There are a limited number of stores that receive my family’s food business.
Ranking the choices based on how much money is spent in each store the list goes like this: (1) Walmart and Costco; (3) Safeway; (4) Grocery Outlet ; (5) Trader Joe’s.
We are fortunate living in an urban-ish environment in that there are four Walmarts and three Costcos with easy access along the fifteen minute commute to and from work. There is a Safeway within walking distance of my office. Finding someplace that either has standard low prices (Walmart, Costco) or that often has good deals (Safeway) on something is remarkably easy.
This by the way is why this blog is not about finding the best deal of the day or the best coupons; the specific things I can do here may not necessarily translate to other geographic areas. Hopefully the general approach, being a cheapskate and recognizing when a food product is priced below normal, is something that translates.
Which food is sourced where?
I purchase very little processed or pre-made food. This is not to say the amount is none. It is a big help in the morale department to be able to bring home a treat celebrating a special event or to help a young person to forget an unpleasant experience.
In general here is what I typically purchase at each store.
(1) Walmart – Fresh vegetables, meats, pasta, condiments. Usually items with a short shelf life.
(2) Costco – Canned food, milk and other dairy, flour, sugar, bulk fruit, meat. Costco is where I buy things like crackers, chips and other snack foods.
(3) Safeway – I shop Safeway for their loss leaders. Heavily discounted canned soups, discounted meats. Safeway sells a house-branded salsa DoodleMom likes. The Safeway house brand ice creams have good price to value.
(4) Grocery Outlet – Coffee. Bacon. The specialty cheese section often has some good deals. Grocery Outlet s where I go to pick up the makings for barbecued hamburgers or for the items for salads. Condiments and canned items for camping.
(5) Trader Joes – Specialty items and wine. Pretty good prices on cooking chocolate and such.
That is the process. I usually receive a shopping list from DoodleMom and while I am at the store I check for deals. Having two Young People around the house means that I need to buy milk regularly and while I am at Costco I check for specials or unit prices that are lower than normal.
Pretty simple really which is a good thing for those of us with short attention span.
Shopping This Week
