Gonna have to start taking a calculator shopping!

**ladycat** · #21 07/10/11, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghmerrill

Went to do our monthly shopping for groceries... Couple bags of flour, a dozen cans of each-green beans, spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce.....other odds and ends canned goods.... Cheese....... Couple whole chickens, hamburger, some canadian bacon. Did by some junk- fish sticks (two 12 pk boxes) one box of 12 egg rolls (my fave! ) some juice....... It was two carts moderately full.....

$608!

I just about died. Normally we get about $400, there was a bit extra this time, but DANG! flour was $3 per 25 lbs bag HIGHER than last month. I'm sure other things were too.

Broke the bank this month, no more shopping! no chips or ice cream, that's for sure!

Time to use coupons!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HilltopDaisy

I don't use coupons at all, but I buy "loss leaders", especially the BOGO. I know they mark them up some but it's still usually a better deal.

Coupons + BOGO sales = FREE GROCERIES!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann-NWIowa

If you check prices, its sometimes less expensive to buy 5 5# bags of flour rather than a 25# bag.

Definitely. And even better when you use coupons on the 5# bags.

Pouncer · #22 07/10/11, 05:07 PM

I just check the price per unit-which is usually on the sale price as well. It helps. Although the micro print is sometimes a pain

Ravenlost · #23 07/10/11, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lenii

Is it an in store coupon????

No. Gold Medal and other brands will put out coupons for flour. Gold Medal had one out back in March for 75 cents off 5 lb. and up.

Melissa's right...flour coupons and other baking coupons are usually more prevalent around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but they do pop up at other times too.

There's a 75 cent printable coupon online right now that's good on any brand of milk.

A good place to buy Hodgson Mills products is www.amazon.com. I'm always watching for grocery bargains there.

marinemomtatt · #24 07/10/11, 05:12 PM

Where we shop...Winco, the only Unbleached flour is the storebrand, so no coupons. The only sugar available in the size we need is storebrand, no coupons.
Most of what we purchase, be it the size, the prefered flavor/taste, or the item itself is either storebrand or I have never seen a coupon available (newspaper, flyers or online)
A year ago we could do our 2 week shopping and spend about $89 for the three of us, it now costs us $159 for the 2 weeks and we are being more frugal than before.

No Sales Tax...WooHoo!
No Self-Serve...WooHoo! During the long wet winter I like to stay warm and dry!

luvrulz · #25 07/10/11, 05:21 PM

I typically buy the store brand too and don't have access to a large Sunday paper coupon section.....couponing really isn't feasible for us here. Plus, Sam's doesn't take the coupons but does have eValues which I use. Alot of the bakery supplies we buy @ Save Alot and Sam's.

rkintn · #26 07/10/11, 05:27 PM

I've noticed a definite increase as well. What would normally cost me about $150 every two weeks is now costing between $180 and $200! And, that does not include alot of processed items..mostly meat, pasta, flour, canned veggies etc to cook from scratch with. I've given the coupon thing a try but I don't buy alot of the stuff I find coupons for and I can't see buying gobs of HBA items just because I have a coupon. Don't flame me for being anti coupon, I have no objections to using coupons on stuff that I need/use.

ghmerrill · #27 07/10/11, 06:05 PM

Oregon finds plenty of ways to get taxes, they just are more sneaky about it, and dont add it on at the checkout stand!

On pumping your own gas.... I live, and grew up in kerby near the or/ca border. After I got my license at 16 and driving, on a visit to ca, I sat at a gas station for quite a while one time. Couldn't figure out why no one was coming out!

Debbie in Wa · #28 07/10/11, 06:09 PM

In our area, no one does double coupons. I shop at Winco over in Idaho as they are the cheaper of the stores and I can buy in bulk there. Hubby and I can only spend $200 per month for food and we can stretch our dollars there. We spend about $40. 00 at Wal-mart for all the other things, t.p., shampoo, etc. I have switched over to using cloth napkins, cloth towels in the kitchen, make my own laundry detergent, no softener which are extremely dangerous for the dryer. One three pack of paper towels has to last for the month.
Most of my cooking is from scratch so that helps a bunch. I do buy canned goods but very few boxed goods.

ghmerrill · #29 07/10/11, 06:18 PM

radiofish- as you drive highway 199 going to gp, you pass right by my place. my house sits right on the highway.

**ladycat** · #30 07/10/11, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Debbie in Wa

In our area, no one does double coupons.

No doubles here either.

julieq · #31 07/10/11, 08:58 PM

We spend about 200.00 per week for the three of us. That includes food for our dog and house cats. Definitely doesn't include feed store runs for the livestock.

alpacamom · #32 07/10/11, 10:08 PM

We spend less than $500/mo for groceries for 4 people (two of them teenage boys) including cat food, laundry detergent, paper goods, cat litter, and toiletries, but I rarely buy meat at the grocery store as we get 1/2 hog and 1/2 cow from the local meat locker and we do our own chickens. I try to find coupons, but even if I don't find any, I still buy the lowest price stuff as long as it doesn't have MSG, HFCS or tons of sodium. I shop every two weeks, but run out once or twice more for milk and bread.

bugstabber · #33 07/10/11, 11:01 PM

I'm guessing the price of wheat is going up because of some very dry wheat growing areas in the U.S.

Ravenlost · #34 07/10/11, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alpacamom

We spend less than $500/mo for groceries for 4 people (two of them teenage boys) including cat food, laundry detergent, paper goods, cat litter, and toiletries, but I rarely buy meat at the grocery store as we get 1/2 hog and 1/2 cow from the local meat locker and we do our own chickens. I try to find coupons, but even if I don't find any, I still buy the lowest price stuff as long as it doesn't have MSG, HFCS or tons of sodium. I shop every two weeks, but run out once or twice more for milk and bread.

Similar situation here. I do my best to have coupons for the things I need, buy the lowest price stuff I need (if an item still costs more than the lower price after coupons I buy the lower price...I do not buy things just because I have a coupon). I never buy meat because we pay ($69) to have a deer processed (my BIL hunts) and I avoid MSG, HFCS, etc. like the plague. Only buy organic milk and make my own bread with organic mixes I get at www.amazon.com...which is cheaper than I what I'd pay for a loaf at the grocery store.

**ladycat** · #35 07/11/11, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ravenlost

I do my best to have coupons for the things I need, buy the lowest price stuff I need (if an item still costs more than the lower price after coupons I buy the lower price...I do not buy things just because I have a coupon).

Same here.

ghmerrill · #36 07/11/11, 01:19 AM

We hit the day old bread store, and get the good stuff that sells for $3.50 in the store for 5/$5. We buy around $50 worth of bread, bagels, and english muffins- that would last about 3 months. Even there they are raising prices. They used to do one free item for each $8 purchased, and a punch card that was punched for each $10 spent. They discontinued both.

soulsurvivor · #37 07/11/11, 04:38 AM

DH does all the grocery shopping and that's usually buying at Kroger once a week. All the meat comes from the butcher. He doesn't like shopping at the dollar stores so everything paper/cleaning has to come from Kroger. I used to shop at the dollar store and get all the paper supplies like toilet paper and paper towels.

DH has the Kroger card and is signed up for the 10% off Rewards Club that's available to senior citizens on every Wednesday. He also uses the coupons that Kroger sends in the mail. He tries to understand the buy 10 deals, but that's always a big question mark on how the register's computer calculates that. DH spends a lot of time at the help desk trying to resolve questions about those charges. He also buys all gas at Kroger.

His goal is to leave the store with our usual amount of groceries and keep the total under a hundred. I think the closest he's been is $126. We do buy some junk food, but our biggest cost items are non-food.

We stock food to feed 2 adults and a cat and sometimes 4 grandkids ages 2 to 13.

Tracy Rimmer · #38 07/11/11, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bugstabber

I'm guessing the price of wheat is going up because of some very dry wheat growing areas in the U.S.

Or some overly wet ones in Canada.

Stephen in SOKY · #39 07/11/11, 11:16 AM

This is one of my favorite things about Sam's Club. I pull up my store on the computer, take my list & simply write down the prices, add it up and know what my bill will be before I enter the store. Also lets me compare Sam's pricing to the Kroger sale paper & decide which one gets my $$ that trip.

cayenne47 · #40 07/11/11, 11:43 AM

Hey GH,
We just moved from the Holland Loop area up to Rainier ,Or. which is about as northwest in oregon as CJ is southwest lol.