I also support the clear out the stockpile suggestion. We’re so keen to take advantage of a deal that we forget to consider what our families can realistically consume before it expires or becomes freezer burnt. Twice a year we attempt to go a full month using up only meat from the freezer. Twice a year we do the same for the pantry items, although it doesn’t usually take a full month to get the canned goods and pasta under control. We stagger these 4 special project months so we only have 1 per quarter. It’s really is hard to walk past the sales but as some point you need to get busy using up that good deal you found months ago. Tonight we finally feasted on the enormous $5 package of ribs we picked up 4 months ago…. One less item in the freezer. Yay! Then hubby had to stop at another grocery store tonight to get something not in stock at our regular store this morning. He got looking around…and came home with a huge ham at $1.99/lb. Yes it’s a great deal. We’ll get many meals off of it, and the bone and meat scraps will make a giant stock pot of pea soup. He pointed out it can sit in the fridge until it’s due date of early November so it doesn’t have to go in the freezer while we’re trying to empty it. Guess he got me on a technicality.

Just my 2 cents worth…..

Here’s what works for us (better late than never). Our grocery bill has fluctuated dramatically over the years. Way low when it was just hubby and I, not bad with the first child, crazy high with the second (his allergies meant we had to make some dietary changes, and shopping with TWO little kids in tow is WAY harder than with one. Kinda maxed out on insta-meals for a bit there too.) Now that the boys are older (7 and 4), I am back to doing what I did years ago, and our grocery bill is steadily coming down, from well over $1000/month to less than $650 (most recent).

1 – shop from a list, and make the list from a meal plan. I only loosely meal plan–the next 5 or so meals, not “this is what will be served Tuesday at 6:00pm.”

2 – know your prices. Use flyers and shop different stores if you have the time (I’m a stay-at-home-Mom, and consider this a way to contribute financially). Superstore has good prices in general, but sale prices at Safeway, Sobeys, etc. are usually cheaper. Superstore also fluctuates its prices regularly, and some items (specialty baby formula anyone?) were higher there than anywhere else, and substantially so (about $8/case). One thing I have found helpful is to record prices for our most commonly used items in a binder, so I know when something is truly a good deal. Just cuz it says “sale” or “BOGO” does not mean it is a good deal. And it gets confusing–those baked beans are 4 for $5…is that the good sale price? Nope–other places regularly put them on 5 for $4.

3 – If you live in an urban area, cut back on “stocking the pantry” (or freezer)–things go on sale regularly, and food sitting in your house is money not sitting somewhere else, earning interest. Once you know your prices for your most commonly bought items you’ll know if something is a super-amazing deal, or just a regular sale price that you’ll see at another store next week. For our family of 4, I now buy 1 of something if I need it for a meal, and 2 if on sale. Occasionally 4 if it’s the cheapest-ever-price for a non-perishable item.

4 – I have also found it helpful to restrict our shopping (ALL shopping, not just groceries) to 2 days per week. Watching TDDUP I noticed how many folks shopped almost every day, and while I didn’t consider us to be that way, our credit card statements told a different story! I now shop only Tuesdays (partly cuz Safeway and Sobey’s have 10% off 1st Tues of the month) and Saturdays. This is also having the effect of reducing the amount we are spending in other ways–no more popping in for 1 thing and buying 5, or stopping off for a little snack with cranky/hungry kids in tow ALMOST EVERY DAY. And we’re using less gas too, as this forces you to group and plan your errands. I find twice a week allows us to enjoy fresh fruits / veg and breads–nothing rotting or going stale here.

Please let me know what you think! Others opinions are also appreciated.

Thanks!

Fiza

1. When is a sale not really a sale?

2. Have you every noticed the prices of certain items fluctuate, sometimes by up to $3.00 per item – up one week and down the next?

A sale is not really a sale when a retailer increases the price of the item before advertising it as being “on sale”.

I have caught this so many times with discount stores, big box grocery stores and my own local Co-op.

An example of this occurred at a chain discount store that had a coupon for 50 cents off toothpaste. Then I went to the checkout counter and the toothpaste scanned in $1.00 more than the price that was on the shelf label. When I stopped the cashier and told her the price was wrong, she went to check. She returned and actually told me “we forgot to change the price”! Even with the sale coupon, they were making 50 cents more per item because they raised the price!

Price fluctuations on groceries is like trying to follow the stock market some days. In a big box grocery store, I have seen items like a big bag of non-brand name marshmallows increase by $3.00/bag in one price increase. This is nonsense and not even “fuel surcharges due to fuel cost could justify this type of increase on one item.

And, as quickly as the “regular” price is increased so dramatically, it is just as quickly lowered. Somewhere I read that this practice is called “consumer shock”. Increase a price and see if people continue to buy the item.

Processed foods seem to represent the main focus of this type of price wrangling. Items like coffee, cocoa, canned meats/fish, canned soups, baking goods, condiments and so on.

So, to combat these practices, I save money on groceries by noting the regular price on the items I use most often. There is no other way to ensure that it is a “good deal” or that it is a bonafide and not a rigged “sale”.

I have also learned to walk away when I catch this type of pricing or sale. It’s one of the reasons that I don’t use stringent menu planning.

Another way I save is clearance bin items – crackers, coffee being recent examples. “Best before” dates don’t mean not fit for consumption.

Bulk foods are another big part of my pantry along with surplus in proper storage containers and storage conditions. And, I have found the bulk food stores and producers I deal with don’t engage in these types of practices.

There’s lots of ways to save, but you do need to spend some time to get organized and good at it. Good luck, and don’t let the muchies get you!