Teri's Blog

Fooled by WalMart?

Someone just asked me about shopping at WalMart instead of her local supermarkets, which are Albertsons and Safeway. It got me thinking it’s time for another tutorial on EDLP vs. Hi-Lo marketing strategies.

WM has the #1 market share in the country for groceries. So, that in itself proves that they have the public believing that they are the lowest. Lowest overall? Depending on where you live, maybe. But no matter where you live, being the lowest overall is not important to those winning The Grocery Game. Shopping at WalMart will lend some level of savings on all categories at all times = EDLP (every day low prices). However, when those same items go on sale at a hi-lo supermarket, such as Albertsons, Safeway, Kroger, etc, the low end of the Hi-Lo sales will most often dip lower than WM’s EDLP.

But wait! You’ve been told that WM matches the sales of their competitors! Tricky wording indeed…

Yes, WM does match sales, but not all sales. I’ll say it this way, “Only some sales”. And the ones they skip are costing you big time! They don’t match the BOGOs or % off, or any UN-advertised sales. BOGOs are “buy 1 get 1 free”, which is half off. That’s a biggie. And your local Hi-Lo major supermarket probably has twice as many UN-advertised sales as they do advertised. So when a Hi-Lo store hits many of those rock bottom sales, WM doesn’t match them, and that’s when we get the better deals. (And that’s why the Hi-Lo stores are The Grocery Game’s playing fields for those who want to save the most with the least amount of time invested.)

While many of the Hi-Lo stores’ rock bottom sales do beat WM’s EDLP, you don’t get all categories on sale every week at Hi-Lo stores. But that’s the basis of playing The Grocery Game. It’s like a game that we love to win… Hi-Lo stores run in Categorical Sales Trends. There’s about 15 major categories… Each category usually cycles through about once every 12 weeks, and each category stays on sale for about 1-3 weeks. By investing in those categories and items that you eat or use in your home when they are on a rock bottom sale and with a coupon at the Hi-Lo supermarket, you should be beating WM’s EDLP (every day low price).

The Grocery Game does work, if you are using it as intended. The blue items are expected to beat WM and warehouse club stores. So, if an item is blue or green, and if it’s something that you ever use, you should invest in it, whether you need it now or not. That way, when you run out of it, you don’t have to buy it at full price, or at a sub-standard price at WM.

We do offer WM LISTs in some areas, because people ask for it. Not because it’s the best place to save.

The Grocery Game is designed to save you the time of putting together the best weekly savings plan. You need to stay with it for twelve weeks, and invest in blues and greens to experience maximum savings. Then, you should begin to see that you are spending less money and less time on your grocery trips. And you’ll be shopping at a lovely store where you get great customer service. How nice is that?

Grocery Consumer Mindshift: Can we sustain it?

Not surprisingly, according to recent food product and consumer studies by Information Resources Inc., this economy has brought on a significant grocery consumer mindshift. Those who were eating out more often, have shifted to more grocery shopping, and more meals at home. And those who were already cooking at home, have become more value concious.

But I’m worried… My concern is with the first group. Can they sustain it?

I liken it to a crash diet. How many people who are used to eating whatever they want, can sustain a super strict diet, compared to a more sensible eating plan? Not many. So by the same token, if those who are used to the convenience of having their meals made by someone else and no dishes, how long will they last? Not too long, I don’t think.

I have a plan to make this mindshift stick. And to some degree, it applies to anyone with a busy lifestyle who wants to cut food costs.

1. Buy convenient frozen meals - I’m not saying to eat TV dinners every night. And on that note, get out of the dark ages, if you cringe at the thought of something like a frozen lasagne. There are gourmet offerings in your supermarket’s freezer! So when a nice frozen lasagne or Alfredo Chicken is on sale, it will be half the regular price, and feeds a family of four for about $1.50 each. Add a coupon to make it even cheaper. Throw together a salad, and voila! Dinner is served! Alot of family size entrees include vegetables. So skip the salad and do nothing! On a busy day, or when you’re just plain tired, this dinner will cost one fourth of what it would cost to eat out.

2. One Dish Wonders - That’s a chapter title in my book, “Shop Smart Save More”. While the book is a great education on how to shop smart and save more on food, this chapter is all about making a one dish dinner that usually includes protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. The “wonder-ful” part of a one dish meal is that it’s less pots and pans to wash. Besides, they’re some of my family’s favorite dinners! Yummy and easy. Think casseroles and crockpots, and you’ve got an easy winner! http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Shop_Smart_Save_More_Book.cfm

3. Buy a deep freezer - Use your grocery savings to re-invest in a deep freezer. I can’t say enough about how this makes you save more money. It’s a key foundation for playing The Grocery Game. In fact, most members save more than enough during their free four week trial to buy a deep freezer. Do it!

4. Learn to ”2x2” - It’s almost as easy to make two meals as it is to make one, since you have all the ingredients out already. So for two of your meals per week, make two. One for tonight, and one for the freezer. If I make a pot of chili, I make a double batch, and freeze one. Or a homemade chicken pot pie, same thing. This is a freebie on time savings! And it’s like you’re amassing a treasure of non-cooking nights in your freezer.

5. Eat out! - Yes, I did say that. Play The Grocery Game and save a ton of time, and hundreds of dollars a month. Then use your savings to treat yourself and your family to a night out once in a while! Or, just go out with your hubby, and leave the kids home with “babysitter food”, which is all that easy frozen stuff you invested in on sale with a coupon. And the kids love it!

In finality, if you’ve made a commitment to eat home more, just know this…

This new mindshift is totally do-able. It’s wonderful for you, fantastic for your family time, and awesome for your bank account!

Visit www.TheGroceryGame.com to shop like I do every week! And get a free four week trial!

Organics: Store Brand or Name Brand?

This week, I had a reporter asking whether store brands were good quality compared to name brands. She asked specifically about organics and conventional staples like flour, butter and sugar.

First, let’s address the issue of the old word, “generic”. Unfortunately, when we think “store brand”, it may still have a negative connotation, based on the initial emergence of the “generic” concept. I say, “Pshaw!”, which can be translated as, “the ‘generic’ of the 80’s is nothing like the ‘store brand’ of today.” So, now that that’s behind us…

USDA certified organic has to follow the same strict guidelines for all manufacturers, whether name brand or store brand. So, when name brand organics are not on sale, store brand organics are always a great alternative.

Store brand organic produce often costs much less than their name brand counterparts. The most dramatic difference I’ve found is on name brand organic mixed greens (salad), which are sometimes almost twice the cost of the store brand organic greens.

Now on to conventional staples (not organic)… Sugar, flour and butter are also very good items to buy as store brand in terms of quality and value.

Here’s just one example of flour from our Grocery Game databases:

At Jewel in Chicago:

Pillsbury 5 lb. flour – 4.39 – goes on sale for 2.49

Jewel 5 lb. flour – 2.79 – recently on sale for 1.99, and with store incentive, final price 1.24

However, when on sale with a coupon, the name brands can be cheaper.

$60 of groceries for $4.98!… @ Walgreens!

OMG!!! OK, not like it’s anything new. But I still get a huge RUSH!!! And had to tell somebody!!!

And I don’t want to hear any excuses about how long it takes to save on groceries, or cut coupons… I timed myself:

3.5 minutes to cut 8 coupons + 4.5 minutes to fill out $10 rebate = 8 minutes to save $55! 

Plus… almost everything I came for was on a special display right when I walked into Walgreens. I just started grabbing 2 of everything. The sweet man who rang me up was so excited that I got $13 back in register rewards, and I told him I was getting $10 more from Kellogg’s. He did quick mental math, and asked me how. OK, I told him. No lines. I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. I paid $27.98, less the $13 in RR, and $10 rebate… (drumroll please)

I GOT $60 WORTH OF GROCERIES FOR $4.98 !!!

Here’s what I got:

2 boxes Lipton Green Tea (40 count each)

2 jars Ragu pasta sauce

2 Skippy Peanut Butter

2 boxes Pop Tarts

2 packages Keebler Fudge cookies

2 boxes Rice Krispie Treats

2 boxes Special K Cereal

2 boxes NutriGrain bars

I know all you gamers did the same thing this week and every week. But I just had to shout it out!

E. coli vs. “Safe preparation of food”

71% of the public cook meat to it’s proper temperature.* That means that 29% of us are cooking meat in such a way that could cause sickness or even death, if it had anything in it like E Coli., Salmonella, or any other contaminant.

But here’s the good news…

Back in March, about 50 tons of potentially E. Coli contaminated meat was released to the public. Doesn’t sound like good news? Don’t worry. It’s already been consumed. The meat was sent to institutional distributors. And maybe that was a good thing because apparently, they cooked it right, or at least better than that 71% of us in the general public. Get this… only three people became ill from it. Three people! One can only suspect that because it went to institutions, maybe they had very strict food safety standards in place.

So let’s bring those practices into our homes…

I’ve always been good about food storage, cross contamination prevention, hand washing, etc. But my weakness was about “doneness”. I’m pretty good about using a meat thermometer in the oven. But I recently started using a meat thermometer for the BarBQ as well. Which is even more important than the oven, because BBQs don’t really cook as evenly. Chicken and pork are especially worthy of it. But so is beef and really, any meat, for that matter. Why not? It takes the guess work out of it. It’s cheap. It’s easy. You can pick one up on your next grocery shop for under $10.

But there’s lots of other important food safety guidelines, some of which I touched on above. To be really thorough, I recommend reading this page from the USDA. Print it. Study it. Review it. Learn it. Memorize it. Know it. Stick it on your refrigerator until you can recite it. There will be a test.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Keep_Food_Safe_Food_Safety_Basics/index.asp

Now, don’t be paranoid. Just be smart. Cooking is fun. And besides, we have to keep cooking and eating!

*Statistics according to a survey recently released by The International Food Information Council Foundation

Learn the Lesson of the Peanut Butter

I keep shouting this out… “Please don’t pay full price for your groceries, EVER!” And that includes , household items, toiletries, paper goods, etc… ever! I can buy the exact things you pay full price for, for half price or better. How?

“Grasshopper, learn the lesson of the peanut butter.” (Remember Kung Fu? SO cool!) Rather than get into long explanation, I copied a portion from my book (all I have to copy is an uncorrected proof, so go easy on me), “Shop Smart, Save More”, which is invaluable, the best book ever written on saving money on groceries. And I’m not the only one saying that. http://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Shop_Smart_Save_More_Book.cfm

And I don’t feel bad saying that, because I had an incredible co-writer, Sheryl Berk (XOXOXO Sheryl!) and great publisher, Harper Collins, and went through the school of hard knocks for 8 years to learn what’s in that book!

Now, Grasshopper, listen carefully and take it to heart…

Chapter 4: Stockpiling

Shopping for stuff you need is a no-no. “Teri,” you say, “What are you talking about? Don’t you go out and buy OJ if your son finishes the ½ gallon in the fridge? Don’t you purchase pecorino romano cheese on a whim?” Nope. And you shouldn’t either. The whole idea of meal planning for a week of menus (or god forbid, for a daily menu) is so yesterday, not to mention the single biggest way to spend a whole lot of dough unnecessarily.

            Instead, you’re going to buy more than you need when you don’t need it. It’s called “stockpiling,” and for me, it all started with a jar of peanut butter. It was my “Aha!” moment, the beginning of my Grocery Game strategies, and to this day, I smile whenever I see a jar of Jiffy on a shelf. I was about 13 years old, shopping at a supermarket in Orange California. I had my grocery list of things that we “needed” for our family. I thought I was already a smart shopper, looking for the best deals on the things that we were out of in the cupboards. I was going to stick to that list, as always, and find the best deals for each item, using a coupon whenever I could.

I was rushing down an aisle, heading for some bread, when I spotted a particular brand of peanut butter on sale. And it was a good sale! It was even the brand that we liked (although we were far from brand loyal by that time). I didn’t even have peanut butter on my list, because we weren’t out of it yet. But when I saw that sale, which was half off, I thought, “Too bad we don’t need peanut butter right now. That’s a great price.” Right then and there I had an epiphany. It’s sort of like when you are watching TV or listening to the radio, and an announcement comes on and declares, “We interrupt this program to bring you a special message!” I stopped and looked at that peanut butter high up on the shelf. As I think back on it now, I honestly think there was a ray of sunlight streaming through a window on that jar—as if the angels above were trying to tell me something. “To heck with it!” I said, grabbing the jar and throwing it in my cart. It went against every fiber of my being. I probably only had about $20 for that shopping trip. So I was paring down and trying to figure out what we could do without, rather than adding items to my list. I’m surprised I even considered it, I was so trained to get only the absolute must-haves for that week. But the price was so good, and I knew we would need it later (we all loved peanut butter)…somehow, I managed to break free. It felt good. It felt liberating. There was a new spring in my step. I was on to something, and I didn’t even know what it was. I had stepped into the world of “stockpiling.”

A lot of people email me and tell they can’t afford to stockpile. They explain that they are on a tight budget. There is nothing left in their bank account after they buy what they need. They tell me they simply can’t afford too build up their stockpile. This is a mindset that has to go. If you’re tight on your grocery budget, you can’t afford NOT to stockpile. Get stockpiling into your brain. It’s important to re-program old habits and old thoughts that are chipping away at your wallet. Stockpiling does not break the bank. By stockpiling with a strong savings strategy, you should come home with more groceries and still spend less. Stockpiling is a key strategy to winning The Grocery Game.

I understand the hesitation. At first, it might sound a little wasteful (okay, ridiculous) to buy three boxes of cereal when you only need one. Well, most of what I share with you will probably strike you that way initially. That’s because most of what I do to win The Grocery Game is the opposite of what you’ve been taught.

I’m not telling you to go out and buy 300 rolls of toiletpaper if you live in a 1-bedroom apartment. What I am telling you to do is buy more than one package of TP if you have a great coupon for it, and the timing is right (there is a categorical sales trend on paper goods, they’re offering double coupons, etc.). Carpe diem! Seize the day! Seize the sale. Don’t pass it by—like I almost did with that peanut butter—because you only came in to get a loaf of bread and some milk and it’s not on your list.

Stockpiling is not buying large packages or buying in bulk. In fact, stockpiling often means buying smaller packages rather than bigger ones (more about that later). Stockpiling is simply taking advantage of great sales with or without a coupon to buy what you need before you need it. Stockpiling is also NOT about being brand loyal. You only like your special brand of chips? Get over it. I can show you a bag for half that much or even better. Sure, once in a while, your brand of chips will be on sale, and you should go for it. But guess what? You just might find that another brand is just as good or better.  And the bonus is this: Stockpiling frees up money in other areas. Once you stockpile in all areas of your groceries, the day will come when you are so far ahead in your savings, and your cupboards are so bursting, and your bank account is so much fatter, that you can afford to splurge and maybe grab that bag of your favorite brand of chips. Lots of Grocery Gamers are saving enough to go organic on their produce. The benefits of stockpiling are boundless.

Note: This is the end of the copy from the book. There is much more, and if you don’t understand “Categorical Sales Trends”, you don’t know what happens every 12 weeks in the supermarket, and why you have to stock up, or “invest” in your groceries, etc. Another subject for another day. Or get the book, or visit our message board.

Adversity gives birth to opportunity

This is SO hard. I feel overwhelmed with the stories of hard times, from close friends and family to those I hardly know. Layoffs, increasing debt, foreclosures… and the list goes on and on. My heart aches, because I’ve been there.

I read a number of posts on our message board about how www.TheGroceryGame.com has helped members through hard times. Some posted about having found us when they hit hard times years ago. Others were more recently affected by the economy and sought out a way to put good food on the table for half the cost. The re-curring theme was that they have “learned so much”.

http://terismessageboard.thegrocerygame.com/showthread.php?t=125696

Then I thought about what I learned through my hard times. I can’t hardly say I’m glad I went through it, as it was SO painful and extremely frightening. But maybe I am glad I HAD to go through it. Because what was born out of those hard times was www.TheGroceryGame.com. I HAD to be pressed into a corner, in order to learn valuable skills for keeping good food on the table. I HAD to go through hard times, or I never would have been pressed so hard to make $35 a week feed my family of four so well. I HAD to, so that I would survive. And… I HAD to so that now thousands of families would not just survive, but thrive.

Not to be cavalier, or insensitive, but I challenge anyone who is going through hard times. And the challenge is this: Ask yourself these questions:

What can I learn from this?

Is there anything I am doing that is keeping me here?

Is there anything I am not doing that I should be doing?

What opportunities are out there that I’ve never pursued?

What might I be missing?

Is there anything more I can do to change this situation, even in a small way?

Is there anything that “might” make things better, that I haven’t tried?

What skills do I have that I haven’t used in a long time?

What new skill can I learn?

What productive things can I do with my time?

I suppose there are lots more questions to ponder. When I was going through my hard times, I asked God those kinds of questions every night as I laid in bed. I guess he answered them.

Economy changes laundry

The economy has dramatically affected the way we do laundry and sales of laundry detergent.

Proctor & Gamble, who have controlled 60% of the laundry detergent market (5 times the share of its nearest competitor), and the makers of Tide, the #1 selling laundry detergent have been affected in some areas. In one particular supermarket chain, Tide dropped in sales by 46% this year, while Purex shot up 38%. In another supermarket chain, shoppers remained loyal to their higher priced Tide. Sun liquid laundry detergent saw an increase in sales nationwide of 132%!

Another smaller supermarket chain said they are starting to carry obscure brands that no-one would have previously bought. On that note, a recent market research revealed that shoppers will take into consideration the cost per ounce, without considering whether one is more concentrated than another.

Some supermarket chains are increasing their offerings of club size multipacks of laundry detergent. Buy in bulk to save is their MO.

Sales of store brand laundry detergent are up to one degree or another in all chains nationwide.

So what’s the million dollar answer for consumers?

1. Make your decision based on cost per load, not cost per ounce.

2. Don’t be brand loyal.

3. Use half as much detergent as called for.

4. Don’t assume largest package is best value. Smaller packages on sale will sometimes beat larger non-sale packages. Add a coupon to the mix, and the scales almost always tip in favor of the smaller package.

5. Don’t wait until you run out of laundry detergent to buy some. Chances are it won’t be on the best sale on the day you rush out to buy it. “Invest” in laundry detergent when it is on a rock bottom sale and with a coupon. This week Ralphs CA Purex Ultra 5.99 down to 1.29 (today’s the last day). The deals are nationwide, Fry’s in AZ (also a Kroger store) will have it for final price 1.29 on this coming list at www.TheGroceryGame.com. King Soopers (another Kroger) in CO had Purex at a final price of 1.49. Albertsons Oregon just had it for final price 2.49. A few weeks ago, Gamers in FL invested in Fab for 1.65. And the list goes on and on… I just “invested” in laundry detergent yesterday. And I wasn’t anywhere near out of it yet.

4. Pre-soak, pre-treat spots, and run shorter cycles to save on energy.

5. Wash in cold water to save on energy, and keep colors and fabric new.

Still stuck on Tide? It’s an amazing phenomenon. Believers in Tide swear by it. Just know this, Tide is always more expensive, even on sale with a coupon. But if you’re a loyal Tide user, at least “invest” in it when it’s on sale with a coupon.

Don’t eat out, and don’t cook!

I just got got a cartload piled high and stuffed underneath for $90 (all good quality brand name stuff!). That’s typical for Grocer Game players. We usually save about 67%.

A lady in front of me got less than half as much as me, paid over $200, and had that bewildered look as she stared at her receipt, “What did I buy?”. That’s why I’ve heard people say, “Groceries are so expensive, it’s cheaper to just eat out.” Yes. That can definitely be true, if you don’t know how to play The Grocery Game.

A report was just released by Food Marketing Institute, that 69% of US households said they are eating out less often this year, compared with 46% in 2008. That’s an improvement. But the scary thing is that I know they’re paying twice as much on groceries than they should. Gamers buy all the same stuff for about 67% off. Yes, same brands and everything.

For those who don’t want to cook every night, supermarkets nationwide are ramping up their service delis. Just about every one of them now offers take out dinner options for a family of four for about $15. While that’s about half the cost of eating out, there’s an even better deal… and you still don’t have to cook…

Dinner for four for less than $6, and you still don’t have to cook!… Invest in frozen family size entrees when they are on sale and with a coupon, add a salad, and voila! For example, just pulled from Grocery Game databases: Stouffers Family size entrees which feed up to five people were just on sale in lots of supermarkets nationwide for $3.99. Throw together a salad: Fresh Express salad mix on sale for $1. Add veggies in season, sliced tomatoes for about 50 cents, Fresh Gourmet salad toppings for FREE, and Kraft salad dressing for FREE = $5.49. Again, this is not unusual for Gamers.

The key is this: We “invest” in things we know we like, different things each week. When I put together a meal, I use things that I “invested” in for the past 2 or 3 months. It all makes its appearance to make a well rounded meal. Only the produce is weekly, and even that is on sale.

Now, don’t be a snob about frozen foods… Most of the time, I cook from scratch too. But I have busy days when I intended to make dinner, but football practice ran late, or laundry was piled high, or I had too many meetings, or I’m just plain pooped! That’s when my investment of a frozen entree saves me from doing something more expensive like eating out, or getting takeout, or calling for pizza.

NOTE: Coupons are not just for pre-made food. It’s for all the food that you buy every week: cheese, yogurt, pasta, tofu, whole grain bread, orange juice, etc. Today’s topic was just about avoiding eating out when you’re too busy to cook.