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Suggestions for trimming grocery costs?
self | 5/1/08 | randita

Posted on 05/01/2008 5:21:12 AM PDT by randita

Grocery costs are going through the roof. Do you have any suggestions for trimming the skyrocketing grocery bills?

We don't buy much in the way of pre-packaged or prepared food items and we do eat a lot of dried beans. Don't eat out much either. Still my weekly grocery bill is about 25% higher than I'd like.

Let the suggestions roll...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: groceries
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To: randita

Have a large pantry and only buy supermarket “loss leaders” and use coupons when possible.

Regular “weekly special” prices, even at my most expensive local grocery stores, are cheaper than Sam’s regular prices. Marzetti’s salad dressings for a dollar each, for example. Or, Barilla pasta for 69 cents a box. I stock up on these. One of our stores had Starkist Tuna 2/$1.00. I bought a case. A pantry allows you to leverage these loss leader specials.

As far as bread goes, you are right, you can’t compete on price. A packet of yeast cost half as much or more than a cheap store-bought loaf. You can, however, buy a jar of yeast and keep it in the refrigerator and make a bigger batch of dough and freeze some of it for the future. When I make focaccia, my kids call thier friends to come over. My “kids” are 19 and 22. Their friends have been eating my bread since kindergarten. They wouldn’t scurry over here for Wonderbread.

I also have a small suburban garden. Letuces are in right now. My spring salad mix of baby greens would cost $9.99 a pound. The whole package of seed was $1.29 and over the next 2 months, I will have so much , I will be sick. By then, however, my grape tomatoes will be in, and then the regular ones. No matter how much you spend, you cannot buy tomatoes like mine in the store. I also grow most of the fresh herbs we eat (including the rosemary for the focaccia).


61 posted on 05/01/2008 6:49:22 AM PDT by Soliton
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To: hedgetrimmer
Hedgetrimmer discovers the Law of Supply and Demand! Film at 11!
62 posted on 05/01/2008 6:49:48 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: HamiltonJay

The taxes you pay in a day far exceed the cost of the food you eat. The gas to get there take a chunk too.


63 posted on 05/01/2008 6:51:07 AM PDT by Big Horn (I am bitter, I just want to eat my waffle.)
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To: Big Horn

Not sure why this was directed at me, or what real relevance it has to the discussion. The author asked for ideas to save money on food... going of on rhetorical diatribes about taxes offers no help.


64 posted on 05/01/2008 6:53:28 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: 1rudeboy

I think its hilarious you’re on a thread like this one. “free trade” is so good for the economy, you’ve said it over and over. Even the cheap, contaminated chinese food you “free traders” have infected our food supply with, isn’t helping anymore with the inflation caused by the globalization of our economy.

If Americans had protected their economy instead of opening it up to the international looter’s wealth redistribution system called “free trade”, there would be ample, reasonably priced food for our citizens.


65 posted on 05/01/2008 6:57:59 AM PDT by hedgetrimmer (I'm a billionaire! Thanks WTO and the "free trade" system!--Hu Jintao top 10 worst dictators)
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To: hedgetrimmer

And I think it’s hilarious that, apart from your usual demagoguery, in an era when our government pays farmers to produce a particular type of feed, and pays other farmers not to plant anything at all, you appear on a thread to argue for . . . surprise . . . more government intervention.


66 posted on 05/01/2008 7:02:28 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: Red Badger

The only way I have found to cut grocery bills is to exchange the cost for labor. If you only buy staples and stay away from anything where the labor is done for you (bags of salad, precut veggies) then you will save money. To save beyond that you have to grow your own food and/or change your diet. You need to plan ahead, not only to buy bargains when you see them, but to take advantage of bulk buying. Food can also be stretched with planning. Saturday night we grilled, and my daughter cooked a pot of pinto beans to eat with our meal. The next day I added meat, tomatoes and chiles to the beans to make chile beans. At that meal the beans were gone- but if I had ended up with a small portion I would have mashed them for tostados. You can freeze leftovers so you will have quick meals when you need it and to fool people that don’t want to eat leftovers the next meal. Soups and stews are very cost effective meals.


67 posted on 05/01/2008 7:04:46 AM PDT by Tammy8 (Please Support and pray for our Troops, as they serve us every day.)
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To: kittymyrib

” Debbie Meyer Green Bags”

I’ve heard that Wal-Mart sells these, but can’t find them.


68 posted on 05/01/2008 7:06:20 AM PDT by tennteacher (Sowell and Will - in the tradition of William F. Buckley)
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To: coop71

Debt cards or cash only. No credit cards or checks.

Either bring your own bags or buy them there - 5 cents for paper, 10 cents for plastic.

No membership fees, but most of the items are Aldi’s brand - most aren’t too bad. The only thing I really didn’t like was their pasta, but I’m very picky about my pasta. :-) And the meats they have are frozen, no fresh meats, but the meat is pretty good. Good as any other store.

You also have to do your own bagging. While you are being rung out, you are expected to put your unbagged stuff back into your cart, then there’s an area you go to for bagging.

Last time I went, which was a while ago, you could get a dozen eggs for 89 cents, a box of saltines for 59cents, a 3lb bag of skinless, boneless chicken breasts for a little under $7. Not bad for here in Connecticut, don’t know if their pricing is local or nation wide. Can’t remember the exact price for milk, but it was really good! And they have real butter for under $2 a pound. And their cheese was very good.

Not a lot of fresh produce, but you can find the basics, carrots, onions, potatoes, iceberg lettuce, apples, oranges and some seasonal stuff. Oh, and you need a quarter to unlock your shopping cart, but you get it back when you return the cart to the store. The only grocery store I’ve ever seen with no carts littering the parking lot.


69 posted on 05/01/2008 7:06:44 AM PDT by KosmicKitty (WARNING: Hormonally crazed woman ahead!!)
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To: hedgetrimmer
If Americans had protected their economy instead of opening it up to the international looter’s wealth redistribution system called “free trade”, there would be ample, reasonably priced food for our citizens.

Raise tariffs, for cheaper food!

What's next? Raise taxes, for higher take home pay? LOL!

70 posted on 05/01/2008 7:06:48 AM PDT by Toddsterpatriot (Why are doom and gloomers, union members and liberals so bad at math?)
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To: Tammy8

Buy in bulk, freeze what you can, can what you can’t freeze...........


71 posted on 05/01/2008 7:06:58 AM PDT by Red Badger ( We don't have science, but we do have consensus.......)
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To: Thermalseeker
Thermalseeker, have you checked out the Weekly Garden Thread here on FR? It usually is posted on Thur. or Fri. Sounds like with your experience you could help a lot of first time gardeners like me. Here is a link to last weeks thread.

FR Weekly Gardening Thread

72 posted on 05/01/2008 7:08:56 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: fetal heart beats by 21st day

Agreed. My daughter makes all her bread. One batch makes five loaves. She can store the leftover dough in the refrigerator for up to five days. She bakes small loaves as she needs them. Much cheaper than prepared bread.


73 posted on 05/01/2008 7:10:26 AM PDT by tennteacher (Sowell and Will - in the tradition of William F. Buckley)
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To: tennteacher

Target sells them. I saw them the other day and thought about buying, but didn’t. I’m going to now.


74 posted on 05/01/2008 7:11:19 AM PDT by melissa_in_ga (Duncan Hunter for President 2008)
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To: Toddsterpatriot

If only the government had raised the price of our food, the price wouldn’t be rising now! [wail]


75 posted on 05/01/2008 7:13:03 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
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To: hedgetrimmer
By what mechanism do you believe free trade caused higher food prices?


76 posted on 05/01/2008 7:15:07 AM PDT by Petronski (When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth, voting for Hillary.)
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To: randita; Utah Girl

I’m pinging Utah Girl, if she’s still around, to this thread. Years ago she posted a response to a thread showing how, over a 52 week period, you could store enough groceries for a year. It was a topic maybe related to 9/11 or Katrina. Last week sometime there was a thread about the cost of food rising and how to start storing supplies. I spent over an hour searching for her particular thread and couldn’t find it. I’d love for her to post it again.


77 posted on 05/01/2008 7:15:31 AM PDT by melissa_in_ga (Duncan Hunter for President 2008)
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To: Soliton
Check out the FR Weekly Garden Thread it is usually posted on Thur. or Fri. and has some good advice from some very knowledgeable Freepers from cost to coast. Here is a link to last weeks thread

FR Weekly Gardening Thread

78 posted on 05/01/2008 7:15:48 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: 1rudeboy

Does she realize how stupid she sounds? Silly question.


79 posted on 05/01/2008 7:16:29 AM PDT by Toddsterpatriot (Why are doom and gloomers, union members and liberals so bad at math?)
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To: randita

Shop around, buy what’s on sale, gardening.


80 posted on 05/01/2008 7:16:46 AM PDT by devere
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