I grew up in a house where food was never scarce. To make sure I ate well when I went to college, my mother gave me a credit card to use for all my groceries. “I don’t want you to worry about having enough to eat,” she said.
I am grateful for my mother’s generosity when it comes to food and nearly everything else. But what I had to learn on my own is the idea that everything at the grocery store is a necessity simply because it is food is dead wrong.
I don’t *really* need to buy fresh orange juice, tofutti cuties and organic milk. These are grocery luxuries and it is easy to confuse them with necessities because they go in my belly.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to starve myself. But it’s time for me to be as savvy about food purchases as I am about any other spending category. And that means more than getting the best prices. It means resisting the temptation to buy food that I don’t really need, just like that new T-shirt from J.Crew.
So instead of including food as a necessity in my budget and allotting a set amount of dollars for it, I am including food as a discretionary item in my budget. This way we will carefully consider each food purchase. Is this something we could get cheaper elsewhere? Is this something we could make ourselves? Is this something that will go to waste? At the end of the month I’m guessing we may well be eating out of the freezer.
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 am
[...] Discretionary spending: food, clothing, bus fare, entertainment, vitamins, toiletries, meals out, hair cuts, travel, and home maintenance. To see why I put food on the discretionary list, go here. [...]
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 am
Comparison Shopping is a great Idea, We started doing that couple of Month ago and are saving 20-25% on our grocery bill, Few Examples will be
1. Fresh Chicken Breast – We used to Buy 1.99/lb (in a deal) from Vons, Same Brand is available for 0.79c/Lb in Jons
2. Whole Chicken – We used by buy for 10$ in VONS (about 4-5 lbs), It is available for 4-5$ in Smart and Final.
There are numerous such examples where we are cutting on grocery bills. It also helps that we live in burbank where all stores are nearby
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
Arif,
I’ve heard great things about the prices at Jons. I only wish there was one near me!
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
there’s lots of basic foods that taste great! Go for nearly anything unprocessed. Your wallet and your health will be thankful.
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Eat in season. especially fruit and vegetables. they taste better too.
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Seriously consider shopping at Jons. Fruit and vegetables are much, much cheaper than elsewhere. Shopping at Jons means I can afford to stay healthy.
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
If you live in the West Valley there is a great produce store called Michael’s Produce. On Roscoe and Valley Circle. He used to be at the indoor Valley Swap Meet before they closed. His prices and produce are amazing.
Whole Foods quality for a fraction of the cost. I save a ton of $$$ by shopping there.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I routinely save 60-70% at the grocery store while eating “real” food– I plan my menu from the weekly sales flyers (you can even find search all the local grocery stores at http://www.mygrocerydeals.com)– so instead of deciding that I want to cook chicken and salmon this week and hope that it’s on sale.. I see what’s on sale and adapt my menu to fit.
For non-perishables, I use a few sites that match up sales to coupons to maximize my savings (find your local stores at either http://www.hotcouponworld.com or http://www.afullcup.com) When something is a great price, I stock up WAY up– so on a weekly basis, I only have to buy fresh produce (preferably bought locally), fresh meat/poultry/fish/seafood, and milk.
I don’t use a lot of packaged foods– but I always have a frozen pizza or three (bought on sale, of course!) in the freezer for those nights that I just can’t bear to cook– I’d rather spend $3 on a frozen pizza than 3 or 4 times as much on delivery. I also have cooked pasta, brown rice, and/or quinoah in the fridge so I can make a quick stir fry– it takes less than 10 minutes, including chopping the veggies.
You can find lots of tips on grocery and drug store shopping on my blog:
neverpayretailagain.net
Let me know if I can help out in any way
Jodi (MBAmom)
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Hi! I found a store that has better prices on fruit and produce than Jons and it is extremely fresh and high quality! I shop at Super King Market, located on San Fernando Road, just west of the Glendale 2 Fwy, there is also one in Altadena (the newest) and the original one is in Anaheim. It features a full service Deli, Bakery, Meat Counter, and also bulk seeds and nuts. Hours are from 9:00 Am to 9:00 PM, and there is an abundance of clerks and all are happy to help you!
How, when I stop at Jons, and I startled to see how much of a difference there is with their prices and the ones as Super King Market. They also have a website!
Happy Shopping!
Vilma
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Thanks for the tip, Vilma!
February 3rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
Fresh&Easy is giving out weekly $6 off $30 purchase coupons at their stores. If there’s one in your area, check it out – their selection is more limited, but if you can avoid overspending on their prepackaged meals it could be worth it. Also, look for their expiration-date marked-down items…
February 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
We make a trip to the Vallarta Market twice a month to get really inexpensive produce. The one we go is next to the Burbank Airport, where the old Price Club (Costco) was for years. When you can get lettuce 4 head for $1 and green onions for $.20 and radishes even cheaper it makes sense to take the time to go to the local Vallarta. We also get a great deal of our meat and veggies at Handy Market on Magnolia. The meat is really first rate and the veggies are almost as cheap as Vallarta.
February 20th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Great tips, thanks Karolyn!
March 1st, 2009 at 11:08 am
Very nice post, I share the same position about this.