Saving $$ on Groceries

I was talking to someone recently and she mentioned how much harder it seems to be to save money on food when one is single. It’s harder to find motivation to cook a meal for only onesself and going out to eat is more expensive. Then she commented on how even when she is disciplined to cook at home, it is still more expensive (per person) to cook for an individual than for a family.

Generally speaking, that’s a true statement. Food that is not pre-prepared usually comes in quantity larger than needed to feed one person. Recipes are usually geared for 4-6 people. This often leads to wasted food.

At my house, I’ve implemented a few strategies to cut down on the waste and save money in the food department. So, as a follow up to the convesation, I thought I would post some of those strategies. Please feel free to comment and share you own ideas!


Menu Planning
I’ve recently started planning out my meals several weeks or months in advance. Having a plan allows me to shop more cost effectively. I can shop off a list which helps keep me from overspending.


Coupons
There are several websites that do electronic grocery coupons. My store shopping cards (Kings Soopers/Kroger, Safeway, Albertsons, etc) are registered on their websites. About once a month, I visit the websites and see what new coupons they have available. When I choose coupons from their website, they are loaded on my store card(s) and automatically get applied when I check out at the grocery store. The two websites that I use most frequently are: www.pgesaver.com (Proctor & Gamble) and www.shortcuts.com.

Some websites offer coupons that can be printed and clipped. I use www.coupons.com and www.coolsavings.com.

Some grocery stores, like King Soopers (the Kroger store local to eastern Colorado), allow registration of your grocery card on their website for the purposes of providing you coupons. I shop at King Soopers more often than any of the other chain grocery stores so I have my King Soopers card registered on their website. I often receive coupons in the mail that are specifically for King Soopers. Most of the coupons are for items that I regularly or periodically purchase at their store. I find this particularly useful because I use a lot of organic and natural items and they usually include coupons for some of those items. I have not checked to see whether other grocery chains offer this.

In addition to the immediate coupon savings available, I also use www.upromise.com to save money for my child(ren), niece, and nephew to attend college. Upromise offers monthly grocery coupons that are loaded on the shopping card(s). When the product is purchased, the amount of the coupon does not come off of the purchase price but it does go in to a college savings account. There have been several instances where I had a $1.00 off coupon for olive oil or bath tissue and that money came right off the price at checkout. In addition I also had a $1.00 or $0.50 Upromise electronic coupon and that amount of money went in to the college fund. [If you don’t have children but are interested in helping someone else save in this way, check with your friends and family to see if they are participating in Upromise because you can sign up to be a contributor to their account(s).]


Shopping Sales & Knowing the Stores
In the Denver area, we get a circular in the mail every Tuesday. This contains the ads for the grocery stores in my area for the Wednesday-Tuesday sales. Buying items that are on sale (on sale with a coupon is even better) and saving them for later use, whenever possible, is less expensive than waiting until the item is needed and not on sale. Having a meal plan a month in advance is helpful in determining whether to buy a sale item.

There are six grocery chains plus a Super Target and a Costco in my area. I keep a little notebook in my purse with a list of items that I purchase regularly. There are columns for each of the grocery stores. In those columns I enter the price for which each store sells the product. For those that are sold at both regular grocery stores and at bulk stores, I use the unit price. Then when a product goes on sale or I have a coupon that is good only at a particular store, I can see right away whether that coupon or sale is going to get me a better deal than somewhere else.


Buying in Bulk & Buying Dry
For items that are non-perishable or can be frozen, it is often (but not always) less expensive to buy in bulk. Prior to freezing, the food can be portioned in to sizes that are manageable for an individual or family. It is helpful to have a large freezer when buying in bulk. A FoodSaver system, freezer bags, or freezer safe reusable containers are also very important to have on hand for dividing up the food for freezing.

Some items freeze well after cooking. For instance, if I need some ground meat for a recipe but don’t need the whole pound, I can go ahead and cook the whole pound of meat and freeze the unused portion for later use.

Perishable items, like yogurt (which incidentally does freeze well but which I usually use quickly enough to skip freezing), can be purchased in bulk and portioned out, as well. I buy the large tubs of yogurt because they are less expensive per unit. When I get home, I divide it up between smaller, reusable containers so that it is in one-serving sizes.

Some items, like beans, can be purchased in the can or dry. For beans, it is much less expensive to buy the package of dry beans. It does, however, mean more prep time when cooking. Having the month long menu (or planning meals at least a day in advance) allows me to recognize in advance when I’m going to need beans. Then, I can put the desired amount in the crockpot and let it cook while I’m doing other things. This allows them to be ready for use when I need them.


Storing and Saving Produce
About a year ago, someone told me that tomatoes should not be refrigerated until after they are cut. It makes them last longer. Prior to that, I always refrigerated tomatoes and onions. I was told that the rule of thumb is that however the grocery store displays the item is the way it should be stored until use.

Some produce that doesn’t get used quickly enough can be saved for later use. Tomatoes that are going soft can be blended on the “liquify” cycle. This is fresh tomato sauce. I freeze it for later use. Onions can be diced and frozen. I keep a bowl in my freezer for bananas. When a banana is going soft or turning brown, I peel it and put it in this bowl. To maximize space in the bowl, I usually mash the banana. When I need to make banana bread or banana muffins, I just have to thaw the bananas and scoop out the desired amount.


Portioning & Saving Food
Most recipes make more than one serving. Excess servings from many recipes can be placed in containers, labeled, and frozen. These can be pulled out later for individual meals or lunches.

One other way I save money on buying food is to save broth. I freeze Turkey, Chicken, or Beef broth that results from cooking the meat in a water base. Then when I need broth for a soup or other recipe, I very rarely need to buy broth. Old yogurt containers are great containers for freezing broth.


Sharing Cost/Food
Sometimes fruit will be on a BOGO sale but I know that I will not be able to use the second (free) container. However, since it is free, it seems like a waste to not buy it. When this happens, I will call up a friend and see if they can use the second container. Sometimes we split the cost of the first container so that it works out to each of us getting half off.

When I was in college, some of the items that we purchased (like big bags of pierogy or gallons of milk) were shared between at least 2 people. There are times in the last few years when I have gone shopping with a friend and we've decided to buy a bulk item and split it so that we both save money but end up with smaller portions.


Non-Food Items
For non-food items, I try (not always successfully) to keep on hand one more of the product than what I need. In my hall closet I have a box that has at least one extra of toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, Qtips, etc. This allows me to watch for coupons & sales on the products that I buy and to stock up when there is a good price.