Low Prices - Lots of Choices - Can They Be at the Same Store?

[susanr613]

I hope this is not a repeat/beat to death topic....I am trying hard to curb my grocery spending without having to resort to warehouse stores all the time. I also don't want ot have to spend gas money driving to one place for some things and another place for other things. For general grocery shopping - perishables, non-perishables, paper goods - where do you find the best bargains on a consistent basis?

I live in the Midwest.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[dannyzmom]

Our Publix grocery chain has started doing weekly Buy One Get One Free sales so I try to buy during the BOGO and use a coupon to REALLY bring the price down. When ground beef is on sale, I buy a lot and freeze it. My Publix and WalMart Supercenters are a block apart so I do the majority of our shopping at those two places. Also, Walgreens sned out $5 off $20 coupons every so often and they carry some grocery items (milk and other staples), so if I am going to Walgreens for stuff and know I'll be spending about $15, I'll throw in a gallon of milk and use the $5 off $20 coupon so the milk ends up being free.

 

[wadesgirl]

I do most of my shopping at Wal-Mart. That's where I find the best deals and prices. I once in a while go to a name brand store that is closer and am SHOCKED at some of the prices! Some items are $1-2 more than at Wal-Mart which adds up when you get 50+ items.

 

[chefann]

I do most of my shopping at Meijer, using the list from grocerygame.com (If you sign up, please use [email protected] as a referral, thanks) They track pricing and coupons for lots of different stores. Meijer also has online coupons that you can print.

 

[buckeyefan08]

I shop at Save-a-Lot, you have to bag your own groceries but the prices are good. I usually put an empth laundry basket in my van and just take the cart to the van and load the groceries into the basket. Then I only have to make one trip (or two) into the house. Great on a rainy day!
Wal-Mart has great prices on groceries but I spen to much on all the other stuff that I could really do with out. Save-A-Lot has limited choices but I pass on stuff I don't NEED.

 

[wadesgirl]

I shop at Save-a-Lot, you have to bag your own groceries but the prices are good. I usually put an empth laundry basket in my van and just take the cart to the van and load the groceries into the basket. Then I only have to make one trip (or two) into the house. Great on a rainy day!
Wal-Mart has great prices on groceries but I spen to much on all the other stuff that I could really do with out. Save-A-Lot has limited choices but I pass on stuff I don't NEED.

Most of the time when I go to Wal-Mart I don't even go to the other sections of the store, just the grocery side. I always park on that side so I just go straight to groceries. The thing I like about Wal-Mart is you can get everything there: food, presents, cd's, small appliances, hardware, car care items, outdoor stuff, etc. without having to go to different stores.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Meijers for me too. I don't shop at Wal-Mart...and there are no national chain grocery stores in this area.

I have learned when Meijers does their meat markdowns, and between that and buying store brand organics, and using coupons, I get my groceries there for a good deal. Some things I always get at Costco, though. Kirkland brand laundry soap and dishwasher detergent are top rated in Consumers Report, and about half the price of Tide or Cascade. I also get bacon there, because I can get 3 packages of natural-no nitrate or nitrite-bacon for $10.

I also shop at Aldi's for different items. They have some items that are a great deal cheaper and at the same level as name brands. I really like to go there for many of my baking supplies. Their chocolate chips and nuts are much cheaper, and they have things like jarred artichoke hearts that are half the price of other brands.

I struggle with this all the time, because I know I spend more than the avg. person on groceries, but I'm also committed to feeding my family whole, natural foods, and I know that is going to cost more....but I still hate the sticker shock!

 

[DebbieJ]

Aldi and Costco mostly for me, too. With a trip to Trader Joe's on ocassion.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Check this out - I think this is so interesting! See what people around the world spend for groceries per week.

http://www.everybodygoto.com/2007/10/12/what-people-eat-around-the-world/

 

[janetupnorth]

We don't have many choices here - Walmart, a VERY SMALL Aldi's and Trigs.
I don't like Walmart...they have MANY things overpriced but lower certain things. They try to get you in the door for loss leaders like milk and then jack up some other things they think you won't notice.
I found if I watch my local grocery store ads and collect coupons, I do much better there!Last week I bought 1 1/2 weeks worth of groceries (milk included) at the local grocery store for $53. Regular price was $85 and I saved $32 with coupons and specials. Even with coupons, I would have spent about $70 at Walmart.If you go store to store, you have to consider your time and gas and is it worth saving 10 cents here or there. In the long run you are better off without a place like Walmart.

 

[Jessamary]

I grew up near where you are Susan. I know that Dominics, while now cushy and comfortable, is REALLY overpriced! Even Jewel is getting that way.

I'm in WI now, and I spend about $400 - $425 a month on groceries to feed a family of 5. I go every two weeks (usually to Wal-Mart, but sometimes Aldi's), and I buy the big things of meat. I bought a FoodSaver two Christmases ago, and I've been using it constantly. Boxed and pre-made stuff costs way more than homemade. But, it can be a giant PITA, too.

 

[DebbieJ]

yes, Dominicks is the WORST. Their prices are outrageous!!!!!! I spotted a jar of kalamata olives for $7 there. YIKES!

 

[heather223]

We don't have many choices here - Walmart, a VERY SMALL Aldi's and Trigs.
I don't like Walmart...they have MANY things overpriced but lower certain things. They try to get you in the door for loss leaders like milk and then jack up some other things they think you won't notice.
I found if I watch my local grocery store ads and collect coupons, I do much better there!

Last week I bought 1 1/2 weeks worth of groceries (milk included) at the local grocery store for $53. Regular price was $85 and I saved $32 with coupons and specials. Even with coupons, I would have spent about $70 at Walmart.

If you go store to store, you have to consider your time and gas and is it worth saving 10 cents here or there. In the long run you are better off without a place like Walmart.

Well said Janet. I LOATHE shopping in Wal Mart. I prefer Target, but since we don't have any Super Targets in my area, I do most of my shopping at Giant Eagle. Higher priced, but worth it to me. I do have a Sam's Club membership and use it, but only becuase it was the closest to me and they do offer better service and the store is cleaner than my local Wal Mart.

 

[KellyTheChef]

I use The Grocery Game as well (like Ann) so I shop at Giant Eagle and CVS for "list specials" and use Walmart to fill in the gaps.

I also save ALL of the grocery ads from the area (probably about 6 per week) and go through them and circle items I may be interested in with a black sharpie marker. Then, as I am finalizing my grocery list for WalMart, I list any sale prices. They price match! I try to make it easy on the check out girl (and me) by putting all of my price matches either at the very beginning of my order or at the very end of the order. Plus...99% of them don't even ask to see the ad, so I have a list of ONLY PRICE MATCH ITEMS and where each of them come from. That way, I am not flipping through the ads if they don't care to see the actual ad...I can just tell them the price and make it go quicker.

There are weeks when my Grocery Game "lists" aren't that good (as in only one or two items I need there...not worth the time and the gas) and I may end up skipping my "list" stores and doing all of my shopping at WalMart.

 

[DebbieJ]

Janet's post brought this to mind...Consider starting a price book. Write down the things you buy regularly plus the price of that item at each of the stores you frequent. Take it with you as you shop and start filling it in. Take it with you when you're shopping so you can know if you are overpaying for those Ritz crackers at WalMart, even if you are saving on milk. I agree with Susan, though, in that my time is money. I am lucky that Aldi is on my way home from preschool (where I drive 3x a week) so it's not out of my way to stop there and then somewhere else to get everything I need.

 

[KellyTheChef]

Oh! Someone else mentioned this, but this is how the grocery game helps so much: It combines the lowest sale price WITH A COUPON! That can save you a bundle too!

 

[gailz2]

Super Walmart is consistently so much cheaper than our local Shur Save in Upstate NY. Save A Lot went out of business in our small town, which was a huge disappointment.

 

[DebbieJ]

My friend just sent me this for Aldi. COOL!http://www.momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan_fall.aspx

 

[KellyTheChef]

My friend just sent me this for Aldi. COOL!

http://www.momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan_fall.aspx

That is a SUPER website! Thanks for sharing the link!

 

[susanr613]

i knew i'd get great responses to this post....keep them coming.

i will no longer shop at target. my friend's dh was laid off with his entire group - their job (physical plant) was contracted out. even worse...they and their relatives are banned from applying for any other target job for 6 months!

 

[chefann]

It's also important to be honest with yourself about your shopping habits. My sister does almost all of her grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, and it's saved her oodles of money over the Pik 'n' Save that she passes going to TJ's. But she tries to buy organic, and that's where she can get the best deals. For me, however, it's not worth the extra mileage to get to my TJ's because I don't care whether my groceries are organic. If you have special dietary needs/restrictions/preferences, then it may be worth your time to scout out a few stores locally and put together a book like Deb suggested.Another place you can check out is amazon.com. Really! The same sister is on a subscription plan for some groceries through Amazon. She gets a 15% discount, and they're auto shipped. She gets things like snack bars for the kids and other non-perishable staples.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I mainly shop Kroger, Central Market, Sams and Albertsons love to use my coupons and get a great dealIF you see me in Walmart its because I'm desperate for something quick.
(My son worked at the distribution plant so like Susan and Target I have reasons for not liking Walmart) Can't wait till our Target is remodeled in January into a Super Target

 

[rennea]

I have found that my food bills went down after I stopped going to places like Costco!!! Most of it went to waste as well, how much mayo do you really need?? I have one store that I shop at every week and my bill is usually around $65.00. I collect coupons and am a member of a points program. This year alone I have received $125 in free groceries.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

i knew i'd get great responses to this post....keep them coming.

i will no longer shop at target. my friend's dh was laid off with his entire group - their job (physical plant) was contracted out. even worse...they and their relatives are banned from applying for any other target job for 6 months!

Seriously?!?!? What's up with that??? Can they do that? Can you tell someone they cannot apply for work? Terrible!!

We shop at a local bag it and save it store called Cub Foods- where the produce is of low quality and the milk is about $4.83 a gallon... When I'm in the mood to save a buck or two, we go to Wal-Mart... and for some reason I save more when I shop at Wal-Mart.

I don't care to shop at Wal-Mart because they don't carry about half the items that I use on a regular basis. (I'm like Chef Becky... we eat well, and spend more than the average family and don't eat many processed foods at all) (except snacks- we eat too many snacks)

When DH was working, I'd shop at Rainbow Foods which is owned by Roundy's. They are a little higher end, but the quality of their produce is AMAZING and they have a great meat and seafood department, and they have a great cheese and specialty meats department (think pancetta and gorgonzola!) When I was really in the mood to splurge, I'd shop at either Lunds, Byerly's or Kowalski's...very high end and uppity, but amazing quality on all of their fresh foods and quite a few gourmet choices as well! Even fresh sushi!

I had a bad experience at an Aldi's I can't go back... I'm too cute, and I drive a fancy car and the Aldi's is in a spooky neighborhood, and I'm pretty sure I was being oogled by perverted old men and other shady looking character's. Not to mention... I had to pay a quarter to use a cart... don't get me wrong, I had a quarter...but I'm a princess and I'd never heard of or seen such a thing.

Yeah, I was WAY out of my element at Aldi's... I did see they built one in a neighboring suburb...it's in a well lit place, too- maybe I'll go back. I was told not to buy meat from Aldi. And I'm a brand name snob because of the generics I've tried, we could taste the difference, and it wasn't good.

HELP- I'm a grocery snob and I need help!!!

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I have found that my food bills went down after I stopped going to places like Costco!!! Most of it went to waste as well, how much mayo do you really need?? I have one store that I shop at every week and my bill is usually around $65.00. I collect coupons and am a member of a points program. This year alone I have received $125 in free groceries.

I can spend that in one trip to the store for two meals... I seriously need an intervention!

 

[etteluap70PC]

Janet's post brought this to mind...

Consider starting a price book. Write down the things you buy regularly plus the price of that item at each of the stores you frequent. Take it with you as you shop and start filling it in. Take it with you when you're shopping so you can know if you are overpaying for those Ritz crackers at WalMart, even if you are saving on milk.

I agree with Susan, though, in that my time is money. I am lucky that Aldi is on my way home from preschool (where I drive 3x a week) so it's not out of my way to stop there and then somewhere else to get everything I need.

I just told my mom to do this! She is on a tight budget..
I am goin to use this as a tip at my shows too. I am really focused on helping my hosts and guests save money!


I like Kacey loved Cub foods whaen I lived in the cities. They have great deals and sales. (Hated their meat. I had a ton of issues with spoiled meat) I did the Sams club for a while too. Now that I am in the bonies I do not have many choices. I have a local store (Cobourns) but since they built the new store their prices have skyrocketed!

I have started to plan my meals better and have discovered Aldi's LOVE it! I do have to drive and it is near the before mentioned Cub foods. At aldi my favorite items to save $ is actually meat. We like everything except the pork chops. I have found their sirloin steaks to be wonderful! My Daughter LOVEs them! They are delicious and tender. The frozen Chicken breasts are Great and much less than my grocery store. They are lees expensive even when on sale at my local store.

I also watch the store adds.

While I do drive to go to stores that are less expensive I combine trips to other places that I would need to go to for services I can not get reasobly in my town. EX: when I go to my monthly PC training I now leave an extra 1/2 hr early and take a cooler so I can stop at Aldi and Cub on my way. I figure I am going right by and I am writing off my mileage so Bonus!

I think the key is Planning. I sat down with my family a few years ago (need to do it again) and we made a list of meals we like. It was so much easier to work off that list so I was not so stumped every night.

well this got wayyyy to long but I have become very passionate about saving money on my groceries.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

[/B]

Seriously?!?!? What's up with that??? Can they do that? Can you tell someone they cannot apply for work? Terrible!!

We shop at a local bag it and save it store called Cub Foods- where the produce is of low quality and the milk is about $4.83 a gallon... When I'm in the mood to save a buck or two, we go to Wal-Mart... and for some reason I save more when I shop at Wal-Mart.

I don't care to shop at Wal-Mart because they don't carry about half the items that I use on a regular basis. (I'm like Chef Becky... we eat well, and spend more than the average family and don't eat many processed foods at all) (except snacks- we eat too many snacks)

When DH was working, I'd shop at Rainbow Foods which is owned by Roundy's. They are a little higher end, but the quality of their produce is AMAZING and they have a great meat and seafood department, and they have a great cheese and specialty meats department (think pancetta and gorgonzola!) When I was really in the mood to splurge, I'd shop at either Lunds, Byerly's or Kowalski's...very high end and uppity, but amazing quality on all of their fresh foods and quite a few gourmet choices as well! Even fresh sushi!

I had a bad experience at an Aldi's I can't go back... I'm too cute, and I drive a fancy car and the Aldi's is in a spooky neighborhood, and I'm pretty sure I was being oogled by perverted old men and other shady looking character's. Not to mention... I had to pay a quarter to use a cart... don't get me wrong, I had a quarter...but I'm a princess and I'd never heard of or seen such a thing.

Yeah, I was WAY out of my element at Aldi's... I did see they built one in a neighboring suburb...it's in a well lit place, too- maybe I'll go back. I was told not to buy meat from Aldi. And I'm a brand name snob because of the generics I've tried, we could taste the difference, and it wasn't good.

HELP- I'm a grocery snob and I need help!!!

LOL - I'm a grocery snob too Kacey, so I totally understand. I have learned to shop at Aldi's for some things though. Like the jarred artichoke hearts. And believe it or not, their chocolate chips are wonderful! I'm an ingredients list reader - and their choc. chips are actually more pure chocolate than the name brand chips! I can also get pure maple syrup there for about half the price of other brands. (I only use real maple syrup - no fake stuff. I'm such a snob!)
Fortunately for me, The Aldi's I shop at is right next to the Target where I will be going today to get pumpkin spice kisses. It's right down the street from my house, and in a very nice neighborhood.
We don't have many Grocery Store choices. We have Meijers, where I do the bulk of my shopping, Family Fare, and D&W. FF & D&W are both owned by the same company, but D&W is more upscale. All 3 have Store-brand organics now, but I have discovered that they get their organics from the same place (found some dairy products at Meijers that had the FF & D&W labels on them.) Meijers has good produce, but sometimes when I need unusual produce, I go to D&W. I also go to D&W for harder to find cheeses, and seafood. Meijers Seafood dept. always smells fishy and stinky, and D&W's is always clean - and their lobster tank is always clean too (Meijers is always cloudy, with green floaties:yuck D&W is a fun place to shop, because they have so many unique gourmet type foods there, but I have to be careful, because I can spend way to much money trying new foods! They also make REALLY good Paninis in their Deli.
Family Fare is right across the street from my house (sort of) so it's the quickest in and out when we need something quickly. Plus, they are the only store that carries organic Heinz Ketchup - and that's a must at our house. DH and DS are addicted to ketchup, and that is the BEST one.

I still love Costco though. I don't buy things like Mayo there - I just buy staples that I know I can use. I save all kinds of money buying things like laundry soap, and dishsoap, garbage bags, paper products....and for food, I can get so many organics there for much cheaper. Organic Chicken Stock - I get that in a box of 6 - 1 qt containers. I use this all the time, and in the grocery store it's over $3 per quart. I get it for $1.87 per quart at Costco. 100% fruit juice boxes for Micah - way cheaper there! Organic Pasta Sauce for quick meals is about half the price there too. And I've mentioned the all natural bacon before. LOVE that!

I'm an odd person though, because I love Grocery Shopping. It doesn't bother me to go to more than one store, because I think it's fun. Always have since I was little and would go with my mom!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

I LOVE grocery shopping. We do eat alot of gourmet type meals and I too can easily spend $75 for one meal (but I look at the savings compared to the $200 or more it would cost to eat out and no one cares if i'm on the gazebo dining in my jammies) We don't do the organic stuff but I do use fresh produce Kacey, I agree about Aldi's it was scary in the area I grew up in and ALWAYS smelled funky.
Off to plan my grocery list

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I LOVE grocery shopping. We do eat alot of gourmet type meals and I too can easily spend $75 for one meal (but I look at the savings compared to the $200 or more it would cost to eat out and no one cares if i'm on the gazebo dining in my jammies)

We don't do the organic stuff but I do use fresh produce

Kacey, I agree about Aldi's it was scary in the area I grew up in and ALWAYS smelled funky.
Off to plan my grocery list

LOL - people always look at me strangely when I tell them that. I've had lots of people ask me if I'd like to do their grocery shopping for them. If I thought I could make a viable business out of it, I would.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I too love to grocery shop but only if I am alone and do not have a time limit.

Shopping with the kids is just too hectic. I need to be able to think, read labels and compare prices.