Since being here in TX, I've only gone grocery shopping in either Walmart or Kroger for all my purchases including my baby food, etc. I need to hear some advice/suggestions on where others are shopping for their groceries so I can be sure I'm getting the best prices on my items as well as quality and variety. In addition, I do also shop at Sam's Club for mostly items such as meats, chicken, fish, snack items, infant formula, cereals, sometimes toiletries and frozen items. Fresh fruit and veggies are always a concern as well as the meats, fish, etc I'm purchasing. Lastly, jarred baby food... Sorry I have such a long list/request on information. I know there are ladies here who are more wise than I on the best places and the more money we can save, the better. Thanks in advance!
Sprouts!!!
http://www.sprouts.com/
Costco starts to sell organoc food too.
http://www.costco.com/
I typically gather the Wednesday and Thursday ads and see which items on my list are on sale. Then, I get out the post-it notes and stick one to each ad, noting the sale items that I want, and list the sale price so that I have it available for comparison while I shop. Then I take those ads to Walmart. I've shopped all the stores and always spend less money at Walmart.
I do buy some meats at Walmart, but now I use Town and Country Foods. They deliver 8 months worth of meat and frozen vegetables at a time and stock my freezer for me. Before Town & Country I would make a trip to Sprouts every other Wed to stock up on whatever meat specials they had (Wed is double ad day and meat is often as low as $1.99/lb). Their meat is minimally processed with no added solutions, etc.
Sprouts also has good produce.
Also, since I typically find myself in Target at least once a month anyway, there are a few things I get there that I can't find at Walmart. Certain flavors of Breyers ice cream, their Archer Farms bread (no trans fats and no high fructose corn syrup), their peanut butter (all natural), organic frozen pizzas, and they have a better selection of organic breakfast cereals.
Another way I've found to cut costs is to simply spend less time in the grocery store. I go once a month for all of the staples and get a month's supply. Cereal, bread, lunch meat, apple juice, canned veggies, etc. -- all those things I was buying over and over again each week. Our fridge, freezer and pantry get stocked pretty well in that one trip.
I can buy 4 or 5 loaves of bread and put them in the freezer, then just pull them out one loaf at a time as I need them. Also, I check our levels of non-food items and see what will last another month or not. If it looks like we'll run out of paper towels, zip lock bags or olive oil in less than a month, I add those things to my huge shopping trip.
So, after the Big Trip, other trips to the store are quick, just to get things like fruit, milk and other perishables.
I leave the kids at home when I go out for the Big Trip, but for the short trips I have no problem lugging them in the store. We're hardly there long enough for them to cause me any trouble :-).
Hi,
As far as price, have you tried using www.thegrocerygame.com? It tells you which stores have sales and what coupon to use. The have lists for Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertsons, CVS, and Walgreens. I use the Tom Thumb and Kroger lists. I've found that I can get really great deals on toiletries and other items. Terri, the lady who started The Grocery Game, has great tips for saving money.
I go to the Neighborhood Wal-Mart to get the items I need that are not on sale at Kroger or Tom Thumb.
Hope this helps,
J.
Believe it or not....my hubby and I found that our FORMULA and other baby items (including safety locks, etc.) were a LOT cheaper at BabiesRUs!! Our little boy has moved out of diapers, and we are finding the larger boxes of training pants at Sam's...A box of 88 for $25 or so, give or take. (BRU has great prices, still, but not the big boxes of pants). The best piece of advice I can give you is to NOT shop without your grocery list, and keep the ads that come in your mail/newspaper every week, and comparison shop. It's a pain, but if you're really having to watch pennies, that's the only way to do it! (For your cleaning/personal items, I buy our stuff from a company online. They are SAFER than the stuff in the stores, and concentrated, too, so it will save you lots of money that way!) You can email me at ____@____.com, and I can tell you more about our experience! I'd love to hear from you, and Welcome to Texas!! ~J.~
I totally varies depending upon the item. I shop at SuperTarget and find their prices lower than Walmart for some items. Amazingly, I also find the quality and variety of organic produce at SuperTarget and Walmart is better than that at Sprouts many times. For the organic produce, Walmart seems to have the lowest prices. So, you really just need to sit down and look at your receipts from where you shop and see who has the lowest prices on the various items and rotate where you shop each week and stock up on the dry/canned goods when you go there. Also, if you get a credit card from Target, you get 10% off for every $1000 you spend. I save up my list for there when I have my 10% coupon. (Of course, you should pay the card off each month or it's a total waste since any savings would go to finance charges).
Definitely try Sprouts (on Cross Timbers Road, near the Kohl's and Once Upon a Child) for fresh fruit and veggies. They have really great deals and wonderful quality food. Try to go on a Wednesday, because their specials run Wed-Wed, so you get two weeks of specials if you shop on a Wed. Hope that makes sense!
I always find walmart to be the cheapest when we do our major shopping. I have heard that they will accept competitor's ads- I'm not that organized when I shop, so I haven't tried it. We also go to Sprouts for our produce- and ALWAYS on Wednesdays- double ad day.
Hi K. -
Try using the grocery game. thegrocerygame.com You can try it for 30 days free and after that the cost is minimal depending on which store you pick. The cost offsets what you save in one week. I've cut our grocery bill in half by shopping at Tom Thumb or Kroger (who ever has the best deals that I need get my business that week) and then I supplement with Walmart or Sams as needed. Its easy and just takes the Sunday paper and a bit of organization. Please take a look at it and use me as a referral. If you like it I'll get a free week, ____@____.com fun to see how much you can save each week. Yesterday I saved 48% on my bill.
I've comparison shopped WalMart, Kroger, Super Target and Alberstons, and WalMart was WAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY cheaper. I still shop sales at the other stores, but my staples, baby stuff, etc. I get at WalMart. I get all of my meat and produce at Sprouts (like a much cheaper Whole Foods), and they have a lot of organic baby foods and stuff if you prefer that stuff. I can get much better produce there than just about anywhere, usually more variety, too, and it's usually cheaper than WalMart. I also get all of my dairy at Braums - They don't add any hormones or anything to their milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc. - It's about as close to organic as you can get without paying "organic" prices. Basically it's WalMart:staples Sprouts: meat and produce and Braums:dairy. That's what I have found for best quality at the lowest prices. I'm going to keep reading responses to your question and see what other moms suggest, though. I'm always looking for a better way to do things! Good luck!
Sprouts is the best for fresh produce and organic food. Kroger Signature is also wonderful. We don't do Walmart. We rather pay a little more. Babies r us is great for formula and diapers. And, Costo is way better than SAMS. They are owned by Walmart. Not impressed with Walmart. Maybe is a west coast thing!
