've had several months over the past five or six that we've only bought perishables (milk, bread, and veggies/fruit). I did a good job of building my "stockpile" up. Now that it's starting to diminish a bit...i have been buying more...but it's nice to leave the store and only have spent $30.

[DLC55]

I can remember years ago that the Sunday paper always had tons of manufacturer coupons in it. Now it doesn't seem to have as many.

PBS, I'd like to try that site on their free trial and see how the next 4 weeks go. I did notice that Kroger now has the ability to let you download their weekly coupons to your Kroger Plus card which is cool. Wouldn't it be nice if you could do that with manufacturers coupons as well.

Our Krogers have a gas program where if you spend $100 on groceries, you get 10 cents off each gallon of gas you purchase from their stations. Normally you get 2-3 cents off using the card which makes them cheaper than anyone else in the area.

[DACDjr]

Have you ever been "down and out" food wise and had only can veggies and maybe some deli ham or turkey? LOL.. Was experimenting (sp) one time and made some sort of a goolosh out of corn, stewed maters, green beens, onions and deli ham..... It looked soooooo gross, but was actually tasty.. LOL... Kids want it at least once a month now..


Corn .29
Green Beens .19
Stewed Maters 1.09
Onion .79
Ham 1.59p
Kids eating veggies -priceless-

[DLC55]

That reminds me of the times when our grandmother used to come and live with us. She'd save all the left overs and freeze them. One a month she's make her "goulosh". I do believe that's when I discovered ketchup. To this day I eat food with my ketchup.

On another note. I spent $30 the other week at the grocery store and made 2 meatloafs, a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and enough breakfast burritos for a week. The spaghetti sauce was enough for 2 meals of spaghetti and a pasta bake.

If you like breakfast burritos, they're really simple and cheap to make and they freeze well. Pop them in the microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds and they're ready to eat on the run.

DAC, when the kids and I lived in the apartments I had several friends who were single parents living paycheck to paycheck. Right before payday was very lean times. We'd all get together and go through our cabinets, fridge and freezers and meet one night at someones place to plan the weeks menus. It's amazing what we'd come up with. It didn't matter if all you had was a box of pasta or a jar of sauce, we were all in the same boat and willing to share with each other.

[Tiffin]

I love soups and stews! Crockpots are awesome for taking tough ole meat and making them so tender and yummy!

I will quick fry any meat that I seasoned which is the key to flavor folks to get a nice brown edge (and the scrappings really add flavor to the whole pot also) then I will toss into crockpot. Since I don't work I put on high for an hour. At hours end I add veggies and just 1/4 to 1/2 water or wine. Wine really makes super stews. The alcahol cooks out but the taste it brings to the veggies and meat is just wonderful. I cook for another 3 hours.

I don't like lamb but have made lamb stew 3 times this way using the wine and loved the meal!

DCL I think that end of month thing with friends sounded great! I think folks should even try it nowdays!

When shopping do you do the math...I do! Example papertowels I buy 3 in pack 4.59 total towels 475 or single roll on sale 1.99 with 250 towels. I buy the single roll in this case! Got two of them and got more paper towels at way lower cost. By the way we use Brawny pick a size. Way better less waste cause the small size in width does just as much clean up as a full sheet of other brand towel!

[PoohsBigSister]

DLC!! Not only can you download some coupons at Kroger's site...BUT you CAN COMBINE them with a MFG coupon too!!! so, if it's .25 off for charmin, you can use the .25 off mfg coupon that was in the paper this month too!!

K..if you do use the site, can you use my email as a referral? I'm just asking cuz once you get three, you get free weeks.

I agree about doing the math Tiffin!!

[DACDjr]

We have been clipping diaper coupons for about 5 months now.. LOL Lord knows we are going to use alot of them in the next few months..

Anyone still get the "value pack coupons" in the mail? I would get them all the time, had some nifty coupons in them. Just stopped coming..

[PoohsBigSister]

they are online now DAC.... valupak.com....

and we still get them in the mail too..... they must not have had a great enough response from your zipcode.

[PoohsBigSister]

New grocery ads come out today!!

Does anyone need any pet food coupons??? I have sooo many of them..and I have a bunny - they don't put bunny food coupons in the newspaper!! LOL!

And.... don't forget APPLE SEASON is starting so you should start to see some better prices on apples! I got Gala apples yesterday for $1/lb! YUM!!!

HUGS!

[kraftykid]

ROFLMAO!!!!!! PBS you take the applesauce.