Grocery Day

Tomorrow is Saturday, which means it's grocery day.  When I quit my job to stay home with my kids, there were some concessions that needed to be made.  One thing I found we were wasting a lot of money on was groceries.  We would stop at the store on the way home and pick up whatever sounded good for dinner.  We didn't know what we had, what we were out of, and what was expired.  We were overbuying, and impulse buying several times a week.  I needed to get organized.  I have never been great about cutting coupons, and keeping them organized, but it would be part of our money-saving plan.  The bigger part of the plan though, was to make a weekly grocery shopping trip.  One trip.  For. The. Whole. Week.

Making a list with an entire weeks worth of groceries seemed very daunting because you can just forget so many things in the process of making the list. So, I picked the cheapest place to shop for groceries here - Walmart - and I took a trip there with a pen and paper.  I started at the back of the store, and went through every isle and wrote down, in order what things we buy on a regular basis in each isle, and a few things that are occasional buys.  I made a Word document with each section of the store (Dairy, Meats/Cheeses, Cleaning, Paper Goods, etc.) with a list of things I usually buy from those sections.  What I ended up with was a pre-made grocery list, personalized to me, where I go through and circle the things we need each week.  If there are extra things to add to the list, I left space to write in items that aren't on the pre-made list.  This makes going through the store very efficient and almost painless.

Now, for the reason I chose Wal-mart.  I know some people HATE Wal-Mart and avoid it at all costs.  Here is my reason for shopping there...the prices are lowest on most items, and they have a very easy "price match" policy.  If something is on sale somewhere else - they match the price - (in most cases) no questions asked.  In 5 years, I can think of only 2 times when they actually asked to see the ad.  I always take them, just in case.

The best way I've found to make the most of this price-match policy is to check the ads for your local stores (and don't forget CVS and Walgreens - they sometimes have great deals that you'd never imagine from a drugstore).  On Wednesdays (here in Lincoln anyway), the newspaper carries the grocery ads for the major local grocery stores.  I look through each of the ads and write down items that I know are "good deals" for each store.  I sometimes circle them with a Sharpie so they are easier to find if I have to provide "proof" at the checkout counter.  When I've gone through all of the ads, I then write them on my Word document with the sale price, store, and information like size or limits so I don't have to re-check the ads when I come across 2 or 3 different sizes of boxes of cereal.  If there are things we use a lot, and there is a good deal, I stock up now (as long as it's non-perishable).  One of my favorite deals is 3 lb. bags of frozen chicken breasts.  If I can get a 3 lb. bag for $4.99, I usually buy 4 or 5.  They keep in the freezer for a long time, and we use them all the time.  (You should always check expiration dates before buying)

Of course, if you hit a sale, and have a coupon also, it's even more satisfying.  I admit, I'm not great about coupons.  It goes in waves - I am a very organized couponer for a few months and then I don't cut any for a few months.  It's all what you have the time and patience for.

So - tomorrow is Saturday, and it is grocery day.  I have my list made, and my coupons organized.  Happy shopping!