leith

This month, I decided to be an absolute tightwad on grocery shopping. For two of us (adults) eating three good meals a day, I spent $175 and I still have lots of food left to start next month's spree of stinginess. I don't bother checking flyers because most of the things on sale aren't stuff we'd eat anyway but here are a few of the rules that have propelled me into the higher realms of Scroogedom.
1. I buy foodstuffs with the least packaging by shopping at The Bulk Barn or the bulk bins at Superstore.
2. I invested a few years ago in a set of Kuraidori Vacuum Canisters from Home Hardware. Tomatoes, celery, lettuce, any other kind of greens keep far longer in these so there's no waste if there are only two of you and you've bought the biggest items sold as $x "each".
3. I don't buy any ice cream, soft drinks, cakes, cookies, pies or other obviously sweet stuff. Fruit juice only when on sale. Yoghurt for dessert - always some kind on sale but I don't buy any with sucralose or any other artificial sweetener.
4. Lots of stand-by dry goods in the pantry such as pasta and rice, dried split peas and my favorites - oatmeal for porridge and veggie burgers, and lentils which are a great source of protein, cook fast, and can be used for a lot of different soups and a very tasty kind of "meatloaf".
5. I buy huge bags of apples that don't fall within the store's parameters of acceptable appearance. Not overripe, bruised, or diseased, just the wrong size or shape.
6. The cost of other big bargain bags of things such as onions or potatoes I sometimes split with a neighbour or neighbours.
7. I check the unit cost on everything. It's usually on the price tag but if not, just do the math otherwise you can't compare packages of different sizes.
8. We have fresh free range eggs at breakfast every day but if perchance I do buy any eggs at a grocery store, I weight them on the produce scales and figure out the best deal. (To get the most for my money, I do this also with anything else sold as $x each,)
9. When buying spices and other small, light weight bulk items, I just tie up the top of the bag. The plastic tags can add about 10% to the weight of things that are quite expensive to start with.
10. I never go shopping when I'm hungry and I make sure I have something ready in the fridge that I can warm up fast when we get home.
We do eat a lot and and often have fish or chicken but they're not the centrepiece of most meals.
OK, so I'm a grocery store owner's worst nightmare but you can at least be one of his bad dreams. What are your strategies for the ultimate dime-squeezing? Do tell.

caretaker

What about the booze, oh wait, I just read back and saw "meatloaf" .. If we're all in a plane crash and have to resort to cannibalism you and Jsmith are going first.
Edit: Maybe not Jsmith, depends how long until we're rescued I suppose.

not2old

$175/mth, not too shabby

Outside of the booze, do you eat or consume any red meats, dairy (milk or cheese), what about breads (gluten free or other),Tea or coffee, spreads (butter, Margarine, almond or coconut substitutes) & oil - what type of oil do you use?

Do you brown bag lunches for the two of you every day, or do you spend money on food & drinks at work?

Detergents, laundry, cleaning products, paper towels, toilet paper - do you include these in your grocery basket $175

not2old

walked into my No Frills this morning & they had a store special on that 'pork loin' piece at $0.99/Ib ($2.18/kg). Don't know if its a sell off, but they had a whole bunker full, or whether it'll be in this next flyer?

Bought two of them for a combined total of $14.89, cut up into chops ... pork festival

I figure each chop cost approx $0.30 each

caretaker

March 1st is National Pig Day. One thing I really like if I can get it all together is the Cuban Sandwich, roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickle and mustard on baguette/sub bun/Cuban bun/rye.. in Florida I've seen it offered on everything. Lacking a sandwich press I used the bottom of a cast iron pot, works a charm.

Oink

Should be a national holiday.

caretaker

It began in the US as a day to pay tribute to the animal that sustained the pioneers and homesteaders, etc, but over time deteriorated into an orgy of smoke and bbq sauce, in St Pete's the smoke is hazardous. It's hard on the pigs.

not2old

coming to your area soon - would you shop at one?

New Danish supermarket sells food that is always past its sell-by date
WeFood in Copenhagen strikes a blow against food wastage by selling discounted produce that is past its sell-by date - but still edible

New Danish supermarket sells food that is always past its sell-by date - Telegraph

I shop at the one in Ajax Ontario that sells items past their 'sell-by date' or 'best before date' along with its other fresh 'best before or sell-by date'

.

BristolUK

Depends what it is, how it's packed and whether I had put it in suspended animation - the freezer.

caretaker

Depends on what I want to use it for and when, for example I don't normally eat yoghurt so don't keep it in the fridge but if I want to make curry today or tomorrow and I see some with a half price on it's due date I'll buy it. Even if I don't use more than half and have to throw it out in 2 weeks at least it was cheap. Ditto sour cream. At Christmas when I find eggnog on half price I save on eggnog but the rum bill goes up.

BristolUK

I can't say I've ever seen anything on the shelves where the date has already gone.

"cook today or freeze" is as close as it gets.

Of course, with so many food recalls happening, it's probably safer to eat food with these reductions than other foods because they haven't been recalled, whereas you might have eaten other stuff before a recall happened

caretaker

I spent quite a bit, but most was on booze. There were Quality Street tins 725g on a rack at the back of the Independent for $8.95 I think, said $11+ off so I bought one. I will get pimples if I don't take them to the office and leave them there. Lettuce (88c), 4x beans and 2x canned tomatoes at No Frills..
Family pack Mild Italian (I was reminded of my old girlfriend Rosanna) sausages and cilantro and big Becel margarine at Wholesale Club, eggs and bread and a couple of cans of unhealthy meatballs and gravy at Giant Tiger. It was all at a good price but then I went to the liquor store and a 40 of Bombay and a 40 of Lemon Hart and a 26 of Screech and a 26 of Wyborowa potato vodka was $139 and change.

BristolUK

Because she was Italian or she liked a sausage?

caretaker

Because she was so nice, a Mild Italian, a blonde from the north of Italy.

BristolUK