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Archive for the ‘frugal shopping’ Category

Since food prices have been going through the roof lately we have decided to plant a larger backyard garden this year. Last year we planted sweet peppers, hot peppers and tomatoes.

This year we are planting lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, oregano, basil and broccoli. In previous years we only planting seedlings, this year everything other than the tomatoes with be started as seeds, we bought a little indoor green house kit from Burpie. I will place this in my dining room window(it gets the most sun), until they are ready to be planted outside.

I have been composting for about a year now and have a bushel basket full of compost(also known as black gold), that I will use to hopefully grow a nice rich garden.

To be honest I don’t know if I saved and real money by doing it this way but I enjoy it and it gives you a sense of accomplishment and the stuff just darn taste better.

Last night my fiancee and I were at the grocery store and we actually got near the end of our trek through the store and we realized we spent a lot more than we planned to. True we did buy 4 Rib eye steaks for $25(hey we did have a $1 off coupon). I was having trouble justifying buying steaks that cost so much when the economy has been struggling lately and many of my investments are down right now.

How did I rationalize this purchase? Well I did save $1 and the coupon was expiring(I know not a very good rationalization), also I haven’t had a good steak in about a year and a half. I was planning on making one today, but of course it was raining outside. Will have to wait for a nice sunny day.

Anyways, how can you save money at the grocery store?

This will even work if you hate budgets!

1) Buy In Bulk

When possible buy items that will not spoil in bulk quantities. We belong to a local wholesale club and we buy plenty of items that make the membership worthwhile. Make sure you know your prices as not every item is a better deal.

We usually pick up large packages of paper towel, toilet paper and a lot of our meat products(ground beef etc)

2) Buy Clearance Items

Often many grocery stores will discount perfectly fine items that we not selling that well to make shelf room for top sellers. I often pickup very inexpensive TV Dinners this way, and other items like hot sauce and salad dressings.

3) Comparison Shop

It really does pay to know your prices, I visit 3 grocery stores in the local area and save money on products at each one. Some may ask about the extra driving, I usually do not make special trips and stop when I am heading in that direction anyways.

4) Plan Your Meals

If you plan out your meals you can save a lot of money. If you know you are going to be using ground beef twice this week you can buy a larger package which will be cheaper than if you buy a small package at the beginning of the week and another one mid week.

5) Check Out The Farmer’s Market

Again you must know your prices but shopping at a local farmers market is great on many levels. You are supporting local farmers, the items are fresher and often times you can find great deals on produce.

Check back in a few days for our 5 Tips To Save At The Gas Pump