ideas on how to save money on groceries

mish24canada

Hi I live in Canada so its kinda hard to do anything like extreme couponing here. I was just wondering besides price matching which already do if you have any suggestions on how you save money at the grocery store?

Francl27

Buy in bulk, store brand, stock up when it's cheap... it's pretty much all I have.

MagnumBurrito

Join a wholesale store. In the long run, you save a lot if you plan well.

jillyrose0711

Try to plan your meals and only buy the things you know you'll need to avoid waste and unnecessary purchases. Buying things like oats, rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds in bulk saves a lot of money and is a super easy way to have lots of nutritious things around that won't go bad quickly. Also, buying out-of-season produce frozen instead of fresh will probably save you money.

abetterluke

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do) but a lot of times target has things on clearance. It's on the end caps of the aisles (not the main walkways but the back aisles) and a lot of times I can find good deals on things and stock up. In all fairness most of these things are going to be somewhat processed but you can find spices and nuts and things sometimes.

We also recently started buying frozen chicken breasts, fish filets, and shrimp. It's very expensive to do this but if you can find the right place it's way cheaper than buying fresh and actually tastes better. Trader Joe's (again not sure if you have TJ's in Canada) is really cheap for fish and shrimp and it's immediately flash frozen so it tastes super fresh and delicious. Safeway here is where I've found the best deal on frozen chicken breasts.

Also -- Buy in bulk as others have said. Especially if the bulk stuff is on sale. I go to Costco all the time and pay attention to their coupons/sales. Definitely good deals to be found.

Mr_Knight

Hi I live in Canada so its kinda hard to do anything like extreme couponing here. I was just wondering besides price matching which already do if you have any suggestions on how you save money at the grocery store?

Lentils and rice.

Kevalicious99

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do)

Target in Canada has lost over a billion dollars since coming to Canada ... it is not at all like the US stores, which is largely to blame for its failure. Many people can just go south .. and get better deals.

But re this post ... stock up when you see the deals. And sometimes one store is cheaper .. like Superstore or Walmart .. but one store is not consistently cheaper.

I have enough of some products to last me a while .. and yes cheap in Canada is not going to happen. The only solution is to move to the US where things are a lot cheaper.

abetterluke

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do)

Target in Canada has lost over a billion dollars since coming to Canada ... it is not at all like the US stores, which is largely to blame for its failure. Many people can just go south .. and get better deals.

Wow really? What's different about the Target stores in Canada?

Rhaynestorm

I hear ya. Food in Canada is a lot more expensive. Whenever I go visit my parents in the states and I go to the grocery store I marvel at how cheap things are.

Try to stock up when things go on sale.

Plan your meals ahead of time so that you don't have too much waste. You might have to shop a little more often but that has saved us money definitely.

Buy generic or no-name brands instead of brand names for things. Generally the generic tastes exactly the same as the brand name product. Except ketchup. Heinz is the only way to go for me but I'm a ketchup purist. :laugh:

abetterluke

I Buy generic or no-name brands instead of brand names for things. Generally the generic tastes exactly the same as the brand name product. Except ketchup. Heinz is the only way to go for me but I'm a ketchup purist. :laugh:

This. For example the salad dressings at Safeway are awesome. Way better than most of the expensive name brand dressings. The only other food that I can think of that you really do have to buy based on the brand is yogurt. Store brand yogurt almost always sucks.

VeryKatie

Walmart will price match all fliers.

My brother did the same grocery run at Safeway, Sobey's and Superstore 3 times and Superstore came out 30% cheaper.

Buy bulk frozen chicken when it's on sale? I go to Safeway for mine because they've prepped it much better than the other stores (much higher quality - which is important for my favourite way of cooking it).

Otherwise... I'm totally in for more tips. I want to save money too. I know I should be keeping a grocery book with me to log prices of produce so I know when something is a good price and such, but I haven't actually started doing it yet. Seems like such a hassle.

I shop almost exclusively at Superstore (live right behind one). Their loyalty program is pretty good with the PC Plus and the PC Financial World Credit Card. Plus I get gas there too so that helps. I am curious how Walmart would compare. But I'd have to drive there. I find knowing I have to carry it all home keeps me from buying things I don't need. And I hate going so I'm not tempted to do extra trips.

Edit: I've heard good things about Costco if you like to buy bulk BUT you need to buy Costco ONLY when their things are on sale otherwise it comes out more expensive than buying elsewhere. Plus you have to pay for a membership unless you have a friend you could join on shopping trips.

xmichaelyx

Buy a freezer chest. Buy in bulk.

abetterluke

Otherwise... I'm totally in for more tips. I want to save money too. I know I should be keeping a grocery book with me to log prices of produce so I know when something is a good price and such, but I haven't actually started doing it yet. Seems like such a hassle.

Agreed. It's something I have thought about doing too. If you have a general idea of what's in season though you can usually make pretty good guesses on whether or not prices are good. For example the asparagus season here is relatively short so I always buy a ton when it's in season because it goes from $5-$6 per pound to around $2 usually.

meshashesha2012

- buy in bulk
- any nonperishable stuff you buy on a regular basis, stock up on when it's on sale even if you dont need it then.
- farmer's markets and asian markets are usually very cheap (like i can get a flat of 3 dozen eggs for like $3, versus $6
- buy produce when it's in season

365andstillalive

There are a lot of little things you can do. You can sign up for online sites to get coupons that they'll mail to you (save.ca etc) and those probably save me $20 or so a month. I wish we could coupon like the states haha.

But sometimes it's about being willing to do repetition and basics. I always have brown rice or quinoa in the house, I buy meat in bulk and freeze it in the portions I need it in, and when things are really tight, I eat pretty repetitive.

The best thing you can do is shop sale items only: strawberries on sale this week but the bananas you wanted aren't? get the strawberries, and so on. If you look at what's on sale, you can build a kind of tentative meal plan and figure out what you have to buy.

Also, if you ever need a specific ingredient for something and it's kind of expensive or you don't need nearly as much as grocery stores sell it for, look at bulk barn. That's where I get any nuts I want, my whole wheat flour, etc.

Swiftlet66

Seasonal fruits/veggies, buying in bulk, only buy whole, filling foods, not buying processed foods that will still leave me hungry, buy when on sale and definitely take advantage of freezing foods to prevent wasting. That and meal plan to prevent wasting. Oh and grocery apps like checkout 51 helps.

smashley_mashley

Try to plan your meals and only buy the things you know you'll need to avoid waste and unnecessary purchases. Buying things like oats, rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds in bulk saves a lot of money and is a super easy way to have lots of nutritious things around that won't go bad quickly. Also, buying out-of-season produce frozen instead of fresh will probably save you money.

I agree with meal planning. I have a whiteboard in my kitchen and keep track of all the food I have in both my freezer and pantry. I use that to plan dinner meals for each week. I then only need to buy what I need because I know at all times what I have. I also make a lot of soup from chicken bones as you can get a lot of food with very little.

Also check out the student union ticket pack if there is on in your area. They have tones of 2 for1 coupons and they will have save $5 when you spend $50 at Safeway and M&M Meats. The book is $20 but I have saved hundreds

seltzermint555

Try to plan your meals and only buy the things you know you'll need to avoid waste and unnecessary purchases. Buying things like oats, rice, quinoa, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds in bulk saves a lot of money and is a super easy way to have lots of nutritious things around that won't go bad quickly. Also, buying out-of-season produce frozen instead of fresh will probably save you money.

I agree with all of this completely.

Especially planning your meals. My husband and I do this and we don't have a ton of extra stuff around besides very basic staples. But our grocery list stays very small because all we're buying is stuff that we are going to cook and eat during that week. It is extremely rare for anything (even produce) to go bad in our house because we plan our meals ahead of time and then start cooking the most sensitive stuff first, like mushrooms, avocado, all the freshest stuff...later in the week we can have Mexican, lentils, French toast, etc. Because we don't have a huge list to "stock up" we don't mind buying pricier items like almonds, pomegranates, etc...and we know they will not go to waste.

I don't know if Aldi is in Canada but I love shopping there. If you're in an area with ethnic/Asian markets definitely check those out too.

bohemian124

Look for blogs related to grocery deals.

Here in Phoenix, I visit www.thecentsableshoppin.com. They review the ads for most local stores and match the sales with coupons from the newspaper so you can get even better deals. It isn't extreme couponing, it is shopping strategically. I don't buy 50 bottles of ketchup at a time, but I might be able to get some free or very cheap items. They also have tips on how to shop smart. I also use this method to help shop for the local food bank. I don't eat a lot of the processed foods and I'm picky about my hygiene and cleaning products, but I'm happy to donate items I get for free or for pennies!

Beyond that - stick to the perimeter of your store. Processed food costs more and offers less nutritional benefit than produce, meat, dairy, etc. I mostly go to the inner aisles for rice, pasta, and beans, and I buy those in bulk when possible. I especially like to buy dried beans in bulk, then cook and freeze large batches once a month or so.

If you buy meat or cheese in bulk, consider investing in a vacuum sealer. It keeps food fresh much longer.

aliackerman

One of the money savers I discovered recently is premaking and freezing individual portions of hearty foods. For instance, I rarely eat rice, so I had been purchasing it in 1 or 2 serving, shelf-stable or frozen packages. But I realized that I could make a big batch of rice, portion it out in silicone muffin pans, freeze, then individually wrap them and store in the freezer for later. This brings the price from $1.50 per serving to pennies per serving. This tactic also works well for your lentils, soups, sauces, crust less quiches, and tons of other stuff. My freezer is full of large serving stuff (gallons of stock, quarts of soup, gallons of chili, etc) but by individually portioning the items, you don't have to worry about the excess going bad AND you don't have to worry about overeating.

I also like to buy my breakfast stuff in bulk, make huge batches of breakfast burritos (egg whites, spinach, Tabasco, and low-carb tortillas) and individually wrap and freeze them for super quick breakfasts. A friend of mine also told me about tons of recipes for making your own instant oatmeal that he found online.


Hope this helps!

aledba

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do) but a lot of times target has things on clearance. It's on the end caps of the aisles (not the main walkways but the back aisles) and a lot of times I can find good deals on things and stock up. In all fairness most of these things are going to be somewhat processed but you can find spices and nuts and things sometimes.

We also recently started buying frozen chicken breasts, fish filets, and shrimp. It's very expensive to do this but if you can find the right place it's way cheaper than buying fresh and actually tastes better. Trader Joe's (again not sure if you have TJ's in Canada) is really cheap for fish and shrimp and it's immediately flash frozen so it tastes super fresh and delicious. Safeway here is where I've found the best deal on frozen chicken breasts.

Also -- Buy in bulk as others have said. Especially if the bulk stuff is on sale. I go to Costco all the time and pay attention to their coupons/sales. Definitely good deals to be found.

If you're not sure about TJ's being in Canada, why not look it up first? You just gave OP info re: a store we don't have in Canada. Target doesn't sell anything but snack foods in Canada. Target sucks and should promptly close shop and get out. OP, food here in Canada is more expensive because of shipping produce from afar, our meat/dairy are of higher quality...means more $/lb. Shop farmer's markets, bulk dry good stores and stock up when you see sales. Freeze portions of extra meat, go veg some nights and batch cook. Make lists and stick to them!

abetterluke

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do) but a lot of times target has things on clearance. It's on the end caps of the aisles (not the main walkways but the back aisles) and a lot of times I can find good deals on things and stock up. In all fairness most of these things are going to be somewhat processed but you can find spices and nuts and things sometimes.

We also recently started buying frozen chicken breasts, fish filets, and shrimp. It's very expensive to do this but if you can find the right place it's way cheaper than buying fresh and actually tastes better. Trader Joe's (again not sure if you have TJ's in Canada) is really cheap for fish and shrimp and it's immediately flash frozen so it tastes super fresh and delicious. Safeway here is where I've found the best deal on frozen chicken breasts.

Also -- Buy in bulk as others have said. Especially if the bulk stuff is on sale. I go to Costco all the time and pay attention to their coupons/sales. Definitely good deals to be found.

If you're not sure about TJ's being in Canada, why not look it up first? You just gave OP info re: a store we don't have in Canada.

First of all -- I'm giving my personal experience. If it doesn't apply then skim over it. Second of all -- it was an afterthought of my actual advice which was to look at buying frozen fish. Third of all -- The OP may be the one who asked the question but there are plenty of people from the US who will be reading this thread and looking for the same information. So for those people TJ's is a good option.

Now if you could promptly remove yourself from your high horse and return back to the ground with us regular fat folk it would be much appreciated.

veganbettie

I don't know if you have Target in Canada (I'd assume you do) but a lot of times target has things on clearance. It's on the end caps of the aisles (not the main walkways but the back aisles) and a lot of times I can find good deals on things and stock up. In all fairness most of these things are going to be somewhat processed but you can find spices and nuts and things sometimes.

We also recently started buying frozen chicken breasts, fish filets, and shrimp. It's very expensive to do this but if you can find the right place it's way cheaper than buying fresh and actually tastes better. Trader Joe's (again not sure if you have TJ's in Canada) is really cheap for fish and shrimp and it's immediately flash frozen so it tastes super fresh and delicious. Safeway here is where I've found the best deal on frozen chicken breasts.

Also -- Buy in bulk as others have said. Especially if the bulk stuff is on sale. I go to Costco all the time and pay attention to their coupons/sales. Definitely good deals to be found.

If you're not sure about TJ's being in Canada, why not look it up first? You just gave OP info re: a store we don't have in Canada. Target doesn't sell anything but snack foods in Canada. Target sucks and should promptly close shop and get out. OP, food here in Canada is more expensive because of shipping produce from afar, our meat/dairy are of higher quality...means more $/lb. Shop farmer's markets, bulk dry good stores and stock up when you see sales. Freeze portions of extra meat, go veg some nights and batch cook. Make lists and stick to them!

yikes.....well but now other people have the information about TJs too....just because the OP started the thread doesn't mean it won't help other people as well.

Galatea_Stone

Lots of dried beans, meats in bulk, cheaper cuts cooked in a crock pot. Frozen bag veggies - you don't need to only buy fresh.

AlyssamR6712

i buy meat and then get fruits and veggies at the local farmers market i save huge going to the market. what jacks our bill up is the crap that my husband eats... if it was just me i swear every 2 weeks my grocery bill would only be like $75-$100 instead of $200, its the "boxed" and "frozen" stuff that gets ya when it comes to price in my opinion!

nonacgp

I certainly know what you are experiencing because we re experiencing the same here in the USA. I am spending more and more on food each week. And this seems to be especially true if you buy healthy foods. We keep being told our economy is getting better. I don't feel it. The only thing I do now, is go once weekly. I do not go back. Even if I need something. The more I go the more I spend. Maybe this will help you too. :sad:

abetterluke

I certainly know what you are experiencing because we re experiencing the same here in the USA. I am spending more and more on food each week. And this seems to be especially true if you buy healthy foods. We keep being told our economy is getting better. I don't feel it. The only thing I do now, is go once weekly. I do not go back. Even if I need something. The more I go the more I spend. Maybe this will help you too. :sad:

It is definitely getting more and more expensive. I live in Seattle and our cost of living is insane. Even the farmers markets around here can be really pricey which is frustrating. Everyone says to go to farmers markets but I think since farmers markets have gotten popular and become semi-trendy the prices have jumped a lot and you still have to be careful about quality.

nixxthirteen

Get the app "Flipp" and price match as much as you can. It's honestly the way to go.

ShinyFuture

This is what works for me:

1. Make a list before you go
2. Estimate the costs of the items
3. Take cash, enough for the items.
4. Stick to the list (#3 makes that a lot easier)
5. Stop buying convenience foods - mixes, pouches, pre-cooked, etc.

Making a list and taking only enough cash to pay for what's on the list has saved me so much money. It stops impulse purchases, and those impulse purchases really add up.

WombatHat42

You could grow some of your own vegetables. We have a vegetable garden and get a decent amount of peppers, broccoli, tomatoes and tons of green beans out of it.

As for meat, you can sometimes go to a butcher and buy half a beef and store it in the freezer. It costs more up front but saves A LOT in the long run. Or start fishing or hunting(I personally cant eat fish and wouldnt want to hunt but some do)

I noticed this in europe, look at the price per liter/weight. I buy the one that has the lower cost per volume(9.0 cent/100 ml or something like that VS 1 liter for 9 dollars - random numbers dont know if my math adds up lol)

Also, i found while in the UK that making homemade bread is cheaper than buying the cheap loaf. Now I ended up running out of time to do this most of the time but it might work for you