It's frustrating because we've been dieting for several months now and are eating much less food, but I'm still spending quite a bit on groceries. We do eat a lot of fruit, and I know that's not helping, but I'm not willing to give that up. Are there any fruit eaters out there with tips? The Farmer's Market should be opening soon so hopefully that will help...
I did stop at the bread store tonight and picked up some good deals on bread. Does anyone freeze loaves of bread so you can buy in bulk? I thought about it tonight because it was 6 loaves for $5! And, I'm not talking about the Wal-Mart white bread. This was Mrs. Baird's 100% whole wheat. I thought that was a steal, but I've never frozen it. The kids eat a lot of sandwiches so we can go through 1-2 loaves/week.
I've used coupons at times, but I'm not sure what I think about them. Usually I like to buy store brands, and I think those are cheaper than buying the name brands with a coupon. What do you think? And, I don't want to fall prey to the purpose of the coupon. I work in marketing, and I know they are trying to get me to buy things that I wouldn't normally buy. So, I usually avoid the coupons and just stick to my usual cheap stuff. Are any of you believers in coupons? How do you do it? Does anyone use the Coupon Mom?
Bring on the comments...
4 comments:
I don't usually use coupons unless it is an item that we normally buy. I've found that I just buy things that we really don't need/use. We shop in bulk for lots of items including fruit at Sam's or Costco and have found that it cuts costs quite a bit. Bread freezes very easily and I have even made our sandwiches for school lunches on frozen bread (when I've forgotten to take out a loaf) and by lunch time they are completely thawed. Before I go to the store, I make out a list of dinners for that week and then buy only what we need for those dinners. If we aren't going to use it that week, then I don't buy it and I have found that that helps, too. Good luck with your shopping!
Hi Stephanie, I recently stumbled across these two sites. One is just info about deals and the other is from a woman who spend no more than $5 per meal. They are both interesting but like i said...they are new to me. We too are trying to solve the grocery crisis!
http://www.dealseekingmom.com/
http://www.5dollardinners.com/
Ah, I've been pondering this very subject. I do freeze my whole grain bread and it's just fine. In Hawaii, my neighbor froze milk, it too was fine, but I don't do this. We buy our meats in bulk and cut, wrap and freeze it. A whole boneless pork loin is cheaper per pound than buying chops and it's easy to cut into chops and a roast. We get ours at Costco, but if you don't shop there, the local grocery store should be willing to sell you a whole one...just check the per pound price they put on it. Sometimes, the frozen bnls/skls chicken breast are cheaper than getting "fresh". When roasts or whole chicken is cheap, I get a couple and freeze them.
I'm looking forward to the farmer's market, too. So as not to waste fruit and veggies, I only get what we will eat in a few days...if I have to make another side trip to the store for more I will. I hate having to toss something because we didn't use it before it turns bad. Hopefully, we will be able to get a few things to grow on the patio this year and next year I want a full garden.
I'm not a coupon clipper. I too realized the marketing purpose and stopped using them. I will occasionally clip one for cereal or soup when I need to stock up. I recently read an article that said not to buy your non-food items at the grocery store, but to buy them at a discount retailer or even a "dollar" store instead. Can't wait to see what good tips you get!
Hey Steph, I actually clicked on the comments to see what advice people have given you...I'm in need of some too!!! I do freeze bread and it always thaws well. I've become a big store-brand buyer and most things seem to taste the same. The problem arises when I'm trying to buy the healthier option. It just costs more!! My GOAL is to buy most things in bulk and separate them myself into portion sizes. I also like to buy things like lettuce on the head and wash and cut it up myself instead of buying the packaged lettuce. I've found that with carrots, it's worth the extra cents to buy them pre-chopped! I'll be checking in with you again to see what works for you!!!
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