What's your grocery shopping secret?

[lyngraphics]

I haven't seen a thread for shopping secrets :)

I have a couple and I know you ladies (and maybe some guys) have your own secrets to share!

I like to shop at HEB when they have good meal deals...you get a ton of food for free with the purchase of something large. They also have smaller meal deals... can you EVER have enough ketchup? LOL!

Walmart also accepts competitors sale flyers as long as they are in-date.

My Mother and I also help each other out, if I am in a store that has a good sale, I will stock her up as well. She does the same since she usually shops around her office (We live across the street from each other)

[Rebekah]

Our secret is that we don't shop the same place every week. Not anything to do with money, but rather the variety at each store is a little different. We are in a unique location, and have many major places around us to shop: multiple locations of the following, all within a ten to fifteen minute drive: Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, SuperTarget, SuperWalmart--too crowded, Sprouts (one), Central Market (one), Market Street (one). We usually go between the various Kroger and Tom Thumb locations for most items. Hubby likes Tom Thumb because he can also get Starbucks inside. However, their produce is iffy. They say in their commercials that they inspect it 5 times. Yeah. By the time they've inspected it 5 times, it has become past its date! :) SuperTarget also has Starbucks inside so you can buy a nice drink while shopping.

Sprouts is like Central Market but cheaper and smaller--great for produce and meat. You can actually walk the aisles and see across to the other side of the store. Central Market is a fun splurge for specialty produce. Market Street is like a cross between a regular grocery store and a Central Market. I go there to get Beech Nut Hot Cocoa, which I can't find anywhere else.

HEB. You must live in Central or South Texas where they have taken over! I used to, and I hated it. I like variety too much! Sorry. :) I know it is the same company as Central Market, but the stores I went to when we lived near San Antonio were always too crowded no matter what time we went. Maybe they aren't where you live?

[Holding Pattern]

We live full time on our sailboat and are fully provisioned for many, many months...in reality, close to a year.
We shop at Aldi, Sav-a-Lot, etc. because in the end they are better price and as good of quality as Sams, Costco, etc.
We can meats, etc. one time every two years. New Years time you find a lot of buy one get one sales, the cannery in Jacksonville, FL uses high quality cans like you buy veggies in in the grocery.
Growing sprouts is fantastic! They are tasty, quick, environmentally wise, and very, very healthy.
As we do not own a vehicle and are extremely budget conscious, many times we will walk to the store and ask at the Customer Service for a ride home, explain we live on a boat and if we get a life back to the waterfront then we can buy more. Only one time have we ever been denied. Some stores even offer to pick us up. Talk about good customer service!

Brian & Heather

[John 3:16]

I shop at Aldi. When I take a competer's ad to Wal-mart they don't even look at the sale dates. I have the ad folded to the page where the item is and show it to the cashier. I just did this Sat. and she just looked at the sale price and size of product and punched it in the sale price.

[Leigh1917]

I shop at Kroger, Meijer, Wal-Mart, and Sav-a-lot.

[Sealed]

I relay between 2 local grocery stores...one has better meat and the other has better produce.

I always ask the butcher when the next seafood/ beef shipment is coming and try to get there at the end of that day or the very next.

I really wish we had a Costco nearby. My S'sIL live near them and I hear GREAT stuff about those stores.

[antsinmypants]

I shop a few stores in my area, but really it depends on whether or not I have to get fresh fish on the trip or if it's a smaller grocery trip we can get things at on our way home...

I do meal planning and stick with the ingredients I need to keep the pantry stocked and provide for the week's meals, and that's it... so far it seems to be working. We're about 3 weeks in. ;)

[seekingtruth1]

Ever go to Exumas? soem friends of mine had a sailboat down tha during race week in Georgetown...was so fun! GReat life you have!

We live full time on our sailboat and are fully provisioned for many, many months...in reality, close to a year.
We shop at Aldi, Sav-a-Lot, etc. because in the end they are better price and as good of quality as Sams, Costco, etc.
We can meats, etc. one time every two years. New Years time you find a lot of buy one get one sales, the cannery in Jacksonville, FL uses high quality cans like you buy veggies in in the grocery.
Growing sprouts is fantastic! They are tasty, quick, environmentally wise, and very, very healthy.
As we do not own a vehicle and are extremely budget conscious, many times we will walk to the store and ask at the Customer Service for a ride home, explain we live on a boat and if we get a life back to the waterfront then we can buy more. Only one time have we ever been denied. Some stores even offer to pick us up. Talk about good customer service!

Brian & Heather

[chel0524]

I had a great shopping experience at Kroger today. I got 2- chocolate pepperidge frozen cakes, 2 packages of McCormick chili seasoning, 3 bags of Lays chips, 2 bottles of Powerade, 2 packs of Kraft shredded cheese, 3 boxes of Pasta - Roni and I only spent 15.86!!! That's about half what it would have been.

The cakes were on sale for 2.99 each and I had 1.00 off coupon for 2. The bags of Lays were 2.50 each or 1.67 if you bought 3.

I was so excited!!!

[Dee]

Take out and delivery.:heh

Sorry couldn't resist.