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Fresh produce and milk are the ones that kills our budget.
I stock up on boxed, canned and frozen stuff when the stores run sales on them.
Toiletries like makeup, soap and shampoo I get for free or very cheap when the drug stores have their sales. We do not eat a lot of meat so its not that nig of a deal.
Grand Asia Market is really reasonable when it comes to veggies, tofu and fish. But its a really long drive for me.
Aldi's has been a stop of mine infrequently. The store was not big and I was not loving the produce. There were other good deals on the basics and is probably worth adding back into the equation.
You all are the best. The best plan for me may be to start a shopping strategy incorporating some of your great suggestions. Target, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market, Trader Joe's and Lowes Food are in my regular mix right now. The state farmer's market is a regular stop of mine during the warmer months.
I strike out a lot with Food Lion when I try their meat. I only buy from Harris Teeter when they have the big sales, even though I adore the store. Maybe I should consider downgrading to Walmart for some basics.
Meat and produce has to be of high quality for me. There is nothing better than Fresh Market's chicken breast.
Aldi's has been a stop of mine infrequently. The store was not big and I was not loving the produce. There were other good deals on the basics and is probably worth adding back into the equation.
You all are the best. The best plan for me may be to start a shopping strategy incorporating some of your great suggestions. Target, Harris Teeter, Fresh Market, Trader Joe's and Lowes Food are in my regular mix right now. The state farmer's market is a regular stop of mine during the warmer months.
I strike out a lot with Food Lion when I try their meat. I only buy from Harris Teeter when they have the big sales, even though I adore the store. Maybe I should consider downgrading to Walmart for some basics.
Meat and produce has to be of high quality for me. There is nothing better than Fresh Market's chicken breast.
Walmart is good for things you can't get at Aldi. Buy their brand name and most of it is fine. Family Dollar, Dollar General, Dollar Tree are good too. Great for deoderants, toilet paper, laudry detergent, cleaning supplies, and some food. Just remember to stock up when things are on sale. Only buy items when they are on sale. Also, try farmer's markets for fresh produce. Walgreens has cheap millk as well.
My kids laugh because my pantry is virtually all Great Value brand food from Walmart. Can't find anything in there because the labels all look the same.
I've done years of comparisons and there is very little with the Walmart label we don't think is just as good as the name brand. Granted, even Walmart prices are creeping up these days.
I don't get coupons...I don't buy prepackaged or processed foods...there just really aren't coupons for the whole foods I buy, like fresh fruits and vegs.
There doesn't seem to be much I can do about grocery prices...I have a teenager and we drink 5 gallons of milk a week these days....
I have 2 eight year old girls. I used to leave them at home with daddy when I went to grocery store but now they are quite helpful. They never were the "Buy this Mama" type anyway.
They like to look at the sale circular in the paper. I ask them to circle or mark the things on sale we usually buy. I call out the grocery list for them to write out on 3x5 cards. I've taught them how to look at the per oz or per lb costs so they can learn how to comparison shop. I've also taught them how to avoid product placement temptations. (marketing major)
They pretty much know where things are in the Food Lion and I sometimes send them to fetch things on the list-always together. They have permission to bring back something which might be a better bargain. They also know you don't have to buy 10 xyz if they are advertised as "10 for $10". In other words they are becomming pretty savy shoppers and I find if they have a part in the shopping, they are more likely to help with putting things in the pantry and to help find things in the pantry.
They are getting into cooking too and I help them figure out how much a meal might cost to fix at home compared to eating out. Yes it takes a bit more work to have them involved but in the long run, they are helping me save money, they keep track of what is running low at home, they are getting experience which will make them better homemakers and they can read the small print (nutrition info) my ole eyes can't handle anymore.
The other day a lady almost dropped her teeth when she heard one of my daughters say out loud "We can't buy this. The second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup". I was so proud.
I buy my beef from a local farmer he is all natural (basically organic without the certification) and I get a 1/2 steer for 3.75/lb. That's all the steaks and roasts as well at that price.
The State Farmer's Market is only closed 2 days a year. If you are like me, you don't know what to do with winter harvests. Look them up on Allrecipes.com and become a fan like I have this year.
Right now spaghetti squash and butter nut squash are .99lb at the farmer's market. I've enjoyed both for the first time in the past week.
Beets, brussel sprouts, sweet potato's, apples, winter squash, greens, onions, asparagus and hot house tomato's and much more can be found there at around half grocery store prices at the farmer's market right now.
Support those local farmer's that are standing out in the cold every day to bring you fresh, cheap and local food.
No it isn't as plentiful as in the summer, but there is good stuff there, right now in the winter, and it is cheap.
The price of milk is ridiculous. We drink a glass with breakfast, they buy it at school for lunch but we all drink water for supper. or decaf ice tea. Very little fruit juice but I do have some juice boxes for snacks on a run.
I buy large plain vanilla yogurt in great big container and doctor it up with spoon full of jam, fresh fruit and some low fat cottage cheese. Cheaper, less sugar and taste better than those expensive individual packs. This is a good lunch in the thermos too.
Crackers and cereals are also too expensive. I might buy a box of honey nut cheerios - on sale of course-but then mix it in a big container with a store brand of cheap plain cheerios. I buy knock off crackers. and then on sale.
DH made shelves in garage and we also have small extra fridge in garage. We go to Aldi or Costco to stock upon paper products, canned items, cheap milk, cheese and all sorts of things so I don't have to go inside a grocery store for more than absolute necessities. For these emergency trips I carry maybe $20 bill only in my pocket, no checks or credit cards to tempt me with more shopping.
Also if I have set a $125 budget and haven't add it up on calculator , I put all the real essentials on the belt, leaving the unplanned items in the basket, then ask for subtotal. If I haven't reached my $125, then I can pick which items left in my basket I really need. The rest I say to the clerk "I'm afraid I've gone over my budget with these items so I won't be buying these. " I'm not gonna let some grumpy clerk or person in line make me buy things I don't want to. But rarely is it over 3 or 4 items.
I've worked a lot in Cary a few years ago but seldom shopped for groceries there. I agree with others that Harris Teeter is generally very high. Whole Foods is too, except when their Durham location was known as Wellspring, they had the best buys on spices. Haven't been there in a long time, but they used to have bulk jars; you could buy 1 or 2 leaves of something, a spoonful or a pound.
In our part of Durham, Kroger is our main store & Food Lion sometimes. Both have lots of store brands & they are mostly good. Kroger often has pork loins for $1.99 a pound. I buy them & cut boneless pork chops from them for about 1/2 price of cut chops. I also make barbecue in the crockpot, comes out pretty well. Or do a pork roast in the oven with them. They sometimes have London broil & other beef cuts for $3-4 a pound. I make beef barbecue or stews, etc. from it, or do London broil in oven or on grill. Good as steak for a lot less money. Their 10 lb bags of potatoes are often barely higher than the 5 pound ones. Kroger's milk is usually the best buy, about $3.60 a gallon, sometimes less. I always get their sale flyer as I go in, and the one from the paper every week, same with Food Lion. gotta shop defensively, for sure. We get turkey breasts when on sale and get Kroger to cut them into steaks. I recently bought a food saw too, so I can cut any from Food Lion myself. FL will not cut them any more. PM me if you want a recipe. My sister's family shared that with us years ago & we've always liked them.
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I was so proud.
