Ways to save money in Chicago (Peoria, Cicero: sales, neighborhoods, buying)

[EastBoundandDownChick]

I am new to the city and am curious as to how you Chicagoans do your shopping. When I lived in Manhattan I often made weekend trips to New Jersey to save money, as of course everything in Manhattan is insanely overpriced. I am starting to wonder if I could use a similar strategy here in Chicago. Is this a common thing to do?

[jsk1983]

What neighborhood do you live in? Probably don't need to go out of Chicago, but you can get better food prices on certain things if you get out of the trendier neighborhoods.

[Attrill]

Chicago doesn't have the same insane prices, and unless you're making a major purchase (new TV, computer, major clothing purchases etc.) it generally isn't worth the gas money to drive far outside the city, and buying many of those things online is usually the best way to go.

In general one of the best ways to save money is to cook your own meals. If you're getting breakfast at Starbucks and lunch at Chipotle there's a lot of money to be saved right there. We buy almost all our non-perishable groceries from Costco - paper towels, detergent, canned goods, etc. They also have good meat, and the prices are great if you buy a whole cut and butcher it yourself (i.e. part out chickens, or cut a top loin into steaks). As long as you have freezer space it is a great way to go. There are a number of butchers who have great prices as well - Peoria Packing on Lake and Chicago Meat Market on Cicero are good.

Stanley's produce on North/Elston is worth checking out as well, although it's harder to really stock up on perishable fruits and vegetables. If you go to Farmers Markets wait until the very end and buy from farmers as they're packing up - I've gotten some great deals that way.

[ToriaT]

Also shop at Aldis for some things. cant get everything there but some things are of standard quality and you will save money. I dont think its worth a trip to go outside the city as there are plenty of variety of markets there.

[RingWalk]

Trader Joe's is it for me. Nearly every single thing at Trader Joe's.

[SalingerBananafish]

Utilise visits to the Dollar Tree on non-food items where quality won't be an issue. I've taken for granted that most cleaning products, toothpaste, toilet paper packs, and such shouldn't cost more than a dollar. I've noticed gas is cheaper the further out you drive, but the difference isn't worth driving for. A new grocery store just opened up at Western & Roscoe called Mariano's Fresh Market that has pretty good prices compared to other supermarkets. I admit this is a bit of an advertisement because I work there, but I was really surprised at their prices considering it's trying to be a semi-upscale grocer. Otherwise, I do alot of shopping at Target.

[CoolSocks]

I remember you wrote in a previous post that you plan on spending a few thousand dollars on winter gear. If you change your winter wardrobe plans a tad, you could save a significant amount of money that you could use on necessary day-to-day purchases.

[chirack]

Indiana has cheaper gas and sales tax but unless you live on the far south side of the city, usually not worth the drive. Ultra is a low priced grocery store chain found in the west and south burbs.

I second the get out of the trendy locations. Trendy areas often have high rent/land prices which must be made up. For instance gas is usually cheaper on the south side of the city rather than the north.

[EastBoundandDownChick]

Originally Posted by CoolSocks

I remember you wrote in a previous post that you plan on spending a few thousand dollars on winter gear. If you change your winter wardrobe plans a tad, you could save a significant amount of money that you could use on necessary day-to-day purchases.

I guess we all have different philosophies. I am really, really frugal when it comes to things like food and toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc. I will literally hang-dry my clothes and not go to restaurants at all if I can finance a Chanel bag purchase out of it. I guess I technically could still do all of that stuff but it would jeopardize my savings and retirement plans. I just don't see the point in spending $1.40 for a roll of paper towel when I can get it somewhere nearby for 79 cents. It's the same darned thing and it's those little nickel and dime things I pay attention to because those are the very things that most people turn a blind eye to. I can resell my Chanel bag worn for 70 percent of its original value. I cannot get back the money thrown away on overpriced paper towel... that's a 100% loss.

[666northstate]

If you smoke cigarettes, it is a no-brainer to buy them outside of the city and Cook County.