15 Ways to Trim your Grocery Bill
Posted by Gail | Filed under Money Management, Saving
According to the Stats Man, the average Canadian family spends almost $10,000 a year on food. That works out to about $800 a month. This is one of the biggest categories in most families’ budgets. And it’s a great place to save if you’re smart about how you shop.
1. Shop in ethnic markets. Whether you like Little Korea, Chinatown or Little India, everything from curry to coconut milk, baby corn to mushrooms can be cheaper than in regular supermarkets. Fresh veggies and fruit may also cost less. If I buy Dragonfruit in my local supermarket, it costs me almost twice as much as shopping in Little Korea. Use ethnic markets to stock up on staples and get creative with your cooking.
2. Shop at farmer’s markets in season. Come summer, there is an abundance of fruits and vegetables and buying from farmers means you’re cutting out the middleman, which can save money. It’ll also mean you’re buying fresh since the produce didn’t sit on a truck for four days getting from the farm to your grocery store, where it sat on the shelf for another four days.
3. Buy in bulk. Small packages of toilet paper, kitchen paper or tissues usually cost more per unit. Ditto little bottles of laundry soap. If you have the space to stash extra stuff and bring it out when you need it, buy big packages and multiples when they’re on sale. If space is at a premium, you’ll have to weigh the benefit of balancing your coffee table above tins of tuna, or get creative on storage (think under the bed, at the back of the closet, in the garage). Sometimes it makes sense to join up with a couple other people and share items you can buy in bulk at wholesale prices.
4. Don’t assume bigger is cheaper. Check the unit price to be sure you’re getting a deal, particularly on cleaning agents, which can be very expensive.
5. Don’t buy pre-made meals. Cook larger portions and then freeze a couple of servings for those nights when you just don’t have time to start from scratch.
6. Don’t take the kids when you go shopping. Shopping with kids means you’ll end up spending more. They’ll not only badger you for candy and chips, kids are also far more susceptibility to packaging so up goes your bill.
7. Shop with a list. Keep a running list at home. When you open the last of something, put it on your list. A list not only keeps you on track in terms of not overbuying and inventory management, it’ll stop you from impulse shopping based on fabulous merchandising on the part of the supermarkets.
8. Shop in a less-expensive store. Discount supermarket shopping can knock 15-30% off the cost of a basket of groceries.
9. Comparison shop. Grab the fliers for your local stores and do a read through to see who has what you want at the best price. The flyers can also alert you to things that you might want to stock up on for a future cook-fest.
10. Get a rewards card that’ll help with your grocery costs. President’s Choice MasterCard let’s you earn points toward free groceries. Airmiles let’s you redeem points for grocery coupons. And most grocery stores have a loyalty card. Get it and use it religiously.
11. Use coupons smartly. If you’re using a coupon, applying it against a product that already on sale results in bigger percentage savings. When you see shelf coupons for stuff you buy regularly, grab a couple of extra coupons for future shopping trips.
12. Stay out of convenience stores. If milk is cheaper at the convenience store, okay. But nothing else is, so don’t even go into the store.
13. Watch for scanner errors. It’s been estimated that in the U.S. scanner errors cost consumers between $1 and $3 billion (gulp!) a year. Watch for prices that haven’t been changed at the till and for fruit and veggie codes that are entered incorrectly.
14. Time your shopping. Too much time in a store and you’ll wander the aisles, browsing and tossing stuff into your cart. Too little time and you’ll be all stressed out and less likely to miss best-by dates.
15. And, of course, everyone knows not to go to the store hungry. Grab a snack before you head out the door and your bills will be lower.
April 20, 2011 at 6:03 am
If you can plan your meals, that can help cut bill dramatically as well.
Shop your kitchen before you shop – do you have items that should be used up? Plan some meals around what you already have to avoid excessive buying and avoiding waste.
April 20, 2011 at 6:43 am
Never bring hubby with you shopping either! At least for me, my grocery bill is much higher when he shops with me, than when I go alone.
About once every couple of months we do a week where we shop only for perishables and eat only what’s in the freezer and cupboard. There’s often some hidden gem down at the bottom of the freezer we forgot about….
I love the internet for searching for recipes – I will punch in some ingredients I have on hand that should be used up and see what it comes up with. That saves me from running out to buy the missing exotic ingredient in a recipe.
April 20, 2011 at 7:18 am
Definitely agree about the points “shopping with a list” and “shop in farmer’s markets in season”. Sticking with a list not only keeps you on track, but saves an unreal amount of time. Also, shopping in farmer’s markets can save you a whole lot of money, especially on fruits and veggies.
The only thing I’d add to this list is Shop Alone! I do the shopping in my household (yes, MP3, you read that right, the guy does the shopping), and when I go alone, it’s efficient, quick, fast and cheap – just the way I like it!
April 20, 2011 at 7:39 am
Regarding point #13 – this is really important, because ALL stores have a policy that if an item scans at the incorrect price then that item is free. Up to $10, and if the item is more then $10, then you receive a $10 discount towards the item and the item will be scanned at the posted price!
April 20, 2011 at 7:40 am
Get a freezer and buy your meat from local farmers in bulk, i.e. a quarter beef or a bunch of chickens or a half a pig. (we do all of the above). It’s cheaper than the grocery store.
For example, our beef per lb price is lower than the price of hamburger at the local grocery store. But we’re not just getting hamburger at that price – we’re getting steaks and roasts and everything else too – all at a price less than others pay for hamburger.
It’s also free range, no growth hormones, no saline injections, etc etc. You’d think it’d cost more not less.
April 20, 2011 at 7:56 am
To stay on budget I always purchase a President’s Choice grocery card for my allowable 2 week budget ($300) this way when the card it used up I don’t buy anymore!!!
April 20, 2011 at 8:08 am
When people ask me about my veganism, they often comment that it must be very expensive. It’s not at all, but that’s because of #5 – buying prepackaged everything because you don’t know how to make it yourself is just silly, and people who are making any major dietary change tend to default to prepackaged stuff because the whole diet is new. Thanks for pointing out that silent diet killer, Gail – I think a lot of people don’t understand why they can’t get their food bill down, until they realize that they’re buying everything ready made.
April 20, 2011 at 8:21 am
I’ve been experimenting with meatless meals, working my way through Canadian Living’s vegetarian cookbook. Reducing/eliminating meat, fish, and poultry has drastically reduced my grocery bill.
Gails’s given a great tip about checking for scanner errors. Ideally, the errors should be caught during the scanning process but if missed, and you’re overcharged, make sure that you get reimbursed. This type of error occurs at one particular chain store often. Fortunately for me, the policy is reimbursement of the entire cost; the item is free. Over the past months, I’ve been reimbursed approximately $30 due to scanning errors. Make sure that you know the store’s policy, though; you may need to educate some of the clerks.
I review my receipts before I leave the parking lot.
April 20, 2011 at 8:22 am
I used to be annoyed by the flyers that came with our paper every Thursday… now I can’t wait to get them! They play a big role in what meals will be made the following week. I never buy meats unless they’re on sale, and our apt. size chest freezer ws one of the best purchases we’ve ever made.
As for #4 (don’t assume bigger is cheaper), couldn’t agree more! Sometimes Costco bulk items aren’t always the better deal; many is a time I’ve noticed in flyers toilet paper/paper towels/laundry supplies are cheaper at a regular store (when you do the price per unit). When I see a good deal in a flyer for frequently used items, we stock up.
April 20, 2011 at 8:24 am
So many frozen entrees are terribly high in sodium as well. Scary.
April 20, 2011 at 8:44 am
Also remember that many stores (walmart and superstore included)will match advertised sales so you can make one stop and avoid the gas running around to several stores to get the best deal. I go through the weekly flyers circle anything we need and then organize my list by which flyer it is in. When I check out I put them on the belt with the respective flyer. It can save me 20 to 30 a week.
April 20, 2011 at 8:46 am
similar to hcgj’s strategy, we prepare our grocery budget on our PC credit card and then use the card for our groceries, earning grocery points along the way. We keep track of our declining balance so we don’t overspend. If we use less than our budgeted amount, we save it up for going out for dinner as a treat or for times when things are on sale and we bulk up. We have found this to be a great way to stay on budget.
As for who is the better shopping in our house, it’s definately not me. My partner keeps to the list while I tend to pick up extras “that were on sale”. So, I make the list and he’s the one I sent to the store so we stay on budget!
April 20, 2011 at 8:47 am
oops, I mean pre-pay… LOL… sorry about the spelling mistakes, I really should proof read before sendings…. or at minimum, have coffee before writing….
April 20, 2011 at 8:50 am
Get a basket…not a cart. This is one thing my husband and I do consciously. If we grab a cart, we end up buying more stuff that’s not in our shopping list.
April 20, 2011 at 8:55 am
Discount grocery store definitely save you money, I have one friend that wont go to certain ones because they think the store is gross and thinks there isn’t that much of a price difference! We live in the country so to get the things week need on a weekly basis such as fresh fruits and vegetables we go to the store in the local small town, because with gas at a $1.2-$1.3/L it’s not worth it to drive 30-40 minutes for only a few items. However when we have run out of numerous things we will go to city to go to the discuont grocery store. It’s all about planning and having a list! And I agree, farmers markets are wonderful when local produce is in season! Also try checking out local orchards and road side vegetable stands you will get great prices and support locally grown foods.
April 20, 2011 at 9:04 am
We have implemented all of these tips over the years and they are great. We also switched from name brands to generic brands in alot of the products we use. I think Ketchup and mustard are the only things that “have” to be a certain brand. I have found a simple ketchup recipe that I have tried and it comes fairly close so I am thinking of starting to make it at home.
A tip for shopping with your kids. Give them their own shopping list and let them shop for those items. It helps distract them from the other stuff in the store. My daugther also gets a $5.00 limit during the weeks shopping trip to buy food that she wants to have in the house. While it is easier to shop alone I think it is really important to teach kids how to shop well, and behave in public places LOL. Yeah I had my share in grocery store melt downs so I can share others pain.
April 20, 2011 at 9:12 am
Make sure you aren’t thirsty… I find if I am thirsty, I come home with a lot of beverages… And with Tax and Deposit on almost all of the drink items, it is expensive (Case of Pop is 2.40 in deposit, plus tax)…
April 20, 2011 at 9:22 am
Great tips.
Buying in bulk is a good idea if you watch the prices carefully. Just remember that canned goods don’t last forever. Check the dates on the cans and use up in time. Buying a case of something at a great price doesn’t make sense if you don’t use it up by the expiry date.
Save by not buying those little prepackaged snacks for lunch bags. Make up your own healthy single packages. It’s much cheaper and reduces packaging waste. Also many items marketed as good school size snacks are not healthy, like mini cookies, crackers and cheese, granola type bars, and chips. There is too much salt, sugar, preservatives, and other things you can’t pronounce.
April 20, 2011 at 9:30 am
Living in a small town with 2 smallish grocery stores certainly limits your choices. I do watch the sales, and stock up the freezer with them. It is only me and two young girls so the grocery bill is mainly perishables anyway. But I do envy people with some alternatives. When I do go to the “big” city I have so many other things that I have to get that I don’t get to the discount grocery store too.
April 20, 2011 at 9:32 am
I always watch for scanner errors and check my bill afterward as well. I find it a bit annoying for produce though because the price is listed per pound but scanned per kilo so it makes it tough to see if the price is correct.
I wonder how much US consumers saved because of scanner errors. I can’t even count how many times a cashier rang me in for a much cheaper item.
April 20, 2011 at 9:41 am
I agree with keeping an eye on scanner errors… I’ve let a few slide here or there when it was 10 or 20 cents, but once something scanned for double the advertised price. They price checked, and because there was an error, they gave me the item for free. It doesn’t hurt to pipe up!
April 20, 2011 at 9:43 am
Re: Scanner errors, in Quebec and some other provinces you can get back the difference and the incorrectly scanned price for free (up to a value of $10).
In QC it’s: Politique d’exactitude des prix
I’ve done this successfully and gotten free mushrooms, yoghurt, onions… you name it.
April 20, 2011 at 9:44 am
Oh and in Quebec specifically it applies to all retail stores, although with some exceptions (e.g. in clothing stores if the items are individually tagged they have to give the the item to you at the lowest posted price, but no $10 rebate).
April 20, 2011 at 10:01 am
Number 6 needs to include husbands. Mine is a bad as a kid sometimes, haha. Chips & icecream & all the stuff that is bad for your wallet AND your waistline.
I can’t emphasize number 7 enough – list, list, list! Meal plan ahead of making your list, and better yet, check out what’s on sale before making your meal plan.
April 20, 2011 at 10:30 am
We have long made a meal plan, shopped with a grocery list and checked flyers. I am obsessive about watching things go through the till (hubby thinks I am a bit ‘teched’). We cook extra when possible for those “i don’t feel like cooking nights” and when the freezer is too full, we have an “eat from the freezer” week or 2 after a quick inventory. Works well for us!
April 20, 2011 at 11:07 am
Two points I don’t agree with:
1) Farmer’s markets. Here, I’m going to spend a lot MORE at farmer’s markets. That’s not to say I don’t go there – the produce is fresher and usually tastes better. But I would never tell someone to expect to spend LESS there.
2) Airmiles has two grocery gift cars – Metro in Ontario and Sobey’s in the Atlantic provinces. This means for most people in Canada you can’t use airmiles for groceries, which is really too bad. I’ve emailed them about this before, but I have yet to see things change.
While not a normal tip for “cheaper” shopping, one of my rules is to buy food I’ll eat. By this, I mean I’d rather spend $3 on strawberries and eat them, then $1 on oranges and have them rot. I’m better of using my money towards foods that are a) healthy and b) ones I enjoy eating then food that’s cheap but will end up just sitting on a shelf until it expires.
April 20, 2011 at 11:27 am
Thanks again Gail! Lots of great ideas.
For me the key is planning around what is in the flyers. I have always planned our weekly menu, however, I used to plan using my daughter and husband’s suggestions/requests. I now plan around what is in the flyers. If it is chicken this week then we have chicken or whatever.
I am also making a lot more vegetarian meals. A large batch of carrot-ginger soup costs very little. Same for baked beans. After we finish our meal I divide the leftovers into single serving size containers and freeze for lunches. It tases so much better than prepared entres and has way less sodium, fat, etc.
I also love to search for recipes on the internet to help me use up items. This week it is ricotta cheese. I needed half a container for a recipe and now need a recipe to use up the other half! It really keeps me from letting thing go to waste.
April 20, 2011 at 11:35 am
I am participating in my city’s good food box program. For $15/month, I am getting the following for April: 5lb potatoes (local), 3lbs carrots, 3 lbs of onions, 8oz of grape tomatoes, leaf lettuce, broccoli, bananas, oranges, apples and a mango. We save anywhere from 6$-14$ depending on where we shop.
April 20, 2011 at 11:43 am
Grow a garden
April 20, 2011 at 11:47 am
Airmiles can be used at Safeway where I live – and although sometimes I shop there just there to collect the airmiles, other times I choose a less expensive store for budget reasons.
Not *all* stores follow the scanning code of practice. I am so tired of having to explain it to every cashier and manager at our local extra foods (the store I shop at for budget reasons) that I am considering just not going there anymore. They have no idea what I am talking about.
Oh, and Zellers no longer honors scanning code for a free item, but they will give you your difference back.
I do meal planning and it has made such a difference. On the menu tonight is some home made pizza pops – less packaging and more fun! lol. Going to freeze some for lunches in the future …
April 20, 2011 at 11:52 am
I agree – the Farmers’ Market here can be almost twice the price of Ontario produce at the grocery store. Know your prices!
If you don’t have room for your own garden look for a community garden. You get a small plot and can plant whatever you want. Community food boxes are good too.
And the Scanning Code of Practice people have mentioned – is not province wide. And it is voluntary. Each store decides if they want to participate or not and they can change their minds at any time. So it isn’t even a chain wide policy.
For some reason when my dh goes our grocery bill is always less. When I go by myself I am more likely to wander the aisles and enjoy my alone time. When he goes we are in and out as fast as possible. The basket instead of a cart is a good idea for some people. When I need to “just run in for one thing” I don’t take a cart or a basket. If I can’t carry it, I don’t buy it.
#1 saver – meal planning. You are less likely to give in to eating out too. A little careful planning can save a lot of money.
April 20, 2011 at 12:05 pm
Mickmack – “Airmiles can be used at Safeway where I live – and although sometimes I shop there just there to collect the airmiles, other times I choose a less expensive store for budget reasons.”
I’m not sure if you were replying to my post. My point about Airmiles was that you can’t *redeem* them for free groceries in most of Canada. I, too, collect them all the time at Safeway, but I really wish I could turn around and redeem them for a Safeway giftcard.
April 20, 2011 at 12:05 pm
My number one tip for reducing your grocery bill is to go vegan. Hand in hand with that is to learn how to make your own meals. As jessie pointed out, prepackaged stuff is very expensive. Fruits and veggies are not all that expensive when compared with prepackaged stuff and meat, not only the cost to your wallet, but in terms of the cost to your health. Most people could definitely stand to benefit from a vegan diet. And, yes, vegan food is just as tasty and flavorful and delicious as any other food. It’s just cheaper and so much better for you.
April 20, 2011 at 12:08 pm
As Lisa mentioned, not all of us have these options. I live in the north where there are 2 stores. The Safeway I shop in does not even put out the coupons on the shelves for their customers, and the local RCSS is so gross that I would NEVER shop there, no matter how cheap they are. There are actually holes in the floor in places where it has worn through and they have not replaced it. I have seen people with little kids letting them handle and sample the fruits and put the pits, etc. back into the bins (shudder). No thanks! It is an 8 hour drive to Winnipeg to go to any other store, so I have only the one option.
My biggest way to save is using the meal planning and flyers as mentioned above. I check the flyer to see what is on sale this week, plan my meals around it and then go through my coupon envelope to eke out any additional savings I can. Needless to say I have the Safeways club card which gives additional discounts and an airmiles card to collect the points for redemption at a later date, but really, there is not a lot more I can do.
For 3 adults, we are averaging about $150 per week, including paper products and personal care items and vitamins.
April 20, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Of course when you live in the middle of nowhere and stores don’t let you use coupons when the item is on sale, or use coupons period, and you don’t have ethnic markets, you’re stuck with the 2 grocery stores and the farmers’ markets when summer finally comes.
And still our grocery budget for a family of 4 is $540/month, not $800.
April 20, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Oh, forgot to mention, definitely no such thing here as farmers markets or ethnic markets LOL. And if you can grow a garden of your own on gravel, then kudos to you!
April 20, 2011 at 12:21 pm
I agree with “List shopping” and when my son (age 4) chooses to shop with me his job is “List Manager.” This keeps him occupied, is good practice for learning to read, and he is also learning that we don’t buy something just because we want it.
April 20, 2011 at 12:38 pm
Great Suggestions!
I would also suggest not to shop when you are stressed – I spent $200 bucks on grocery’s last night and intended to just pick up some lunch staples. oops.
April 20, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Meal planning is so important. And plan a second meal to include the use of left-overs in another dish. Make sure the family knows the food in the fridge is not for grazing. When you go to make the chicken tetrazzini or quesadillas and find that someone has eaten the leftover chicken and all the cheese, and left none for everyone else’s dinner, it can be a problem.
April 20, 2011 at 3:30 pm
I agree with all the points except for not shopping with kids. I’ve taken my daughter shopping with me since she was a baby and as a toddler, she would push a tiny cart and we’d put some fruits and vegetables in it and now, at 11, when I’ve been ill, she’s actually been able to take her dad grocery shopping and been the one to fill our list.
She knows that we don’t buy anything that’s not on our list, that we meal plan before shopping, we check nutrition labels, check best before dates and unit costs, and we shop the perimeter before quickly going up and down the aisles.
It makes me feel really good to know that I’ve managed to provide her with a life skill that she’s already taken to heart and that will put her so much ahead of most of her friends who have no idea how to plan a week’s meals, budget or grocery shop.
I think we do our kids a disservice when we assume they can’t be expected to behave properly or be interested in family finances and nutrition. Whether you allow your kids to each choose one discretionary item or limit them, period, to what’s on the list, getting them to behave in a store and *help* you is, in the end, doing them a huge favour.
April 20, 2011 at 3:48 pm
AKAJB, I total agree with you on buy what you WILL eat. I am bad for having the best of intentions and then having to throw out the cherry tomatoes etc because I’m the only one who will eat them.
I also think it would be great if we could redeem Airmiles for gift certificates to any grocer rather than just Sobeys (I’m in NS).
Believe it or not, since I’ve moved to the country I have more grocery options! Here I have 4 grocery chains to choose from plus farmers markets and meat markets. I shop the flyers and decide where I am shopping based on that. I’m not going to drive way out of my way though when the savings will result in more gas consumption. In Halifax, NS (the city) we don’t have a large variety of ethnic markets to choose from. There are a few Indian, Asian and Lebanese stores but they are out of the way for a lot of people. When I visited Toronto in 2009 I was so imporessed with the St Lawrence Market and the variety of items available and at wonderful prices! I would really take advantage of shopping there if I were in TO.
Gardens can be a wonderful way to save, if you are in the right climate. The last 4 years DH & I had a vegetable garden but we found that it would cost us more to put it in each year than we got out of it. The soil in the city is just not good for growing in my province. Now that we have moved to a farming part of the province we might give a garden another try, but not this year. I need to see how much work the lawn will be before I commit to weeding a garden. Plus, I just don’t enjoy gardening – I like the end results, but not the growing process. I’m happy to support my local farmers, plus it’s affordable IMO. i told DH if he wants a garden he can fill his boots but I’m not helping! I have a bigger home and a bigger yard to care for – and I want to enjoy the yard not work work work.
April 20, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Jenn, I completely agree. I take my son grocery shopping all the time with me. You have obviously done a great job teaching life skills to your daughter. Great job!
April 20, 2011 at 4:06 pm
One of my biggest tips echos AKAjb’s tip above. Buy what you will “EAT”. I think sometimes people (I have a friend who does this) fill a grocery cart of “good intentions”. All foods that take time to cook, and from scratch cooking, unless you love cooking, are worse chores than going to the bank haha.
I personally make my goal to be at least 20 % vegan and at least 80% vegetarian. But I love to cook and I love veg, grains, nuts, etc. I splurge on my olive oils, vinegars etc, things that make the food taste delicious but still budget friendly.
My friend’s idea of a “meal” is a pork chop, a baked potato, a side, and bread plus dessert. So she looks in her fridge of “good intentions” that has none of that, and calls up someone to go out to dinner. So not only does 100 dollars of fruits, veg, and quinoa etc go bad, but she spends another 50 on dinner out. And then comes THE GUILT.
It would be much better for her, as a novice to cooking and eating at home, to buy the foods she loves, even if a little pricey, and start making dinner at home. I mean, you can make yourself a pretty darn nice meal for 10 dollars. So overall, she would still be saving a lot. Then, once she has the staying home and cooking routine down pat, then start to explore alternatives to the expensive full course dinner.
If you start observing keenly, you soon realize, most restaurants aren’t using the most expensive ingredients, and merely combine a few staples many different ways. Honestly, I once had an asparagus dish labeled as an asparagus dish on the menu, with only stalks not a tip in sight!!!
Steak dinner main course at the Keg or similar for ONE PERSON = 35 + tax + tip whereas you could make the same thing at home, for two people for way less than half!
April 20, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Didn’t realize Jessie and Flynnycat are vegan – so nice to find like minds who also LOVE GAIL!! (Who doesn’t?).
It sounds super scary for those who don’t want to take the plunge, but if you gave it a try, you would find a tonne of savings. I estimate I saved about $7000 per year, for our family of 3 between restaurants, groceries, cold medicine, and Kleenex. That’s the equivalent of getting to be on one of Gail’s TDDUP shows!
Try these three easy things instead of going vegan all the way:
Use olive oil instead of butter in your cooking
Use beans instead of meat in anything saucy
Skip the added mayo and cheese on anything you “order”.
You will find significant savings that will blow your mind.
Karen
April 20, 2011 at 4:34 pm
After meal planning and making a list, I find that timing my trips to the store is important for my budget. Like Gail’s tip about timing (not too long, not too stressed), I find if I go when the store isn’t busy, I stick to my list and save time. If it’s packed, I have to stand around waiting for people to move their carts out of my way, and I see stuff I didn’t know I “needed” and sometimes it makes it into my cart (blush).
I’m kinda boggled that $800 is the average for the month. I know we’re only two adults, (for a few more months anyway…) but I spend no more than $100/week, usually between $65-80. I can see it ballooning with lots of growing kids, but $800/month just seems like a lot.
April 20, 2011 at 5:25 pm
Buy what you will eat! YES!
I always said: What is the least expensive way to make it happen?
A muffin mix can be less expensive than pre-baked and you cook the quanity you will eat before they go bad. Buying a pre-made frpzen pizza is cheaper than delivery. Baby steps are better than no steps.
For the friend who buys with a conscience but spends and eats without one? Let her know one rule. If you throw out the same ingredient twice in one month, you are not allowed to buy it for two months. Once you realise what you throw out or the amount not ingested, you buy smaller quantities or on the rare occasion. It makes the spending consicious.
April 20, 2011 at 7:09 pm
I have to agree with the person who said farmer’s markets are more expensive. I like to go out and support our local growers once in a while, but I’m definitely not saving any money doing it!
I also keep a garden in the summer, but it’s not huge so I don’t do any canning, etc. The kids love to eat directly from the garden so it’s nice for snacks in the summertime.
April 20, 2011 at 7:38 pm
I like to scan the flyers to see what’s on sale so that I can buy the food and plan my meals accordingly. Some of you have suggested going meat-free a few times a week and I’m on board with that-I starting to love tofu and chickpeas! Lastly, my favorite time to shop is first thing Saturday morning. No crowds and I can be more mindful of what I’m buying because I’m not being pushed around.
April 20, 2011 at 9:46 pm
I am planning to do a small garden this summer and make it slightly larger next year. Grow a few staples that are supposed to grow easily and that we already eat and enjoy. Also, it’s a shame that so many of you have experienced higher prices at farmers markets. I am fortunate to live near plenty of small farms and they always put out farm stalls on their property during the week. It’s an honour code payment at most and the prices and quality have been fabulous. I enjoy it so much that I have been known to leave just a little extra money on occasion because it is too cheap! (I know, I know. You are probably gasping!) When you can buy a bag of 5 fresh sweet peppers for $1.50 they are selling themselves short…although I plan to buy extra, chop and freeze to hopefully carry thru next winter to avoid buying withering produce from the grocery stores at $3.99 per pound.
April 21, 2011 at 1:16 am
I have a list and calculator with me when I go shopping. I decide how much money I can spend and use some crativity to get all I need for that amount. Some times I need to take away something from the list but I hardly ever go over budget.
April 21, 2011 at 1:45 am
i find that if i spend most of my time on the outer aisles, I am much better off. all the junk and expensive stuff is in the middle aisles. also i only usually buy produce which is on offer unless i really need it.
April 21, 2011 at 8:39 am
I wish “extreme” couponing was possible in Canada. Imagine the possibilities, it would revolutionize the way we shop for groceries (for those who will bother to take the time).
April 21, 2011 at 9:05 am
PD, I think a big part of the problem we can’t do that in Canada (at least in my city) is that there is no doubling of coupons here. I can do pretty good with coupons. On two occasions, I have had to pick up a little extra something because I have been “over” on my coupons and the store would be paying me!
One other little trick I’ve learned for using a coupon for a free item is to “buy” it when a store has a BOGO sale on – you will actually get two items free!!
April 21, 2011 at 10:46 am
I fully agree that we need better access to ethnic markets. The poster who said prices at St. Lawrence Market were “wonderful” made me smile. St. Lawrence is actually insanely expensive. When I lived in the area, I always shopped a few blocks away and would spend $10/week carrying four bags, stuffed to the breaking point, home on the TTC. It was perfectly doable to grocery shop for $50/month or less (not including personal care products) for a single gal and eat constantly. I’m well known for my voracious appetite and if I’m not eating, I’m either in the bath, jogging, or sleeping.
Now in the suburbs, the discount grocery stores, with price matching and couponing, pales in comparison. We now spend less than $250/month (again, not including personal care products) for two adults and I miss the cheaper, fresh produce downtown.
If you went in the mornings, the produce was just being emptied off the trucks and still cold and fresh when they went into the bins. At $0.29/lb for green beans, it beats the $1.79/lb beans at No Frills. And, if you go an hour before closing, the prices are slashed on items they don’t want to pack up. Beans then go to $0.19/lb. Oranges in season are sold at $1 for 10 and bananas for $0.19/lb. Seafood and fresh meats are sold at great prices also.
Once a lady in front of me, who stocked a grocery cart to the brim, thought $20 was too much to pay for it. She then made me think that $10/week was overspending. Even with the cost of loss and shoplifting built into these prices, it’s the best place to shop.
Can you tell I miss downtown Toronto?
April 21, 2011 at 12:14 pm
We sat down with a calculator and figured out which shopping card would be the best value for redeemed airmiles. While we didn’t figure out the ones for grocery stores, as we are in Alberta, I am happy to report that the Rexall shopping card gives you the most distance for the mile.
This is great news for our household as we buy many items there, including, dry goods hygiene items, vitamins. And being a scrapbooker, I spend a lot of money at the Kodak kiosk.
April 21, 2011 at 1:46 pm
I am one of those husbands who does the shopping, for many reasons, one being that my wife hates it. All of the tips are great. My tip is more about staying on focus. Many stores that used to only sell groceries, are now selling “non-grocery items” such as clothes, home decor and furniture. Seeing the latest greatest new patio set with all of its accessories can take you off your mission and have you taking home more than the groceries you came for. You can’t eat them and you probably really did not need them anyway, but they just chewed through your budget!
April 21, 2011 at 2:46 pm
Former Torontonian – I made the comment about the St Lawrence Market. I live in NS – food is expensive here! Now that I live in the country, I’m looking forward to farmers market options.
John, that is so true. The grocers now becoming big box stores makes it more tempting to spend and be distracted by the non-food items.
April 21, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Also, make sure you know what a good price is by having a price list of your previous best buys.
April 21, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Always check your grocery bill after shopping before or after when you get home.
Hubby bought two tin’s of coffee which was advertised for 6.99 and when we checked over the bill we were charged 11.99 each for the coffee purchase.
We ended up getting the difference back and the coffee only cost us a 1.99 for each tin.
Sobey’s does have a great refund policy along with the Superstore you just have to be delinquent about bringing it to their attention.
Most people won’t bother with the confrontation of the service desk.
Why? I find them very helpful and it’s the stores mistake not mine.
We all work hard for our money don’t let the stores keep your hard earn money for a bar code mistake.
April 21, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Another way I save money on my groceries is to buy my gas at the service station affiliated with the Real Atlantic Superstore. You get a rebate of 3.5 cent per liter on the gas you buy there. When the rebate coupons add up to nearly 25.00 I then cash them in at the grocery store for a grocery gift card. I can then either keep the gift card or save them up for gifts for others. I had saved up 150.00 last year in the gift cards which I gave to my Mother as a present. She uses them to purchase books she would like to read. You could also use them to buy groceries for special occasions or when the budget gets a little too tight.
Even though I live in a small town surrounded by farms I rarely shop at the farm market. The prices here at the farm markets are 2 to 3 times higher than at the grocery stores.
As a stay at home mom with 2 boys (both teens) and a husband who supports us all I try to make every penny count. I find if I shop the specials at both local chain grocery stores and at the large national drug store (which has an ever growing amount of groceries) and purchase multiples of items we use I can keep our bills down.
I try to keep the meal costs to roughly equal the price of one meal at a restarant to feed all four of us. It is sort of a mind game I play with myself to try to keep costs in line.
I also watch like a hawk the prices when items are rung up at the cash register and always check my receipts. I have also found a number of mistakes made with the bar codes not repriced, which I always bring to the attention of the service desk.
April 21, 2011 at 7:45 pm
@Wannie – Thanks for the tip about buying gift cards with gas receipts. While our local No Frills only offers 2 cents/litre in coupons, it would still be doable to use them to buy $10 gift cards every couple of months. Something free is better than nothing!
April 21, 2011 at 9:48 pm
Hi everyone: I live 30 min from the US border, and am not ashamed to admit that we shop US about 3x/month. Our money is better than par right now, I am already 10 min to the border once I have driven to work anyway, and the groceries are so cheap!!! Apply for the store’s reward card, and have them scan it after you’ve checked the food through…Last week, we took $240.00 worth of groc home but paid $192 for them thanks to the points card…and gasoline…don’t even get me started….we paid .72 per litre….so I don’t mind handing over the $6 to get over and back!
Collect the coupons in the flyers and add them to the discounts already in the card! Crazy not to, I say!
Fruits and veggies I buy here once the farmers’ markets open up. . .got to help the local families as well…but my bottom line is important to me and my family.
April 22, 2011 at 1:36 am
#Tara
Yes you can grow a veggie garden on gravel have you heard of lasagna bed gardening
http://organicgardening.about.com/od/startinganorganicgarden/a/lasagnagarden.htm
You can also grow many veggies in tubs and large pots, great if you rent or move around a lot.
Buckets with drainage holes great for herbs.
I grow all my own veggies this way no digging in the garden its fantastic, and great for the bad drought that we have been through in the last 10 years.
Lurking usually but had to comment on this one.
So hi all I enjoy this blog every day
Thank you gail
April 22, 2011 at 8:22 am
lasagna bed gardening, I expect that’s the same as square foot gardening. It lets you grow a high density garden anywhere, even in a parking lot.
I’ve been doing it for about 3-4 years now and it’s pretty cool. Kids like it too surprisingly. And we get enough cucumbers to feed then neighbours.
April 22, 2011 at 9:01 am
@Melaniesd: Now that you live in the country, you can even grow your own! Especially little herbs in container planters. This year, I plan to try.
April 23, 2011 at 8:15 am
Planning your meals helps a lot, it minimized shopping in the area for dad’s “ready to serve area” is what I call it. the family will eat better. As we live in the country, we often have to make the meals the day before as we come home late.
I shop at a variety of places which I make a point of going, Independent,Loblaws,Food basic and Shopper’s Drug Mart which have the milk and often good bread (smart dempsters) on sale. Walmart also has cheaper prices at times but now that I try to keep an eye on prices, the same item will fluctuate in prices from day to day..buyer beware.
I just started joining the program of “Good Food Box” in Ottawa. It does make a difference.
I used to go into stores and buy items every day but noticed that I buy a lot more that way.
April 23, 2011 at 11:58 pm
I’m in Alberta and food here is so much more expensive than in ON and QC.
The Farmer’s Markets here are very expensive as well. I do go a few times each summer but I definitely do not save money there.
April 24, 2011 at 3:45 am
Wow. I guess it really is were you live. I save at least 25% shopping at road stands and farmers markets. There have been a few times I’ve had such good deals I gave them extra because I felt guilty. Huge zuchunni, 4 onions, 2 peppers, broccoli, 6 corn and tomatoes for less than $3. I keep a flower pot with lettuce in it all year round. Get a little bit of teasing about my “house plants” but save a great deal on lettuce in the winter and the lettuce is always fresh.
May 16, 2011 at 1:14 pm
[...] we decided whether to stick with it or not. Buying at the big box stores is often identified as a way to save money on your grocery bill, however buying in bulk is often the key way that the big bulk stores help. Since we have a tiny 2 [...]
May 3, 2012 at 4:00 pm
for you to add images (and find…
them later if you want to add the image to a different page or post), videos, optin forms to capture leads, a picture slideshow from your flickr account. you name it, it can be done with wordpress.one word explains why wordpress…
May 16, 2012 at 2:45 am
the most people.the best way to achieve…
that is to start by identifying a keyword that is high demand but low competition.the importance of finding the right keyword is to accurately identify the target group you are trying to reach. this is the first step because if you…