skill starter- The Art of Grocery Shopping

[Leahmom]

Hey guys. I wanted to open a basic thread on a skill starter. ie The Art of Grocery Shopping..
Hope this helps.

Shopping by itself is an amazing skill. I actually work as a cashier (PT) in a grocery store. (TADA!) and let me tell you, there is a lot of stuff going on to make sure you spend the most. Little things like Hey why is the milk and the bread at the most opposite ends of the store and apart from each other? Right silly- so you can walk around the entire store and get this and this etc. Why do they play that peppy 80's dance music.. (budget what budget. I don need no stinkin budget) Actually proven to put you in a more "spendy" mood.
The lighting also usually shows veggies up particulary well. I move over to the rice aisle and give a good hard look at my lettuces etc. Make sure they really are as green as they seemed. ooh my FAV. (nods head to Amy D, TTG)
When you buy packaged veggies. WEIGH THEM> 5 lb of potatoes will weigh in a range of 4.7 to 5.25 or so.. The sorting machine approximates the weights- some bags will be ever so slightly heavier some lighter. I find it to be mostly variations on heavier -heaviest. This mean an extra potato or two in the bag. Same for apples, carrots, citrus etc....and oh oh if anyone buys a soup kit. Older not so pretty veggies peeled, sliced up and made into soup kits for big $.. I will personally come to your home and throw carrot peels at you. Old veggies and more $. The same for the little sliced celery, onion, carrots etc. You spend 30 min and peel cut and stack in water yourself. FAR fAR cheaper. not mention fresher. When things like fresh veggies go on sale, indulge, slice dice and then freeze! You would buy frozen veg anyway right? and this usually works out to be a hidden savings. People think you have to use fresh veggies right up and you can right up into the freezer. I am just saying that not everyone has to have a canning operation going on to save $ with veg. Freezer bags work just as well. Veggies stay fresh longer in water. Lots can be frozen easily and place into bags for portions. Hey I buy those mongo (huge in Leahspeak )cans. Open them up, repackage smaller and freeze. And other obvious things like companies pay for where there products are featured on a shelf. They pay stores top dollar to put there products right there at eye level. If it is kids cereal- top dollar to put it right there at the kids eye level. Look a shelf up and down. Prices drop. No kiddin. Items on End of aisle- again looks cheap, might even have a cheap item. BUT if you went thru the store collecting the least exp version of the items- you save money. Ex: A summer holiday display. Metal Cake Pan- coupons for Cool Whip/ Cake recipe and fresh blueberries on ice. Someone posted there giving "free samples" etc. You could find. knock off or store brand dessert topping, cheaper pans etc in the aisle, but it easier to dash and go. The same with all those little deli's and chicken rotisseries near the entrance. Yup they WANT you hungry and salivating even if you have just eaten. You WILL spend more.
Couponing is a good thing IF 1. You particularly buy that brand- 2. If the store brand or others is not cheaper. Hard to remember but hey noone saves a buck when you spent 3. I would say yes if you are pantry stocking and you are extremely extremely strict about placing everypenny you save into a separate account. Like literally taking the 35 c. and the 55 c. and stickin it in an envelope to be added up at the end of the month. Other than that it seems to me from the people I see it is sheer indulgence/. Ie " well I thought I would get that for 35 cents cheaper. No I haven't ever tried it , I Think we will like it and hey how can you pass up a deal like that." That is mostly what people tell me. I think wow you saved X on that brand name, hey the store brand is just as good REALLY. and cheaper. This bears repeating if you arenot used to store brands you should know alot of store branks are made by national compaines. Like Parade,Green Giant, Energizer etc...They change the labels and provide goods for second tier markets. And always get your rainchecks and do your returns if something is spotty.
When I shop
1. Take my MP3 player (b-day gift from DH ) and listen to soothing classical.
2. Have eaten and have had coffee
3. In comfy shoes
4. Have list, price book, coupons, Menu plan and kid lunch plan.
5. I have already inventoried my frig, freezer, cabinets at home and built my $5.00 challenge/comparitive food cost plan around cheap ingredients and things I already have.
and then I shop. Frankly I hate shopping- I work where I shop and it is like being at work forever, but this is one of the best things that I can do to help my family financially, so I approach it like a professional job. You wouldn't go to work at a law office unprepared right?? Why would you go shopping without a serious plan and things in place.

Anyway Secrets from behind the register...

PS..This is my only little Personal Pet peeve that I simply cannot express at work BUT.... Everyone please please put your veggies in bags before you put them on a conveyor belt. Remember raw chicken/meats go across the belt. Heaving for 3 days from an unwashed apple is just not good.
Anyway..Hope this helps and if ANYONE ELSE CAN SOUND IN>PLEASE DO!
Leah

[Scattymum]

Great post!!

[geckoace]

an excellent behind the scenes post, thank you. they do play some great 80's music at the place where i shop LOL im trying to break my addiction to baby carrots and just cut up some carrot sticks...sigh so easy and i do buy different types of squash and cut them up together and freeze them for a quick side.
how about potatoes can you cut them up and freeze them??

[justpeachy92]

Most of the stores I shop at only play the good music at night when they are stocking the shelves. Prior to 4 kids this is when I would go shopping because I wanted to hear the good music, now I prefer to sleep. It is true about the bagged produce though, the other week I got a 3 pound bag of apples that weighed in at just under 5 pounds. I don't know if it was mentioned in the other post, but when making your shopping plan, make your list by aisle so you can avoid having to go back to the other side of the store for something that was in canned goods but was on bottom of the list, like mentioned above the more we walk around the store the better chance of us putting more stuff in the cart that wasn't planned.

[Leahmom]

an excellent behind the scenes post, thank you. they do play some great 80's music at the place where i shop LOL im trying to break my addiction to baby carrots and just cut up some carrot sticks...sigh so easy and i do buy different types of squash and cut them up together and freeze them for a quick side.
how about potatoes can you cut them up and freeze them??

I do this in my own home... I bake potatoes 20-40 at a time- with skin/ slice and freeze. I have a reach in freezer (apartment sized) Then use for hash browns etc... I have tried doing it with raw potatoesand it work except that they are browny grey when thawed. Yicky...I think things like frozen french fries look good because of chemical added and also they somehow suck some of the moisture out. I have not experiemented further...I am also known for baking lots of potatos and then they make it only to the refrig- then hash, potatoe pancakes/ mashed&micro, Micro with salt and marg. Just a time saver really. If potatoes go in sale, then I bake and freeze...seems ok ...
my .02 cents
Leah

[kaykwilts]

Lots of good tips there for newbie shoppers.

[freyadog]

Thank you for the insight on the grocery store. I have copied and printed your remarks for the inside of my shopping list binder for a reminder. Thanks so much.
I also cook ahead potatoes. I leave part in refrigerator for quickie use and put the rest in freezer.
Barb

[banana]

Thank you for listing all those tips!

[SewCrafty]

Excellent post Leah, thank you!

Here is a good site to help you with how to prep and freeze vegetables. Note that some, like potatoes need to be blanched first.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5333.html

[bumplett]

great post! Thanks

I always put my meats in a plastic bag - just the idea of it dripping anything while in the cart is enough to make me yack ~

[Edna_E]

Wow! great post! My mom taught Home Economics, and was VERY focussed on the economic aspect. She'd have loved your information!

[geckoace]

Excellent post Leah, thank you!

Here is a good site to help you with how to prep and freeze vegetables. Note that some, like potatoes need to be blanched first.

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5333.html

Thanks! thats great info ive bookmarked it and im going to print it later

[Marie78]

These are great tips, I will have to remember to weigh the bagged produce next time I buy it, just to make sure I am getting my money's worth or better

[nwmissourigal]

Great Post..thanks..Kathy

[IntlMom]

Thanks!
I second the price book idea! I have one too, I can pretty well judge when any certain item is "due to be on sale". It's a great tool!