teach me how to shop and save

[Anonymous]

I never learned to shop for groceries properly so I'm throwing myself on the mercy of the cybercourt.

My husband works in senior management at a grocery store so we get a discount.

This means we don't belong to Costco or any such place.

We have a 1 year old and a 7 year and a live in nanny so I'm shopping for 5.

How do I plan (and execute) a meal plan?

How do I prepare a shopping list and keep costs down?

HELP!

(and yes, I'm serious. I know it's lame.)

[Anonymous]

Okay. Go get a store circular (or ask your husband to bring one home). Flip through it and see which things are on sale that you and your family would like to eat. Figure out what you'd eat them with. So mozzarella and pasta are on sale? Great, so stock up on pasta since it doesn't go bad, and buy two hunks of cheese (you can freeze one). Then plan to make an Italian dish. Maybe if whole chickens are on sale, buy one of those - then you can serve that one night, then pick off the bones and make chicken stock, etc.

The key is the circular and what's on sale.

[Anonymous]

1. take stock of your pantry and refrigerator
2. make sure you have a fully stocked pantry. Keep essentials in there that won't spoil that can be used for more than one recipe: Beans, corn, olives, pasta, rice, flour if you bake. You can also get canned mushrooms for stir fries (I prefer fresh).

Herbs: I use a lot of fresh rosemary (potatoes or chicken), and thyme (love it with carrots). You can also get Italian herbs which has a specific mixture of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano etc.

3. Buy essentials for the fridge: milk, eggs (regular or egg beaters), greek yogurt, sour cream (can be used in different recipes. (Apple sauce can be used in place of eggs in cake recipes and breakfast muffins)

You also need some recipes and use that as a guideline.

Who used to do the groceries for you? My mother always took us to the store and once I was 16 and driving, I had to do the grocery shopping.

Can't believe an adult can't buy groceries!

[Anonymous]

I am one of 10 so while my Mom did shop and sometimes take me with her, there was always such a flurry of activity/kids/misbehaving and everything was a bulk purchase so I don't really know how to do it.

[Anonymous]

Does the grocery store he works for have an app?
For example, if you have the Safeway app, you get the regular club deals + the Just 4 U deals (personalized deals) and then you combine both of those with manufacturer's coupons. I add the "coupons" from the app onto my card and then use coupons when I can. Safeway also doubles manufacturers coupons under $1. I try to meal plan according to what is on sale.
I stock up on things that won't go bad or that we use often. I can also make a double-batch of something and freeze the extra (like chili, tomato sauce, soup).
Buy a family-size pack of meat when it's on sale, divide into portions, then freeze for future use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the grocery store he works for have an app?
For example, if you have the Safeway app, you get the regular club deals + the Just 4 U deals (personalized deals) and then you combine both of those with manufacturer's coupons. I add the "coupons" from the app onto my card and then use coupons when I can. Safeway also doubles manufacturers coupons under $1. I try to meal plan according to what is on sale.
I stock up on things that won't go bad or that we use often. I can also make a double-batch of something and freeze the extra (like chili, tomato sauce, soup).
Buy a family-size pack of meat when it's on sale, divide into portions, then freeze for future use.

Do most people think these store sales really help them save money? I found that I could buy things at Trader Joes much more cheaply than at Safeway, and that the Safeway app just convinced me to spend gas money and time going thereto save $1, and then have to go somewhere like Trader joes to get my other items (e.g. Fresh mozzarella, leeks, frozen organic berries, hummus) at a decent price. I gave up on the store app, and I also have up on coupons because they seem 90% geared toward processed foods we don't buy anyway like chips, hamburger helper, Capri suns, etcetera.

[Anonymous]

The Just-4-U program was the last straw for me and despite the Safeway being walking distance from my house, after 20 years of shopping there, I don't go.

The Just-4-U program requires me to spend extra time hunting through the various "deals" on my cell phone to find things to "save" on and even with the coupons, sometimes the sales are just not that great. Also, the WiFi in our Safeway sucks and I always have problems with the signal. So I end up having to move to the front of the store and stand by the window to get a 3G signal so that I can look for coupons. I can't just find the coupons for items while I'm in the aisles looking.

I've found that I can save more time and money going to both SFW and Giant than with the Just4U program.

Back on-topic:

Start by planning meals. On Saturday, I loosely plan meals. We generally have Sunday meal, Monday meal and then Sunday leftovers on Tuesday and Monday leftovers on Wednesday so have 4 days covered. Thursday is often a prepackaged meal like a skillet stir-fry, backed casserole or something easy like stuffed chicken breasts for us and chicken nuggets for the kids. Most Fridays we go out to eat. Saturday various a lot week to week.

So, I generally plan on Saturdays and I come up with a shopping list of ingredients that I'll need. I get my ground beef in the 5 lb packages, separate into 1.25 lb portions and freeze. When I need, I just take one out and defrost. If I think about it the night before, I can put it in the fridge to defrost, but most of the time, I don't remember and end up defrosting in the microwave. When planning the meals, I try to see if there are things that I can use for more than one meal so that I can buy a larger more economy size of something. For example, if I make a stir-fry and want to use red pepper, I try to think of something that I can use red pepper in so that I can get the 3-pack which is cheaper. So maybe salads or pizza (we love red peppers on our pizza).

As another PP suggested, try to come up with pantry staples of things that you use alot that are shelf stable that you can buy larger quantities of. For example, some dried herbs come in larger containers that are cheaper by quantity than the small bottles. Or flour or sugar.

The trick for me is to plan out what I need to buy and what I will use and figuring out how to use any unused portions of containers before they go bad. It takes times to learn to plan, but you can save.

[Anonymous]

So...about those meal plans?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the grocery store he works for have an app?
For example, if you have the Safeway app, you get the regular club deals + the Just 4 U deals (personalized deals) and then you combine both of those with manufacturer's coupons. I add the "coupons" from the app onto my card and then use coupons when I can. Safeway also doubles manufacturers coupons under $1. I try to meal plan according to what is on sale.
I stock up on things that won't go bad or that we use often. I can also make a double-batch of something and freeze the extra (like chili, tomato sauce, soup).
Buy a family-size pack of meat when it's on sale, divide into portions, then freeze for future use.

Do most people think these store sales really help them save money? I found that I could buy things at Trader Joes much more cheaply than at Safeway, and that the Safeway app just convinced me to spend gas money and time going thereto save $1, and then have to go somewhere like Trader joes to get my other items (e.g. Fresh mozzarella, leeks, frozen organic berries, hummus) at a decent price. I gave up on the store app, and I also have up on coupons because they seem 90% geared toward processed foods we don't buy anyway like chips, hamburger helper, Capri suns, etcetera.

I'm the PP you quoted. We rarely buy any processed foods due to food allergies. However, the app does have coupons/discounts on produce (fresh fruits and vegetables), coconut and almond milk (dairy allergy), free-range eggs, frozen vegetables, rice, black beans, chickpeas, Cheerios, Rice Krispies, and regular baking supplies like flour, sugar. There are very few foods in Trader Joe's that we can actually buy due to all of the cross-contamination warnings on their products. I haven't been that impressed by their produce when I have gone there. I cook almost 100% from scratch due to food allergies and I do much better at Safeway and Target than Trader Joe's.
You're assuming that people who use the app and coupons only buy processed food - I know I'm not the only one who buys mainly non-processed foods this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the grocery store he works for have an app?
For example, if you have the Safeway app, you get the regular club deals + the Just 4 U deals (personalized deals) and then you combine both of those with manufacturer's coupons. I add the "coupons" from the app onto my card and then use coupons when I can. Safeway also doubles manufacturers coupons under $1. I try to meal plan according to what is on sale.
I stock up on things that won't go bad or that we use often. I can also make a double-batch of something and freeze the extra (like chili, tomato sauce, soup).
Buy a family-size pack of meat when it's on sale, divide into portions, then freeze for future use.

Do most people think these store sales really help them save money? I found that I could buy things at Trader Joes much more cheaply than at Safeway, and that the Safeway app just convinced me to spend gas money and time going thereto save $1, and then have to go somewhere like Trader joes to get my other items (e.g. Fresh mozzarella, leeks, frozen organic berries, hummus) at a decent price. I gave up on the store app, and I also have up on coupons because they seem 90% geared toward processed foods we don't buy anyway like chips, hamburger helper, Capri suns, etcetera.

Yes. Meat especially seems to vary in price quite a bit because of weekly sales. Chicken breasts, pork loin, ground turkey etc. If you buy what's on sale that week, you can save a lot. Especially if you freeze it for thawing or cooking later.

Same with produce. Seasonal fruit and veggies are usually rotated into weekly sales. Much lower per-pound prices or buy one get one free if you buy what's on sale that week. In addition to saving money, you'll also diversify your eating.

On the other hand, I agree about coupons. Lots of work to clip and organize, with very little payoff. Not a fan of all the processed crap, and it only encouraged me to buy stuff I shouldn't. So I dropped the habit without regret.

Finally, OP, you might consider trying a slow cooker. Lots of easy recipes that you could make ahead and freeze. This way, when chicken breasts are on sale, you buy a bunch along with the ingredients you need to freeze various meals for use later. Try recipes and websites that use "real" ingredients and pantry staples rather than processed sauces. In addition to being healthier, you'll slowly fill your pantry with what you'll need for many other meals to come.

For slow cooker recipe ideas, try: http://therealisticorganizer.blogspot.com/2014/01/organized-slow-cooker-freezer-meals.html or http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/ or http://whoneedsacape.com/2014/02/7-meals-1-hour-slow-cooker-crockpot-freezer-meals/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So...about those meal plans?

http://www.cookinglight.com/weeknight-meal-planner-quick-and-easy

[Anonymous]

There are a bunch of places you can get online meal plans

try saving dinner

or the scramble

[Anonymous]

When I grocery shop I try to buy primarily produce that is lower than $1.99 a pound.

This forces me to eat with the season and buy in bulk.

[Anonymous]

You're probably a good candidate for a family meal planning service like the 6 o'clock scramble.

You pay a monthly fee and you get meals to make every week with a grocery list of all the items you need to buy that week. If you stick to that grocery list you can save money by not buying superfluous ingredients that you won't use and helps you keep organized when you look through circulars and coupon inserts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. take stock of your pantry and refrigerator
2. make sure you have a fully stocked pantry. Keep essentials in there that won't spoil that can be used for more than one recipe: Beans, corn, olives, pasta, rice, flour if you bake. You can also get canned mushrooms for stir fries (I prefer fresh).

Herbs: I use a lot of fresh rosemary (potatoes or chicken), and thyme (love it with carrots). You can also get Italian herbs which has a specific mixture of rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano etc.

3. Buy essentials for the fridge: milk, eggs (regular or egg beaters), greek yogurt, sour cream (can be used in different recipes. (Apple sauce can be used in place of eggs in cake recipes and breakfast muffins)

You also need some recipes and use that as a guideline.

Who used to do the groceries for you? My mother always took us to the store and once I was 16 and driving, I had to do the grocery shopping.

Can't believe an adult can't buy groceries!

I'm not OP, but I don't really know how to shop. In my case, I think it's because I don't know how to cook. Grab your pears and your vapors!