My 25% Grocery Savings Rule In Action-Part 2-Planning and Resources

Published January 4th, 2009

This week we move on to the second part in our series on My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in action. For those of you just joining us, you can read Part 1-Introduction. This week we will tackle probably the most important part of the system, where the real savings lie; the planning stage, and also what resources to use.

The idea for my savings rule really came into play a couple of years ago when we wanted to start eating healthier and spend less on eating out, but just felt like we didn’t have the time. I invested the time in picking out more recipes, did an overhaul of my budget, did some trial and error to figure out what works, and came up with a system.

Once I realized where my hard-earned money was going every month and over the year, I realized that there were thousands of dollars to be saved by not eating and shopping for convenience. By being organized, shopping the sales, and thinking outside of the typical “meat and potatoes” box, I could make great , healthy meals for so much less, and put that extra money towards my debt.

I’ll share with you some of the key components to planning, and how I use the resources in my area to work for me. We’ll start with the plan, then move on to what resources I use, then a run through of my weekly routine. Remember, this is just what works for me, you may have to adapt this to your individual, family situation, city, and country. The bottom line is that I use the bulk of what is already on sale at the stores that week with what I have at home to create great meals, often with leftovers for lunches in the freezer. I also use this system to buy household and personal care items such as paper products, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.

The planning stage involves 3 key steps:
1) Knowing the prices-Some people keep a price book, some have an amazing memory, whatever system works for you, you need to know inside and out the cost of the items you buy at the stores where you shop. For example, I shop at 3 discount grocery stores from major chains and I know which stores have the best prices for each item, because there are of course things you will need to buy every week that are not on sale. The other time knowing the prices is key is when using coupons. If you can combine a coupon with a sale or an already low price, this is where the savings can really add up. Since sales rotate, it also pays to know the sale prices of the common items you buy as well.

2) Making a plan before leaving home- I’m still at the stage where I shop weekly, but some people only do their shopping once a month and swear by it. I’ll go in to more detail below, but I scope out the grocery flyers/circulars and find the best deals that week, then I take a look in my cupboards, stockpile, fridge, and freezer, and come up with a plan that would incorporate some of the main things on sale into my meal plan for the week. I try to be organized, because invariably, having to go back out to the store because I forgot something adds to the expense and wastes both time and money.

3) Stick to the list/plan: This can be hard in the beginning if you’re just used to picking up what you feel like. I always buy what’s on my list, but I do leave a bit of room and have one back-up meal in case what I want is sold-out, or there is a great in-store deal on something I can incorporate that wasn’t on my list. I do find on the days when I’ve been too busy to go through the whole process, I sometimes forget things, or ended up spending more money because I didn’t plan properly.

The grocery flyers/circulars:

Both grocery and one-stop shopping stores like Walmart will have great deals to get you into the store every week.  These deals are called “loss-leaders”,  the idea is that these great deals lure you into the store and while you’re there you spend money on other things–maybe even things you don’t need :)  I take advantage of these loss leaders, and by sticking to my plan, I don’t end up getting sucked in with other impulse purchases.

It’s important to learn when the flyers come out each week.  With the click of a mouse, I can often go online where I have everything bookmarked and take a quick look at all of the flyers when they come out.  It’s always best to try to do your shopping at the beginning of the sale as good deals tend to sell out fast.  They sometimes re-stock during the week, but then you’d have to make another trip out, cutting down on your efficiency.  It’s also important to remember that the sales rotate every 8-12 weeks.  This is where, if you can afford it, keeping a stockpile comes in handy.  For example, I know what the sale price is for a case of yogurt, so I will only pay $3.99 for a case of 12 or 16, as opposed to the $6-8 dollars at regular price or at the full priced- stores.

If it works out that a great deal is at one of the other stores, and if it can be worked into mine or my husband’s routine, we’ll stop in and stock up on what’s on sale.  I don’t advocate making a special trip across town just to save a dollar.

The stockpile and pantry:

I mentioned that the sales rotate, so for me, the key is to keep enough in my stockpile so that I only ever buy a certain product when it goes on sale.  One example of this is toilet paper, we always keep a stock that I never pay more than $4.50 for 24 or more rolls.  I often stock up when it goes on for $3.99, or if packs of 30 or more are on for that price. Since I have a stockpile, I never pay full price. This applies to most of the products we use all of the time, as many of them are even brand name-items.

I also keep a well-stocked pantry.  When good quality Classico pasta sauce goes on sale, I buy.  I also always have rice, canned beans, couscous, rice noodles, whole wheat pasta, canned tomatoes, and other bases for good meals on hand–and yes–you guessed it, all bought on sale for 25% less than full price!  I also keep a stock of certain frozen veggies in the freezer.  Having these items on hand really makes it much easier because you already have part of your meal right in front of you.

Coupons:

There are many, many places to get coupons. I’ve compiled a helpful resource of where and how to find them in Show Me the Coupons! Definitely check out that post if you’re interested.

My weekly routine:

Every Thursday or Friday evening I scan the grocery flyers online, paying special attention to the items I buy that are on sale. This takes about 10 minutes.  Sometime between then and Saturday morning, I look in my cupboards, pantry, and freezer and see what I have, and what staples we are short on.  Since I’ve already seen what’s on sale, meal ideas come together in my mind.  In the bottom right corner of my grocery list are meal ideas for the week, then I make individual lists of items to be bought by store. I have my envelope of coupons handy, and am even more excited if I can match a coupon to a sale item, or to something that is required for a meal ingredient.

Saturday morning, I get up, get my recyclable grocery bags, the paper versions of the flyers that have been delivered to my house, my list, my cash, and we’re off.  I live in a small town where there are no discount grocery stores, and good grocery deals are few and far between, but my husband works Saturday mornings in the nearest bigger city about 30 minutes away.  We carpool in together, I drop him off, and then continue on my route making all of my shopping stops, ending in one big circle. For me, doing my shopping between 3 discount grocery stores is where I really get the most savings.  This works because all 3 stores are within a few minutes of each other, they all have different items on sale, and I plan my route to use the least fuel, and save the most time, getting all of my grocery shopping done in about an hour-and a-half. I then have a bit of time to do any other necessary shopping, read, whatever I like.  My husband would have had to drive in to work anyway, so I haven’t spent any extra money to drive to get the good deals–even if I did, the weekly savings would still be worth it.  My system does involve driving to another town, and not sleeping in on Saturday morning, but after 12 pm on Saturday, my husband and I have the whole weekend to ourselves!

In the next post in this series, we’ll deal with the challenges you might face, and some information for the naysayers.  See you then!

Read the rest of this series:

My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 1-Intro
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule In Action-Part 3-Challenges
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 4: Case Study #1
My 25% Grocery Savings Rule in Action-Part 5: Case Study #2

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