Another tip, be sure to check how what you think is the “deal” rings up. Just yesterday, I went to pick up several very good specials including a three pound bag of onions for $1.77. I had trouble finding them, asked a store worker in the produce section, and finally found the last 3# bag on a bottom shelf. After I checked myself out, I checked my receipt and saw that it had rung up as $2.99 - not a good deal, so went to the service desk and returned the bag for a refund. $1.22 isn’t a lot of money, but it wasn’t what I intended to pay and wasn’t going to!
Yes!!!! I have this happen a lot lately! I bought multiple discounted bakery items from Walmart that had the clearance sticker on it and they ALL rang up at normal full price 😮
The list (like Larry makes) is best written in the order items are laid out in the store. It forces one to remember how the store is laid out . Then a person won’t waste a lot of time going back to the aisle already walked by, or having to find a clerk for help.
Canned tomatoes have gone up about 70% where I live. Even on sale, they're more expensive than they were at regular price just a couple of years ago. Also olive oil has doubled! Even my favourite salvage store doesn't have as many amazing deals as they used to. It's getting harder and harder to stay on budget.
Have you considered a garden? I generally grow 50 tomato plants and freeze, can and dehydrate what I cant use fresh for the rest of the year. Also, hydroponic gardens are a huge help. I grow micro dwarf tomato's from November to March in our large hydroponics gardens, and out of season greens the rest of the year. I see small hydroponics units in thrift stores a lot. Buying the sponges is the main expense. Amazon carries generic ones and I use my own seeds. Great for herbs too.
I buy mostly sale or clearance items. I know within 50 cents of what my bill should be at the checkout. Over half the time there is a mistake in the store's favor. So I get my bill adjusted usually at customer service.
I love your channel thanks to you Hope and Larry I watch from Glasgow Scotland. I was so worried when you both had your accidents. I hope you both feel fully recovered you both look very well. Thanks for all the work you put into your videos. It’s like therapy watching you guys 😊 So much of your clever happy way to approach frugality helps inspire me to keep on track with some good habits that have but also really look closer at the silly choices I have made and still do and try to learn from them. Really love when you take us shopping or make your recipes as I’m trying to be far more plant based too. Today you would be proud of my shopping trip - we have Lidl here and after £250 of shopping in a month you get 10% off which obviously can be dangerous if you just buy just to get to that total so I’m wary of it but this month I had a party to plan so today I went into the shop and bought the wine - which added to my other visits this month took me just over the target. I went out the shop and packed the wine in the car and returned to the store gathering more offers like orange sticker items and loss leader promotions and got an extra 10% on top off it all - so paid £80 for an amazing haul of some delux and tasty items like smoked salmon beautiful cheese etc to cater for the party for 16 people. I also had already gone into my cupboards (as you suggest) for all the items I already had like jars of pickles etc getting used in canapés I will make up on the Saturday . I look forward to this new video I just wanted to say thanks and share my bargain party haul inspired by you two🎉many thanks 🙏 😊 best wishes to you from Hazel and Andrew
Thanks so much for replying. Don’t worry that money was not only on the one party but will be used for the brunch too and no doubt left overs later that weekend. My weakness is the amount I spend on food parties as I’m pretty good with other expenses as I do look at what I “PRIORITISE!” I love that you have that as a clear message it really helps , thank you. I have an old car, lovely old furniture and old house and I always shop in “charity shops” we call it in the Scotland and getting good high quality second hand like you both do and making crafts and up cycling when I can. I would love for you to make a video showing how you might make and/or buy gifts for Christmas or other festivities? Best wishes to you both 😃😊🙋🏻♀️
Something that I just started with me and my son who lived together. We have a budget of $80 a week for our groceries if we don’t spend all of that one week we stuff that into an extra envelope and if there is a specialty store or someplace that isn’t part of our normal grocery shopping routine then that’s where we use it usually it’s for the ethnic stores or the farmers market or if we go to the salvage grocery store then it really adds up.
I really appreciate the posters who mentioned both access to good deals and those who did not have access to better deals in their area. It really is hit or miss for us all! I do subscribe to two supermarket loyalty clubs and I pillage their sales every week…cheaper than Walmart! I use unit pricing to determine if a “sale” item is really a sale.. stores are wily and will bait and switch you if you aren’t careful…I’ve learned by my mistakes lol. Agreed that cooking from scratch and avoiding prepared foods helps to keep the budget down. Keep up the creative shopping, good people! Thank you as always, Hope and Larry, for caring about this community❤
It always feels like a good day when you get items you regularly use on sale😎 I’ve caught a few things this past week between Aldi, Trader Joe’s & Walmart. I always feel a slight bit of … I just won the grocery lottery…lol.
I learned a lot from your $11 video. As I shop for an elder lady, 1st I hit the clearance bin, then pick up the lost leaders (preplan meals). Doing more meatless meals as she requests (she's feeling better & started walking with me again 😊).
We are empty nesters living in the DFW area, I am not impressed with the bakery, floral or ready-made meals and can easily walk right past them but I can tell you that we do not have the same quantity of super deals that I see other influencers talk about. We have a Kroger, Tom Thumb, Aldi, and Walmart within a very short drive of each other and I often visit 2 or 3 each week to get the best deals, occasionally I can find meat or bakery items at 50% off but it is very hit or miss. I have talked with a few people in the meat department about when their meat is discounted and apparently there is no rhyme or reason as to the time although most suggested coming in the mornings, which I already do. I have never seen the red bag items you talk about at Kroger, wish I did! We also do not follow a vegan diet so our costs are much higher right there, as a family of 2 plus 2 very spoiled dogs (and usually an extra since I foster!), I struggle to keep our budget at $450/mo, I can say, most people I know in my area spend much more on food.
I am starting a whole food diet. My go too will be Dollar tree and Braums. dollar tree because it is inexpensive. Rice in 2 pound bags, beans and now they went to $1.25 they have name brand canned vegetables. Braum's because they are close to the Name stores on price and the produce is better.. Biggest thing is you can get in and out of both in less than 10 minutes. There are literally only a couple Isle you should be on in the whole store.
You need to find out if there's a particular day or time of day that items are marked down. I have a supermarket near me that marks down meat after they close on Tuesdays. So I need to be there by 8.30am Wednesday to get a meat bargain
The 'extra' or what you call the fifth part of a grocery budget is similar to my budget. Am a granny, tiny apartment, tiny budget. In each grocery food department, includes my favorite healthy bread, will only purchase on sale, two loaves at a time. One to go in the freezer. Fresh produce, fresh fruits difficult for me to dehydrate, but am happy to divide up, some go in the freezer for smoothies. Larger bags of fruit or vegetables are cheaper when in harvest. Frozen veggies are already blanched and cost effective to dehydrate. Do I need them now to consume? Probably not, but some gets set aside in the freezer for a more known immediate meal. Am not big on canned fruit. Canned beans, soups and stews to be used in an immediate meal. When on sale, I check for the sales price. Usually I will purchase four. Two for immediate meals and two for the prepper pantry. Ramen noodles, sometimes I use as a base quick meal. Can add in fresh, frozen or dehydrated. Some produce take much longer to dehydrate. Most of my produce I take a coffee grinder to powder. Adding a spoonful of bold, concentrated taste that is healthy to things like the canned base ,meals ends up easy and flavorful. Now that I am close to my two year mark of scrimping and saving, and learning different food management techniques, and even being able to splurge for a food dehydrator, is starting to show some progress in my food budget. Moderate success, but when I rotate out my 'base' canned food, I have a decent supply of fresh, frozen or dehydrated to get healthy and creative. As for the grocery store deli, it seems to be cheaper than fast food to purchase a rotiessre or fried chicken. As always, I price the posted sales packages. These chicken pieces, I portion off and freeze. Once again with the leftover bones for a stock. Takes time, money and effort and if I return to work, not sure if I could incorporate all of my frugal homemaking skills, then balance out the time demands of a job. Because from store to prepping at home, takes manual labour and time. Well worth it at mealtimes.
I have a Krogers medicine card. For $37 per person per yr/ I get my MULTIPLE meds at a much lower cost. While I'm there (since I live 40 minutes away, but our nearest dollar store is 15 miles away. Talk about rural!) I go passed the fresh fruits and veggie section. I look for the marked down packages. Yesterday I got a large plate of cut mushrooms and red onions and anther package of bean sprouts at 50% off. I combined those with a can of beans and a package of ramen noodles, and spices I had at home and ended up with enough food for me for 2 dinners and a lunch. Not too bad! I have a large pantry of both commercially canned foods and home canned foods. It allows me to mix and match just about anything.
I shop once a month with a standard list. Usually the same. $130, a month. As I grow my own vegetables, fruits and herbs I walk past the green grocery section. This is a 2 person house 🏠.
Omg I found an organic bundle store in South LA...bad area but I have survived the trips there. Yes better take your reusable bags for rice,beans,lentils, nuts...dry food. More bang for your buck here in Los Angeles. Of course they sell good veggies and fruits. Suprmarket local store. Yes it's spell like that and looks like a home.
Hi Hope and Larry! I make my Shoppinglists according to wich Store I go and where to find the items I need in order from how I walk in that Store without going back and forth, so I go right through to that what I really need. Thanx for your videos, I like them 🥰
Love your videos I learn a lot. I've been vegan a long time but wanting to reduce my processed food intake and your videos teach me so much ❤ how to do it on a budget too it's fab knowledge you're sharing
I would stock up on pre-made spaghetti sauce but the good sauces we're going up in price. Now I'll go to Trader Joe's and buy organic tomato paste for .99 cent. When I want pizza sauce, I add half a cup of water and spices. When I want spaghetti sauce I add a cup of water and spices. Really good spaghetti sauce can cost you in California $5.99-12.99. So I make my own and it tastes just as good.
Love my Kroger/Ralphs clearance section here in So. Cal. Got 4 extra large jars of Raos pasta sauce for 2 bucks a jar. Normally 6 to 8 plus dollars a jar, depending on where you buy it. Markdowns in the produce section , I grab a bag or two and donate to our Little Free Food Pantry nearby. You gotta give back! ❤
There's a supermarket in walking distance for me that's been really good for saving money. I'm there and see a vegetable has almost run out, I pop back before 8am the next morning. They get a delivery just before they open and mark down whatever's left in the bin to put the new stuff out - all perfectly fresh, they just need to get rid of it to make room for the new delivery. For some reason, it's nearly always leeks, cabbage, celery, spring greens... I can put those into just about anything. My budget is happy at the moment!
A couple of months a go, they had 24 oz. cans of crushed tomates for 99 cents a can, instead of $2.50 at other stores. I stocked up with about 3 dozen because almost everything is better with tomates in it!
Got free air check at Discount Tires, looked like I needed air in all four tires. The free coffee & water was out but friendly service made up for it. Got free coffee makings at foodbank & discovered shorter route.
Hey, got red bag of Zucchini at Kroger today for .99 cents Got two bottles of Mogan David Concord Grape Wine at Kroger for $4.00 each, $1.50 a bottle cheaper than elsewhere.
You are very lucky with your Krogers. Our produce department only badges up smashed, bruised or moldy produce into red bags. It’s sad and insulting because most of it should be trashed. Also our markdowns are broken, squished or very dented and not worth buying. So I am envious of your store.
One tool I use to help make my shopping list is my store’s website. I usually still go shop in person because the clearance items and most of the produce aren’t listed online, but it really helps me stay cognizant of how much my list actually costs before I go to the store. The website also organizes the items by their location in the store, so it’s super simple to print off my list and find everything without backtracking. 👍
I find that I buy online of sales and pick up i don’t go into the store and see things I maybe want but do not need at this time. I really do save money 😊
Grocery stores in Arizona have changed their ads. They now mix in the digital coupons with some of the best sales thru out the ad. Larry, you and I shop the same. My DH on the other hand he would rather go check things out in the bakery, liquor, meat and candy. Hence why he rarely goes with me because I rarely go thru those depts. Unless there is a great sale and I bake from scratch LOL
I agree with your pantry method. I don’t have a freezer other than in my fridge so I flat pack meats in portions I use. I feed the freezer & pantry on the loss leaders and eat out of the freezer and pantry at sale prices. I eat low carb / carnivore with some produce so I pay attention to loss leaders in meats and produce. Milk & eggs rarely go on sale but cheese and butter do. (Western Canada) I use online grocery shopping with pickup to avoid getting distracted in store. The online grocery shop pickers usually do a great job picking good meats and produce and it’s usually free after a certain dollar amount. At least here where I live. I don’t eat processed foods, grains, beans or bread, pasta, rice, snacks, juices or sugar so that frees up a lot of money for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, butter & some produce.
We live an hour from any larger grocery stores. We have a smaller one 20 miles away. It used to have some excellent sales but unfortunately sold to another chain. It now no longer has the wonderful sales it used to. We buy in bulk and only shop twice a month to help save.
Yes I gleen my veggies on Wednesdays and Fridays at aldi's truck days. That way I can buy more needed meats for winter meals. That I can up for fast and easy meals. And I buy my pinto beans at dollar General $1.00 for 1lb. Bag. And pastas at $.99. And I stretch my cheeses by making white sauce then add 1-2 cups of cheese or for my cream soups. I make a broccoli,potato,chicken soup and butter sauce with my canned bone broth or just water. My son and other thought it wouldn't be any good but my friend's asked for more soup. And I also do a canned soup of 3 pint jars of 1 each potatoes & carrots,cabbage ,and a jar of chicken in broth. Option are unlimited when you can them ahead time and you save so much money. Because most of the veggies are from the garden or gleened veggies. I've been buying rotisserie chickens $4.98 each a big savings plus I feed my pup from the skins and veggie peels I just add rice and a scrambled egg for each cup and freeze for later meals for my pup.
My stores are not set up like you describe, but I am occasionally go into one or two that are. They're interesting places, lots of "cool" foods, but I rarely buy there. It's mostly a window shopping bit of fun to just go in and gawk, lol.
My area has 7+ KwikTrip gas stations (gas, hot & cold food). I buy veggies, dairy & speciality meat when they're advertised. Butter, eggs, fresh potatoes, onions & bananas are some regulars. 😊
I love to check the red bag produce. And the discount bread rack. Then go home and decide what to meal plan. Then I go to another store like aldi and get the rest of my stock up items
Usually, Saturday eve is a great time to go for groceries as the store and parking is almost empty (of people) and you will get some good clearance deals over the weekend.
Loyality plans: The only reason stores offer them is so you can receive a pittance is savings (maybe) while they sell your personal information. It changes the dinamic. People are no longer the consumer but the product. Several years back my identity was stolen and since then I refuse to give out personal information. My privacy is worth more than saving 20 cents on a can of beans. I like tips that don't involve using loyality plans. Thanks for providing them!
I know that's what you have to do all the time. I also experienced having to look for something special and not finding it. They'll put it in a different section of the store on that day or I even found it behind another product. Or they'll put it in the back for online shoppers only. I've had to ask kindly if there was some in the back and they will bring it out for me.
Using a reusable bottle and tsp water will save you money. Bottles water is usually not any better than tap water. Plus bottled water often has nano plastics in it and/or plastic chemicals init.
It depends where you live. At my place, tap water doesn't taste good IMO. But at my workplace some miles away the tap water is very nice so I collect some there sometimes LOL 😅
We are guilty of taking too long in the supermarket going round the aisles and looking for bargains 😅 today I set us a time frame of 45 minutes not taking into account the checkout and we took only 27 minutes 48 seconds and that also included time finding the dairy free section as things in the store have moved 'for Christmas' I wonder if that shelf layout change for holidays is to increase purchases too! Probably! Sometimes we take over 2 hours in the store 😮 so I think setting the timer on my smartwatch and making it a challenge will help us as a family.
My tip is not to go shopping. Less time in store, less temptation. Our Aldi has curbside pickup, I order online exactly what I need and keep to the amount budgeted.
I’m so bummed I just missed out on the Grocery savings coupon!! 😢 I tried to order it as usual a few hours after the sale ended haha! I’ll budget for it next month and hopefully you will have a code for Black Friday.
It's kind of ironic that I watch this the day before I go to Trader Joe's where you get a huge variety of specialty products. I almost didn't got because I know I will be buying non-necessary stuff. I don't go very often so Itry to get all the good stuff while I'm there. I did get gas for 2.49 a gallon using my Mperks. If you get 10,000 points you can get 1.00 off gas. Have a great weekend guys.
People need to take responsibility and stop blaming store design, companies etc for their overspending. I check clearance areas first when grocery shopping. I also keep a little extra money set aside to buy those discounted surprises and stock up when I can on sale or clearance items. Because, " grocery shop today but keep an eye out for the future" is my mantra. Also, " Prices rarely go down but they do go up. So buy extra when things are on sale or clearance."
4:15 I rarely buy marked down produce as it is rotten; I have found multiple times even full priced foods have begun to rot because employees do not keep up with it.
We totally agree that you need to check over the markdown produce carefully. Sometimes it's clearly beyond a usable point. However, much of the time, we have found it to be perfectly fine. I'm sure it varies from store to store, also.
I make my Larry lists in the apps so i get a total and can add all the offers. Yesterday i got $24.85 for $16.97 with coupon deals and freebies in the app.
My cancer doctor told me best to eat vegetables and fruit even if not organic. That said, he advised buying the dirty dozen organic if possible. Google dirty dozen fruit veg list.
For us, the best way to save money at the grocery store is to not go. I grow all our vegetables. I grow all our summer and spring fruit. Quarterly I buy bulk pantry items in bulk. Rice, flours, oats and other grains as well as coffee, and sweetners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc) I go to farmers markets for milk,butter, eggs, cheese and small quantities of meat weekly. I do a once a year stock up on cleaning supplies (spring) and a smaller one in August for household goods. Towels, bedding, pencils, paper. All that stuff goes on sale back to school. Its not a perfect system. Ive had to go to the grocery store a few times when the farmers market hasnt had milk. But in general, im making better tasting and more inexpensive meals by eliminating all processed foods. Its not easy. It takes a lot of time. But if you can reduce your dependence on grocery stores, its worth it. I think they are a rip off.
Chopped tomatoes are actually bad financially, as you mostly pay for the water. Firstly, the chopped tomatoes are produced from 2nd class tomatoes, if you really want tinned tomatoes, buy the whole ones, as they are made from first class tomatoes. Check the weight price and compare it to fresh ones when in season. But what I do as is to buy tomato puree in restaurant sized tins and freeze it in icecube trays, so it doesn't go off. I personally grow fresh tomatoes and chop then and store in the freezer, but you could easily do the same when the price is low.
Don’t ever come to New Zealand. You would be so shocked at how expensive EVERYTHING in the supermarkets is. I haven’t seen anything for 99 cents for at least 5 years. The basic rule of supermarket shopping here is to go around the outside aisles and avoid the internal aisles. Fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, eggs, cheese and other diary, is always on the outside. The middle aisles are basically processed foods, although one aisle will be canned fruit and vegetables. Interesting that you didn’t mention this shopping strategy.
Don't you love it when the stores does "BOGO" and it's truly a good price on something you would buy anyway? We just bought coffee on a BOGO deal a few weeks ago.
I've tried the weekly ads but they never have stuff in there that i ever buy. There are never, ever any organic products or anything halfway good for you...
Maybe that is a guy thing i go into a store with a list also get in get out i dont stop and look at stuff just like when i go to home depot samething get in get out !!!
It is a guy thing. I remember many years ago of reading that men are on the hunt for what they need. Women are the gatherers and stock pilers. Since I'm single, I hunt and gather the best buys for that week! 😊
I shop at my midwest Meijer store. I called them to learn when they discount meat... No answer! Said "try coming in the early morning"... when im at work. No "mesh bag produce" sales.
Another tip, be sure to check how what you think is the “deal” rings up. Just yesterday, I went to pick up several very good specials including a three pound bag of onions for $1.77. I had trouble finding them, asked a store worker in the produce section, and finally found the last 3# bag on a bottom shelf. After I checked myself out, I checked my receipt and saw that it had rung up as $2.99 - not a good deal, so went to the service desk and returned the bag for a refund. $1.22 isn’t a lot of money, but it wasn’t what I intended to pay and wasn’t going to!
Yes!!!! I have this happen a lot lately! I bought multiple discounted bakery items from Walmart that had the clearance sticker on it and they ALL rang up at normal full price 😮
Gen, this is something that we'd certainly like to have looked into. Do you mind sending us a message through Instagram, X, or Facebook?
The list (like Larry makes) is best written in the order items are laid out in the store. It forces one to remember how the store is laid out . Then a person won’t waste a lot of time going back to the aisle already walked by, or having to find a clerk for help.
The problem with some stores is they purposely change where they put things every couple weeks.
Whenever I find/buy a really good deal or loss leader item in store, I always say “Hope would be proud!” LOL
Canned tomatoes have gone up about 70% where I live. Even on sale, they're more expensive than they were at regular price just a couple of years ago. Also olive oil has doubled! Even my favourite salvage store doesn't have as many amazing deals as they used to. It's getting harder and harder to stay on budget.
Have you considered a garden? I generally grow 50 tomato plants and freeze, can and dehydrate what I cant use fresh for the rest of the year. Also, hydroponic gardens are a huge help. I grow micro dwarf tomato's from November to March in our large hydroponics gardens, and out of season greens the rest of the year.
I see small hydroponics units in thrift stores a lot. Buying the sponges is the main expense. Amazon carries generic ones and I use my own seeds. Great for herbs too.
I am like Larry. I make a grocery list and get what is on the list. Go in and get out fast.
I am like this when I take my 4 kids with me 😂 no quicker shopping trips because there is nothing more frightening than 2 yr old twins 😂
@melissa 🤭🤭🤭
I buy mostly sale or clearance items. I know within 50 cents of what my bill should be at the checkout. Over half the time there is a mistake in the store's favor. So I get my bill adjusted usually at customer service.
I love your channel thanks to you Hope and Larry I watch from Glasgow Scotland. I was so worried when you both had your accidents. I hope you both feel fully recovered you both look very well. Thanks for all the work you put into your videos. It’s like therapy watching you guys 😊
So much of your clever happy way to approach frugality helps inspire me to keep on track with some good habits that have but also really look closer at the silly choices I have made and still do and try to learn from them. Really love when you take us shopping or make your recipes as I’m trying to be far more plant based too. Today you would be proud of my shopping trip - we have Lidl here and after £250 of shopping in a month you get 10% off which obviously can be dangerous if you just buy just to get to that total so I’m wary of it but this month I had a party to plan so today I went into the shop and bought the wine - which added to my other visits this month took me just over the target. I went out the shop and packed the wine in the car and returned to the store gathering more offers like orange sticker items and loss leader promotions and got an extra 10% on top off it all - so paid £80 for an amazing haul of some delux and tasty items like smoked salmon beautiful cheese etc to cater for the party for 16 people. I also had already gone into my cupboards (as you suggest) for all the items I already had like jars of pickles etc getting used in canapés I will make up on the Saturday . I look forward to this new video I just wanted to say thanks and share my bargain party haul inspired by you two🎉many thanks 🙏 😊 best wishes to you from Hazel and Andrew
We're so happy to be a part of your journey! Well done on getting ingredients for your dinner party at such a great price.
Thanks so much for replying. Don’t worry that money was not only on the one party but will be used for the brunch too and no doubt left overs later that weekend. My weakness is the amount I spend on food parties as I’m pretty good with other expenses as I do look at what I “PRIORITISE!” I love that you have that as a clear message it really helps , thank you. I have an old car, lovely old furniture and old house and I always shop in “charity shops” we call it in the Scotland and getting good high quality second hand like you both do and making crafts and up cycling when I can. I would love for you to make a video showing how you might make and/or buy gifts for Christmas or other festivities? Best wishes to you both 😃😊🙋🏻♀️
@@hazelguy8172there is a holiday gift video from last year. Hope had a lot of food gifts for the kids. It should be in their video library .
Sticking to the list is huge because the more time you just roam, the more you are likely to spend. 👍
Hey hey from Iowaaaay! I love visiting my best friend, Clarence, when I go to the store! He always has the best deals!
My hubby is just like Larry. Get in & out. He practically RUNS through the store. Needless to say, I leave him home.
That is actually me. 😅
I leave mine home because he puts things in the cart like a kid!
Something that I just started with me and my son who lived together. We have a budget of $80 a week for our groceries if we don’t spend all of that one week we stuff that into an extra envelope and if there is a specialty store or someplace that isn’t part of our normal grocery shopping routine then that’s where we use it usually it’s for the ethnic stores or the farmers market or if we go to the salvage grocery store then it really adds up.
Top tip is make that list. Anything that happens to be on sale at that time, great but without that list you will spend more hands down.
I really appreciate the posters who mentioned both access to good deals and those who did not have access to better deals in their area. It really is hit or miss for us all! I do subscribe to two supermarket loyalty clubs and I pillage their sales every week…cheaper than Walmart! I use unit pricing to determine if a “sale” item is really a sale.. stores are wily and will bait and switch you if you aren’t careful…I’ve learned by my mistakes lol. Agreed that cooking from scratch and avoiding prepared foods helps to keep the budget down. Keep up the creative shopping, good people! Thank you as always, Hope and Larry, for caring about this community❤
It always feels like a good day when you get items you regularly use on sale😎
I’ve caught a few things this past week between Aldi, Trader Joe’s & Walmart. I always feel a slight bit of … I just won the grocery lottery…lol.
I learned a lot from your $11 video. As I shop for an elder lady, 1st I hit the clearance bin, then pick up the lost leaders (preplan meals). Doing more meatless meals as she requests (she's feeling better & started walking with me again 😊).
Wow! These are great tips. I run in and pick up what I need and run out. Especially, that I am not using credit cards. Thank you for sharing.
Glad it was helpful!
We are empty nesters living in the DFW area, I am not impressed with the bakery, floral or ready-made meals and can easily walk right past them but I can tell you that we do not have the same quantity of super deals that I see other influencers talk about. We have a Kroger, Tom Thumb, Aldi, and Walmart within a very short drive of each other and I often visit 2 or 3 each week to get the best deals, occasionally I can find meat or bakery items at 50% off but it is very hit or miss. I have talked with a few people in the meat department about when their meat is discounted and apparently there is no rhyme or reason as to the time although most suggested coming in the mornings, which I already do. I have never seen the red bag items you talk about at Kroger, wish I did! We also do not follow a vegan diet so our costs are much higher right there, as a family of 2 plus 2 very spoiled dogs (and usually an extra since I foster!), I struggle to keep our budget at $450/mo, I can say, most people I know in my area spend much more on food.
I am starting a whole food diet. My go too will be Dollar tree and Braums. dollar tree because it is inexpensive. Rice in 2 pound bags, beans and now they went to $1.25 they have name brand canned vegetables. Braum's because they are close to the Name stores on price and the produce is better.. Biggest thing is you can get in and out of both in less than 10 minutes. There are literally only a couple Isle you should be on in the whole store.
You need to find out if there's a particular day or time of day that items are marked down. I have a supermarket near me that marks down meat after they close on Tuesdays. So I need to be there by 8.30am Wednesday to get a meat bargain
I noticed that the distilled water I need for my CPAP is twice as expensive in the baby section as it is in the beverage area.
My husband also uses a cpap. Can you use purified water?
Supposed to be distilled so that the machine doesn't build up from impurities in the water. @@christines2787
Good to know, thanks!
The 'extra' or what you call the fifth part of a grocery budget is similar to my budget. Am a granny, tiny apartment, tiny budget. In each grocery food department, includes my favorite healthy bread, will only purchase on sale, two loaves at a time. One to go in the freezer. Fresh produce, fresh fruits difficult for me to dehydrate, but am happy to divide up, some go in the freezer for smoothies. Larger bags of fruit or vegetables are cheaper when in harvest. Frozen veggies are already blanched and cost effective to dehydrate. Do I need them now to consume? Probably not, but some gets set aside in the freezer for a more known immediate meal. Am not big on canned fruit. Canned beans, soups and stews to be used in an immediate meal. When on sale, I check for the sales price. Usually I will purchase four. Two for immediate meals and two for the prepper pantry. Ramen noodles, sometimes I use as a base quick meal. Can add in fresh, frozen or dehydrated. Some produce take much longer to dehydrate. Most of my produce I take a coffee grinder to powder. Adding a spoonful of bold, concentrated taste that is healthy to things like the canned base ,meals ends up easy and flavorful. Now that I am close to my two year mark of scrimping and saving, and learning different food management techniques, and even being able to splurge for a food dehydrator, is starting to show some progress in my food budget. Moderate success, but when I rotate out my 'base' canned food, I have a decent supply of fresh, frozen or dehydrated to get healthy and creative. As for the grocery store deli, it seems to be cheaper than fast food to purchase a rotiessre or fried chicken. As always, I price the posted sales packages. These chicken pieces, I portion off and freeze. Once again with the leftover bones for a stock. Takes time, money and effort and if I return to work, not sure if I could incorporate all of my frugal homemaking skills, then balance out the time demands of a job. Because from store to prepping at home, takes manual labour and time. Well worth it at mealtimes.
How do you use your coffee grinder to save money?
I think she means she dehydrates the produce first, then uses the coffee grinder to turn it into powder for storage.
@@LauraMacMillan-el2kc thank you for clarifying on my part. I did not see either comment until now. Sorry for my not clarifying much better.
@@jennyeagan1840 ☺️
@@LauraMacMillan-el2kc Thanks
I have a Krogers medicine card. For $37 per person per yr/ I get my MULTIPLE meds at a much lower cost. While I'm there (since I live 40 minutes away, but our nearest dollar store is 15 miles away. Talk about rural!) I go passed the fresh fruits and veggie section. I look for the marked down packages. Yesterday I got a large plate of cut mushrooms and red onions and anther package of bean sprouts at 50% off. I combined those with a can of beans and a package of ramen noodles, and spices I had at home and ended up with enough food for me for 2 dinners and a lunch. Not too bad! I have a large pantry of both commercially canned foods and home canned foods. It allows me to mix and match just about anything.
Larry talking about a list sounds exactly like my husband. My husband says he doesn't go shopping, he "goes buying". 😂
I shop once a month with a standard list. Usually the same.
$130, a month. As I grow my own vegetables, fruits and herbs I walk past the green grocery section.
This is a 2 person house 🏠.
I grow all of our own vegetables, and more and more of our fruit each year. Its a great feeling.
Don’t miss mark down at Dollar Tree. I’ve bought really great mark down in the freezer.
Omg I found an organic bundle store in South LA...bad area but I have survived the trips there. Yes better take your reusable bags for rice,beans,lentils, nuts...dry food. More bang for your buck here in Los Angeles. Of course they sell good veggies and fruits. Suprmarket local store. Yes it's spell like that and looks like a home.
I have gone in, got things n forgot to get what I went for. 😂
I think we have all done that! 😊
We all have!
Hi Hope and Larry! I make my Shoppinglists according to wich Store I go and where to find the items I need in order from how I walk in that Store without going back and forth, so I go right through to that what I really need. Thanx for your videos, I like them 🥰
Love your videos I learn a lot. I've been vegan a long time but wanting to reduce my processed food intake and your videos teach me so much ❤ how to do it on a budget too it's fab knowledge you're sharing
I would stock up on pre-made spaghetti sauce but the good sauces we're going up in price. Now I'll go to Trader Joe's and buy organic tomato paste for .99 cent. When I want pizza sauce, I add half a cup of water and spices. When I want spaghetti sauce I add a cup of water and spices. Really good spaghetti sauce can cost you in California $5.99-12.99. So I make my own and it tastes just as good.
I'm with Larry sometimes but I do look at the prices too
Thanks for talking about “dwell time!” 😉
Love my Kroger/Ralphs clearance section here in So. Cal. Got 4 extra large jars of Raos pasta sauce for 2 bucks a jar. Normally 6 to 8 plus dollars a jar, depending on where you buy it.
Markdowns in the produce section , I grab a bag or two and donate to our Little Free Food Pantry nearby. You gotta give back! ❤
Loves this video! Grocery shopping is hard sometimes. Sales and coupons!! ❤️
Love the mesh bag’s at Kroger! Saves me so much on fruit and veggies.
I found half price center cut pork chops yesterday! 😊
There's a supermarket in walking distance for me that's been really good for saving money. I'm there and see a vegetable has almost run out, I pop back before 8am the next morning. They get a delivery just before they open and mark down whatever's left in the bin to put the new stuff out - all perfectly fresh, they just need to get rid of it to make room for the new delivery. For some reason, it's nearly always leeks, cabbage, celery, spring greens... I can put those into just about anything. My budget is happy at the moment!
Hope, Larry, Hello from Maryland!! We love Ollie's, they have great deals on Yankee candles!! Love going and seeing what's in stock!!!
A couple of months a go, they had 24 oz. cans of crushed tomates for 99 cents a can, instead of $2.50 at other stores. I stocked up with about 3 dozen because almost everything is better with tomates in it!
That is an awesome price! You got a great deal!
@@UndertheMedian I thought of you two while I was checking the cans for dents and loading them in! 😄
Ollie's is the best🎉🎉🎉
I was just at Ollies yesterday. Found a good deal on Contadina canned tomatoes, 14.5 ounces for 50 cents a can.
Thank you Hope & Larry!!
Got free air check at Discount Tires, looked like I needed air in all four tires. The free coffee & water was out but friendly service made up for it. Got free coffee makings at foodbank & discovered shorter route.
Hey, got red bag of Zucchini at Kroger today for .99 cents Got two bottles of Mogan David Concord Grape Wine at Kroger for $4.00 each, $1.50 a bottle cheaper than elsewhere.
You are very lucky with your Krogers. Our produce department only badges up smashed, bruised or moldy produce into red bags. It’s sad and insulting because most of it should be trashed. Also our markdowns are broken, squished or very dented and not worth buying. So I am envious of your store.
My Kroger only reduces unusable produce. It is horrible and often smells rancid.
One tool I use to help make my shopping list is my store’s website. I usually still go shop in person because the clearance items and most of the produce aren’t listed online, but it really helps me stay cognizant of how much my list actually costs before I go to the store. The website also organizes the items by their location in the store, so it’s super simple to print off my list and find everything without backtracking. 👍
I find that I buy online of sales and pick up i don’t go into the store and see things I maybe want but do not need at this time. I really do save money 😊
Grocery stores in Arizona have changed their ads. They now mix in the digital coupons with some of the best sales thru out the ad. Larry, you and I shop the same. My DH on the other hand he would rather go check things out in the bakery, liquor, meat and candy. Hence why he rarely goes with me because I rarely go thru those depts. Unless there is a great sale and I bake from scratch LOL
Thank you both so much for the tips😊
I agree with your pantry method.
I don’t have a freezer other than in my fridge so I flat pack meats in portions I use.
I feed the freezer & pantry on the loss leaders and eat out of the freezer and pantry at sale prices.
I eat low carb / carnivore with some produce so I pay attention to loss leaders in meats and produce.
Milk & eggs rarely go on sale but cheese and butter do. (Western Canada)
I use online grocery shopping with pickup to avoid getting distracted in store.
The online grocery shop pickers usually do a great job picking good meats and produce and it’s usually free after a certain dollar amount. At least here where I live.
I don’t eat processed foods, grains, beans or bread, pasta, rice, snacks, juices or sugar so that frees up a lot of money for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, butter & some produce.
We live an hour from any larger grocery stores. We have a smaller one 20 miles away. It used to have some excellent sales but unfortunately sold to another chain. It now no longer has the wonderful sales it used to. We buy in bulk and only shop twice a month to help save.
Hi I whoch all your videos I live in the UK I have lidls and Alde I shop a rownd love your videos ❤😊
Yes I gleen my veggies on Wednesdays and Fridays at aldi's truck days. That way I can buy more needed meats for winter meals. That I can up for fast and easy meals. And I buy my pinto beans at dollar General $1.00 for 1lb. Bag. And pastas at $.99. And I stretch my cheeses by making white sauce then add 1-2 cups of cheese or for my cream soups. I make a broccoli,potato,chicken soup and butter sauce with my canned bone broth or just water. My son and other thought it wouldn't be any good but my friend's asked for more soup. And I also do a canned soup of 3 pint jars of 1 each potatoes & carrots,cabbage ,and a jar of chicken in broth. Option are unlimited when you can them ahead time and you save so much money. Because most of the veggies are from the garden or gleened veggies. I've been buying rotisserie chickens $4.98 each a big savings plus I feed my pup from the skins and veggie peels I just add rice and a scrambled egg for each cup and freeze for later meals for my pup.
My stores are not set up like you describe, but I am occasionally go into one or two that are. They're interesting places, lots of "cool" foods, but I rarely buy there. It's mostly a window shopping bit of fun to just go in and gawk, lol.
My area has 7+ KwikTrip gas stations (gas, hot & cold food). I buy veggies, dairy & speciality meat when they're advertised. Butter, eggs, fresh potatoes, onions & bananas are some regulars. 😊
Chicken livers with fried onions
Yum 😊
@@rh5022 , I used to eat chicken livers and they were pretty good. But, I adored a good liverwurst sandwich with butter and mustard.
@@UndertheMedian
Oh yea I like that too.
I love to check the red bag produce. And the discount bread rack. Then go home and decide what to meal plan. Then I go to another store like aldi and get the rest of my stock up items
I learn so many tips from you guy's 😊 love your video's . Watching from BAY CITY, MICHIGAN USA
Go get before 8am in the city at times😊
Usually, Saturday eve is a great time to go for groceries as the store and parking is almost empty (of people) and you will get some good clearance deals over the weekend.
I belong to Kroger's loyalty program
If I need an extra plate or cup, I go to the Dollar Tree. Same with oven mits: $1.25 you can't beat it.
Loyality plans: The only reason stores offer them is so you can receive a pittance is savings (maybe) while they sell your personal information. It changes the dinamic. People are no longer the consumer but the product. Several years back my identity was stolen and since then I refuse to give out personal information. My privacy is worth more than saving 20 cents on a can of beans. I like tips that don't involve using loyality plans. Thanks for providing them!
It's time to stock up on dry milk, butter and cheese!
I know that's what you have to do all the time. I also experienced having to look for something special and not finding it. They'll put it in a different section of the store on that day or I even found it behind another product. Or they'll put it in the back for online shoppers only. I've had to ask kindly if there was some in the back and they will bring it out for me.
Using a reusable bottle and tsp water will save you money. Bottles water is usually not any better than tap water. Plus bottled water often has nano plastics in it and/or plastic chemicals init.
It depends where you live. At my place, tap water doesn't taste good IMO. But at my workplace some miles away the tap water is very nice so I collect some there sometimes LOL 😅
@@Corinna_Schuett_GER yes it does. I know it costs me, but I have a really good water filter. So, what I'm saving on is not using plastic.
We are guilty of taking too long in the supermarket going round the aisles and looking for bargains 😅 today I set us a time frame of 45 minutes not taking into account the checkout and we took only 27 minutes 48 seconds and that also included time finding the dairy free section as things in the store have moved 'for Christmas' I wonder if that shelf layout change for holidays is to increase purchases too! Probably! Sometimes we take over 2 hours in the store 😮 so I think setting the timer on my smartwatch and making it a challenge will help us as a family.
I LOVE your idea of setting a timer. So smart.
My tip is not to go shopping. Less time in store, less temptation. Our Aldi has curbside pickup, I order online exactly what I need and keep to the amount budgeted.
I’m so bummed I just missed out on the Grocery savings coupon!! 😢 I tried to order it as usual a few hours after the sale ended haha! I’ll budget for it next month and hopefully you will have a code for Black Friday.
our walmart has milk and deli all the way in the back,,,, the bread is up front
Love Flipp!
Great Information! Enjoying the episode!
Glad to hear it!
I love sale items!!! I am a thrifted and I do not buy new anything. Except food, of course!!!
It's kind of ironic that I watch this the day before I go to Trader Joe's where you get a huge variety of specialty products. I almost didn't got because I know I will be buying non-necessary stuff. I don't go very often so Itry to get all the good stuff while I'm there.
I did get gas for 2.49 a gallon using my Mperks. If you get 10,000 points you can get 1.00 off gas. Have a great weekend guys.
People need to take responsibility and stop blaming store design, companies etc for their overspending.
I check clearance areas first when grocery shopping. I also keep a little extra money set aside to buy those discounted surprises and stock up when I can on sale or clearance items.
Because, " grocery shop today but keep an eye out for the future" is my mantra.
Also,
" Prices rarely go down but they do go up. So buy extra when things are on sale or clearance."
4:15 I rarely buy marked down produce as it is rotten; I have found multiple times even full priced foods have begun to rot because employees do not keep up with it.
We totally agree that you need to check over the markdown produce carefully. Sometimes it's clearly beyond a usable point. However, much of the time, we have found it to be perfectly fine. I'm sure it varies from store to store, also.
Any tips when you’re on your own variety nutritional meals instead bulk of same eg I made soup, had stacks only have drawer freezer
Here in Australia our end is the meat but that’s what people after any way
I make my Larry lists in the apps so i get a total and can add all the offers. Yesterday i got $24.85 for $16.97 with coupon deals and freebies in the app.
Just curious. What is your opinion on organics?
My cancer doctor told me best to eat vegetables and fruit even if not organic. That said, he advised buying the dirty dozen organic if possible. Google dirty dozen fruit veg list.
I go into a grocery store with a list and I stick by it… 😊
Can your own tomatoes even better!😊
For us, the best way to save money at the grocery store is to not go.
I grow all our vegetables. I grow all our summer and spring fruit.
Quarterly I buy bulk pantry items in bulk. Rice, flours, oats and other grains as well as coffee, and sweetners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc)
I go to farmers markets for milk,butter, eggs, cheese and small quantities of meat weekly.
I do a once a year stock up on cleaning supplies (spring) and a smaller one in August for household goods. Towels, bedding, pencils, paper. All that stuff goes on sale back to school.
Its not a perfect system. Ive had to go to the grocery store a few times when the farmers market hasnt had milk. But in general, im making better tasting and more inexpensive meals by eliminating all processed foods.
Its not easy. It takes a lot of time. But if you can reduce your dependence on grocery stores, its worth it. I think they are a rip off.
I don't go into the shop my husband dose the shop as mobility not good thsnks Larry x hope ❤❤
The only meat in our Kroger meat markdowns section is grey ground beef 👎
The store layout is the major reason that I don't shop at Kroger.
Just yesterday a little pack of chocloate chips is 4 dollars!
They usually drop the price at the end October/start of November. November is often the cheapest month to buy baking related ingredients.
I just shop ones a week and without a list I am lost. That does not mean, that I don't stop for extras 🙂
Miss having a Dillons which is owned by Kroger.
Chopped tomatoes are actually bad financially, as you mostly pay for the water. Firstly, the chopped tomatoes are produced from 2nd class tomatoes, if you really want tinned tomatoes, buy the whole ones, as they are made from first class tomatoes. Check the weight price and compare it to fresh ones when in season.
But what I do as is to buy tomato puree in restaurant sized tins and freeze it in icecube trays, so it doesn't go off. I personally grow fresh tomatoes and chop then and store in the freezer, but you could easily do the same when the price is low.
The way Kroger in my area is, when I walk an isle I see the entire meat department..
That's What I Do. Buy What I Went Their For And Leave.
Don’t ever come to New Zealand. You would be so shocked at how expensive EVERYTHING in the supermarkets is. I haven’t seen anything for 99 cents for at least 5 years. The basic rule of supermarket shopping here is to go around the outside aisles and avoid the internal aisles. Fruit, vegetables, meat, bread, eggs, cheese and other diary, is always on the outside. The middle aisles are basically processed foods, although one aisle will be canned fruit and vegetables. Interesting that you didn’t mention this shopping strategy.
I got steak buy 1 get 1 free
Don't you love it when the stores does "BOGO" and it's truly a good price on something you would buy anyway? We just bought coffee on a BOGO deal a few weeks ago.
Make sure you always buy price per pound sometimes BOGO isn't always the best deal.
i don't buy bottle water , i have it on tap in my kitchen.
Plus no plastic waste
Buy American ?
I've tried the weekly ads but they never have stuff in there that i ever buy. There are never, ever any organic products or anything halfway good for you...
Loss leaders all the way!
Maybe that is a guy thing i go into a store with a list also get in get out i dont stop and look at stuff just like when i go to home depot samething get in get out !!!
It is a guy thing. I remember many years ago of reading that men are on the hunt for what they need. Women are the gatherers and stock pilers. Since I'm single, I hunt and gather the best buys for that week! 😊
I shop at my midwest Meijer store. I called them to learn when they discount meat... No answer! Said "try coming in the early morning"... when im at work. No "mesh bag produce" sales.
I hate purified water, tastes horrible... spring water for us , if we buy it.
Look down and not up