Food Saving Strategies
If you're trying to save money on food you should be buying food at the lowest possible price. Figure out the prices you're willing to pay and watch the sales to see if you can get it even lower. Then stock up!
When the grocery store is selling pasta for $1.00 per box you'll have a nice warm feeling when you're eating the pasta you stocked up on when it was 50¢ per box.
Rotate your food to keep the older food in the front where it will be used first. When I bought pasta at 50¢ per box, I took all the pasta out of my cabinet and put the new pasta in the back and the older pasta in the front. That way I would use the older pasta first, not let any go to waste, thus saving money.
Base your meals around those inexpensive items like pasta, beans, and rice. Buy generic or store brand. Shop with a list to avoid impulse buys (but don't avoid any items on sale/clearance, yellow sticker)
Buy what is on sale and in bulk and then shop and cook from what you have on hand. You will always have food to eat that you didn't pay full price for. Invest in a chest freezer, so you have a place to store items you find on sale.
Planning ahead because you're organized can be made easier by keeping track of what you have and making a plan.
Eliminate waste - run your kitchen like a well oiled machine. Keep track of what you have on hand and use it up before it expires. You've spent time and money on your food, don't let it go to waste now. Treat your food inventory and cooking and planning like a business.
Make yourself accountable. Track your food spending money and identify any problem areas. Do the same thing with your leftovers and ensure there is no waste.
Shop at Multiple Stores - We shop at different stores to get the best possible price on our food. We peruse the store ads and make a list and then we shop the stores as we run errands. If I'm picking up an RX at Food City then I'll get their deals, same with Publix.
Shop the discount grocery stores. Our area includes United Grocery Outlet, Fresh & Low, Dollar Tree, Save A Lot, and Aldi.
Just some thoughts this morning to help save money on food.
Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
Great advice. I LOVE those "WOOHOO" stickers and clearance ones! First thing I do at the store is check any and all markdowns. Seldom do I buy something at regular price. Love being able to SHOP at home!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely love being able to shop at home, Cheryl. I like you LOVE the Woo Hoo stickers. : )
DeleteWoo Hoo stickers?
ReplyDeleteKroger has that saying on their yellow mark down stickers.
DeleteI would guess that DH does 95% of all shopping, except on-line, and I do not do much on-line shopping. Hence, I forgot about yellow mark-down stickers. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Anna. :)
DeleteGood planning list that does save money. You always contribute another idea to stretch $$$.
ReplyDeleteSo do you, Anna. Thank you for all your good tips. :)
DeleteGreat tips, Belinda.
ReplyDeleteI too shop at Publix, and sometimes at Aldi. Aldi is bit too far for me. I have BJs membership, but I'm thinking of cancelling it next year.
We have our Sam's membership cancelled right now too. If I need anything they always have a free pass online to go, but we only went about 2 times per year, so it makes sense to not have one for now.
DeleteI am a clearance girl too. Clearance is my fun shopping. I find the best treasures least to me. I like what I call the Hall of Shame shelves and bins, lol.
ReplyDeleteI do all your tips too. Not multiple grocery stores though because you know I have basically one, lol. I do shop at Dollar Tree, Dollar General before I go to WalMart.
Not being political. Did you see the news stories that Sav-A-Lot could close because of the shutdown? Sav-A-Lot's primary profit source is SNAP. Once SNAP ends they won't be able to operate the stores. There is already a run for people stocking up at Sav-A-Lot since many states, including mine issued SNAP benefits early for Feb since there won't be any for March. Sav-A-Lot already said they are seeing a food shortage. Sav-A-Lot said since SNAP benefits will not be available they don't know how they will sustain.
I posted this weekend I lost one of my grocery stores. I heard it was because they couldn't sustain either. They are in a higher income area but it is a lot of elderly on fixed incomes, granted higher fixed incomes. They still had to close.
I love clearance shopping too, Safyne. Hall of Shame shelves and bins, LOL, we call them Crash & Burn section, which came from Carol's son from CT on a Budget.
DeleteOMG, I had not heard that about Save A Lot, that is terrible. I hadn't heard anything like that although Prepper Princess did say she thought we would see food shortages soon.
That is so sad, I don't like to see stores having to close like that. I hope this government shutdown is over quickly.
I am stocking up on dried goods at the moment , Rice , Pasta ,flour etc , I have always had a good store cupboard but with brevity looming i am seeing the food prices keep creeping up xxx
ReplyDeleteGood for you for being proactive and stocking up now. That's the best way to handle that problem.
Delete