Share tips on purchasing "good food" for less

kshama2001

In the "Are you confident that you are able to reach your weight loss goals and maintain it?" thread, someone mentioned wanting more money to be able to afford good food.

I don't think we need to come to a consensus on the definition of good food but the following will illustrate what good food means to me and how I try to buy it frugally. What do y'all do?

I am lucky to live in an area full of farm stands and farmers markets. The produce there is considerable cheaper than at supermarkets, and fresher too. Organic certification is less of a consideration for me for local produce. Click on the links to find farmer's markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) near you.

I garden:

• Perennials - strawberries, rhubarb, sage, chives, oregano, spearmint, peppermint, raspberries
• Annuals in the garden right now - basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, peppers, Swiss chard, bok choy, kale, cucumber, summer squash, two types of tomatoes, rosemary, snap and snow peas

One of my food values is to buy meat that is humanely raised without antibiotics or growth hormones. I look for sales in the supermarket fliers, stock up, and freeze what I'm not going to use immediately. A supermarket near me regularly has this type of chicken on sale for 50% off and another their complete line of humanely raised meat for 25% off. If a brand uses the unregulated word "natural" I go to their website to see what they mean by that.

For dairy, I buy either organic or Cabot products with the “No Artificial Growth Hormone” symbol. Cabot is considerably cheaper up here in Massachusetts than it was in Florida. Unfortunately, their complete line is not guaranteed rBGH-free, so you have to look for the symbol.

I belong to the United Natural Foods, Inc. food cooperative. It's a bulk buying club for organic and natural foods. My local group has close to 30 families and we split cases of packages and large items like 25 pound bags of brown rice or quinoa or oats or whatever. We have a delivery once per month. Everyone has a job, like unloading the truck or breaking down and dividing up the bulk items. One of our members is a local rancher who brings meat in small packages every few months. Once or twice a year we split a whole cow. We also order from FEDCO seeds once a year and Frontier a few times a year - their spices are REALLY cheap in bulk.

Not counting the garden, all this takes about the same time I used to spend on coupons. The supermarket fliers come in on Wed, I plan my shopping, and go to the farm stand near that store. Once a month I look at the UNFI website, place an order, and the next week go help break it down when it comes in, which involves walking around carrying heavy things.

I am happy about all the time I spend burning calories in my garden. MFP estimates the burn at 396 per hour; I don't eat all of this back.

What do y'all do? Especially curious about tips from people in urban areas.

jkal1979

One of my main staples is frozen veggies. I'm saving money mainly from not throwing out as much as I did when I was buying fresh veggies.

kshama2001

Yup, I grow herbs so I can just pick off what I need - when I buy packages I always end up throwing some out.

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kshama2001

That's a GREAT tip! I found a program for the Boston area - if you know of one SOB, please post.

http://bostonfarmersmarkets.org/bounty-bucks/

Sarasmaintaining

I have a $90 a week grocery budget for a family of 5, which also includes non-food items like detergent, trash bags, soap etc. Some of my suggestions-

-spend some time and learn what resources you have available to you. Compare prices at the stores in your area, look into farmers markets, produce stands, orchards with store fronts etc. Look into unconventional options for food-like your local Dollar Store. The Dollar Tree by me has $1 bags of frozen fruit and veggies, as well as things like waffles etc. Also look into bakery outlets for bread products. My local one has .89 loaves of whole grain bread, organic loaves for $1 etc.

Also see if you can bargain with friends and family for resources. Example-I bake for my in-laws and they give me all the farm fresh, free range chicken eggs I want.

-many stores have coupon programs and they take just a few minutes to sign up. So far this year I've saved over $900 from my local grocery store, just by using their couponing program!

-U-Pick farms are an excellent way to get cheap produce. I pick strawberries, cherries and blueberries every year and save a lot of money doing this, and it's fun for the kids too

-Flash Freeze produce during the cheap, growing season and use during the off seasons. This site is awesome for freezing, canning and making food and it's one of my favorite websites http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

-focus on simple recipes, that use only a few ingredients. Less ingredients = less cost.

-buy frozen veggies during off season months, when fresh is more expensive (and brought in across country, which means it's not very fresh either).

eta: one more I thought of-I do a lot of cooking and baking and I steer clear of recipes that use 'fancy' ingredients. I avoid recipes that call for spices that I won't use on a regular basis, or use an ingredient that I will have leftover with no feasible way to use up in the near future. I save recipes with more exotic ingredients for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas time.

kshama2001

Ya, Mom used to take us to u-pick strawberry and blueberry farms when we were kids - fun times!

I've just started bartering with my massage therapist - I cook and she gives me 50% off.

For spices, for many recipes that call for Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, or Sage when I don't have fresh in the garden, I use just I Italian seasoning.

You can do similar with pumpkin pie spice - Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg. I do have each of these separately, but use the mix in recipes that call for more than one as a shortcut.

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American_Beauty

We have a family of 5 and our budget is under $100 a week, most times ranging around $80-90. We shop at Aldi's because the produce is way cheaper than the other local grocers and we get alot of speciality items that are healthy options.

SergeantSausage

I grow my own, too. Virtually free. Only costs time.

We spend about $25 a week for two of us to eat and if we had to, it would be zero.

Sarasmaintaining

American_Beauty wrote: »

We have a family of 5 and our budget is under $100 a week, most times ranging around $80-90. We shop at Aldi's because the produce is way cheaper than the other local grocers and we get alot of speciality items that are healthy options.

Aldi.

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kshama2001

There are 6 supermarkets closer to me than Market Basket, so I don't go there all the time, but always go when I am in the area and was there today. Many of their items are comparably priced to Walmart, the selection is a lot better, and they treat their employees better. They also have an amazing produce section. Several times I've found produce items there that other stores near me don't carry - poblano peppers, radicchio, etc.

Mom told me that a Market Basket is coming to her town, which would be great - I'd go there weekly.

carakirkey

I'm in Canada, so we don't quite have the discount opportunities or coupons like in the states:( but we do what we can. This is what we do- Community garden plot to grow just about all the veggies I would want to. Costs me $20 for the year. We live in a orchard/ farm community, so lots of farm markets, local produce in the summer. I buy berries in bulk and freeze them. Bulk food store for spices (buy just what I need), grains and flours. I make my own bread (sometimes). I've also tried to incorporate more lentils, beans and eggs (cheap protein!). Buy more 'whole' meats- like the whole chickens- get three meals out of that- roast chicken, leftovers for sandwiches, and make soup. I'll freeze the bones if I can't get to making the stock right away.

vivmom2014

Aldi will mark packaged fresh vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower & carrots combo, etc.) down to .99 a bag. Same with colorful peppers. Those sales are the bomb. Their regular produce prices are great. I also love BJ's for produce. You get a lot & it's always premium. The membership fee pays for itself pretty quickly.

MimiOfTheFraserValley

Thanks for the tips that've already been shared here - I've gotten some great ideas for my own cost-saving measures at this time.

I'm a single woman without children, & have no roommate. So I'm only shopping for myself & my cat. Sometimes I buy certain non-perishable items in bulk, like curing caselot sales. I find that this works really well & it's a good way to get a better deal on things than buying one or two things that I use a lot of. I don't have a membership at a store like Costco, but I have some friends who do. Sometimes they'll buy things for me (I pay them back, of course, or do a bartering type situation where I'll do something for them), & I end up saving money that way as well.

I also look for sales on certain things, & I think that this has already been mentioned.

Like others said, if I can, I'll buy lots of fruit that I like & end up freezing most of it. Bread, too.

The things that I don't use much of but do once in a while, I'll buy small amounts of. That way these aren't being wasted but are still around when I want them.

RavenLibra

I feel bad... all these folks with tight budgets... and I took the wife and daughter out last night and spent almost $200 on 3 courses and a bottle of wine JUST because the wine was 1/2 priced... BUIT on the flip side... we buy bulk, a side of beef, and most of our vegetables and we can our faces off.. and make preserves in the fall. there are some up front costs to do this... but spread out over the whole year.. and we probably save a couple thousand/year... and NEXT year to save on the side of beef we're going out to find an Elk and possible a Moose...

trade the hides and possibly a 1/2 for something of value... up here in Canada a tanned & smoked moose hide can fetch almost $2K .. and don't tell anyone.. but.. they just wander around in the wild

elphie754

So one thing I do is I utilize farmers markets. I tend to get some really good produce and tends to be cheaper than supermarkets. I live in Nyc, so produce can be really expensive. The local farmers market is twice a month and has amazing seasonal veggies and fruits with great deals and I like giving the money to the farmers rather than the supermarket.

PeachyPlum

Ethnic markets are a wonderful source of inexpensive food.

I am lucky to live in a city that has a large grocery that caters to the Latino population. I can get avocadoes, jalapenos, cilantro, mangoes, and several other produce items there for much cheaper than a regular grocer.

We also have a Korean market where I get scallions, napa cabbage, and bean sprouts for next to nothing.

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betuel75

PeachyPlum wrote: »

Ethnic markets are a wonderful source of inexpensive food.

I am lucky to live in a city that has a large grocery that caters to the Latino population. I can get avocadoes, jalapenos, cilantro, mangoes, and several other produce items there for much cheaper than a regular grocer.

We also have a Korean market where I get scallions, napa cabbage, and bean sprouts for next to nothing.

Agreed. Also not sure if there are 99 cent stores around where others are at but the ones here in SoCal have produce and are way cheaper thank supermarkets. 99 cent store and the ethnic supermarkets are my go to spots. The local latin supermarkets reagularly have tomatos for 2 or 3 pounds for 99 cents. Cant find that at the large chain supermarkets.

bpetrosky

If you have Sprouts or Aldi in your area, they often have great deals. I'm not in an Aldi territory, but the Sprouts near me will have chicken breasts and thighs for 1.99/lb, and better quality than Walmart's. The veggies are reasonable too.

There's also a chain of Korean markets (Super H) that are in a lot of major US cities. They typically have very good prices on produce, and a lot of stuff the Kroger chains don't carry. The meat prices can be good as well, but they often don't have the cuts that most people in the US are familiar with.

I really miss the Buford Highway Farmers Market back in ATL though...

JPW1990

This seems like an obvious one, but for some people it's overwhelming - learn to cook. The ingredients to prepare something for yourself are always cheaper per serving than buying something partially made or pre-made. While the upfront cost on certain ingredients may seem high, you have to analyze it based on cost per use. The ingredients to make your own taco season my cost $20 on that first trip, but the single use packet is $1-2, and you're going to get 40 or 50 packets worth from those individual bottles, plus have them to use on other things. Same with side dishes - it doesn't take any longer to cook normal rice on the stove than it takes to prepare one of those Lipton side dishes, but you can stir a little cheese or tomato sauce into plain rice for the same effect for less than half the cost. Add that up over time, if you're using those twice a week, it's $100+ a year you're paying for a teaspoon of granulated seasoning (which you probably already have in your kitchen) in each bag.

If you're afraid to try cooking or think you can't, start small and simple, don't shoot for beef wellington on your first attempt. Hit youtube and look up how to sear a steak, how to bake a potato, and how to roast vegetables in the oven. Practice those a few times, then move on to something like how to make a sauce from pan drippings.

bpetrosky

JPW1990 wrote: »

This seems like an obvious one, but for some people it's overwhelming - learn to cook. The ingredients to prepare something for yourself are always cheaper per serving than buying something partially made or pre-made. While the upfront cost on certain ingredients may seem high, you have to analyze it based on cost per use. The ingredients to make your own taco season my cost $20 on that first trip, but the single use packet is $1-2, and you're going to get 40 or 50 packets worth from those individual bottles, plus have them to use on other things. Same with side dishes - it doesn't take any longer to cook normal rice on the stove than it takes to prepare one of those Lipton side dishes, but you can stir a little cheese or tomato sauce into plain rice for the same effect for less than half the cost. Add that up over time, if you're using those twice a week, it's $100+ a year you're paying for a teaspoon of granulated seasoning (which you probably already have in your kitchen) in each bag.

If you're afraid to try cooking or think you can't, start small and simple, don't shoot for beef wellington on your first attempt. Hit youtube and look up how to sear a steak, how to bake a potato, and how to roast vegetables in the oven. Practice those a few times, then move on to something like how to make a sauce from pan drippings.

This definitely! Watch some Good Eats, too if you get Food Network/Cooking Channel.

JPW1990

bpetrosky wrote: »

JPW1990 wrote: »

This seems like an obvious one, but for some people it's overwhelming - learn to cook. The ingredients to prepare something for yourself are always cheaper per serving than buying something partially made or pre-made. While the upfront cost on certain ingredients may seem high, you have to analyze it based on cost per use. The ingredients to make your own taco season my cost $20 on that first trip, but the single use packet is $1-2, and you're going to get 40 or 50 packets worth from those individual bottles, plus have them to use on other things. Same with side dishes - it doesn't take any longer to cook normal rice on the stove than it takes to prepare one of those Lipton side dishes, but you can stir a little cheese or tomato sauce into plain rice for the same effect for less than half the cost. Add that up over time, if you're using those twice a week, it's $100+ a year you're paying for a teaspoon of granulated seasoning (which you probably already have in your kitchen) in each bag.

If you're afraid to try cooking or think you can't, start small and simple, don't shoot for beef wellington on your first attempt. Hit youtube and look up how to sear a steak, how to bake a potato, and how to roast vegetables in the oven. Practice those a few times, then move on to something like how to make a sauce from pan drippings.

This definitely! Watch some Good Eats, too if you get Food Network/Cooking Channel.

Some of them are on Netflix now, but not all of them, unfortunately

jessica22222

Is it a canadian thing? Because my grocery bill is close to 800-1000 per month and that's shopping as smart as I can! We dot even throw out a lot of food. That amount includes everything though such as detergent, soap, toiletries, paper towels etc. I can't ever find good coupons. Nothing that we'd eat anyways. I shop at costco because the meat there is the cheapest. Gah canada is an expensive place to live!

shrinkingletters

I buy a lot of frozen veg and frozen veg medleys, keep dried grains and legumes/beans on hand, as well as dry pasta, canned tomatoes and chicken broth, and only buy meat when I will be cooking it. Otherwise I keep a basic mire poix set up in the fridge plus a few staples I always use: onion/carrots/celery/garlic/bell peppers. Anything else, I try to keep seasonal, in terms of veg/fruit (though to be fair I think I could go a month without eating a fruit and not realize it).


Also it really, REALLY helps to know how to cook. So I suggest that.

shrinkingletters

For ex: the last two nights I combined different frozen veg medleys (they were all steamable bags, different varieties, 3x$8? I think), some type of grain (once brown rice, the other, couscous), all of which I had on hand, so all I did was buy the protein and with a little jazz, was able to feed a total of four people both nights for under $4 each.

Annr

We qualify for the food bank, so we can obtain items that possibly COSTCO weeds out of their shelves. I make the veggies into batches of soups, with rices and pasta. I also share within our complex items that come in the huge containers. Share the wealth is my motto.

Annr

Oh also I am in a community garden and have a plot. Presently I am snipping off HUGE spinach leaves every now and then. Yesterday I snipped 7 (6.7 ozs of spinach). I sauted'1 oz of beef kelbasa, some white kidney beans, some zuuchini sliced and piled the spinach on top with spices. Oh man...heaven.

shrinkingletters

Annr wrote: »

We qualify for the food bank, so we can obtain items that possibly COSTCO weeds out of their shelves. I make the veggies into batches of soups, with rices and pasta. I also share within our complex items that come in the huge containers. Share the wealth is my motto.

When I was laid off and my mother was on disability, my youngest sibling decided to go volunteer at a food bank (not because of our circumstances, mind you, she just up and felt like it). Anywho, she'd come back with everything she could get her hands on that they couldn't give a way.


Needless to say, after so many crates of tomatoes, zuchinnis, bananas, etc, I've learned to get really creative and resourceful.


Again, learn to cook. It's the most useful skill.