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davepamn davepamn
 

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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  May 10, 2009 04:06 PM

Do you use a grocery list and only buy items on the list?

What is your discipline level in buying groceries?
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nurseannie nurseannie
 
 May 10, 2009 04:35 PM
Even though it's just two of us living here right now, I still make a list every week. Our store sales circulars come out on a Friday- sometimes these have coupons, sometimes they don't. Our Saturday newspaper usually has at least one batch of coupons, but usually two- sometimes more than this. I always plan out our dinners ahead of time- this is how I make our list up, and non-food items I go through my head to see what we need and look through the cupboards and closets. I also go to two websites- mypoints.com and coupons.com to see if there are any printable coupons. Unfortunately one of the two grocery stores I always shop at doesn't honor printable coupons. My main grocery store is Shop Rite, and unfortunately when a new item comes out, they take 6 or more months to get this item in for some reason. If it's the case that I have a printable coupon for a new item or an item that Shop Rite doesn't stock, I usually go to Acme. Only if there is something that is a really good deal on sale and it's not on my list, will I get it. I usually do my shopping on Wed, and usually look for printable coupons on Tues and write up my list Tues night.
Asker's Rating:
• Planning meals is a great way save money. Planned meals means your buying fruits, vegetables, and meats combined into a meal.

By following a grocery list of items you need, you don't waste money. Satisification is getting exact what you want, no more or no less.

Bargin upselling wastes money because the items do not directly relate to you plan.

Try and cut your food budget to 100 dollars and see what items in the basket are not necessary.


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buddawiggi buddawiggi
 
May 10, 2009 04:10 PM
Sometimes. Im clipping coupons right now and making a list. However when I get to the store something invariably will catch my eye or I will remember something I forgot to put on the list. We try to, with the idea that this is the best way to stay on budget and save the most money.

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folkrockfa... folkrockfa...
 
May 10, 2009 04:24 PM
The grocery list isn't very flexible, but we can add things that are on sale (that we needed or wanted anyway - impulse buying is kept to a minimum in my house), or items that we forgot to put on the list.

Grocery shopping's fairly easy when you make your list beforehand, because you don't have to worry as much about forgetting something. And the process of making the list triggers my memory. When I write down "bread," I might remember that I need mustard, for example, and then I can add that to the shopping list.

The list also helps me budget, because I shop with sales circulars, so I know the exact price of many of the groceries before I even get to the store.

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davepamn davepamn
 
May 10, 2009 09:48 PM
Most experts think discount buying so not add value. You end up buying something you don't want or need.

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tracebooks tracebooks
 
May 10, 2009 05:02 PM
I pretty much do. It's because of one of two things:

I'm using The Grocery Game, where they track your area's grocery store flyers and coupon inserts, and alert you to when individual items in your area hit 12-week lows (the manufacturers operate on a 12-week cycle, and any one item will be offered at its lowest point once every 12 weeks).

OR:

I'm using a menu-mailer service, where I know exactly what I'm going to be serving for each meal and snacks, so I only need to go once to the store and can buy everything on my list at once.

Using these two services, or a combination of the two, has allowed me to save literally hundreds of dollars a month. A couple of weeks ago I walked into the grocery, spent $15 and came out with about $85 worth of food.

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