A Peek Beneath the Mask
Time to Load Up the Pantry
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 9:04 AM
finance.yahoo.com/banking-b...the-Pantry
Don't just buy willy nilly. You need to plan bulk buying. Food does have a "shelf life" and when it spoils it's a waste of money.
Some tips for buying in bulk:
allrecipes.com/HowTo/Buyi...Detail.aspx
couponing.about.com/cs/groce...nbulk.htm
My favorite site for saving money in general: www.stretcher.com/stories/0...may16a.cfm
If you can't pay up front for whole pantry of bulk items try picking up a few each week. But saving money and buying in bulk is a part time job. If done correctly along with menu changes you can save half or more on your food budget. You have to know food prices. Even Costco and Sam's Club (WalMart's bulk store) sometimes charge more for items you can find on sale elsewhere.
If you have several stores within 10 miles you will still not spend enough on gas to offset the savings. Plan your shopping trip. Go over the weekly papers for the best price. Stores still sell some items for under cost just to draw you in. To save the maximum make a list of the specials and stick to it. Don't forget the coupons if they're needed, but most stores have coupons in a rack at the front of the store as well. If food prices get really out of line then they may discontinue that practice.
Another good site I like for saving money: www.hillbillyhousewife.com/ She's got emergency menus -- one for a family of 4 at $45/week and one at $70/week though the prices on even this will vary and the menus are high in carbs they will keep you and your family going when you feel a pinch in the budget.
NOTE: Dollar Stretcher can be found here: www.stretcher.com/
Sat, April 26, 2008 - 9:04 AM -
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Sun, April 27, 2008 - 11:37 AM
thanks for the great info.
btw, that stretcher.com link doesn't work. It brings up an error. can you post the name of the story you were linking to? |
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Sun, April 27, 2008 - 12:44 PM
Singles Using Co-Ops
I was wondering whether food co-ops save money for the average shopper. That is someone who is not a vegetarian does not seek out tofu, health foods or organic foods and the like, and not necessarily interested in the community angle of co-ops. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of a co-op. I think it works especially well for someone who is settled and has a family and is an active part of the community. But for a single person who wants a good deal, I want to know if co-ops are a savings. My main reason for researching co-ops is that I'm looking for a way to buy certain things in bulk, specifically Arm & Hammer baking soda, flour and sugar but not much else. The membership prices at co-ops seem steep considering I don't think I'll do most of my shopping at one. Thanks, Janet More Expensive But Better Because the quality of food is much higher than most grocery store chains, I have found my local co-op to be more expensive for just about everything except spices. One of my best bargains came the other day when I bought four different spices, enough of each to fill a tall jar from the grocery store, and my total was $2.63. At the grocery store, I wouldn't be able to buy even one spice for that amount and at the co-op I got all four. The co-op does offer a 2% discount to all members and if I were to volunteer two hours a month, I would get a 10% discount on all purchases. Emily Warehouse Stores May Work Best I don't know much about co-ops, but I do know a lot about warehouse stores. We have a warehouse store in our area that I belong to. It specializes in Business and Restaurant Supplies and most of the food items, including spices and herbs, come in the Extremely Gigantically Huge size and are very cheap per ounce or per pound. If you don't belong to a warehouse store, find someone who does and offer to split the price of bulk groceries! It might be a pain in the neck to repackage flour, sugar and whatever else you're looking for, but it will certainly be a cheaper source of those items than the grocery store. The memberships to a lot of these places are only $25 per year so half of that is really a deal if you want to split the cost of the membership as well. If the person is a really good friend, they might just take you along the next time they go. Make an outing of it. Explore the store together and then go out to lunch. You can load your own stuff right into your own car and haul it home yourself. No splitting up, no repackaging necessary. Amy Know Prices and Watch Sales Regarding the question of whether or not co-op prices are the best, I have found that when it comes to prices, your best bet is to generally know your prices! Stores like Costco and Wal-Mart very often have good prices, so if you are in a hurry, just go there; but, if you plan your buying on a yearly basis, the best bet is to keep track of your local supermarket sales. Where you would normally pay $0.80 per can, or more, for veggies in a can, the supermarkets will periodically put corn, peas, string bean, etc., on sale for $0.33 per can. Just buy your year's supply at that time. I have found the same rule applies for meat and frozen products. Buy heavily when the items are truly on-sale. The key is to know your prices and recognize the bargains when they are offered, then stock up. Lou Large Supplies on Sale My husband and I have found it is cheaper to buy flour, sugar, and other staples from Wal-Mart in 25lb. bags when it is on sale. We live in a cold climate so usually get it around Thanksgiving when things like that are on sale. We store the items in old popcorn tins. It is crucial that you let the flour and any other wheat items freeze first and then it will store for as long as you need without getting weevils. We leave ours overhead in the unheated portion of the garage for the winter and transfer it to tins in the spring. After that it is stored in the basement where the temp is cool, dry, and hardly varies. It is just the two of us and it works out fine. Donna Do you have a time or money saving idea that wasn't included in this article? Please send it to tips@stretcher.com. We get the best ideas from our readers! |
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Wed, April 30, 2008 - 7:21 PM
I've used the ideas/recipes on hillbilly housewife for years - that muffin recipe is a staple breakfast around here in the chilly months! Recently (re)joined Costco - knowing your prices is key there too. Some things still have a cheaper unit cost @ trader joe's ;-)
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