Overhauling my grocery shopping - where to start

amother

Tue, Jun 24 2014, 7:57 pm

Please don't laugh at me, but I need grocery shopping help. embarrassed

For years, dh did all the grocery shopping in the local kosher store, so I really have no idea what things cost, what is considered a good deal or expensive.
Now, we need to reduce our budget but how do I figure that out? How do I know if ( for example) bread should cost $2.99 but the local place charges $3.59 so it's expensive?
Also, the new place I'm moving to has a Trader joe, cotsco, shop rite and stop n shop nearby plus a small kosher grocery. How do we figure out who has the best prices, and on what items? Do I need to take my whole list w me and comparison shop?
Please help I'm so confused....

amother

Tue, Jun 24 2014, 8:08 pm

For a while I kept a little notebook in my purse with the prices of everything I often bought in it- I'd write in the prices from my receipts after I came home. After a while I found that a particular store (ship rite with coupons, in my case( was simply much cheaper than the rest and I started doing most of my shopping there.
Trader joe is much cheaper on a few particular items, I find it worth my while to go in there a few times a year and really stock up on those particular items.
Costco is a lot of fun but I don't think it's cheap at all- quite the opposite.
The town where I live has a few options for kosher groceries and some stores are much better priced than others. Either go in and compare prices on your own or just ask friends where they have the best prices.
Think of it as a game and you'll enjoy doing it.

mille

Tue, Jun 24 2014, 10:31 pm

amother wrote:

Op here I wanted to add that it makes sense to ask which place is cheapest, but how do I know what things should cost- staples like eggs, cereal, milk, bread etc. so that I know ok this price is reasonable but that one is rediculous?

It's a lot of work, but make a spreadsheet or at least a list of the common prices you pay. Circle or highlight the lowest price. When you find it for an even lower price, cross out the higher one and you have a new target to shoot for. I find it useful to know the rock-bottom-lowest price and also the common lowest price. For example, occasionally I will find pasta for 66 cents per box. Very occasionally. More commonly, I will find pasta on sale for 88 cents per box. I will buy if I need at 88 cents, but I will STOCK WAY UP at 66 cents! It doesn't sound like a lot, but 5 boxes of pasta is over a dollar savings at the lower price!

It's also helpful to look at the 'price per ounce/pound/etc' listed next to the actual cost of the item. This allows you to compare apples to apples between different products. Sometimes, you'll think the biggest ketchup bottle is the cheapest, but the price per ounce shows that two smaller bottles are cheaper than the one big bottle for the same amount. Just make sure they are comparing the same unit of measurement!

I know it's frustrating, but the more you go shopping and look at prices, the better you will get at identifying good deals. Smile

Kosheronabudget.com (as well as other blogs you can google!) have lists of things that are 'always buys' for stores like costco and trader joes. In particular, I know honey and maple syrup are really well priced at costco, Trader joes has good jarred marinara sauce for 99 cents, and the best pareve ice cream ever. But it just takes shopping in these stores a few times to figure it out.

Volunteer

Tue, Jun 24 2014, 11:07 pm

It just takes experience in shopping at different stores, over a period of at least a few weeks to get a handle on average prices of items you buy.

I have found that sometimes stores cycle their sales, so that the same items go on sale at fairly regular intervals. Also, sometimes, stores advertise something on sale when the price has been barely reduced. It takes time to get to know the cycles, so you can stock up when things go on sale.

Don't worry. You will make some mistakes along the way, but so does everybody. Don't kick yourself. That's how we learn.