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Grocery Shopping?

Samantha - see page to know who to contact directly! April 20th, 2013 1:21:08am 4,333 Posts

Okay, so I haven't really perfected the art of saving money while grocery shopping. I generally go to two stores - one is more expensive generally but has great sales and a fuel saver program (like buying certain things will get you however many cents off per gallon at a few different gas stations) and the other is cheaper but never has sales. But I feel like I could be saving more. I also shop in bulk - 3ish weeks worth at a time. How do you save money while grocery shopping? Follow the sales? Clip coupons? Have a club card membership to costco or sam's club (if so do you like it)?

 

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Midnight Velvet Friesians April 21st, 2013 2:33:35am 123 Posts

Its hard to save money. The best way regardless of sales coupons and bulk is buying fresh foods and very little to none of processed foods. Make your own bread products. And even cheaper to be honest is becoming a vegetarian. And of course growing as much of your own food as you can.

 

Samantha - see page to know who to contact directly! April 21st, 2013 2:55:32am 4,333 Posts

I was a vegetarian for years, but because of some health issues I really needed iron and the best way to do with without supplements was to eat meat and I kind of fell off the wagon then, haha. But I still don't eat that much meat.It seems to me that buying fresh things is always more expensive (so I buy a lot of frozen because I don't like most canned stuff). What types of things do you like to buy fresh?

 

Midnight Velvet Friesians April 22nd, 2013 3:37:52am 123 Posts

I buy lots of lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and other summer and winter squashes, garlic, potatoes, avocados, different fruits. Certain wild type mushrooms, spinach, asparagus, eggplant, greenbeans, cabbage, peppers, herbs, yams, etc. I like a lot of veggies a I have never had an iron problem I always actually have more than I need. If you eat home cooked beans and lentils once or twice a week and grapes you can get all the iron you need. Try finding a book that tells you all the nutrients that certain foods have. You don't need to eat meat for enough iron or protein. I always ask a person how they think the animal gets it. They eat the foods that people were made to eat too. I only take a multivitamin to make sure I get some enough of the other things cause sometimes I am lazy in the kitchen and don't feel like making a balanced meal. I only buy frozen when the fresh is not in really good shape. Or of things like peas and corn which is hard to get fresh for many meals at a time. I grow a lot of my own veggies though and try to freeze and can things for winter.

 

Midnight Velvet Friesians April 22nd, 2013 3:40:39am 123 Posts

I was born a vegetarian and have been one for the last 25 years. Don't plan on changing that. The thought makes me ill. I couldn't eat it even if I was starving. I would die first. I can't even kill a mouse. Spiders and biting insects though I have no mercy on lol. I also like to go out to the bush in the spring and forage for wild foods.

 

Panthera Onca .:. The Night Floof 🐆 April 22nd, 2013 2:16:35pm 29,792 Posts

I have worked at a grocery store for over 6 years, so here's some tips. 1. Follow the sales ad and plan your meals from there. 2. Buy generic items! Except for the occasional something or other, it tastes exactly the same as the name brand. 3. Usually the bigger it is, the cheaper it is than a smaller version. - Say you buy a 10 lb bag of flour instead of a 5 lb. It's usually going to be cheaper. How can you tell? Usually (at least here in MN ha!) on the price tag it will say something like ".5 cents per ounce". So the bigger bag of flour will probably say .5 cents per ounce while the smaller bag will say .10 cents per ounce. So you see how you are paying more for that little bag of flour...or anything else for that matter. Also, those lovely sales of TV dinners that are like 10/$10...are not usually going to fill you up. They are empty calories. Buy a sack of potatoes, canned/fresh/frozen vegetables, and some meat. In the end that $10 will have bought more food that way than buying processed, prepared, prepackaged foods. :)

 

Samantha - see page to know who to contact directly! April 22nd, 2013 5:10:45pm 4,333 Posts

Midnight - When I was a vegetarian, I paired complex grains with legumes (like beans) for a complete protein. I was having some blood issues when I needed the iron, and I didn't want to be supplemented for it since those make me sick. I was a vegetarian because I don't really like meat and it kind of grosses me out, but as I've gotten older I've gotten over it mostly. Although we do not eat that much meat - most of the things I make at home are vegetarian because I prefer them that way.Onca - That's interesting! I will have to check the tags to see if my store does that :). I try to compare prices to amount, but when you're in a hurry that can be time consuming, haha.

 

Panthera Onca .:. The Night Floof 🐆 April 22nd, 2013 7:24:54pm 29,792 Posts

Yea, even if the tags don't say, it is still possible to figure out the price per pound/ounce. Just need a calculator. :p Which, yes, is more time consuming. (And I admit I don't do it very often if that's the case XD) Which is why it's really handy to look quick and see the numbers on the tag.

 

Midnight Velvet Friesians April 22nd, 2013 8:23:12pm 123 Posts

Samantha, its too bad that you had those issues. But hey I am not going to condemn you or anything:) Even with meat in the diet you can eat more healthfully than some people do. That price tag thing is really great. We have it in most stores up in Canada. If the tag doesn't say the price per ml or whatever I definitely use the calculator. Planning meals is definitely a great way to go. I am often too lazy to do that though. Or I just can't figure out what I want. I am better at spontaneous meal planning.

 

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