Like everyone else I am trying to cut dollars out of my food budget where I can. For me this means both cutting on dining out, and then how I spend my money in the grocery store. I dine out a lot with a busy work schedule, otherwise I would be dining on endless frozen dinners which get old after time. I have a hard time cooking a new and fresh dinner each night of the week when I come in from work, so what to do? Here are a few tips that I have learned, and I hope that you will share some of your tips as well.
For me the grocery store is a complete danger zone. Living in Houston means many of our grocery stores have sampling available on the weekend. You can almost get a whole meal by the time you finish your shopping trip. First thing I do is to look through the grocery ad. Guess what, I am having what’s on sale. I am flexible, and generally what’s on the front page of the ad is at a good deal. So what’s on sale heavily enfluences what will be served the next week. Then I write a list, and then bring the list. I am a horrible impulse shopper. You give me a sample, I like it, well chances are it is going in my shopping basket. So here I walk in with what I am buying.
Other things you can do at the grocery store is to look at the store brands. Often the store brands will work just as good as national labels. I can’t find much difference in things like crushed tomatoes, rice, beans, or other basic staples. I am brand loyal on a few things, but when those are for sale, I like to purchase those items in multiples. I try to buy less processed foods. I stay away from things like iced tea in jugs, cheese cubs, shredded cheese. I also buy meat in family packs and then repackage those items when I get home. You don’t need to buy stew meat, you can slice your own from the often much cheaper chuck steak.
I generally buy a frozen meal or two to stave off dining out. I work long hours at my regular job, and this means coming home tired and late. Sometimes it is easier when I have something already finished and I just need to heat it up. I have also taken to cooking on the weekends an extra meal or two so I have prepared meals to take to work, and to reheat on an evening of a busy day. If I do dine out, I try to go to restaurants where waitresses aren’t required. This way I am not cheating someone out of their tip. There are a lot of restaurants where you can go like this, they tend to be more moderately priced.
You can save money when walking into your local grocery store. It takes a little planning ahead of time. It takes knowing what’s on sale, and then making a list. Sticking with a list can be tough if you aren’t used to it. It works though. Using a list helps on the impulse buys. Consider store brands. Sometimes they are just as good as the national brands. Think about where buying in bulk makes sense. Also consider buying items that are less processed to help save money. Here are just a few of my ideas. What are your ideas?
I have noticed you need to be careful in those warehouse stores, and really watch the prices, everything isn’t a bargin. I know I have overpaid there before just because I got caught up in buying everything in bulk. Now, with that said, I am a large, large fan of Costco 
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