Discount Grocery Shopping Makes for Eating on the Cheap

My husband and I are penniless for the next two weeks after paying our property taxes. So I shopped at Price Rite this week and got meals for seven days for under a hundred dollars. My total was $65.36 including the charcoal I needed for grilling two meals.

Years of living on the cheap come in handy when the budget is tight. This is how I do it.

Nothing goes to waste

I scout out the refrigerator and cupboards for ingredients that could go into some meals. This week I had Romaine lettuce, celery, and potatoes that will spoil if not eaten. I also have some corn tortillas from a thirty pack I bought for a meal last week. In the freezer I found some flank steak that I had bought when there was a two for one sale.

The Romaine lettuce can be used up in a chicken Caesar salad. The celery and potatoes go into potato soup. I will use the corn tortillas in a tortilla casserole. Then I found a recipe for lemony London broil in my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook that will work for the flank steak.

Plan meals

Even though I already had the basis of four meals, I went ahead and added three more. That check I'm expecting might not arrive before it's time for the next grocery run so I'm stretching my cash. I decided on two chicken meals since I had to buy chicken breasts anyway for the Caesar salad. A chicken stove top meal is always a quick and inexpensive option.

Since another inexpensive meat is ground turkey, Greek turkey burgers joined the menu. Due to my husband's request, I then added barbecue spare ribs.

Always make a grocery list and stick to it

I am very familiar with the two discount grocery stores near me and can make a grocery list based on what I know is available at either store. The produce at both stores has greatly improved since I first started shopping there. I am also sometimes amazed at the ethnic food available, for example, chorizo, feta cheese, ricotta, and any kind of canned bean I want.

I go through my recipes and list my ingredients according to how I will find them in the store because I don't want to forget anything. I make sure to list items needed for breakfast and packed lunches.

Produce: one cucumber (.50), 3 plum tomatoes (1.08)

Dairy: butter (2.19), feta (2.49), monterey jack cheese (1.89), milk (3.46), eggs (1.49), sour cream (.99), hubby's green tea is next to the milk (1.49)

Non-perishable: 2 cans black beans (1.31), grape jelly (1.19), peanut butter (1.99), stewed tomatoes (.49), jar of chopped garlic (1.99), cranapple juice (.99), 3 cans of tuna (2.97), corn flakes (1.15), raisin bran (1.89), fig bars (1.89), rotini (.89), 2 boxes of granola bars (3.78), juice pouches (2.49), mayonnaise (1.99), hubby's lemon-lime soda (.99)

Bread: 6 bagels (1.29), 1 loaf of sandwich bread (.79), plain pitas (.89)

Meat: 1 pound ground turkey (1.69), ribs (6.43), chicken tenders for 2.49/lb. (7.62)

It is very important to tally the grocery list before setting out. Then count up your purchases as you shop. This way you stay focused and on budget. For instance, thinking I would get two cans I allotted $3 for tuna. I ended up being able to get 3 cans for that amount. Also, when I saw that I could get a great deal on three pounds of chicken tenders (chicken breasts in smaller pieces), I went over my amount that I wanted to spend on chicken. The turkey was so inexpensive, however, that I was still under $20 on meat. I also have enough chicken for an eighth meal.

Go to the regular grocery store second

I forgot to get milk at the discount store, duh. It was right next to the green tea too! But, I still needed charcoal for grilling the Caesar salad chicken and the flank steak. That was a quick stop and I was done.

Stay stocked up on key ingredients

The above grocery list is really lean. I can go lean like this once a month because I have a good supply of frequently used ingredients. At least two of the items on my grocery list were restocks: the rotini and a 32 oz. jar of minced garlic in water. I always like to have my pantry stocked with the basics for making anything. Flour, sugar, salt, corn starch, vinegar, oil, soy sauce, my favorite spices, pasta, rice, and saltine crackers. In a pinch if I have eggs and rice and left over vegetables or meat, it is fried rice for dinner. In a super pinch I make gruck, poor man's soup, or pancakes.

What is gruck?

Gruck is a staple from college days which usually starts with boxed macaroni and cheese and goes from there. Use your imagination and whatever you can find in your kitchen.

Challenge yourself

Discount grocery shopping is a challenge that takes commitment. It takes time to plan meals and go to two separate grocery stores. It takes discipline to stay away from the pre-packaged frozen section where meals seem easy but add extra pounds. But for those willing to cook, there is plenty of healthy, reasonably priced food at the discount grocery store.

It might surprise you how great a variety of food there is at a discount grocery store. Most of what you need is there. These stores save money by not advertising much, hiring fewer employees, and offering their own generic brands. Be prepared to take your own grocery bags or to purchase some for ten cents or so apiece. Also be prepared to do your own bagging. Don't mind the work though, the savings are worth it.

Every time I have to go low budget, it reminds me of our earlier days when we could barely meet the mortgage. Yet, we had a roof over our heads. So what if we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch every day. Now I get a kick out of getting as much as I can out of every dollar. Next time when I head out discount grocery shopping, I hope to be able to afford all the ingredients for lasagna!