New Battle: The food price bulge

Hi

so where do u shop for regular food items .. do u girls use coupons?

Hi,

Absolutely, it has become a daily battle because of the increase in price of food and gas...everyday.

I checked out the ALDI website and the nearest one is about 65 miles. Definitely it is not going to be worth the trouble..filling up the high priced gas..trying to save money on my grocery bill..end of the day..it is going to even out.

So I stick to Walmart,Costco and Indian grocery stores for my shopping...of course we have to control the impulsive buying and purchase only the absolute necessities.

I am not good at clipping and using coupons..and don't have the time or patience...also when we compare the discounted price in other stores with the Walmart price..it is one and the same...so for now..i will better stick to that.

Any other ideas or suggestions will be appreciated !

Cheers
Krithika

Dear ladies,

Last year I had followed a pattern in my purchases.
We get newspaper sort of things in the mail from Stop&Shop,Shaws and Market Basket and coupons from Costco.
I used to spend around 10 min on them and circle out the sale items that we need and buy them at those stores only.My husband used to tell me not to worry over 50 cents and 1 dollars but still i continued with it.
On 31st dec or 1st jan we get the savings we made from these stores (we have cards there).The total savings for the year was around $200!!!.
I was soo happy seeing the net result.At the time of purchase we may think it is just cents y to worry but totally it matters.
Hope this post helps u.
But this year due to other commitments i am not able to do that and i have to start it off from next week.

Gud luck girls..
suji

Hi Jithiks

same here yaar. that Aldi is 40 miles far frm my end too.
even i shop from walmart, BJ's,Pathmark,Farmers Market ... now a days i try to buy food items from american stores as much as i can ...instead of buying from Indian shops..as they are costly in indian shops.

Hi Suji

good yaar.... u saved so much.
even i noticed that american ppl do spend time n save using coupons. but dont know how and where?
recently started used coupons/discount in Pathmark
for colgate toothpaste actual cost is 1.99 for 8oz.
but i noticed that their is variation in price every month. one day i got a discount of 1.77 n under that they had written that $1 off frm mfg in Sunday's Newspaper.
i dont know which is this newspaper but i brought colgate at 1.77$
next week again the price was 1.99. i saved few cents
but we need to understand how to save using coupons as prices are goin high.

hey guide us for using coupons plz.

Hi prr,

Comparing the Indian grocery stores with American stores ( in my case Walmart super center since other american stores are highly priced than our indian stores!!!), when the veggies are fresh...i buy them at walmart ...also being a vegetarian..we buy lots of veggies,fruits and beans...

Ofcourse kids love Pizza and pasta...which I make from ingredients bought from Walmart...waiting for Trader's Joe to open in our place..which I believe is going to take another 2 months.

When we were in California, i have found that certain items are reasonable in Trader's Joe than Walmart for better quality...like frozen veggies, Pizza dough, pasta, sauces etc.

As for coupons, I had used them a couple of times in COSTCO for buying coffee powder and cereals. And yes...a few times for buying Puff pastry sheets..since the coupons are sometimes attached to previous packets..also in Walmart..they rarely attach coupons on the shelves for the customers...

We do get coupons for Subway and Taco bell by mail..( again that we have used)...hey...probably I had used coupons many times..more than I realised.....a pat on the back for me...!!

As suji said, sure we can save when we use the coupons..and it has be worth the trouble...cos if one store is going to sell for a lesser price without coupon..then we can as well buy there.

In other stores like Food lion, Kroger's and Ukrops ...I've found that they increase the price...and then bring it down in the name of coupon which is = Walmart price/costco price...hope you are all able to understand what I am trying to convey..!

Keep posting more info....!!

Cheers
Krithika

Gals,
do u get costco coupons by mail or is it available in the stores itself??
Reg usage of coupons,i usually search for them in the web b4 we buy anyhting or when we plan to dine out...i mostly dont use coupons for groceries..But i think its hitime to start that too..
I heard that hereafter in walmart and costco each member r allowed to buy only one bag/packet of rice at a time..Is it true?

As jithiks mentioned milk,eggs are always cheaper in trader joes..
Recently i found out a store called henry's farmers market..They sell basmati rice(literally all kinds of rice),oats,wheat flour(more indian groceries) in wholesale and the rates r less too..They have huge barrels with all stuff..we can weigh and pack ourselves..

Hi jithiks

dont u buy veggies from Farmers Market ... as i have only Bj's membership i dont kno abt costco,Sam .. but veggies r lot cheaper in Farmers Market.
i dont kno abt Trader's Joe .... i have one near by.. but never take a look in side.
Food lion is always costly as compared to Wholesale club's i guess.
we normally buy other items ..soap, cerals, milk, eggs,oil, icecream from BJ
as bulk items cost less in Bj.
i never get any coupon frm Walmart ...
haaa haaa .... so u saved thr coupons too....

now i have done 1 thing...registred to all nearby stores...so gettin coupons thr mail..hope wil help me to save something.

hey ramyanand
read this
Wal-Mart's Sam's Club chain limits rice purchases - MarketWatch
this henry's FM is in CA only... good tht u r gettin wheat flour too.

we buy veggies and fruits in Henry's or Wind mill farm. we almost buy every thing there. for rest in costco and walmart. i try to avoid going to indian store. i go there for two months once.

Try farmers market... most of them will be highly priced[atleast in my area ].. but some are very cheap.. I should thank Ami for telling me abt a farmers market near my place... A bag of onions was 99c... in indian stores.. the same bag costs $1.39... spinach a bunch was 99c.. I never could get that in an indian store... corriander leaves 3 for $1[ indian had 2 for $1].. it was big store and lots of indian veggies too..

I made it a point to shop there for veggies... atleast for now :)

So guys shop around... farms and small stores will surely be less than the hotspot shops...

(1) Certain things always buy in bulk - max use of costco, BJs, or SAMs if its nearby. Remember you are paying an annual fee.. if you are not going to be that regular.. stop membership. Also just go abt buying anything.. look for deals.. if you think its the best one.. then buy it.. calculate the bulk value against single one... if its very cheap.. then its a best deal..

(2) Dont buy perishable items in bulk.. you will waste it for sure...

(3) before going for shopping.. sit and write down what u want.. essential ones.. not the ones you love to buy ;) Once you are in the store.. wander around.. but dont buy anything other than the list...nope..not even the bread or muffins that you liked... note it down.. may be next time you might.. be strict to yourself.

(4) Stick to local stores... its not bad to be loyal to a store.. it helps you save money - because you dont drive and spend on fuel.. you dont know if the cost in that store is correct or over priced... above all you can have a good rapport with the shop.. they might be bit lenient for ya

(5) If possible always shop alone - Friends will convince you to buy something or the other.. same goes with kids.. you can leave them anywhere.. but be strict not to buy whatever they point at.

(6) buy whatever is in season.. dont go for the ones thats rarely available and very costly because its off season

Register and get these: it is really worth.. other times this might have been junk.. but know even $1 is important right?

http://www.getlocaldeals.com/
Coupon Savings From H.O.T! Coupons
Valpak.com - Coupons for restaurant discounts, grocery deals & more!

Hey Nandshyam
very nicely written!
even i purchased most of veggies frm Farmers Market as they r cheaper wen compared to Indian Stores.

Hot coupons n valpak is really good ... i came to know so many nearby stores
thanks for sharing!