One way to get more for your money is to actually look at the packages on the shelf.
Many times manufacturers run special promotions. Stock is rotated different ways at stores so it's always a good idea to check behind the "front" items on the shelf for special packages. Many times you will find products with promos like 25% more free, buy 1 get 1 free, free after rebate, buy this product get a coupon for xxxx free. It's worth the extra 3 seconds to look for the better offering.
See if your store has a mailing list. This could be disguised under various names such as VIP program, frequent shopper program, check cashing application, a store credit card, etc. Adding your name to this list could entitle you to future special promotions and discounts.
Allocate your groceries.
For example, you go to the store and buy:
2 whole chickens (on sale of course), 1 bag (2 lb.) of carrots, 1 lb. celery, 4 cans tuna, 1 (large) onion, spaghetti noodles (1 lb.), 2 1/2- 3 lb. ground beef, and 4 to 6 cans tomato sauce. First, as soon as you get home, cut up the chicken! You always need to have on hand: gallon size Ziploc-type bags. Cut the legs and thighs off both chickens. Put in one bag together and label these "fryer chicken". This is one meal.
In a smaller bag (maybe a quart, or even a sandwich bag will do) put all the livers from both chickens (they usually throw in a few extras- chickens really do only have one liver each) this is another, quick meal. Before you scoff at this, keep in mind that KFC charges $2.79 for an order of these!
Next, with a big sharp knife or kitchen scissors cut the 2 chickens in half right down the breastbone center. Haggle the back off roughly. Now take the neck, gizzards, hearts, and all the extras that a lot of people throw away, and put all of that in a Ziploc gallon bag with any extra skin and backs too. This sealed bag can now be labeled "chicken soup".
Next cut the breast meat off the bone but purposely leave a little meat behind. The breast meat de-boned will be used to fix those fancy meals like the chicken breasts in a thick sauce, for chicken parmesan, stir fry...use your imagination.
The extra along with the breastbones will be put in the "soup" bag.
Then similarly allocate the other items. Separate four or five sticks of celery and four or five carrots and cut off 1/3 of the big onion, put all these together in the bag to make the chicken soup. (This keeps someone from eating them if you label it "do not eat--for chicken soup recipe"--)
Separate the ground beef. Put 1/2 to 2/3 lb. in a Ziploc quart bag and label this as "meat for spaghetti sauce". Put in the freezer, as you would do with all the chicken you were not fixing right away.
Put three cans of tomato sauce in a special place and mark it as "homemade sauce for spaghetti" and then mark the remaining can "for meatloaf".
Then 1/4 and 1/4 of the onion go each to the meatloaf and to the spaghetti sauce.
Whatever is left of onion gets chopped up with the tuna for tuna salad, along with that piece of celery you had saved. The other celery and carrots, except for the one or two you used in a salads earlier while trying not to waste that last one third head of lettuce, go into cooking the chicken soup, while the last two leaves of lettuce form the beautiful "base" for you designer tuna salad.
For about $209.00 you have just bought over seven full meals (not counting leftovers). Works out to less than $3.00 per meal to feed a family of four!
Do you want to save some money when buying ground beef?
Sometimes the price difference between regular ground beef and lean ground round can be rather substantial, yet the difference in the fat percentage may not warrant the extra money spent. What can you do?
Drain it. Brown the meat almost all the way, then put in a colander and run hot water over it for 5 minutes. This should drain out most of the fat. Then return the meat to the skillet and finish browning. Low fat meat at a lesser cost.
Use supermarkets that have free product samples and in-store coupons for products, rather than buy a new product you've never tried and may not like at regular price.
Are you looking to save money on bread and bakery items?
Many bakeries/bread companies also have thrift stores to reduce their inventory of current date and day old expiration food. Even though the purchase by date is that day or just passed, the bread is still usable and is much cheaper. I'm lucky enough to have a Pepperidge Farm, Entenmann's, and Wonder outlet stores in my area. Why pay $1.49 for a loaf of bread when you can pay .75? I've gotten fruit filled pastries 12 for $1. Check your yellow pages to find the outlets near you.
If your grocery store offers a hot food area or deli, here's a tip for you. Many stores will mark down their unsold hot foods just prior to closing down rather than try to save them. I've bought whole rotisserie chickens that were selling for $3.99 for the discount price of $1.50 at an hour before closing. It's worth it to take a look.
After the holidays are over RUN to your stores!!
This is the best time to buy your seasonal candy items. Right now they have been reduced by 50% to 90%.
You can chop chocolate Santas, bunnies, hearts, and other designs to use them like chocolate chips in baking.
Also, don't forget those Hershey's Kisses. Christmas packaging comes with colors of red, silver, and green. Sort out the red ones for Valentines Day and the green ones for St. Patrick's Day. The silver are the everyday color foil.
Don't forget to use your coupons too!!
Have you ever seen a great deal on food but realize you have no more room for it in the freezer?
Invest in a small (5-7 cubic feet) freezer. They generally run between $150 and $230 and are worth the investment. If you run across great sales for meat or frozen items you then can take advantage by buying in bulk and portioning out for meals. You will easily save this money many times over.
If you have a credit card that offers rewards such as points for gift certificates, cash back, merchandise, airline miles, etc. try using that for your grocery bill. Make sure that your bill is paid in full monthly to avoid paying any interest charges that could negate the purpose of using the card. That way you will be buying something you need to buy anyway and getting something extra for it.
Where can I get a free grocery list?
Where can I get a grocery list?
Where can I find a printable grocery list?
Where can I find more coupons?
How can I get the coupons I really use?
How can I save time grocery shopping?
Where can I get free cleaners?
How can I build up my coupon inventory?
Can you give me some frugal living tips?
What do I do when I constantly come across bare shelves?
Which stores do you recommend?
How can I save more using coupons?
How can I build my coupon inventory?
How do I tell if an avocado is ripe?
How do I tell if an avocado is overripe?
How can I tell when my eggs were packaged?
When are grapefruit in season?
When are grapefruit at their peak?
When is the best time to buy grapefruit?
Where can I get food for free?
Which are your favorite sites?
Where should I purchase online?
Where can I get free groceries?
When is the best time to buy oranges?
When are oranges at their peak?
Do the companies really listen?
Who offers grocery home delivery in Washington?
Who offers grocery home delivery in West Washington?
Where can I buy fresh produce online?
When should I stock up on products?
When are bananas at their peak?
When are pineapples in season?
When are pineapples at their peak?
When is the best time to buy pineapples?
When is the best time to buy bananas?
What can I do if an item is out of stock?
What can I do if an advertised item is out of stock?
What can I do if a sale item is out of stock?
Should I be concerned with expiration dates?
Which cuts of meat are more tender?
What is the ave mo expense to feed 2 adults, 1 child and 2 large dogs?
Is it on sale if it´s in an ad?
How can I reduce the fat content in my ground meat?
Are brown spots okay on a banana?
Which color banana is best for eating?
Which color banana is best for baking?
Which color banana is best for cooking?
How can I ripen a banana faster?
Can I keep eggs at room temperature?
What is the correct temperature for storing eggs?
How do I keep my eggs fresher longer?
Where can I find manufacturer´s coupons?
How do I get discounts on meat?
What should I look for when selecting eggs?
Are eggs with off white shells okay to eat?
My egg is oddly shaped, is that okay?
What is the proper way to store?
How can I keep my hands clean when buying meat?
Where can I buy a coupon organizer?
What are the worst days to shop?
What are the worst times to shop?
When should I avoid the supermarket?
When should I avoid the grocery store?
Who can I call for questions about meat safety?
Who can I call with questions about lamb?
Who can I call with questions about beef?
Who can I contact with questions about turkey?
Who can I call with questions about pork?
When is the best time to buy rhubarb?
What is the best time to buy rhubarb?
Can you tell me about coupon promotions?
Can you give me tips for doubling coupons?
When are quinces at their peak?
When is the best time to buy quinces?
When is the best time to buy limes?
When are blackberries abundant?
When are blackberries at their peak?
When are blackberries in season?
When is the best time to buy blackberries?
When should I buy blackberries?
How do I reduce the risk of food poisoning?
How do I prevent food poisoning?
Where can I find out more about cooking turkey?
Is buying in bulk the best way to shop?
How much deli meat should I plan on?
How much deli meat to plan for a party?
How much meat should I plan on per person?
Can I use a store coupon at another store?
Where can I find retailer coupons?
What kind of coupons are out there?
What is a manufacturer´s coupon?
When are avocados at their peak?
When is the best time to buy avocados?
How do I keep my milk from going bad on the way home on a hot day?
When are strawberries abundant?
When are strawberries at their peak?
When are strawberries in season?
When should I buy strawberries?
When are blueberries abundant?
When are blueberries in season?
When are blueberries at their peak?
When are peaches at their peak?
When are melons at their peak?
When is the best time to buy blueberries?
When is the best time to buy peaches?
When is the best time to buy melons?
When should I buy blueberries?
Can I actually get paid for using coupons?
Can I use a coupon on trial sizes?
Can I make money by using coupons?
When are watermelons at their peak?
When is the best time to buy watermelon?
When are apricots at their peak?
When is the best time to buy apricots?
When are cherries at their peak?
When is the best time to buy cherries?
When are lemons at their peak?
When is the best time to buy lemons?
When should I take my coupons with me?
Do I always have to take my coupons with me?
Are there certain areas of the shelf space I should be looking at?
How do I find your favorite stores?
Where can I buy groceries online?
Where can I get free health/beauty products?
Where can I buy a coupon organizer?
Where can I find rebate forms online?
Looking For Product Shelf Life Chart?
What vegetables are in season in January?
How do you ensure you´re buying the freshest quality?
Which stores do you recommend?
How many people actually do rebates?
How do I make my celery last longer in storage?
What causes mold to form on my bread?
What fruits are in season in December?
When is the best time to buy apples?
When are apples at their peak?
What fruits are in season in January?
When is the best time to buy tangerines?
When are tangerines in season?
When are tangerines at their peak?
Can organizing coupons really help me save?
Where can I find free flax seed?
How do I contact my grocery store´s management?
Where do I go if I have questions about store policy?
Where do I go if my store doesn´t carry a brand I use?
Do I generally get better service when I am polite or if I´m rude?
How do I save time at the checkout?
What is correct coupon etiquette?
Can you tell me about online grocery stores?
Where can I find an online grocery store?
What can I expect from an online grocery store/
Should I cut out every coupon I see?
Help, I´m overrun with coupons!! What do I do?
How can I tell how much I have saved?
What is the definition of ice cream?
How do I prevent cross contamination?
What is an economical sanitizing solution for food prep areas?
Should I use sponges or paper towels when cleaning the kitchen?
Guru Spotlight |
Susan Sayour |