Eat Well, Spend Less: How I Shop to Save

For those just joining in, I’ve been participating in a blogging series (Eat Well, Spend Less) with several other lovely ladies this month where we’re talking about how to eat well without exceeding your budget.

This week, the bloggers on the Eat Well, Spend Less series decided we would share a little bit about how we shop. Do we have a unique method to saving money? Non-traditional stores? Something local that we take advantage of? That’s what this week is all about.

Week 3 – How I Shop

How I shop for groceries is probably a little different than the average person just by the nature of being a food blogger. I’m constantly preparing new foods, doing a little recipe development and research, plus feeding my family. I can’t always “shop the sales” when I need an ingredient, but I can shop for my groceries at the places that give me the best bargain – both monetarily and time.

Photo: Old Family Grocery Store

I used to stop at several different stores: Sunflower Market, Smith’s, Costco, and one or two more if I was in the right area. I’d shop around for the best deals on groceries based on the weekly ads. If organic milk was on a super sale at another store then I would go out of my way to purchase it there.

Now that I am essentially a “working mom,” I’ve realized how precious my time is. I don’t even want to spend an extra minute at the grocery store if I don’t have to.

I like getting those errands done as fast as possible so I can complete my weekly work as fast as possible – that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy my work, but I want to be there (physically, mentally, and emotionally) when my kids are there. And I won’t lie, it’s a struggle!

Photo: Grandpa Inside Old Family Grocery Store

So rather than jet from store to store I stick to two stores now: Smith’s (regular grocery) and Costco. There are both exactly on my way home from taking the kids to school and within 2 minutes of each other so I don’t even have to go out of my way to get there.

Smart Shopping Do’s and Don’ts

Meal Plan

Planning a weekly menu helps me save on groceries because I’m purchasing with a purpose rather than haphazardly.

When planning those meals, take inventory of any leftover perishables from the previous week and work them into a meal for the next week so nothing goes to waste. Check out my 3-2-1 Pasta Formula and Frittata Formula for dinner using what you have on hand.

Write a List

Just do it. Write a list and stick to it, unless you remember at the store that you’re out of milk and need to pick some up. Having a list with help you avoid impulse shopping.

I recently purchased this Menu Planner/Grocery List combo notebook and I can’t wait to get started using it (it just came in the mail the other day)! No more lists on random scraps of paper.

image credit

Don’t Shop Hungry

If you skipped breakfast or lunch that day you will likely want to eat everything in site. Have a quick snack before you head out, then you won’t be tempted to load your cart with items you really don’t need.

Don’t Buy Non-Food Items at the Grocery Store

Items like dish and laundry detergent will be significantly cheaper (on a regular basis) at a membership club, like Costco. I never buy that stuff at the grocery store because it’s almost twice the price.

Price Check

Learn how to read price labels and calculate the unit cost. Once you do this, keep a tally in a notebook of how much items you purchase on a regular basis are at various stores. Then, purchase accordingly. I do this all the time. The calculator on my iPhone is heavily used!

• How do you calculate Cost Per Unit? Let’s say you’re purchasing 1 gallon of milk (128 ounces) for $3. Take the cost ($3) and divide that by the units (128 ounces in this case). 3/128 = approximately $0.023 per ounce.

Purchase In Season

Produce that is in season not only tastes better, but it costs less. If you’re not sure what fruits and vegetables are in season in your area, check out this handy Seasonal Ingredient Map.

Why I Like Costco

Most of the time the grocery store just can’t beat the prices on these items, and we are able to go through the amounts in a decent amount of time to avoid any waste.

Additionally, I have noticed that Costco has really taken great strides to sell organic produce (and milk) at reasonable prices. Nearly all of the fruits and vegetables Logan will eat are on the “dirty dozen” list, so I’ve begun incorporating a lot more organic into our groceries.

Another thing I like about Costco. I feel that their produce has a longer “shelf life” than our grocery store.

p.s. We have the “executive” membership which costs $100/year – but you’re refunded a percentage of your purchases. I just got my refund check and it was $134. So I got PAID $34 to shop at Costco this year.

Grow it Yourself

We’ve had a backyard garden the past two years and it’s been a great help to use during the summertime to help reduce the amount we spend on produce, which is probably our biggest expense each week.

Items like fresh herbs (spring and summer), zucchini (summer), rhubarb (spring), tomatoes (summer), peas (spring), salad greens (spring), and broccoli (spring) have grown really well for me.

No-Bake Garden Vegetable Lasagna

Last year I sort of over-planted and with our longer and hotter summer than usual, I got a little bit burnt out on gardening. This year I’ll still plant, but I’m going to cut back a bit. Even if all you plant is a herb garden, that will still save you some cash. One basil plant costs as much as one small pouch of basil from the grocery store.

Bottom Line

I’m not saying that MY way is the ONLY way. My real message is that you have to shop the way that is best for your family. If you have time to run all over town to find the best deals each store has to offer, then so be it! Or if couponing is your thing, then clip those coupons. Look at your time, your resources, and your budget and find out what is best for you.

I don’t have time for 5 stores per week or coupon cliping, so I make do in other ways.

How do YOU save your family money when grocery shopping?

Week 1 – Pantry Staples

If you the firs week, you can catch up on my post here: Recipes for Homemade Pantry Staples.

I’ve summarized the other blogger’s posts with their links here for your easy reference: Eat Well Spend Less Round Up – Week 1. I’ll do another round-up for week 3 later this week once the rest of the group has published their posts. Be sure to check back for those links!

Week 2 – Budget Recipes and Meals

I’ve found that I can be pretty resourceful when it seems that there is “nothing” in the house to eat. In reality, there’s quite a lot when you take a look through the pantry items. Very few of us actually have “nothing” in the house.

Check out my 5 Favorite Budget Meals (5 for breakfast, 5 for dinner and a bonus 3 for dessert).