Part 2 of How to Save on Groceries

First, can I say I'm totally on pins & needles?  

Joseph is about to find out, for the second time, if he passed the Bar exam  (he failed the first go around).  Which, will determine, I don't know, LIKE OUR WHOLE FUTURE!  Sorry to shout. 

I know, there are wars, people dying, political tyranny, starvation.  Lot's of bad things happening that are much more grave than what I'm personally going through.  But, knowing this doesn't lesson the gravity of my experience.  

To be honest, I am a bit  a little extremely anxious about the whole situation.  

Despite this anxiety, good things are happening to us.  

Like today, I had a dear sweet someone who I barely even knew, give me $50 because she wanted me to "buy something for the kids."  (Did I mention the time a stranger that I met at a park playground gave me a car?  True story.  I'm still driving the trusty little Toyota.)

Unexpected, kind things happen to me all of the time, which frankly, humbles me.  How'd I get so lucky?  Often, I have a feeling someone's looking out for me.  

On a related note, I want to thank you for reading this blog.  

As you might have noticed, I've been putting in a great deal more time & energy into publishing regular posts.  I'm serious about creating something of value, a place where you can come & join a community of other like-minded individuals who crave knowledge & want to be inspired.  

It has been a bit of a test of patience, having to wait for my site to be up, and I thank you for coming back & reading despite my blog's current design.  Maybe it's no big deal to you, but once I decided to really be serious about blogging, I've realized how not-user friendly my site is and that makes me sad, especially since I do put a lot of time into each post.  Not to worry though, things should be fresh & new shortly.  

I guess where I'm really going with this is, I want to say thanks for reading.  Thanks for adding your insight & comments.  YOU make it a blog.  You make it worthwhile.  Otherwise, it would just be me writing off into space, no one listening, no one caring, and that is a sad, sad thought indeed.  

Well now, I've gotten off to quite a mumbling sort of jaunt, let's bring it back to real reason we're here:

Part 2 of yesterday's post.

I got all of this produce for $26!  I easily would have spent $125 or more, had I bought this at regular price.

Here's the receipt to prove it:

I got strawberries for $1.25 a pound, granny smith apples for .25/lb, cucumbers, 8 for $1, oranges 8lbs./$1, celery 2 for $1 and so on. 

Here's what I got for $26:

• 8 lbs. of fresh strawberries
• 2 heads of celery
• 3 lbs. of zucchini
• 8 lbs. tomatoes
• 11 lbs. onions
• 6 avocados
• 2 heads of romaine lettuce
• 23 lbs. oranges
• 1 head green cabbage
• 8 cucumbers 
• 3 lbs. brocolli
• 4 green bell peppers

This is more than enough fresh produce for our family for a week, wouldn't ya say?  

To show you that this wasn't just some fluke occurrence, that I really do this on a weekly basis, here's my receipt from my last shopping trip on Wednesday.  I went in the morning & no one was there--Salem loved running around the produce section & grabbing tomatoes & carrots. 

I spent a grand total of $42.  

Click on the picture to see an enlarged photo where you can look at the receipt in detail.

Top steals of the trip:  Fuji & granny smith apples 3 lbs./$1, $1.50 for pineapples, $1.60 for a head of cauliflower, cucumbers 8 for $1.  I easily got a 150 lbs. of food for $42.

How does price matching work?

This is how my Wal-mart does it. Other stores or other Wal-marts, that match competitor prices may have different policies.

You take in a list (you don't even have to have the ad, although I've found having the ad on hand is helpful, especially if the cashier has questions about the sale), tell the cashier you are price matching & they will ask what the competing price is for each item you are matching.  Easy as that!

Although I admit, I often hope & pray that my cashier can figure out some of the more complicated items.

For example, Wal-mart sells oranges by item, like .50 an orange.  But most other places do by the pound.  So when I price match oranges they've got to convert or do the math, which to be honest, some cashiers aren't up to the task (I've actually had to help them figure it out).

Here's what I do to prepare for each shopping trip:

I go on Wednesdays.  This is the day when two of the major grocers have their big weekly one day sale (this is when they do the 10 lbs./$1 oranges & sales like 1 lb. of strawberries for $1).

I go through the 3 stores that usually have awesome deals on produce & make a list of the best deals.

General rule of thumb:  I only buy a certain fruit or vegetable if it's on sale.  [Remember, I've got 4 little mouths to feed plus a hubby & myself (& I eat A LOT!) & I'm on a budget.]  I have one exception to this rule--bananas.  They aren't always on sale & this is one of the foods that my family always wants to have on hand.  If I can't find an ad for it, my default is Costco, where I can always get them at a competitive price.

Here's how I do my shopping:

I go shopping once a week (Wednesdays) for fresh produce.  We do our "big" shopping trip once a month (the 15th, payday) where we stock up on all non-perishables & frozen items for the month.  Occasionally I'll have to make an emergency run to the store for a last minute item for a get together or party, but usually we don't go shopping more than 4 or 5 times a month, & we typically have plenty of food on fresh, healthy food on hand without breaking the bank!

Last thought...

You may not have a lot of options where you live, but you may be surprised to find that you have more than you think.  If you live near a Wal-mart, you should be able to price match your produce.

If not, many grocery stores will ad-match, so you can compile all the best deals on produce & shop at one place.  A little creativity & a little extra work may be the difference in improved health (more fresh produce for you & your family) & savings of several thousand dollars a year!

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What are some of your tricks for saving on your grocery budget without sacrificing healthy, nutritious, whole foods?

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