How Do You Save On Groceries? Shopping Strategy?

Question

Buy Bulk? Buy Local? CoOp? Coupons? Family Garden? Group Purchases? Stock Quantity? Wholesale Purchases?

How do you save on Dairy and Meat?

Answer 1

look for specail offers

buy local

Answer 2

I almost learned to quit eating........lots of water.......it took time.....but it's happening.............fluids....pop........ more food I buy the more I eat..........if it's not around I can't eat it..........Oat meal.........vege's.........all I need..........can of soup....

Answer 3

I eat the cows in my back yard then shop at wal-mart hate to say it but i just cant afford to go elsewhere

Answer 4

I saw your question about coupons.

Here are a couple of resources I found that lets you print coupons for many, many stores.

One will also pay for shipping if you order something online.

The other one will give you $75 worth of printable coupons and a shot at $1500.00 worth of gas!

http://tinyurl.com/shopathome

http://tinyurl.com/clipNgo

I hope this helps you.

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I have seen instances where Wal-Mart has refused Internet Coupons. Here is their policy

from their web site. Thought it may help you sometime.

Wal-Mart Coupon Policy

Wal-Mart accepts the following types of coupons (see guidelines below):

Manufacturer coupons (Cents Off)

Free merchandise (or manufacturer's Buy-One-Get-One-Free) coupons

Store coupons

Pharmacy (Advertising and Promotional) coupons

((Internet coupons))

Soft drink container caps

The following are guidelines and limits:

Wal-Mart only accepts coupons for merchandise we sell and only when presented at the time of purchase.

Coupons should have an expiration date and be presented within the valid dates. Wal-Mart will not accept expired

coupons.

Internet coupons should be legible and say "Manufacturer Coupon." There should be a valid remit address for the

manufacturer and a scannable bar code.

Only one coupon per item is permitted.

Use of 40 or more coupons per transaction will require approval by Customer Service Manager.

Answer 5

I know that coupons do help.

Answer 6

I buy items when they are on the bogof deals, then match menus to make my own ready meals, to whatever meats are on offer.  Although I am finding that the butchers is working out cheaper at the moment, even with my store discount card.  And it is also a help that the store I use also takes coupons for stuff they sell, but you don't have to buy the item.

Answer 7

Watch for store sales, and use coupons.  Always at a store that doubles them, and several times a year will even triple them!  Unless the coupon requires you to buy a certain size or measurement, always get the smallest.  Sometimes the double coupon will cover the total cost of the item.  As you know with coupons......there will be another coupon for the same item within a month.  Go on line to the stores with the key cards and they usually have virtual coupons.  You tell the site which coupons you want, and the next time you shop there, with the key card, you get the coupons automatically.  They will even use regular coupons also.  So, like 2 coupons for the same item.

Answer 8

I use the ideas in this article.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2261173_save-mon...

Answer 9

I have a hard time saving on dairy products, but just watch the price per unit (ounces) and go by that.  I buy grated cheese and freeze it when it is on sale.  I divide bulk packages into 2-3 cup portions (small enough amounts that they won't spoil before I use them after they're thawed).  Milk, I'll buy several when it's on sale, pour out a cup or two into something else, then freeze.  Milk will sometimes get a gritty texture like it's curdled (but no taste change) if you keep it frozen for too long.  Also, hormone levels of the animal can make it curdle faster.  Just something to keep in mind.

I do buy at Sam's Club or other wholesale places (stores that sell to restaurants and grocery stores) when I can.  You must watch your unit prices, though, as it isn't always cheaper to buy in bulk!  Sometimes your best sales are at the local grocery store.  

I have been able to get meat the cheapest by buying by the case.  I can buy top loin for less than $2.00/lb, when lean ground beef is over $3.00/lb and round steak/roast is $2.50.  It doesn't make sense for me to buy the lower quality item for a higher price, and sometimes that's how it is when you buy by the case. I usually pay about the same as for the roasts for the 91% lean ground beef, or sometimes it has been as low as $1.50/lb for g.b. by the case.  If I stagger the cases, I can have several types of meat in the freezer all the time.  If you repackage your meat well, with all air removed, most pieces will keep well for a year.  At the end of the year, really lean pieces will start to freezer burn, but the edges can be trimmed if that happens.

What I do, if I can't afford several kinds at once, is buy one type of meat every few months--for example:  a case of pork loin for about $1.80/lb in January; March or April, a case of high quality beef roasts to cut into steaks for about $2.00/lb, June--a case of lean ground beef, and September, a lesser quality beef to use for roasts or stewing meat.  I will supplement with chicken or fish in between and just buy quite a lot when it is really cheap.  You just have to learn to have a thick skin when you get asked all kinds of curious (and obnoxious) questions about what you will do with ALL THAT FOOD.  Obviously, this isn't EXACTLY how I do it, but is only used for an example.

Once I get it home, I divide it into servings for the family, but I make a few smaller packets to add if there is company or for recipes that don't need as much.

You have to have a freezer to do this.  I have a very large family, so we have two freezers, but I would still do it if we had 1/4 the amount of family.  I would just find a friend to share the cost and divide the meat with, which I did when I lived in the city and had a smaller family.  We'd just go halves on the cases of meat.

Watch prices, because a prices fluctuate seasonally for certain types of meat.  Fish will often be cheaper at the beginning of the year (Chinese New Year), and pork & beef are often cheaper in the fall when farmers send a lot of it to market so they don't have to feed it for the winter.  Once you can see the pattern, you will know when to buy certain items.

By the way, I almost never use coupons because I rarely use processed foods, and you can't get coupons for basic foods.  If you can learn to make everything from those basic ingredients, you can cut your budget possibly in half, or even more.  We never use box meals (like rice-a-roni or hamburger helper) and rarely get anything from the freezer department except plain fish, plain juice (100% juice), and plain vegetables.  It isn't hard to add a butter sauce yourself, and it tastes much better.  Once or twice a year, we might eat a frozen pizza (okay, we eat four because the family is so big!), but if we can't make it, we just don't eat it because of the expense.  We buy quite a lot of fresh veggies and fruit, but again, usually what is in season, and I almost never go over $2.00 per lb., preferring not to go over $1.00/lb, but that is nearly impossible with the recent price hikes in groceries.

Good luck in your savings.  Necessity is the mother of invention (and frugality).  If you have to, you can squeeze your pennies pretty hard and eat very well.  It all depends on how much work you put into it.  You can work hard at a job and use that income to buy convenience foods (I am not cricitizing this choice), or you can work hard at budgeting and exploring/shopping for bargains and cooking.

Edit:  I have to confess, we do use Ramen noodles and occasionally boxed mac 'n cheese, but my kids look at these things as treats, not as everyday meals!  Also, we eat a lot of oatmeal, and you can make your own instant oatmeal packets by measuring out 1/2 or 3/4 cup into a baggie and adding dried fruit and spices.  Again, this is something we buy in bulk.

Answer 10

Well as for dairy there is only one store that I know of that has the cheapest price for milk and I'll only buy it there.   First off I hardly ever buy prepackaged processed foods because they are too expensive and full of additives and salt.

But for my shopping I usually start with making my list. Then I check out the sales papers from three of the only stores that I'll shop at. Good thing these stores are in close vicinity (gas saver)and they compete with each other. I have no problem bagging my own groceries to save money either. :)

I'll look for the sales on meat and then I'll buy it in bulk depending on what's on sale. For example, I'll buy a  large roast on sale and cut it into smaller sections and freeze it. I might take a portion and cut it into smaller sections for beef soup or stews/kaboobs. Also I'll buy chicken packs and bag each of the pieces seperately so that when I get ready to cook I take out of the freezer only what I need. Same for ground round, I'll pack one larger portion for meatloaves and then rest I will make into patties to take out.

Also I'll buy canned vegetables on sale and stock up. It's much harder with fruits and fresh vegetables but sometimes if I get a good sale on broccoli or cauliflower I'll clean them and seperate them into bags for the freezer too.

I find that most coupons are for the things that I don't use or for prepackaged foods. It might be a bit of work but it's worth it.

Answer 11

Plan your menu so you don't buy all those extras.

Get the meat that is on special at different stores.

Milk is sometimes cheaper at gas stations because it doesn't sell as fast.

Buying family packages are cheaper and can be devided into smaller packages before freezing.