I have officially switched from being an Ingles (the major grocery store in the Asheville area) to a Walmart shopper. When we first moved here a Super Walmart had just moved in and there were tons of bumper stickers and signs opposing it, and yet the MASSIVE parking lot is always full, night and day. I hate the busyness/crowdedness of it, the not-at-all-helpful sales people, the slooooow checkers and the icky produce... however, if you go during the day, and buy produce at the Farmer's Market it is worth the $50 I can save every month.
I read an article recently that said that average family spends $900 PER MONTH on groceries!! $900!!!! Granted, there are just two eaters in this family, but I have found that when I plan a menu we spend less than a quarter of that, and less than that when I shop at Wally World.
And one other question, how many grocery stores it is worth going to? I already buy my meat in bulk, go to Sam's Club for the toilet paper etc, go to the health food store for some produce and milk, the Farmer's market for produce, butter & eggs and Walmart for the rest.... but there are also a bunch of grocery outlet stores in the area... is it worth the hassle for the savings??? What do you do?
7 comments:
I personally think (as if there is another way to think?), that it is not worth clipping every coupon to run around town just to get chicken for $.25 less per lb. Especially w/gas prices (here they're over $3.70 right now) it seems to me that a smart menu plan will stay consistent and within the budget. When I'm really sticking w/it, I probably average $30-40 per week (not including the odd stuff like Peanut Butter, etc). And that is only shopping at Trader Joe's and my local grocery store when necessary.
But I don't know that I could actually take the plunge to shop regularly at Wally World unless it was so close to my house and gas was over $4 per gallon; I think the latter may happen by the end of summer which is a whole other rant. ;-)
I admit to being a bit of a snob where Walmart is concerned. I hate shopping there and all the super-cheap counterfeit merchandise makes me feel crummy about buying anything there. I have friends who swear by it but I will not be moved and it has nothing to do with not being unionized.
I shop a local discount grocery store (Grocery Outlet) because I love the treasure hunt of finding organic stuff for cheap. It is near Costco where I usually get organic greens for half the price of the grocery store and a few other staples (diapers). Further away we have a great store with a good health/nutrition section and when I need specialty things or unique produce, I head there. And then there is the local Safeway for everything I forget until a couple of minutes before I need it. We love Trader Joe's but the nearest one is 45 minutes away so we only go to one when we are in the area anyway. Same with Whole Foods. Farmer's Market starts next week and I love shopping there; but it is more expensive so I have to be very selective.
We spend more on groceries these days; when Ben had allergies I began to read labels and was horrified. So I'm very picky. But we are nowhere near $900/month. Jeepers!
I usually hit wally world once or twice a month for lunch stuff (meat, cheese, snacky stuff) and canned goods/paper products.
I try to buy chicken in bulk packages when it goes on sale at the grocery store (usually around $1.29 a lb for boneless skinless breastmeat)then seperate it and freeze it at home. You might try contacting a local butcher to see if they sell in bulk. I got 30lbs of ground beef in 1lb freezer packs for around $1.50 a pound. I just pull one out when I need it. I keep an eye on the sales at two grocery stores during the week and plan my menu around what's on sale. If they don't have good sales then I don't go that week.
Once you've been shopping at ww for a while you will have a general idea of what things normally cost you. For instance, I usually pay $2.00 for a bag of shredded cheese so if I see it on sale at the grocery store for $1.50 I know that is a good price and pick up a few bags.
I do clip coupons but only use them when the price of the name brand item with the coupon is less than the cheapo brand.
If you want more ways to be cheap, check out http://www.moneysavingmom.com. I am addicted to this website now. Thanks to it, I got three boxes of honey bunches of oats at ww for a grand total of $0.72. Now that's just plain fun. =o)
Okay, so I never thought I would analyze grocery shopping so much, but yes I have because this is an important part of my life now. Honestly I think it depends on when you shop...basically if I have the baby with me I will make the decision to go to one place (Ingles) and spend more money. If I get to go alone, then I will try a few of the cheapo places and usually be satisfied with what I find. I have to admit WW is cheaper overall, and I would probably shop there if it was closer to my house!
I used to love to find deals, bargain hunting, etc. etc.
Now that Will is here, one stop shopping for me baby, Ingles all the way. I won't even go to Sam's anymore, and I was a fanatic.
Ok, Amazing Savings too.
And.....as much fresh produce from tailgate market as possible.
But, seriously Walmart makes me crazy.
You are bold and brave Leah, of course I've always thought that about you.
My comment is coming in a bit late here, but I'm definitely a Walmart addict. Granted, I'm not terribly happy about some of the things that other people aren't happy about, but let's face it -- this is a free market, and if they have cheaper products, I am going to prefer them. :-) I do Walmart once a week, Costco about once a month for a few things (mostly diapers), and then the local Food Lion or Martins when I forget something and need to run out quickly for it.
And just because it's Walmart doesn't necessarily mean that the quality is crummy. I am generally more picky about healthy food than the average Joe (allergies run in my family), so I'm reading labels and not always buying the Great Value brand if it has extra additives that I don't want. Walmart has a few more healthy products that I get regularly -- such as rice milk, whole wheat spaghetti, real maple syrup, etc. What healthy foods I want that they don't have, I'll get elsewhere. Basically, if I went somewhere else, I'd be buying all the *same things* for a good 10-20% more, so why not?! :-)
It partially depends on how close you are to Walmart, though. For me, it's only about 10-15 min., so that's no biggie.
With this plan, I think I'm a bit higher than the estimation for your own grocery budget, but that includes all household items, personal care items, diapers, etc. But yeah -- nowhere near $900!
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