I think we have all seen the meme going around that states, "Buying groceries to cook, and eating out at a restaurant are starting to have the same cost". Which let's be honest it does really seem like that, especially if your area is affected by the egg shortage (I've seen $10 a dozen at some places), or trucks not being able to delivery to the stores due to inclement weather. I figured that I would share some of the places we grocery shop to get good deals on groceries. I know I have touched on this subject a bit before, but with the rising costs, I figured we can talk about it again. I'll break it down by store (ones we have shopped at in the last few days) of what prices I find where, and what has consistently been good on price (not just the weekly ad).
Stater Brothers: They usually have the best prices on meat (with the exception of ground beef, I'll get to that later). I was able to get some bacon from the meat counter for $4.99 a pound, which is pretty good for our area. Their whole chickens (that we use a lot of) are around $1.28 a pound, it went up $.30 cents, but is still a great buy. I can normally find chuck roasts there for $3.99 a pound too. Fresh produce (when the truck delivers on time) has been the best selection and price there too. Whenever they are restocking produce, I always ask if I can pick from what they are currently restocking, as it's fresher than what is out. Another great thing about Stater Brothers is their digital deals, you don't even have to add the coupon to your profile, just enter your phone number and anything you're buying will automatically apply a coupon to it if it is part of the digital deals.
Winco: I absolutely love the bulk bins at Winco, everything from our white rice pasta to tapioca starch in bulk. They also have seasonings in the bulk bins for a fraction of what you'd pay for a small name brand shaker of the same thing. If we can, we like to save our big spice containers and just refill them when they get low, instead of always getting a new container of spices. This way it helps reduce waste and also helps out on the grocery budget too. As of late we have found the best prices for Tri-Tip at Winco, at $2.99 a pound! When we have seen them for as much as $7.99 at Stater's, that price difference alone is worth the trip across town to Winco.
Sprouts: I know, a lot of you might be going, " how is Sprouts on the list for budget shopping?" I'll tell you how, they have 18 count farm fresh brown eggs for $4.79!! That is their everyday price too, not just for a sale ad, so when they are in the ad, they are even less! Their Shallots are $2.99 a pound (which is the same price as Stater's) but the selection is much better, they tend to be larger and more consistent with freshness than other stores. Sprouts also has bulk bins (not as much as Winco) but I can find Nutrional Yeast there for a fraction of what a package of Bob's Red Mill would cost me.
Sam's Club: If you're able to buy in bulk, then there are certain things that are worth the hassle of dividing up and freezing. For example, their "chub" of ground beef. We like to get the 90/10 ground beef, and I recently picked on up (It's about 10 pounds of ground beef) for $3.48 a pound, when at most local store is about $6.99 a pound or more. A lot of times you can find a large Pork Loin on sale for $1.28 a pound, we just divide it up at home into boneless pork chops and a smaller pork loin. They also have a good price on Pepperoni, we can get a big pack of Hormel Pepperoni for $10.98, and it last a whole month if not longer (we go through a lot of pepperonis). We just keep the whole package in the freezer and pull out what we need as we need it. If you are a soda drinker or like to entertain, then Sam's has great prices on flats of sodas. You can usually pick up a 35 pack of Coke's for $12.78 when a 12 pack at the local grocery store is between $6-$8 each (crazy, right).
Trader Joe's: Ah, last but certainly not least. The big reason I will drive out of my way to Trader Joe's is for their Gluten Free Flour blend that is $3.99 a pound. I know a lot of you are probably thinking that your flour doesn't cost that much, well with food allergies our prices are always higher than "normal" items, so $3.99 a pound for flour that tastes good and won't make my family sick is a great deal. When Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Flour blend is going for $9.79 a pound, you'd make the extra trip for the better buy too. Nothing against Bob's Red Mill, we use a lot of their products too, just for the cost of flour we will stick to Trader Joe's. They also have the best price on our favorite ready-made allergen friendly pie crusts (think back to the Pot Pie video), They have the 2 pack for only $4.99 each as opposed to $6.99 or more at other stores.
I could keep writing about where we shop for quite a while, but I'm going to conclude the list for now, I'm sure there will be one in Spring/Summer that has to do with fruit stands and Farmers Markets. I'm curious to hear about what deals you find in your area for groceries. Feel free to post in the Facebook group about some deals you find!
Kim
