As in all holidays, I like to have an array of beautiful food, but I’m always about saving money, and making it easy!
I don’t plan the menu completely until the new sales ad comes out. So for Mother’s Day, it’s the same. All I’m really looking for in the last few days is produce sales. Typically, I already have everything else that I’ve been investing in, in terms of staples and freezer foods, and even refrigerated items. So that makes it cost much less than it would if I ran out and bought everything now.
I have the meat in the freezer, already bought on sale and with coupons weeks or even months before. But I can opt to invest in more meat this week, which is a good idea to check sales, as they’re great in holiday weeks. This week, rib eyes are on a great sale. I’ll go ahead and invest and freeze. But I already have ribs and tri tip, which Greg wanted to do in the smoker. I’ll pull out some bacon, thaw and fry for the salad. I also had some whole chickens in the freezer, that I planned to butterfly and grill. But, this week’s Vons (Safeway), has wild Coho salmon. And I love that! So I think I’ll splurge for Mother’s Day and save my chickens!
I already have all the non-produce things I need for my menu, since my menu is planned around what I have. I already have BBQ sauce, marinade, mayonnaise, ranch dressing dip mix, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, brown sugar, etc. I even have some refrigerator items I’ll use, gorgonzola cheese, hummus, plain yogurt, etc. All bought at a great price over the last few weeks or months. This is what I call ”investing” in groceries, simply buying blue items on our Grocery Game LIST before I need them. In doing that, blue items are usually about 67% off the regular price. The opposite of “investing” would be “need shopping”. So much of what I will use for Mother’s Day, if bought this week, “need shopping”, would cost me three times more.
So to recap, I didn’t know what my menu items would be until I saw the produce sales offerings, and finished my ideas for side dishes and appetizers, based on what I have and what produce is on sale…
So now I know what I’ll buy this week: Corn on the cob (on sale), lettuce etc. for salad (already have gorgonzola, bacon, balsamic, olive oil). I’ll buy the strawberries (on sale), and make a sweet yogurt dip with brown sugar (already invested in those). For appetizer, raw veggies (on sale) with ranch dressing (already invested in it). I see artichokes on sale. I may also steam them, chill them and serve them cold to dip in the ranch too! It’s one or our favorites! Three friends are bringing other sides.
So easy, and easy on the budget when your grocery shopping lifestyle is centered around the concept of investing!
Happy Mother’s Day!
May is National BBQ Month!
I just read in a recent poll by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association (HPBA), 6 out of 10 Americans say they can’t wait to fire up the grill!
If you’re grilling burgers, be sure to have all the trimmings. The same poll says that 66% use ketchup most often, and 62% with mustard. (I say, “What about mayo”?)
The good news is that you can stock up on the trimmings , starting now through the end of summer. A quick look into our Grocery Game databases for last year’s savings, turned up the following stats, all for name brand products. By combining sales with coupons, we never paid full price. And in most cases, we stocked up enough to get us through the next three seasons:
Plus, look for sales and coupons to be used on name brand buns. But the best deals end up being the store brand buns, both hot dog and hamburger. Normally, the store brand buns sell for 1.59-1.79. We saw sales during BBQ season (which is starting now), from .79-.88. When you see these sales, buy extra for your freezer!
Hamburger meat can be expensive, unless you stock up when it’s on sale. We’re already seeing 80% ground beef, originally 3.49-3.89/lb on sale for 1.69-1.88 nationwide. And 93% lean as low as 1.97/lb. Fill your freezer, and never pay full price for those burgers!
And thankfully, once BBQ season gets going, and especially just in time for Memorial Day, look for prices on lettuce, like this from last year’s databases:
Tomatoes are still a little high, even on sale, but they’ll start coming into season soon. Fry’s in Arizona has fresh Roma tomatoes for .50/lb (Today’s the last day!). Last year’s various tomato varieties from Roma to Tomatoes on the Vine ranged as follows:
Assuming all goes well with the crops, we could have some yummy tomatoes on our burgers without breaking the bank!
Final word, again… PLEASE… Never pay full price for groceries!!!
Lots of supermarkets offer free field trips in an effort to educate kids on better eating habits. Some play fun games, like scavenger hunts in the produce section, among other fun ways to engage kids in a lifestyle of healthier eating. Many of the education programs or field trips are lead by the chain’s nutritionist. So kids can ask lots of questions and get informed answers.
Here’s some links to information on just a few programs out there.
Roundy’s / Copps / Rainbow Foods:
http://www.progressivegrocer.com/progressivegrocer/content_display/supermarket-industry-news/e3ic04432c02b789744eec5eec3731a30df
Giant Store Explorer Program
http://www.giantfood.com/our_stores/tours.htm
Stop & Shop Store Explorer Program
http://www.stopandshop.com/our_stores/tours.htm
Kroger stores offer tours and information lead by a dietician
http://www.kroger.com/healthy_living/health_matters/Pages/dietitians.aspx
Kroger also has tons of articles related to kids and nutrition
http://kroger.staywellsolutionsonline.com/YourFamily/Children/HealthyChild/Nutrition/
Price Chopper has “Healthy U Connections” here for tours, questions, etc.:
http://www.pricechopper.com/HealthyU_PCN/Pages/healthyU_Index_S.las?-token.S=4C4T9RFDE1B0c48P7862CBA3LUXN6L533FE4BE|22227|1005031834|||
Introducing NuVal: NuVal is a nutrition scoring system that makes finding nutritious foods easier. Currently, Nuval is operating with four major chains: Price Chopper, HyVee, United Supermarkets, and Meijer. I like the information page about how NuVal works on the HyVee website:
http://www.hy-vee.com/health/nuval/default.aspx
Meijer, which also has NuVal, offers plenty of nutrition information and support on their website: http://www.meijermealbox.com/healthy-living
There’s so many free nutrition and health education programs out there, that I just couldn’t list them all. If I didn’t mention your local supermarket, I encourage you to visit their website or ask your store manager if they offer any nutrition education programs. Your kids and your health are worth the effort.
There are so many ways to make small changes that can really boost your family’s nutrition. I’m with you if you cringed at that thought. Years ago, when all the coupons started coming out with healthy alternatives, my family acted like I was pulling their teeth to get them to eat whole wheat bread, and whole wheat pasta. They’re over it now, and all is well. And I would encourage you that it’s worth going through it!
I read a thread on our message board that sparked some good ideas for improving the family’s nutrition. So I made a list of some easy changes that can really improve the health and nutrition for your family, without making your wallet or your family’s taste buds scream:
1. Puree extra veggies into sauces, soups, chili, casseroles, etc. They won’t dislike it, if they don’t know it’s there!
2. Make more dried bean meals, or add beans to meat meals. They’re loaded with fiber, complex carbs, and protein. My husband doesn’t like beans in chili. But if I mash them, it thickens the chili, and he doesn’t realize the beans are there. Get creative!
3. Switch to whole grain bread. Don’t give in to your family’s complaints, if they’re addicted to white bread. Trust me. If that’s all they get, they’ll learn to love it. I went through it for over a year, but no more complaints. And it was worth it. BTW - There’s tons of coupons for these things, so you don’t have to blow your budget to have healthier alternatives.
4. Cut down on HFCS, high fructose corn syrup - Read the labels. There are MANY more options now without it, on the same shelf in your supermarket. And they taste just as good.
5. Serve the salad before the meal. This works for my husband, who will pick at a salad, unless if it’s all there is.
6. Cut out sodas at home. Or, if you like to have them for special occasions, and they’re on sale, buy them, and hide them, and dole them out when the time is right.
7. Choose the “low sugar”, “low fat”, “low sodium”, “high fiber” options. Nearly every food line now has those options for things like cereal, soup, bread, yogurt, etc.
8. Use “good on any” coupons on organic - Nearly every major food manufacturer has organic in their lines now. Use “good on any” coupons to buy the organic in the manufacturer’s line of foods. For example, a “good on any Brand X” coupon can be used on their organic Brand X products. Organic will never have HFCS, among other things.
Here’s a link to the message board thread with more good ideas:
http://terismessageboard.thegrocerygame.com/showthread.php?t=157630
On the heels of new data showing that consumers are turning away from the traditional supermarkets, for “value” markets.
Just finished analyzing numbers on comparing 22 basic grocery items from Stop & Shop. We compared to Acme, Food Basics, Walmart and BJs.
We computed sale prices and coupons and doubling policies where applicable at all stores.
We price matched for Walmart where applicable, although they don’t price match BOGOs (buy one get one sales). They also don’t match UN-advertised sales.
Where sizes were bigger, we figured the cost per ounce or cost per item with all coupons etc. So for example, on a 15 oz. box of Kelloggs at Stop & Shop, we figured the cost of 15 oz. at BJs, and other stores where sizes differed.
So these totals represent the cost of the same amount of groceries at each of the stores given all possible savings available.
Final totals:
Stop & Shop - 18.91
Acme - 48.73
Food Basics - 40.95
WalMart - 25.46
BJs wholesale - 32.78 (“wholesale”?, really?)
And Walmart, what a pain, as shelf prices were much higher than this total would have been. We figured in their price matching policy, which you have to ask for in most cases. You would have to bring the Stop & Shop circular to the register to change nearly every item you purchased. If you didn’t, you would pay way more than 25.46 at WM!
Same story nationwide with playing The Grocery Game.
Need I say more?
Generation X is always on the run, kids in soccer and dance, homework, and often both parents working outside the home. So what’s for dinner? Fast food, dining out, and grab and go are often the order of the day. But that costs at least quadruple what it would to make dinner at home. Now money is tight and so is time. So this costly trap of finding dinner at the end of a busy day has a lot of people looking for a way out. But who has time to cook? Enter the cast iron casserole dish and the slow cooker.
I’m a baby boomer. But I live the life of Generation X. I’m on the run. What’s for dinner? I don’t always do it right. But when I do, here’s how it goes:
Before I go to bed, I go to my freezer, and take out whatever meat I’m going to throw in a pot for dinner the next day. If I plan on leaving early in the morning, I go the slow cooker route. The night before, I prepare whatever vegetables are going into the pot (about 5 minutes). Potatoes (washed and whole), clean cut carrots and onions go into a plastic bag and back into the fridge. The next morning, potatoes are quartered, and it all goes into the slow cooker on auto mode (about 3-4 minutes), and I’m out the door. When I come home, I’m greeted with the welcoming aroma of dinner! And I hear, “Mmm… What’s for dinner? Smells good… “ I toss a salad, and all is well.
When I’m home for the day, I put dinner in the oven right after lunch. I use my favorite 7 quart cast iron casserole dish. I named it “big red”, because it weighs 18 pounds! I bought it on a sale with coupon code and free shipping ($179, but I paid about $28 out the door). Heavy cast iron makes for even cooking in the oven, much like a slow cooker. I like “big red” better than the slow cooker, because I can brown the meat, then add whatever else goes in. Then straight from the stove top and right into to the oven. By contrast, with the slow cooker, I should (but don’t allways) brown the meat in a skillet before adding to the cooker. But the slow cooker comes in handy for days when I’ll be gone all day.
If you don’t have either one of these cooking vessels, it’s time to start enjoying the good life. Open a new browser window now, and order two things online: a slow cooker and a cast iron casserole dish. For an average family of four, a five quart cast iron will suffice. Look for coupon codes, sales, and free shipping, especially for the cast iron cooker (expensive to ship that weight!). Start browsing easy recipes, and get ready to enjoy! They should pay for themselves with the first few dinners you make at home. You’ll love how you feel. And you’ll thank me later.
First stop,
Teri’s Coupon Center: Here you find links to ALL the best resources for coupons.
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Teris_Coupon_Center.cfm
From there, take a look at:
Teri’s Coupon Tracker: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/app/couponTracker/#SearchCoupons
Enter keyword “organic” and “Go”! Up will come a listing of where to find coupons in FSIs*, electronic, printable coupons, and others. You can type in a brand name, or any other word to find coupons. Bonus: Teri’s Coupon Tracker means NO MORE COUPON FILES! Just keep your inserts from your paper intact, and cut out the ones you want by the date that they came out as indicated in the tracker. I mark my sections with a big date on the front and keep them in a stack, putting the new ones on top. Then, when the tracker says I have a coupon in Smartsource section 4/18, I cut that coupon from that section. I don’t have to cut and file 150 every week. I only cut 20-30 of the ones I use. Want to know what the codes mean on the Tracker? Here’s a video that shows what it does and how to use it:
Teri’s Coupon Tracker Video: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/app/couponTracker/con_Video_Coupon_Tracker.cfm
Grocery Game Printable Coupons – Teri’s Coupon Tracker Homepage:
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Teris_Coupon_Center.cfm
Back to the homepage of our coupon Center, see Grocery Game 1, 2, and 3, links to tons of printables, and lots of them are organics. Direct link above.
“Good on Any” coupons: When looking at manufactuers’ coupons, at first blush, you may think there aren’t many organic coupons. But wait! A coupon for “Ragu” that reads “good on any” means you can use it for Organic Ragu. Same applies to any other manufacturers’ product lines that have organic offerings. So think about that as you flip through those sections from your Sunday paper. There’s more organics than meets the eye!
Manufacturers’ Websites – From Teri’s Coupon Tracker Homepage, see a link called “Other Printable and Mailed Coupons”:
http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_OtherFreeCoupons.cfm
THAT page is a gold mine for organic coupons and lots of non-organics as well. Organic foods companies don’t do a lot of FSIs*, because they just don’t get the return on their investments yet (although it’s improving). So many of your favorite organics brands are only offering coupons on their own websites. Saves them money on the cost of distributing through FSIs, and other businesses. At the above link, The Grocery Game lists manufacturers who offer coupons on their sites. But it gets better… Once on these sites, sometimes the coupons and offers are hard to find. These links go directly to the pages with the GOLD! (coupons, that is!)
For more info on “green” offers, Kelli Grant just came out with a very informative article on the subject of green coupons: http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/5-sites-to-find-green-coupons/
*FSIs, Free Standing Inserts: These are those coupon inserts that come in your Sunday newspaper, usually two per week, Smartsource and Redplum (sometimes more than one of each), and once a month another insert from Proctor & Gamble.
Yes, we’ve had Aldis across the US for some time now. With their new rollout in TX, again with the questions… Will we have a LIST for Aldi?
Aldi is EDLP, off brands, and limited offerings. But I don’t mean to dis-qualify Aldi. It may have its place, but not for most Grocery Gamers. Or at least not as first place in the race. Here’s why…
For value, we could talk about quality differences vs. name brand, etc. But I’m honing in on what I love best, the numbers! I just reviewed some comparison #s for the DFW area for this week’s offerings at the big three: Albertsons, Kroger, and Randalls. Yep! We’re still in the game (wasn’t worried). Aldi is not the one stop shop for savings.
I have to be a little tight lipped about further details for the moment, as there is some press in the percolator! But once that’s out, I’ll reveal! In the mean time, TX shoppers, hang on to your hats (cowboy hats if you have ‘em). And Aldi lovers, I won’t take your beloved away from you. Just want you to consider some new relationships!
Sometimes it’s hard to live on a budget. In 2009, the national average allotment for a family of four was $275.53 a month, or about $68.88 a week. See this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100414/ap_on_re_us/us_fea_food_living_on_food_stamps#mwpphu-container The basis of the article seems to center around meal planning. But is meal planning smart shopping? NO!
Think about it… Whenever you’ve written up a grocery list of things you “need”, how much of it was on sale? I would venture to say about 20%, if even that. By contrast, if you would have purchased the things your family likes or needs when it was on sale a few weeks or even months ago, now you have a scenario where you never pay full price of any food, except for fluid milk. That’s what we call “investing”.
So the question is how to get past the week to week, or hand to mouth confines of living on food stamps or any food budget for that matter? How can there be room to “invest” when there’s nothing left over? As the article mentions, food stamps are intended to augment, not completely meet the needs of the entire the food budget. But, for many families, that may be all they have! So can a family of four live on $68 a week? Most Grocery Gamers are reading this and saying, “of course”! Nevertheless, we spent some time with The Grocery Game databases to take a look at that prospect. I wasn’t surprised to see that yes, it can be done. And there should even be room to invest a little, which makes for more options and even more value down the road. And more investing over time, when you breathe a sigh of relief…
The keys to making it work remain the same. Stack the deals using sales and coupons and any other incentives. Eliminate waste with creative leftovers. Incorporate at least one meatless dinner around dried beans, which are very healthy and full of fiber. I would even advise two or three of those bean meals in the beginning to make room for more investing. Making some sacrifices on what you “want”, to get what you “need” in the first few weeks will pay off and begin to snowball. Note: “Investing”, which we used to call “stockpiling” is a Grocery Game concept that has been proven over and over again for hundreds of thousands of families. It works.
I’m not saying it’s easy, and my heart goes out to those who are living on less. But if you’re in that boat, just know that lots of Grocery Gamers are doing it for $50 a week. Our message board is full of those testimonials, which is also a great place to learn and get brass tacks advice. I was in that boat for many years, with a $35 a week budget for my family of four. That’s how I learned to play The Grocery Game. You can do it.
Starting near the end of 2008, department stores’ cosmetic sales were beginning to show decline. Meanwhile, drugstore cosmetic sales began to rise, and have continued to do so.
With so many great values on cosmetics and other health & beauty products in drugstores and supermarkets, I wonder how many will go back to paying more, once this economic crisis recovers. After all, lots of women are discovering that they can save half or more on comparable cosmetic purchases buying different brands at their local drugstore. Even better, Grocery Gamers know that with stacking deals of sale with manufacturer coupons, store coupons, and register rewards, alot of cosmetics can be “bought” for 75% or more, and often times even free! After all, I have three of my favorite Maybelline lip glosses ($9 value) in my purse, that were all free!
I’ve had a number of press interviews on this growing trend. Not to blow the cover on some magazine and newspaper articles coming out, I thought I would just share a snippet of my favorite substitutions.
Shhh…. Yes, I’m giving away a few LIST deals here. But there’s about 10 times more health and beauty deals this week in the national drugstore LISTs.
Note: “S&C” = Sale and coupon, and possibly also stacking in store coupon and/or register rewards. Membership to www.TheGroceryGame.com or a free 4 week trial will reveal details on how each of these deals work and where to find them. Also note prices are approximate for comparison purposes.
I like:
Victoria Secrets Lip Gloss $7.50/ Bath & Body Works Liplicious
Substitute: Cover Girl Wetslicks or Lipslicks ($6 / S&C $1.49 this week CVS)
I can’t tell the difference in these lip glosses. And would rather pay $1.49 at CVS with sale and coupon, etc.
Mac foundation $30 and up
Substitute: L’Oreal True Match ($11 / S&C 4.99 this week Walgreens)
Most studio makeup artists use Mac. Admittedly, Mac probably holds up better on
camera. But I feel smothered in it. And I usually seem to break out.
When I do my own makeup for local TV, I use L’Oreal True Match.
Shiseido moisturizer $50
Substitute: Oil of Olay (S&C $15 plus get free body wash this week Walgreens)
Awhile back, I got talked into buying the Shiseido Benefiance for day wear. Expensive!
And honestly, I cannot tell the difference between that and Oil of Olay.
I’m sure there must be a difference, for that price!
Pricey Mascaras
Substitute: L’Oreal (S&C $2.49 this week Walgreens) or Maybelline
For years, Mac loving makeup artists have pulled out Maybelline or L’Oreal to put on my lashes. I recently bought a Maybelline mascara on my supermarket LIST for about $2. And I really like it!
Mineral based foundation and powders, like Sephora
Substitute: Neutrogena, Maybelline ($9-$14 regular price at drugstores and supermarkets)
These are two brands that offer mineral base within their line. We get these on sale with coupons for about $2-$5 final price.
Skin calming lotion for after waxing
Substitute: drugstore brand hydrocortisone cream
In my home town, our #1 European Skincare spa uses Jane Iredale, and nothing but the
best high end, and freshly made products. However, after facial waxing, they cleanse,
and then apply a drugstore brand hydrocortisone cream. I rarely break out, and I get
almost no redness. I recently invested in a professional waxing system for $89
on sale at a beauty supply. I’m doing my own now, and with the hydrocortisone cream,
all is well, and the wax system has paid for itself.
If you don’t already know this, www.TheGroceryGame.com has
weekly money saving LISTS for drugstores and supermarkets.
There’s a free trial for 4 weeks. So if you want to find out how we got those few deals
mentioned above, and get tons of other deals this week on cosmetics and beauty
products, most of these sales are good through Saturday. During your free trial,
you can also save a ton on groceries. Membership is $1.25 a week if you decide you want one list. If you don’t want to become a member, just cancel before the 28 days are up. Check it out!