Grocery stores operate on the concept that you are smart enough to not reach for the "brand name" food...however there are some things I would rather not try the store brand of...for example Dr. Pepper...no no Dr. Bob I will stay loyal. But other things are literally the exact same, but it depends on you to know what to buy. Below are some examples of this:
Cheese: sandwich cheese, shredded cheese, stringed cheese. Go store brand...usually they are made exactly the same and cost drastically less.
Bread: Honey Wheat is honey wheat regardless of the brand...just squeeze gently (not like you are juicing an orange) to see how soft it is.
Milk: that mess is expensive as whaaaa nowadays...go with the store brand...a cow is a cow, happy or not.
Tuna: regardless of the fancy label that mess can sit in your house for 3 years and still be good.
Granola Bars: Nature Valley is great...but the store brand is just the same HARDER THAN A ROCK.
There are other things that you can substitute for the brand name...but this post would be like three and a half days long...but I figured you got the concept.
When to shop: Okay this took me a few times to perfect, but now I think I have nailed it pretty good. Grocery stores with a bakery, butcher etc will bring things out throughout the day/week and leave them on the shelves...but oh my you say, won't that go bad? Yep it will...but when? Welcome to the concept of Close Dated. Close dated merchandise is my favorite thing in the world. If it is the day before or the day that a pack of meat (sorry veg heads I'm a carnivore) needs to be frozen not thrown away it is marked down because the store doesn't want to throw it out. These items will be marked down by $.50 increments...I purchased this big ollle pack of pork chops a while back that started out at like $11.50 and I bought that bad boy for $3.00. I took it home and froze it...read the label...freeze by date...not throw out date.
Secondly the store bakery (I'm talking about breads, rolls etc) will close date items that have been in the bakery a few days. And unless you have a bread maker...this is the closest thing to fresh bread as you will get (unless you know a baker, which I do but either way). These breads can be used for many things. If you are like me I would never buy a big Chicago loaf to take all the guts out to make a bread bowl at regular price...but if that Chicago loaf is $1.00 I will do it all day long...and you look fancy doing it. Also at my house we typically have "fancy sandwich night" which means yours truly was lazy and did not want to cook...but I scooped up some nice hoagie rolls, cheese, meat and stuckem' under the broiler...the husband loves it, it is easy and relatively healthy...
And because it is my purpose in life to screw mine up, blog about it to help you prevent that happening to you here is a concept to think about. I have been lazy the last few weeks, haven't wanted to cook, grocery shop, pack lunches etc...whereas before I would go to the grocery store and spend $150.00ish on groceries for 2 weeks where I cooked, packed lunches etc...I have not done that...instead I am lazy and spent instead around $100 on eating out ALONE...husband not included...and he loves Chick-Fil-A...not their political opinions which means he probably spent more than me...Had I gone to the grocery store, cooked or packed lunches we would have saved like $200...on top of the $150 I would have spent...think about it...I sure as hell am at this moment.
Special advice from the husband: Buy one get one free is not always a good deal...two boxes of Cheezits...buy one get one free....NO WAY yes way...but is it a deal if you buy the ONE for $4.49? NOOOOO....when are you going to eat two boxes of Cheezits...well maybe cheezits were a bad example...Perishable items: unless you are going to eat 50 cartons of yogurt...just because they are 20 for $8 doesn't mean it is a good deal...and no one needs that much active cultures in their bodies...lets be honest. Do some math, look at the ounces, whip out your iPhone and calculate that bad boy...you'd be surprised when all that math that "mom, I'm never gonna use this." Lies, yes you will.
Obvious Advice:
-Don't shop hungry...you'll come home with bags full of food you'd find in a potheads room.
-Make a list
-Shop a menu: don't pick up dinner every single night trying to justify it as not eating out because you're at a grocery store. False honey boo boo, $30 Monday-Friday...you shoulda gone out to eat and saved some money.
-Shop after 3pm!!!! That is when they mark down the food...holla!
And eat what you like, when you like it. Portions, portions, portions!!!!
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