Eating at home VS eating out IE Shopping

[Jacca5660]

I saw a couple of TV adds that are driving me nuts. (I know that's not a real long distance.) The first add was for TGI Fridays. It explained how it was cheaper to eat at Fridays then to stay home and cook for a family of four. There is also another add running for Wal Mart (read He**) that talk's about dinner for about three dollars a person.

My question is how many of us out there find these adds to be accurate? I know my DW (Dear Wife) and I are both from large families and neither of us grew up with a lot of money. Not poor mind you, my DW's father was a trucker and my dad was a NYC detective. Our mothers taught us how to make really good food for not a lot of money.

I find it amazing that people out there don't realize that you can make great meals for under two dollars a serving with left overs. We eat very good for not a lot of money. Here's the secret: Give up the processed foods. If you make meals from scratch you save a ton of money. Don't get me wrong, we're both Italian and were taught how to cook from when we were young. My mom used to tell me, (way before I knew what she meant.) that there were somethings in life I would need a woman for, cooking wasn't one of them.

Also another secret: Off brands. This is one of those where you have to try trial and error. Some of the off brand stuff is very good. Others are horrid.

Another secret: Discount and over stocked stores. I know on shopping day we go to three different stores. There is a United grocery around the block from us that carries over stocks from all over. We get some brands that are big up north and premium for almost nothing here because people here aren't familiar with them. They also carry over stocks from all the major grocery stores in the area. The second store we go to is Aldi's, They carry their own brands and you can save money on caned stuff and snacks. Again trial and error. We only go to Wal Mart for stuff we can't get at the other two stores.

Before shopping at Wal Mart check all the weekly grocery adds and have them with you. Wal Mart will give you the sales prices from from other local stores, they just want you to show them the add. This can save a lot of running around, you go to Wal Mart instead of all the major grocery stores. Remember coupons can save you money on stuff you normally buy. If your buying stuff with coupons just because you have it, you are not saving anything, you are just buying more.

Here's a be one: Shopping list: Make shopping list of what you need before you go shopping. Stick to it! You can cut your grocery bill by at least 20% just by staying to the list. Impulse buying will drain you. You have to figure out what your needs are VS what you wants are. Every family is different and there really is no right or wrong. Once you've made a list figure out which store is going to give more bang for you buck one what you need. I'm not saying you have to deprive your family, not at all. You just need to be smart when buying.

Remember those items at the front of the aisle are NOT bargains. Companies pay to put them there, they aren't looking to save you money! Go down the aisles and compare prices. You find things of equal value for cheaper. Try the local or regional brands instead of the national ones. A lot of them are better values.

That's just the first part of this. If anybody wants, we can get into ways using recipes and substitution to save money on our grocery bills. Give me some feed back and we'll go from there.

Please add your hints and strategies!

[agingerbugg]

Unfortunately where I live most of the grocery stores are closing due to competition with Publix (a big chain in Florida). Publix has a really really good store brand, it tastes as good if not better than the name brand. For me, driving to the few cheaper stores isn't worth it in the gas it costs me to get there (even wal-mart). I still manage to make dinner for around four dollars a person. For meat, I go to a local grocer, Ward's, which is right around the corner from my office, they have an excellent selection at cut-throat prices. Veggies I try to buy local at the farmer's market in town (we have a few and some are better/cheaper than others). Flea markets can be another good place for produce, but then again the gas to drive there is more than the savings. I cook a lot of meals that can be eaten multiple days, and will cook the same thing but season it different to add variety (my spice cabinet has more stuff than my freezer). For instance, the other night I made turkeyburgers and seasoned the patties with cumin and cinnamon, they turned out excellent. I say spices are your best friend, yes the jars can be expensive, but you don't use the whole jar in one meal; a little bit can go a long way. Experiment with different spices to see what works well and what doesn't.

I think another good point to make is budget. It's one thing to come into the store with a list and to stick to it, but if you don't have a budget in mind, you will most likely overspend.

I know people who swear by Sam's Club or Costco and save per pound on items wholesale, but they end up with a two gallon tub of mayo that goes bad after they have used only a tenth. That is not saving. If you buy in bulk, make sure you are going to use it before it expires. Toilet paper is really the only thing I think that needs to be bought in bulk (it seems I am always buying more).

Oh and plan, sit down on Sunday after dinner and plan out the weeks meals, make your lists from that and go shopping after a meal. You are less likely to impulse buy if you aren't hungry.