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Saving Money On Real Foods At The Grocery Store

April 6, 2011 By Emily McClements
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Guest Post by Andrea of The Greenbacks Gal:

So you’ve made the decision to green your grocery list. Most people assume that to green your groceries, you need to hand over your whole paycheck.

Not so! I have some tips on how to go green at the grocers while leaving some green in your pocketbook.

First, I want to set up realistic expectations. I do save 50 -75% off what I used to spend on groceries. But, I’m afraid TLC won’t be casting me on Extreme Couponing anytime soon. This is because I buy organic milk and eggs, grass-fed beef, and all produce on the dirty dozen list organically grown – not cartloads full of processed food.

How much do I spend each week?

My weekly budget is now about $105/week. That feeds a husband who is always training for some athletic event (which means he has the appetite of a 15 year old), two teenage girls and their gaggle of friends, and myself.

1. Plan Ahead

I always plan my purchases before I head to the store. I know I need to budget about $20 each week to buy enough fresh fruits and vegetables for my family. It works out to be just the right amount to last us the week without any spoilage. In order to stay within that $20, I purchase my produce organically grown only if it is on the dirty dozen list.

You’re probably familiar with the dirty dozen – it is the twelve fruits and vegetables that have the highest amount of pesticide residue. By buying these produce items organically grown, you reduce your exposure to pesticide residue by 80%.

2. Buy Foods in Season

My second strategy to save in the produce section is to buy seasonal foods. By buying produce when it is in season, you will not only enjoy fresher and tastier produce, you will save money, because in-season produce is priced the best.

This does mean that certain foods we enjoy are not purchased at all during the winter months of the year. For example, we haven’t had a red pepper in what seems like forever. Sweet peppers are on the dirty dozen list, and I haven’t seen an organic one priced below $4.50 for months. So I buy frozen organic peppers for my cooking, and we’ll really enjoy the peppers from the farmer’s market when they come in season.

3. Buy Local Foods

Finally, I try to buy local. I love supporting my local farmers. That said, I do live in Colorado. The growing season here is dormant for several months over the winter. This is when I do my best to at the least buy domestic.

While lots of my favorites are currently in the store – like blueberries and strawberries – they’ve traveled thousands of miles to get here. So instead, I wait until summer for my fresh berries that I’ll buy at my local farmer’s market, and I load up on sweet in-season oranges and grapefruit grown in the US during the winter.

4. Look for Reduced Dairy

To save on organic dairy, I often times will buy the “Manager’s Special”.

Honestly, this is a “luck of the draw” strategy – and it doesn’t pan out for me every week. However, I make it a point to know exactly where the markdowns are in the dairy case, and I check it whenever I’m in the store.

Also don’t be afraid to ask your store manager when they do their markdowns. I’ve found if I just pop into the store on my way home from the gym in the morning, that I can often score sweet deals. It is certainly worth saving $5 – $10 each week to take those 10 minutes.

Dairy is also the place where good coupon deals can be found. Stoneyfield Farm, Organic Valley and more will all put out coupons. Hold on to the coupon, check your weekly sales flyer, and wait for a sale. When you find a good sale price, use your coupon to further your savings.

5. Stockpile Sale Items

My last strategy for saving is to “stockpile” goods when you find a great sale. What is stockpiling? It’s simply buying as much as you can when a product is at its lowest price. For example, Whole Foods recently had it’s organic chickens on sale for $1.69/lb. That is a GREAT price on organic poultry – so I bought 6 chickens.

You also need to be patient when stockpiling. The chicken sale will probably only happen once this year at Whole Foods. But, I’ve also stockpiled Tilapia and grass-fed beef, so I have proteins I can rely on to get me to the next sale.

Obviously, it helps to have a deep freeze when you stockpile meats. Stockpiling does take time, but before you know it, your deep freeze will be full of high quality protein for your family.

Using these five strategies you can fill your grocery cart with food you feel good feeding your family, while still saving money at the same time. 

Emily’s note: I think this post is especially important as we’ve watched the prices of food climb and climb over the past weeks.  I know we’re definitely feeling the crunch in our budget! Stay tuned next week for a great giveaway of Katie from Kitchen Stewardship’s new ebook – The Everything Beans Book!  Using beans is a great way to stretch your grocery budget!

Have you felt the impact of rising grocery prices?  How do you save money on quality food for your family?

 

Andrea Green is wife to one and mom to two. She loves to share her journey to frugal, green living on The Greenbacks Gal.

All pictures by Andrea.

15 CommentsFiled Under: Green Living, In The Kitchen Tagged With: conscious consuming, family, frugal, frugal cooking, how-to, real food, saving money

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Comments

  1. Michelle says

    April 6, 2011 at 11:45 am

    Great ideas! My husband and I have purchased 1/2 pastured cow and pig in the past to always have good quality meat in the freezer and this helps to save in the long run, too. Also, I try to can and freeze fresh foods in the summer to keep all winter.

    Reply
    • Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal says

      April 6, 2011 at 7:49 pm

      Michelle, Those are both things I hope to do this year. I was too late to reserve my 1/2 pig from the local farm I’d like to buy from, so I’m on the list for next year. And I’ve just preserved my first batch of orange marmalade. The marmalade didn’t set, so I’m glad I’m getting the practice before summer’s bounty.

      Reply
      • Michelle says

        April 6, 2011 at 10:30 pm

        Andrea, that is great! It’s so handy to have it in the freezer. Also, even though the marmalade didn’t set, maybe you can use it as syrup. And you’re right, it’s good practice!

        Reply
  2. Lori H says

    April 6, 2011 at 11:48 am

    A great post, Andrea. I look forward to looking around your blog! My family has been very fortunate, in that my parents have a garden and so can and freeze lots of veggies to share with us. I have a chest freezer and try to stockpile food when I can. We are certainly feeling the pinch of rising food prices, and I fear it is going to continue.

    Reply
    • Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal says

      April 6, 2011 at 7:50 pm

      Thank you Lori! Prices are going up, so a garden is a great resource.

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    April 6, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    Just be careful buying ultra high temperature organic milk – it’s not worth it due to the high processing temperatures…also full fat dairy is MUCH better for you! Love these tips though 🙂

    Reply
    • Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal says

      April 6, 2011 at 7:52 pm

      Heather, I use only real butter and buttermilk but I do still buy skim milk. It’s a taste thing right now. But I think you have a really good point.

      Reply
  4. Erin says

    April 6, 2011 at 3:30 pm

    Great tips–glad to know we’re on the same page. Also, I buy up all the mark-down dairy and freeze it!

    Reply
    • Andrea @ The Greenbacks Gal says

      April 6, 2011 at 7:54 pm

      Hi Erin, I just started to freeze the milk to use it in smoothies. I pull it out of the freezer in the morning, so it is kinda slushy by the time the kids are home from school. Just right for a refreshing smoothie!

      Reply
      • Erin says

        April 6, 2011 at 9:37 pm

        It’s so funny b/c the cashiers always ask me if I know all the milk I’m buying is near expiration, and I say: “If I can freeze my milk and give it to my baby, why can’t I freeze this milk?” 🙂 I find it never goes bad before we can use it all out of the freezer! It does seem to take a while to thaw out all the way, but I love getting deals like this! I also watch the sales on organic milk and at least get 2 gallons (and freeze one) at the sale price!

        Reply
  5. Alice says

    August 7, 2011 at 6:48 am

    Great tips, I have to look into my local market. They might have some cheap foods that are in season. I just have to find out where I can find the local market. Since I’m travelling a lot, I need to rediscover the local market every time.

    Reply
  6. Susana says

    August 29, 2011 at 9:22 am

    Your tips are great!

    Reply
  7. marge says

    September 26, 2011 at 6:33 pm

    my husband and I have been buying local grown organic food. we have noticed a big differencein our energy levels. 🙂

    Reply
  8. kelley says

    September 28, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Thanks for one’s marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you may be a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and may come back sometime soon. I want to encourage that you continue your great work, have a nice holiday weekend!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. How To Save Money on Real Food — The Greenbacks Gal says:
    April 6, 2011 at 9:35 am

    […] so excited because today I am guest posting on Live Renewed about How to Save Money on Real Food. Tonight, TLC will air it’s Extreme Couponing show again. In my post, you’ll find, […]

    Reply

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