A thread for saving on groceries

[spinbaby]

In the freezer thread in this forum, I mentioned little cans of mushrooms I keep in the pantry to top pizza. This reminded me of how horrified I was the other day when I discovered that those little cans of mushrooms from Aldi had, since the beginning of the year, gone from $0.49 to $0.55 to $0.67 to $0.89.

I’m fortunate enough not to have to scrimp on groceries, but recent trips to get groceries have been painful, so I thought I’d start a thread for sharing hints to save on groceries, a skill I’ll admit I’m not very good at.

Here’s what I think I do right: I cook from scratch and rarely buy convenience foods such as frozen dinners. Takeout happens only maybe twice a year from our favorite Chinese place.

Here’s what I do wrong: I tend to impulse buy anything that looks interesting (hello artisan olive sourdough bread from Whole Foods)

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Also, thinly sliced chicken breast is $6.99 a pound.

Chicken breast is $4.99.

Buy the chicken breast And slice at home. You’ll save $6 for three pounds.

[zeusdogmom]

8. Buy the whole chicken

Cut it into pieces at home. Breast for one meal. Legs and thighs for another. Then take the back, neck, etc. and make chicken bone broth to use in a great variety of recipes. Good for at least one more meal.

Depending on the size of your family, the number of meals may vary.

[no_hypocrisy]

22. One better with your idea.

Use the cut-up chicken for a casserole. You're sure to get many servings out of one chicken when you're dealing with bite-sized pieces.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. I doubt very much the price increases relate to the cost of goods sold

They relate to reduced volume from flagging demand due to gas prices, retailers posturing to maintain profits heading into recession, and paying for higher wages. Prices are all over the lot. Walmart seems to jump something 40-50%, then 3 weeks later drops the price again. Same with Giant. Donuts went from $.49 last July to .55 to .70 by December, to .75 to .80. They are experimenting to find new price points to maximize revenue. The best consumers can do when they see sharp increases is leave it on the shelf. That sends the right message. Use what you already have on hand, substitute another brand/retailer/product.

Look for discounts. Each retailer has a time of day when must-move items are shelved. I sometimes get 33-50-65% off fresh fish, meat, poultry.

[Shermann]

3. I threw one of those 4 oz cans into a 2 lb meatloaf last week

Those are great in a pinch. I didn't have fresh mushrooms.

I'd probably go with "mildly perturbed" versus "horrified" over the $0.89 price, but that's just me.

[orwell]

4. I make a lot of things from scratch...

...but I did that before the bogus inflation at the supermarket we currently are witnessing.

I relentlessly compare prices, but I have always done that.

I shop at a chain called Grocery Outlet here in California before I go to a regular market and sometimes save up to 50% on some items, rarely less than 30%. The only issue is that they don't always have the same products.

I try to buy fruits and vegetables only when they are really in season, when they are far less expensive.

I shop using rewards cards at Safeway which often gives huge discounts on items.

I make large batches of things like vegetarian chili, vegetarian spaghetti sauce, vegetarian soups that are enough for 4 or five meals. It not only saves time, but cooking in large batches is often cheaper because you can buy bigger quantities of ingredients. I save on buying a slow cooker or Instant pot by cooking these items in a slow oven at 275 degrees.

I mostly make my own wheat sandwich bread and country sourdough (wheat and white) which is far cheaper that what you would find at Whole Foods (and often better as I can add anything I want to the dough.)

We eat very well and it doesn't require that much more effort, mostly advanced planning.

[SheltieLover]

5. I shop Aldi, almost exclusively

Boneless, skinless chicken breast is $1.99/ lb. Packages are ~4 lbs. Buying family sized packages of meat can offer significant savings.

Produce is fresh, although somewhat limited in scope, depending largely upon the area the store is located in.

Aldi brand Oreos taste exactly the same & cost $1.69 vs. whatever ridiculous price the "real" ones are selling for.

[spinbaby]

6. I love Aldi

And I’m lucky enough to have one only a mile away. I also go to Costco and Whole Foods.

[dem4decades]

10. At our Costco they often have giant pork roasts for sale with 5 bucks off.

We paid 8.00 bucks, got 2 roasts and 5 pork chops out of it,

[SheltieLover]

12. I love Aldi, too!

[Kali]

7. own a freezer

shop the "outside" aisles of the store. some kind of meat is on sale every week, buy extra and freeze. avoid the boxed, prepped, packaged, convenient parts of the store. not only saves money but is healthier too.

learn to use the fresh produce you buy and don't buy too much. stop throwing so much of it away.

[Backseat Driver]

11. I second that tip - even a small freezer for those in apts!

Be sure to label and date your home-frozen foods; and learn about any settings and appropriate storage in your refrigerator drawers to help prevent waste...clean your cutting board(s) religiously to prevent cross-contamination of pathogens. Also love my salad spinner after washing greens!

[Retrograde]

14. Salad spinners can be used to perk up limp lettuce

and other leafy greens that have wilted a bit. Add some acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to the soaking water, let stand for about an hour, then drain and spin as usual. If they're not as good as new, they're usually as good as a day or two old!

Californians - and other people in drought areas - the water can be used to water those pots of herbs and small vegetables - although I usually dump it on the tomato patch.

[lillypaddle]

15. Serious question

Do salad spinners really work to dry the lettuce? I've never had one but have always wondered if there was a trick to it or not.

[Retrograde]

16. Mine seems to

It's a very basic one: perforated bowl inside another bowl, with a hand pump to make it spin. You have to pump it up a few times to get up speed, but then centrifugal force takes over and the leaves end up pretty dry.

[lillypaddle]

19. Thanks

I went looking on Amazon, and I think I'll get this one. The ratings were very good.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084NY86RS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

[Lars39]

18. The best one I've had was a Zyliss

They have a handle you pull. I can’t seem to do the pump ones very well.

[lillypaddle]

20. Thanks for the feedback

We'll see how I do with a pump.

[Backseat Driver]

9. There's a lot of stuff one can do with a $5 rotisserie chicken!

To be fair, there's usually only two of us!

I've also found that the small appliances like a breadmaker, InstaPot, blenders, and air fryers have their value on your countertop if you actually use them, LOL!

Alternate cheap/simple with a "real meal" - like grilled cheese and tomato soup one night - then a roast, ribs, or stew with all the fixin's like baked or scalloped potatoes and a grand salad that will gain, do I dare say, leftovers? Plan to have some meatless "bowls." Find a killer fish soup/stew/chowder to get more servings per lb of more expensive fresh fish.

Buy pantry staples in bulk and keep your spices stocked and handy! Fiddle with spring/summer herb gardening - inground or container. Try veggies if you have the space and sun. If you entertain, don't forget a few gluten-free recipes and/or a vegan choice. (Sometimes they might bring their own).

Lately, produce quality sometimes seems questionable - buy in season, and find a local farm market delivery service and/or try microsprouting at home - we like radish, broccoli, and sunflower sprouts to add flavor to that plain leaf lettuce salads.

Learn to home preserve, freeze, and can. Some of these tips require "hardware" that one can usually re-use. Oh, and those silicone mats for cookie sheet roasting are great - clean up's a breeze. Also, use the right cookware for the appropriate purpose - cast iron, Dutch ovens, non-sticks!

Those are my hints and tips! Happy cooking!

[Vinca]

13. I love the little rotisserie chickens - just bought one this morning. We might use some for

sandwiches for lunch, some for a pasta dish and then the tail ends go into taco soup.

[Freddie]

17. Store brand almost everything

Except ketchup must be Heinz, and the wee beasts demand Fancy Feast.
When I make a recipe calling for a pound of ground beef, I freeze about 1/4 of it for future spaghetti with not-much-meat sauce.

[Mr.Bill]

21. Your comments about impulse buying

made me remember the first year of the pandemic before vaccines we were using Instacart and I realized that even after paying the fees, I was spending less because we were avoiding impulse buys. I worked in retail for awhile so I know a lot of the tricks they use. The bright lighting and colorful packaging, the positioning of high profit products at eye level and putting things around the checkstand where they have you trapped standing there for awhile, etc.

[spinbaby]

23. That's my weakness

It’s especially bad at Whole Foods, where I’m inevitably drawn to exotic fruits grown by monks in the high Himalayas. I should start doing curbside there.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

24. I make most of what I eat from scratch. Usually in large amounts,

and then I freeze individual portions. I live alone, which helps. I also have a second refrigerator in the garage, and in the past two years often have the freezer compartment filled up with what I've made.

Oh, and if you are not already in the habit, absolutely date and label everything you put in the freezer. I used to volunteer in the kitchen of a local homeless shelter, and quickly learned how incredibly important that it. It matters a lot when different people are putting things in the freezer or fridge, but is very helpful even for someone like me.

I am greatly annoyed by the fact that I cannot just buy a very few mushrooms, or strawberries, but can only purchase them in pre-packaged amounts that are far more than I need. At least I can still buy individual onions, cucumbers, peppers, and most other veggies and fruits that way.

I eat out about every other week, mainly lunch with my friend Robert. Before the pandemic I ate out more often and with more people. For me, my food costs have dropped by about 50% because of these changes.

[trof]

25. Rule 1: Never grocery shop hungry.

[hippywife]

26. Since I started online shopping at the beginning of the pandemic...

and have continued ever since, I've become much better at planning meals for the week and just ordering what I need, as well as keeping pantry staples stocked, and not making impulse purchases. Saves us a whole lot of money, especially as being able to see the running total is extremely helpful.

Like you, I usually cook from scratch, though I'm really starting to tire of it (plus I have so very little appetite these days) and have pared down the amount of effort I'm putting into meals, also making things that will have plenty of leftovers so I'm not cooking as often. There are just a couple of things I buy in the way of prepared foods, like beer battered frozen fish filets and pork egg rolls to have in the freezer for quick lunches or dinners, and a box or two of mac n cheese for the husband.

With the pandemic, we only pick up inexpensive carry out, not going into restaurants, and it's usually only the one time per week when we're out doing the combined grocery pickup/errand runs. Because we live in a rural area and have to drive into town for anything, everything is put off until that one day of the week. We started doing this years ago to conserve on gas and it's only made even more sense to do so the past three years.

Our only really big treat, since we're living now only on SS, is once once a month on the week it deposits, is splitting a steak for dinner. As much as I'd love rib-eye, that's out of the budget, so I usually pick up chuck-eye if they have it, sirloin if they don't.

[dem in texas]

27. used to a penny-pinching grocery shopper

with us both in retirement, it is no longer necessary to be a penny-pincher, but I can't stop myself from reading the Wednesday grocery ads.