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 ~

The Wait is Over...

We have a new dryer!

We tried to buy the dryer I mentioned from Home Depot, but they wouldn't deliver, so we ended up buying a dryer from Lowe's yesterday for $299 and they delivered it this morning. It is a little bit bigger than our other dryer was and it looks great. We are just thrilled to be back in business with the laundry and have plans to get caught up on it this weekend. 

Today is my daughter's day to volunteer at the library, so we left the house early, took the garbage with us and dropped it off along the way and I made stops at Bi-Lo, Publix, Dollar Tree, and United Grocery Outlet. 

At Bi-Lo, they had Stayfree pads on sale, priced at 2 for $6.00, a real bargain since I normally pay $4.97 for them at Walmart.  Lucky me, I also had three $1.00 off coupons, so I paid $2.00 each for them. What a bargain! I now have 10 of these in my stash, which is about a ten month supply for me. 

We picked up seven bottles of Pom juice for free at Bi-Lo too. They had them on sale priced at $1.00 each and we had seven 50¢ off coupons, which doubled, so all of these were free.  

I also picked up this 12 pack of Fanta strawberry drinks for free using the coupon above I received for free from My Coke Rewards. 

At Publix, they had Mueller's pasta on sale for buy one get one free, which was not a good deal without coupons, but I had two 75¢ off coupons, so I picked up two packages of spaghetti for 25¢ each! Another good bargain today.  

I also stopped in at the Dollar Tree to buy a loaf of Nature's Own bread and a loaf of Wonder bread and since I had a 55¢ off coupon for both, these were only 45¢ each.

At United Grocery Outlet, they had a Saturday only special. Green Beans for 39¢ a can and Mandarin Oranges for 40¢ a can. I picked up 20 cans of Green Beans and 20 cans of Mandarin Oranges, all for $15.80 plus tax. Forty cans of food for $15.80 was a great bargain and is a good example of how the Pantry Principle works. :)

Free this Week 

Three samples of Juicy Fruit.

A very nice five pack sample of Nestle Quick. 

I certainly didn't spend a lot today, unless you count the dryer, but I came home with a lot of food for the money I spent. $17.19 for 20 cans of mandarin oranges, 20 cans of green beans, 2 loaves of bread, 7 bottles of Pom juice, one 12 pack of pop, and 2 boxes of spaghetti. The best part is we had fun in the process. 

How was your Saturday?

Belinda
CFO ~ Chief Frugal Officer
Professor Penny Pincher
© Belinda & Frugal Workshop, 2011 and beyond.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”
"Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle ~ It will help you save money"