#it just. reminds me of family members and year 7/8/9 beef
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for the ask game in mission 3 (i bet you saw that comin LOL) ALL OF THEM ! have fun~ - 🌚
ATINY ANON PROJECT ⤏ MISSION #3
Ohoooooo im sorry this took so long but it was so fun haha i hope you laugh a little!! 😂💖
1. Which 3 members of Ateez would you get on well with the most, and why?
A: I honestly think it would be Hongjoong, Jongho and and Yunho. They seem the most chill to me and would be able to to just hang out and do nothing and be ok with sitting in silence lol.
2. If you were to take your bias(es) somewhere in your hometown/ the place you live where would you go?
A: Besides taking San to my family compound I would definetely take them hiking on the loop trail thats behind my house and to the swimming tide pools that are like not even a minute down the road. We could hike in the morning, have lunch at my house then end at the beach watching the sunset wow lemme just take all of them actually.
3. What genre of movie would you watch with each member?
Hongjoong: Historical documentary
Seonghwa: Drama
Yunho: Fantasy
Yeosang: Thriller
San: Thriller so we can be scared together lmao
Mingi: Action
Wooyoung: He’s attached to San’s hip so Thriller as well
Jongho: Detective/Mystery/Spys idk what to call it
4. Which Ateez member do you personally relate to?
A: I relate to Seonghwa a lot because I’m the oldest of all my siblings and I’m constantly looking after them because they stress me ooouutttt. He’s witty and honest and I like to think that I am too. When I open up to people I’m very giving and I feel like he does the same thing.
5. What is your favorite live stage from Ateez?
A: this hala hala perf. because San and Seonghwa are demons and YEOSANG OMFG and this desire stage because wow so close
6. Do you have any similarities you share with any member?
A: ok so Wooyoungs got a mouth and he runs it....i do too lol. Him and Yunho are potterheads and I ate that shit up breakfast lunch and dinner all throughout school someone please admit us to Hogwarts. I’m scared of hella stuff like Mingi never let us go to a haunted house together. I’m low key an attention black whole i swallow it up so fast and I need more like someone please sit by me and talk to me but not my sister ew leave me alone she just annoys me. That reminds me of San lol. ooooooo kk last one I dance and when I’m performing I’ve been told I look menacing but then i go offstage and I shy again lol. idk i guess Yeosang? Seonghwa? all of them? I ALSO HAVE A BESTEST FRIEND THAT I HAVE KNOWN FOR 10+ YEARS NOW WE PRACTICALLY TALK IN EACH OTHER’S HEADS AND I LOVE HER SOOOO MUCH that reminds me of the friendships San/Yeosan/Woo and Yunho/Mingi have.
7. Which member would you switch bodies for a day?
A: I want to switch bodies with Yunho because I wanna be that tall for a day just to see what the air is like up there. AND ALSO TO DANCE MY ASS OFF I WOULD GO STRAIGHT TO MILLENNIUM AND SAY PUT ME IN THE NEXT VID IM READY COACH.
8. Which member makes you laugh the most?
A: Bro Mingi always gets me even when I think I can hold it in he a clown. the most goodest adorable cute boi clown.
9. Which member would you trust to dye your hair?
A: JOONG JOONG JOONG NOT ANY OF THOSE OTHER CRAZIES TOUCHING THESE LUCSIOUS LOCKS NO SIR.
11. What fruit do you associate the members with?
A: for this one i have no idea why this is just what popped into my head when i thought of them
Hongjoong: Pineapple
Seonghwa: Cherry
Yunho: Blueberries
Yeosang: Grapes
San: Kiwi
Mingi: Mango
Wooyoung: Strawberries
Jongho: Honeydew melon lol
13. Is there a (not ateez) song that makes you think of a member?
A: Lick by Cardi B will always make me think of my son Jongho being the rudest boi to ever live and it makes me so proud go off Jongho you a bad bish.
14. Is there a hairstyle you really want to see on your bias?
A: Brown hair San is soooo soft but black hair San rules my lyfe so I stand by it. He looks hot any way so I know I’ll never not like what he does with it.
15. Which member would you choose to accompany you on a long car ride?
A: Are they driving? If they are driving then Seonghwa because I know he will be diligent. If we are just passengers then Yunho becuase I heard he gives good hugs and we can play games and keep each other from getting bored. He also has a magical snack pocket so we can munch.
16. What food would you love to cook for a member?
A: wowowowow ok I would actually bring them to a big family party because local families don’t mess around with our food selection we bring everything. kalbi, beef stew, poke, poi, BUTTER MOCHI OMFG YUM, so much other stuff. If I had to choose one thing though it would be pan seared rosemary venison made from axis deer back straps. Its the most tender melt in your mouth meat and with au jus sauce? yes please THESE BOYS LIKE MEAT I WILL GIVE IT TO THEM.
17. Which member would you choose to put an outfit together for you?
A: I would let San dress me any day because he is so wacky and from what I’ve seen of him wearing his own close he likes comfort/athletic stuff. My style is super variable so I have no qualm with dressing like a badass 1 million dancer for the day. You also know I’m obsessed with the purple animal print shirt so this is no surprise lol.
18. Rank your bias’ looks throughout all Ateez eras.
A: Omg don’t make meeeee umm Say my name, Wave, Pirate King. you know what order lol
19. Who do you think has the best eyebrows in Ateez?
A: bro high key Seonghwa could slit my throat on his brow they are thiqué and the ends are so sharp yes teach me how
20. What job do you think would suit each member if they weren’t idols?
Hongjoong: Fashion designer all around ARTIST
Seonghwa: Teacherrrr???
Yunho: Firefighter wowowow hot so hot
Yeosang: Lab tech, research scientist at a university
San: Hotel manager, public relations
Mingi: Police officer
Wooyoung: Pilot
Jongho: Professional Athlete in any sport the boy is a sports genius
#atiny anon project#🌚 anon#atiny anon project mission 3#this was so fun esp. the movie and job one hahaha#POLICE MAN MINGI? FIREFIGHTER YUNHO?#I THINK IM IN NEED OF SOME ASSITANCE
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class discord is where we go to clown on the class whatsapp
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Getting to know me: a novel
@ignisgalaxia @imaginationdrift @bizships @lodessa and @streepmulgrew have all tagged me for this, and I just can't take the peer pressure any longer. However, I'm so long-winded everyone will surely be very sorry that you five ever asked me. I will try very hard to put most of this below a "read more" link, but my mobile app doesn't play nicely with that feature any longer, so I truly deeply and sincerely apologize if yours doesn't either and you get a callus scrolling past all of what follows on your way to the gifsets you're on Tumblr to enjoy.
1. Relationship status: married -- legally and everything. It was the mid-'90s. I was considering having a religious ceremony but forgoing the state-recognized marriage license part, in solidarity with same-sex couples who at the time and for many years afterward were denied that privilege. However, my father absolutely put his foot down (something he almost never did with me, especially in my young adulthood) and insisted on the marriage license. He supported marriage equality, but he was thinking of my economic security in case our marriage didn't last. He was right to do, as I ended up taking many years out of the paid workforce to raise children, which I hadn't planned on doing when I decided to marry.
In case Tumblr is stupid, right here is where I’ve inserted a “read more” link as I’m writing this post. I tried.
2. Lipstick or chapstick: Usually neither. Actually, never literal Chapstick because that stuff is made out of petroleum and isn't good for your skin. I learned that when I was playing a lot of flute in high school and college and had to take extra special care of my lips to play well. If the weather gets really cold and dry, which it rarely does where I live, and if I can hang on to any of the half-dozen tubes I buy every year but which invariably get swiped and then lost by family members, I use a Burt's Bees lip balm. I seem to have a knack for finding them barely-used in the bottom of my purse during the warm months and then never having one at hand when I actually need it. I think I own one lip pencil currently and I'll sometimes use that to outline my lips when I'm doing some sort of special-event public speaking kinda gig but I don't wear any make-up normally. My husband claims that I knew full well it was a date the first time we got together socially because I wore make-up. I have never admitted to him that he is correct, but he is.
3. Three favorite foods: Too many to narrow down to just three. I enjoy and appreciate a wide range of foods. Things I enjoy and appreciate perhaps a tad more frequently than I ought to in the strictest interests of nutrition are chocolate in almost any form, ice cream (especially that of the chocolate persuasion and most especially any form of peanut-butter/chocolate), and Starburst brand jellybeans, which my son and I share somewhat ritualistically most evenings after dinner (which is somehow not the same thing as for dessert.) Why yes, I do have a sweet tooth -- why do you ask?
4. Song stuck in your head: Currently "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (I had to google that.) I don't know why but suspect it was on TV this evening, which makes me fear that it may be the campaign song for some politician I would never vote for. Which reminds me -- US citizens, please double-check that you are registered to vote and make a plan for voting in the upcoming midterms! This will probably the most important election of your entire lifetime, past or future, no matter what your age, and in many races in many states, voter turnout will be the single deciding factor in who controls the future of our country for a very long time to come. Please vote!
5. Last movie you watched: "Crazy Rich Asians," with my husband, unwisely just two days after I had minor (but surprisingly butt-kicking) surgery. We went to the first matinee showing on a Saturday and actually arrived at the theater before it even opened, a sure sign of mature middle age if I've ever heard of one. We both loved the film -- it was glitzy, funny, extremely well-written and -acted, got all the Chinese cultural details right, offered caricatures but no stereotypes, was very female-centric and multi-generational, and of course starred the exquisite and inimitable Michelle Yeoh who also plays Philippa Georgiou on Star Trek: Discovery. Laughed until my belly hurt (literally, sadly) and then went home and slept the rest of the day.
6. Top three shows: This will sound really strange for someone who is on Tumblr because of TV show fandom, but I don't watch TV. I grew up with Star Trek TOS reruns and movies, then TNG in college & grad school, then Voyager until extended stays abroad made it impossible to keep up with (back in the days before streaming and VPNs.) I reconnected with Star Trek in summer 2017 when I was home alone for six weeks and binged all of Voyager and then started digging up fanfic for all the reasons all the Voyager fans turn to fic -- to fix what the show's writers mutilated -- and now here I am, but I don't watch TV, and when I do it's the nightly news or whatever sports my husband is watching and then it's just because I feel like sitting in the same room with my husband at that particular time. The one exception to this fact about me is that I did watch Star Trek: Discovery as it was being released last year, and even got my teenager into it. (He is a Netflix addict but never watched any Star Trek anything before that. I don't know where I went wrong with this child.)
7. Books I'm currently reading: Eternal Tide by Kirsten Beyer because @voyager-book-club; Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (audiobook but I'm counting it); Five Ways to Forgiveness by Ursula K. LeGuin, Soul at Work: Spiritual Leadership in Organizations by Margaret Benefiel; Pachinko by Min Jin Lee; and Selecting and Using Breastfeeding Tools: Improving Care and Outcomes by Catherine Watson Genna. Except that the last three books on the list are ones I have at hand and keep wanting to read but haven't so much as opened yet. But including them gives you a more complete sense of my interests.
8. Last thing I googled: "you ain't seen nothing yet lyrics" because #4 above. Before that, "instant pot beef stew recipe." No need to look further back in my search history (she said during a break from writing smut.) *whistles innocently*
9. Time: 10:30pm as I write this. No idea when I'll post it or when you'll read it. This seems like a silly question to include for a post of this nature.
10. Dream trip: India. But I've also never crossed the equator and really feel I should someday, so who knows, maybe I'll find a way to drop in on all the Australian friends I've made in Voyager fandom. Now wouldn't that be lovely?
11. Anything you want: Anyone who knows me in real life (and anyone hanging around the Voyager Book Club discord server) knows I never shut up about breastfeeding support and advocacy. But I always try to make it clear that I'm not preaching at parents about how they should feed their babies; rather, I'm working to help parents who want to breastfeed overcome any challenges they encounter. I save my preaching for the folks involved with policy and institutional barriers to breastfeeding, and when it comes to the unethical and demonstrably harmful advertising practices of the infant formula industry, my preaching leans hard toward the hellfire and damnation variety because that is some truly evil shit, folks -- the advertising practices, not the formula milk itself; let's be very, very clear about that.
Rules: Tag 15 people you want to get to know better.
Here I shall echo @imaginationdrift: "(Really?! That sounds like a number chosen by an extroverted maven.) / Ok, here goes. / FEEL FREE TO: never complete this. I won’t be disappointed, promise." Also, apologies to those who have already responded -- feel even freer to ignore.
@garrulus @rikerssexblouse @klugtiger @ussjellyfish @kate-coleman-writes @lameraextranjera @armitagetrekkie @warp6 @admiralkatcornwellfan @zjofierose @writtenndust @trekkiefeminist @quirkette100 @nerdfishgirl @hoidn
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Shopping Trip Items to Keep Track of For Both Present and Future Reference-Initiated/Started by 1011 pm Saturday November 4m 2017
Shopping Trip Items to Keep Track of For Both Present and Future Reference-Initiated/Started by 1011 pm Saturday November 4m 2017
Disclaimer/Preface/Please Note: I Stella Carrier must make it clear that I am in process of increasing and improving my knowledge, wisdom, and intuition as with many other people both within the United States and worldwide; Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Africa,Europe, Asia, Latin America etc for both present and future. Therefore I Stella Carrier am still learning towards what information I can use to become a subject matter expert. As a result, I am sharing and keeping this information to be free of telling others what to do yet I Stella Carrier am writing this more in order to write and archive online details for both present and future that I can use towards various writing ideas, present and future investment ideas etc for both present and future in all areas of my life.
Store; Giant Food 3521 East West Highway Hyattsville Maryland near the Prince George’s Plaza metro station and the Prince George’s Plaza mall open until 12 am today Saturday November 4, 2017
I Stella Carroer walked at least a total of approximately 5 miles (2.5 miles each way) from my apartment to Giant Food grocery store and back while my sweet husband waited for me at home. I am saying this not to show off yet more to write and record how my shopping habits are when I am shopping with my husband andor any of my friends compared to when it is just me shopping.
The time that the receipt shows me checking out and scanning the items on the Giant Food self store checkout machine;853 pm sarurday november 4 2017
Stouffer’s Classic Five Cheese Lasagna 96 ounces (6 pounds)
Hormel Slow Simmered Beef Roast AuJus net weight 15 ounces
Toaster Strudel pastries cream cheese and strawberry 23.4 ounces Pillsbury Brand
Tropicana Strawberry Peach juice 59 ounces
International Delight Egg Nog Classic one quart
Giant Brand Whole Milk Vitamin D half gallon
Marzetti Brand Old Fashioned Caramel Dip 16 ounces
Johnsonville Brand Flame Grilled Garlic & Herb Chicken Breast 9 ounces
Kraft Brand Mexican Four Cheese 8 ounces
Kraft Brand Italian Five Cheese 8 ounces
Giant Brand Honeycrisp Apples 48 ounces (3 pounds)
Guerrero Brand 20 fajita flour tortillas
Pure Leaf Brand Extra Sweet Tea 18.5 flowing oz bottle
I have actually already learned the challenging way and now understand the easier way why saving money must be made a higher priority for my situation especially to save at least 6 months or more of my after tax paychecks a year from now or less even before I saw this article tonight. However, I am keeping this link more or less as a gentle reminder.
Money might be able to buy happiness overall — especially when you're saving it
By Business Insider
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/m/1aca9567-7f42-3862-86d7-86b2286df004/ss_money-might-be-able-to-buy.html
Money might be able to buy happiness overall — especially when you're saving it
By Liz Weston Nerdwallet
http://www.businessinsider.com/money-might-be-able-to-buy-happiness-especially-if-youre-saving-it-2017-11
affirmation; I Stella Carrier become wiser, more creative, and more interesting each day in all areas of my life both present and future.
By November 2018 or sooner
https://www.merrilledge.com/offers/retirement?cm_mmc=gwm-selfdirectedbrokerage-_-ttd-_-728x90_600%20401k_bigpicture.html-_-2017_merrill_edge_baseline_display
I feel blessed to have come across and now know about this article as there is information to suggest that script doctor Eric Pearson’s persistence paid off. It is clear that he has a passion for writing and he successfully created his own door of opportunity. I hope he enjoys more career success for years to come. I know that Polowy is only coming from a good place when writing and publicly sharing this story. However, the only caveat to this story is that there are details to suggest that Polowy was at first considering giving up living in California all together until one of his scripts paid off. I am glad that he prevailed to great success. However, I do believe that it is possible to still live in whatever place (U.S. state) you prefer regardless of how your career dreams materialize and that sometimes a closed door can become an open door andor an even better pathway to a more lucrative door in the present and future when a person has intent to stay residing in a particular area regardless of how long it takes to achieve their career andor money goals. This is especially if a person has the option of being able to freely choose whatever U.S. state they prefer to reside in for the rest of their current lifetime. I admit that I may be partial in saying this as I am blessed to have been born an American female who has the option of freely choosing whatever U.S. state I prefer to reside in for the rest of my current lifetime (especially since I am blessed with a husband who is supportive of wherever I choose to reside long term for the rest of my current lifetime). However, I feel that there are many other adults who can freely choose wherever they reside within the United States for the rest of their current lifetimes. It is just a matter of being open to follow where you prefer to reside regardless of how you may be publicly judged for your personal reference.
How 'Thor: Ragnarok' screenwriter (and former pizza guy) Eric Pearson became Marvel's go-to script doctor
By Kevin Polowy
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/thor-ragnarok-screenwriter-former-pizza-guy-eric-pearson-became-marvels-go-script-doctor-001743890.html
Bob’s Discount Furniture link
https://www.mybobs.com/riley-10-piece-king-comforter-set?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=retargeting&ctocode=979373361-72470
Interior Design; Chandeliers of the 2017 DC House by Virginia Coyne
http://washingtonlife.com/2017/10/27/chandeliers-of-dc-design-house/
Virginia Beach Virginia link Virginia Vibe
http://thedailylifevb.visitvirginiabeach.com/post/virginia-beachs-vibe-colorful-creative-inspired?utm_campaign=fy18-vblt-lifestyles&utm_source=trade-desk&utm_content=fy18_198&utm_medium=media
Café Stella
Cafe Stella to Open New Location on Granby Street by The Main
April 18, 2017 By Jesse Scaccia
http://altdaily.com/cafe-stella-to-open-new-location-on-granby-street-by-the-main/
Condolences to the friends and family member of the US service member who died Saturday as referenced by this article. Additionally, may the soul/spirit of that service member rest in peace and be in a happier place. US service member killed during operations in Afghanistan
By Luis Martinez and Morgan Winsor of Good Morning America
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/us-member-killed-during-operations-afghanistan-185205323--abc-news-topstories.html
5 STEPS TO DEEPENING YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR SPIRIT GUIDES
By James Van Praagh
http://www.vanpraagh.com/5-steps-to-deepening-your-relationship-with-your-spirit-guides/
Songs for me to keep in mind from an iheartradio playlist from today in shuffle mode: I Can’t Stay Away by the Veronicas,Hall of Fame by Script feat. William of the Black Eyed Peas, Saturday I Like To Move It by Basshunter, Out Of My League by Fitz and the Tantrums, I Am The Bullgod by Kid Rock, Freekn You by Jodeci, Lucky by Jason Mraz feat. Colbie Caillat,Dance Hall Days by Wang Chung, Bubbly by Colbie Caillat, Loveshack by the B-52’s, The Walker by Fitz and the Tantrums, A Horse With No Name by America, You Might Think by the Cars, Only In My Sleep by the Corrs, Addicted to Love by Robert Palmer, Best Day of My Life by American Authors Wonderland by Natalia Kills, The Middle by Jimmy Eat World, Dance For You by Beyonce,Electric Head Part 1 by White Zombie, Cake by the Ocean by DNCE, Trip Switch by Nothing But Thieves, Mesmerized by Amethystium, Caught Up In You by 38 Special, Boys and Girls by Blur,Broken Wings by Mr. Mister, I Feel You by Depeche Mode, I Would Like by Zara Larsson feat. Gorgon City, Rock You Like a Hurricane by Scorpions, Magic by B.o.B feat. Rivers Cuomo, Possum Kingdom by the Toadies, Come Undone by Duran Duran, So Alive by Love and Rockets Touch Me by Armin Van Buuren; Unique Category;I Love A Rainy Night by Eddie Rabbitt (my sweetie handsome was spontaneously singing it earlier Sources I prefer to keep secret; You’re The Best Thing by the Style Council, Freekn you by Jodeci, Feenin You by Jodeci,World In My Eyes by Depeche Mode, Roam by the B-52’s, Rabbit Heart Raise It Up by Florence and the Machine, It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones
rity71 \2�Z�H
Wednesday November 22, 2017
Seltzer’s Sweet Lebanon Bologna 12 ounces
Lunch Mate Hard Salami 8 ounces
Giorgio Brand Sliced Mushrooms Fresh n Clean 8 ounces
High Pulp Nature’s Nectar Orange Juice 59 fl ounces
Specialty Selected Lattice Cut Aged Cheddar and Black Pepper Kettle Chips net wt 7 ounces
Little Salad Bar Classic Guacamole 2 qty 8 ounce pouches
Parkview Cheddar Brats 14 ounces
Jamestown Brand Sliced Bacon net wt 16 ounces
Bake House brand Crescent Rolls 8 Ready to Bake Rolls 8 ounces
Season’s Choice Broccoli Bake Broccoli in a Creamy Cheese Sauce 24 ounces
Tasteful Selection Simply Amazing Potatoes 24 ounces
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35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
One of the reasons why it’s so important to save money on groceries is that it’s one of those expenses that you have the most control over. Think about it. You can’t reduce your house payment quickly, or your car payment or your health insurance premium. That means that you need to find other places to save money – and groceries are one big category where you can.
To help you in that effort, were providing 35 ways to save money on groceries. Pick any 10, and I’m betting that you can reduce your grocery bill noticeably.
That’s best done at different stages of the grocery shopping process.
Do Your Homework – What to Do Before You Head Out
If you’re serious about saving money on groceries, there are a few things that you need to do before you even leave home.
1. Have a Detailed Shopping List
This may sound really old-school, but you should never go grocery shopping without having a list that details everything you need. Not only is this a reminder of what you need to buy, but it also acts as a failsafe to keep you from buying what you don’t need. (HINT: always stick to your list!)
You should also make a practice of checking off a few items that may not be entirely necessary. The reason for doing this is that if it looks like you’re going over your budget, you can cross these items off the list.
2. Review the Grocery Store Brochure for Specials
Virtually every grocery store puts out a weekly flyer that advertises their specials for the week. You should always pay close attention to this brochure. Any items that are on sale could be a tip to stock up on those. Also, highlight the specials on your list so that you know to look for them once you’re in the store.
3. Get Your Coupons
Couponing isn't nearly as much of a pain as it used to be. With apps like Ibotta, you can select coupons on your mobile device as you are in the store or before you leave your home. Once you are done with your trip you only need to scan your receipt to receive your credit. Top online coupon apps include:
Ibotta
Checkout 51
SavingStar
Along with the digital option you can always do the old school coupon cutting which can many times be stacked on top of the digital coupons above. The process may be tedious, but clipping coupons can add up. If you can save $10 on a $200 weekly order, you can save over $500 a year.
4. Look for Manufacturer’s Coupons for Higher Priced Items
Don’t limit yourself to in-store coupons. Many manufacturers offer coupons on their websites that aren’t available elsewhere. Check out the websites of the brands of higher priced items, and see what’s available before you go shopping.
For example, razor blades are notoriously expensive. But before you go to the store, check out the Gillette website and look for coupons.
Another more general source is Coupons.com. The have coupons for a wide variety of manufacturers, which will give you access to deals on a large number of products on one website.
5. Organize Your Coupons
Accumulating coupons can create a mess. Not only do you have multiple coupons from various sources, but you may also have some that have expired. It can be a real nightmare to match up coupons with the actual products that you need to buy.
You can actually buy wallets designed specifically for coupon organizing. They’re usually set up alphabetically, something like a very small and portable accordion file. But they can enable you to find the coupons that you need quickly when you’re at the store.
It can also help if you notate on your shopping list any items that you have coupons for. This will remind you, while you are at the store, to pull out the matching coupon when you find that item.
6. Set a Spending Budget
This is one of the very best but most underrated ways to stay on budget with groceries. If you go into a grocery store without a budget, you’re doomed to feel bad about how much you spent by the time you get home.
You can fix that by setting a fixed dollar amount – say, $200 – and staying within that budget no matter what. If by the time you get to the end of the store you realize that you’ve gone over budget, you can simply put a few items back (remember in Tip #1 I mentioned highlighting a few items on your list that may not be entirely necessary – this is where you put that to work).
7. Tally Up Prices as You Shop
As you buy items and check them off your list, enter the price of the item on the right side of the list. Before you check out, total up your purchases. That will let you know what your grocery bill will be before you check out. If you’re over budget, this is the time that you can decide what items you’ll put back.
But it has an important secondary purpose too. By knowing what your total bill will be before you check out, you will be able to quickly know if you are overcharged for any items.
For example, if your list total is $200, but the final bill comes to $212, you’ll immediately know there’s a problem. You can investigate it, and take care of it before you leave the store. That will avoid having to make a return trip, if you wait until you get home to find the error.
8. Eat a Good Meal Before Heading Out
This is probably the most common tip for saving money on groceries, but that’s because it’s an effective one. If you go to a food store on an empty stomach, you’re virtually guaranteed to buy more than you planned. But having a good meal beforehand will help you to stay within budget.
9. Have Smartphone Apps Ready
There are some good smart phone apps available to help you save money when you go grocery shopping. Check out these three:
Flipp allows you to check for deals on groceries by matching circulars with coupons from popular name brand manufacturers. It actually serves as a paperless coupon source, once again avoiding the need to pack in paper coupons.
Grocery Pal sifts through your grocery list and identifies items that are on sale at both grocery stores and discount stores. Some of the retailers that they work with include Safeway, Kroger, Food Lion, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, ALDI, Kmart, Harris Teeter, and some of the dollar stores. It can help you to know if there are better deals on high-priced items or staples at different stores.
Choose Where You Shop – Carefully
Where you shop has a lot to do with how much you pay for your groceries. Here are strategies to keep you out of the places where you will spend the most money, and in the ones where you’ll find the most savings.
10. Avoid Upscale Food Stores
You know those boutique grocery stores that seem to be popping up all over the country? Avoid them like the plague. They may have high quality items, but they’re designed for people who don’t need grocery budgets.
11. Join a Food Wholesale Clubs
You have to be careful here because the stores usually don’t have everything that you need. And since they sell in bulk, there’s a real potential to buy more product than you need (see #35 below), which is a complete waste of money. But they can still be excellent places to buy staples in bulk at lower prices.
The popular examples are Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s. You usually have to join and pay a small membership fee, but once you do you can take advantage of all the discounts that they have available.
12. Check Out ALDI
If you’ve never shop there, ALDI is a bit unconventional. That’s because it’s a food retailer that’s based in Germany. But they’ve opened hundreds of stores across the US, and a plan to keep growing.
That’s a good thing, because ALDI really does have lower prices than grocery stores on most items. Like the wholesale clubs, they don’t have everything, nor do they have a wide selection in each category. But you can save a lot of money, particularly on staples like milk, bread, cheese, eggs, cereal and orange juice.
13. Become a Preferred/Loyalty Member of Your Favorite Grocery Store
Some stores have very low advertised prices, but if you’re not a loyalty member you’ll pay something higher. An example of this is the Kroger Plus Card. Kroger has low advertised prices, as well as low prices marked at the store. But they have two prices, the one for members in the one for nonmembers. Trust me, you’ll want to become a member.
14. Avoid Duplicate Purchases if You Shop at More than One Store
If your shopping strategy involves shopping at more than one store, be very careful not to duplicate purchases. For example, if you buy meat, milk and eggs at a warehouse club, but do your regular shopping at your local grocery store, you’ll need to avoid buying meat, milk and eggs at that store too.
Once You’re in the Store…
I’m guessing that most people are probably not aware of it, but grocery stores are specifically laid out in a way that will get you to spend more money than you would. Here are strategies to get around that trap.
15. Go Easy on the Beef
We can blame the use of corn in the production of ethanol for high meat prices, but it seems to have especially impacted beef prices. You can save a lot of money by buying less beef and more other meats.
For example, I’m looking at a grocery store flyer that shows beef sirloin strip steak at $6.99 per pound. The same flyer shows center cut pork chops at $1.99 per pound, and turkey tenderloin tips at $2.99. They’re also showing $0.69 per pound for chicken leg quarters. That’s a savings of $5 and $4 per pound on pork and turkey, and more than $6 on chicken.
16. Avoid Meals-in-a-Box
You can generally assume that any prepared meal that comes in a box or package is going to cost more than a meal that you prepare yourself. If you’re trying to save money, these meals are always best avoided. This is particularly true if you have a family to feed, since you’ll have to buy a meal for each member of the family. The math just doesn’t work out in your favor with these meals.
17. Buy in Bulk When Staples are on Sale
Don’t be afraid to stock up on products that you regularly buy when they’re on sale. This can include items like meat, cereal, butter, beans and pasta. All can easily be stored, and no matter how much you buy, you’ll use them sooner or later. This can be a real opportunity to save some serious money on groceries.
18. Don’t be Swayed by the “5 for $5” Come On
Hopefully you understand that these offers are designed to get you to buy more of an item than you actually need. This is a real problem if it’s something that you don’t usually use. You may use two or three items, and end up throwing the rest out.
If an item is advertised as “5 for $5”, or “10 for $20”, or whatever the arrangement, convert the package to a single item in your head. For example, a single item might be just $1. If you only need two, then you can usually get them for $2. The point is, you don’t have to buy all five (or ten) to get the deal.
19. Avoid Name Brands – If it’s “Cool” It’ll Cost More
Store brands are almost always less expensive than popular name brands. As long as the quality and flavor of the store brand is reasonably close to the national brand, you should favor the store brand, especially the price is much lower.
Also watch out for any item that’s “cool”. Cool always costs more! You can usually figure this out easily. Just look for the items that are being advertised a lot on TV. And always remember the cool items mean that you’re paying for all that advertising.
20. Don’t Buy Something Just Because it’s “On Sale”
Some people just can’t resist a sale. In their minds, it translates into ”I’m saving money.” That may be true – if you actually need the product. But if the only reason that you’re buying it is because it’s on sale, then your spending money to no real advantage.
21. Avoid Buying Small/Single Servings
This gets close to the meal-in-a-box problem, but it extends to more items. It makes sense if you are in fact a single person. But if there are two or more people in your household, it makes little sense to say, buy milk by the quart. That’s because buying four quarts of milk usually costs a lot more than a whole gallon.
22. Pass on the Prepared Foods
This includes meals that are prepared in-store, and are typically available at the deli counter. Regular grocery stores are increasing their offerings of prepared foods, making them harder to escape. But any food item that’s prepared in-store is going to be more expensive than the same items prepared at home. You may need or want these items from time to time, but don’t make it a habit. They’re more like restaurant light than grocery items.
23. Watch Out for Impulse Items – They’re All Over the Store
Do you ever see those displays set up around grocery stores, particularly the ones that are at the end of the aisles? They’re called end caps, and they’re designed to draw you in. They’re usually selling items that people don’t necessarily need, particularly higher-priced ones. But by putting them right in your face, where you can’t avoid them, they’re hoping you’ll bite.
Don’t. Though there can sometimes be low-priced specials at the end caps, in most cases it’s the exact opposite.
24. Keep Your Hands to Yourself at the Check-out Line
Speaking of impulse items, do you know all of those snacks, magazines and magical gadgets that they have on both sides of the checkout line? Those are the ultimate impulse items in grocery stores.
They’re put there because they know that you’ll be staring right at them while you’re stuck waiting in line. And they’re hoping that impulse will take over, and you’ll add a few of them to your order. But that’s a good way to bust a budget that you have spent an hour or more trying to stay within.
25. Check the Top and Bottom Shelves in Every Section of the Store
When you go through grocery store aisles, your natural inclination is to look at the shelves that are at eye level. Grocery stores know that, so that’s where they put their most expensive items. If you want to find the best deals, carefully scan the top and bottom shelves. That’s where the lower-priced items are, and where the stores are hoping you won’t look.
26. Buy In-Season Produce
The price variation between a certain produce item in-season versus out-of-season can be enormous. The item that you might pay $2 for in- season, could cost $6 out-of-season. When it comes to produce, try to stay with buying only-in season items. That means that you’ll have to adjust your produce needs every couple of months. But you can save a lot of money doing just that.
Go online and look for recipes for various produce that are in-season during the different times of the year. It’s often just a matter of coming up with good preparation ideas that will make different items more desirable.
Extra Strategies that Will Save Even More Money
Finally, here are strategies that will help you to keep saving money on a permanent basis.
27. Set-up an At-Home Grocery Corner
It’s always easier to know exactly what you need when you have at least most of your food items stored in one place. If you don’t have a pantry, set it up in a corner in your basement or garage. Keep it well organized, that way you can see exactly what the items are that you need before you head out to the store. It works better for bulk items that are larger, and require storage space. But the organization alone can help you to save money, since you always know exactly what you need to buy – as well as what you don’t.
If you don’t already have one, getting a freezer or a spare refrigerator can also help you to stock up on foods that need to be frozen or refrigerated. These can hold the bulk items, freeing up your kitchen refrigerator for smaller items that you use more frequently. In addition, the extra units will allow you to take advantage of sales on meat and frozen goods.
The more control you have over your home food inventory, the easier it will be to save money on groceries.
28. Draw Down Your Food Inventory Periodically
Every now and again you should concentrate on using up your excess food inventory. That will not only avoid food going past its service life, but it will also force you to use items that you might be ignoring. If your inventory is particularly large, you might even be able to use this method to save yourself a few shopping trips entirely, as you “shop” down your home inventory.
29. Check out Dollar Stores for Non-Food Items
Dollar stores have certain items at lower prices than what you can find in grocery stores. This is primarily non-food items, such as paper goods, soap (but not laundry detergent), batteries, light bulbs and even certain canned goods. Plan to make a trip to a favorite dollar store once or twice a month, to stock up on these items.
30. The Most Frugal Spouse Should do the Shopping
In most households, one spouse is more frugal than the other. It’s probably some kind of natural inclination, but it can be a real advantage when it comes to grocery shopping. The more frugal partner will be more adept at finding bargains, and resisting the temptation to buy items that might break the budget.
31. Always Shop Alone
If you shop with your spouse or one or more of your children, you will almost certainly find yourself buying more than you would if you shop alone. If it’s difficult to resist your own impulse shopping, it’ll be many times more difficult to manage the impulses of two or more people.
That’s especially true of kids, since they tend to want anything they see that’s in a pretty package. Leave the kids at home with a non-shopping parent, and make grocery shopping a solo effort.
32. Limit Your Shopping Trips
You should try to limit your shopping trips to certain predetermined intervals. That might be once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on what works best for you and your household.
Multiple shopping trips mean multiple exposures to buying unnecessary items. If you’re on a diet, you necessarily want to stay out of ice cream shops. The same thing applies to grocery shopping. If you want to save money, you need to minimize the amount of time that you spend at the store. Each trip that you take presents the opportunity to spend over your budget.
33. Pay with Cash or a Debit Card
There’s a lot of debate on this point. Some say that you should use credit cards and take advantage of cash back rewards offers. That might make sense if you’re getting cash back of something like 5%. But if it’s only 1% or 2%, it probably won’t help.
The problem is that when you spend with a credit card, there’s always that fudge factor to go little bit over your budget. When you spend with cash or with a debit card, it’s easier to stay in budget, since you don’t have the opportunity to carry the float (excess) over to the next month.
Try and see which payment method better enables you to save money. If you’re highly disciplined, and you have a good cash back rewards program, a credit card may be the way to go. But if you find yourself spending more money using the credit card, cash or a debit card will work better for you.
34. Shop on the Quietest Days of the Week
It’s tough to maintain your game plan in a crowded store. Everything takes longer, including waiting in lines. One of your goals when you go grocery shopping is to minimize the amount of time you spend in the store. That lowers the chance that you will buy something you weren’t planning on. It’s easier to do that if you shop on the quietest days of the week.
I’ve found that weekends bring out the biggest crowds. Weeknights, especially on Monday and Tuesday, are usually the quietest. That’s when you can breeze through the store, get what you want, keep your list and coupons organized, and save the most money. It’s also usually when the stores are least likely to stock out of popular items, which could force you to make a return trip (and spend still more money).
35. Never Buy More of an Item than You Need
In an effort to save money, you might make a habit of buying in bulk. That can save you money, but only if you’re actually using the products that you buy. If you’re buying large amounts of items, just because they have attractive prices, you could be wasting money. That’s because any item that you purchase, and don’t actually use, you’ll end up throwing away. And that means that you be throwing away money.
Grocery shopping is one of the few areas in your budget where you have an opportunity to save a serious amount of money. Here’s your chance to make the most of that opportunity.
The post 35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
from All About Insurance https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/hot-to-save-money-groceries/
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35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
One of the reasons why it’s so important to save money on groceries is that it’s one of those expenses that you have the most control over. Think about it. You can’t reduce your house payment quickly, or your car payment or your health insurance premium. That means that you need to find other places to save money – and groceries are one big category where you can.
To help you in that effort, were providing 35 ways to save money on groceries. Pick any 10, and I’m betting that you can reduce your grocery bill noticeably.
That’s best done at different stages of the grocery shopping process.
Do Your Homework – What to Do Before You Head Out
If you’re serious about saving money on groceries, there are a few things that you need to do before you even leave home.
1. Have a Detailed Shopping List
This may sound really old-school, but you should never go grocery shopping without having a list that details everything you need. Not only is this a reminder of what you need to buy, but it also acts as a failsafe to keep you from buying what you don’t need. (HINT: always stick to your list!)
You should also make a practice of checking off a few items that may not be entirely necessary. The reason for doing this is that if it looks like you’re going over your budget, you can cross these items off the list.
2. Review the Grocery Store Brochure for Specials
Virtually every grocery store puts out a weekly flyer that advertises their specials for the week. You should always pay close attention to this brochure. Any items that are on sale could be a tip to stock up on those. Also, highlight the specials on your list so that you know to look for them once you’re in the store.
3. Get Your Coupons
Couponing isn't nearly as much of a pain as it used to be. With apps like Ibotta, you can select coupons on your mobile device as you are in the store or before you leave your home. Once you are done with your trip you only need to scan your receipt to receive your credit. Top online coupon apps include:
Ibotta
Checkout 51
SavingStar
Along with the digital option you can always do the old school coupon cutting which can many times be stacked on top of the digital coupons above. The process may be tedious, but clipping coupons can add up. If you can save $10 on a $200 weekly order, you can save over $500 a year.
4. Look for Manufacturer’s Coupons for Higher Priced Items
Don’t limit yourself to in-store coupons. Many manufacturers offer coupons on their websites that aren’t available elsewhere. Check out the websites of the brands of higher priced items, and see what’s available before you go shopping.
For example, razor blades are notoriously expensive. But before you go to the store, check out the Gillette website and look for coupons.
Another more general source is Coupons.com. The have coupons for a wide variety of manufacturers, which will give you access to deals on a large number of products on one website.
5. Organize Your Coupons
Accumulating coupons can create a mess. Not only do you have multiple coupons from various sources, but you may also have some that have expired. It can be a real nightmare to match up coupons with the actual products that you need to buy.
You can actually buy wallets designed specifically for coupon organizing. They’re usually set up alphabetically, something like a very small and portable accordion file. But they can enable you to find the coupons that you need quickly when you’re at the store.
It can also help if you notate on your shopping list any items that you have coupons for. This will remind you, while you are at the store, to pull out the matching coupon when you find that item.
6. Set a Spending Budget
This is one of the very best but most underrated ways to stay on budget with groceries. If you go into a grocery store without a budget, you’re doomed to feel bad about how much you spent by the time you get home.
You can fix that by setting a fixed dollar amount – say, $200 – and staying within that budget no matter what. If by the time you get to the end of the store you realize that you’ve gone over budget, you can simply put a few items back (remember in Tip #1 I mentioned highlighting a few items on your list that may not be entirely necessary – this is where you put that to work).
7. Tally Up Prices as You Shop
As you buy items and check them off your list, enter the price of the item on the right side of the list. Before you check out, total up your purchases. That will let you know what your grocery bill will be before you check out. If you’re over budget, this is the time that you can decide what items you’ll put back.
But it has an important secondary purpose too. By knowing what your total bill will be before you check out, you will be able to quickly know if you are overcharged for any items.
For example, if your list total is $200, but the final bill comes to $212, you’ll immediately know there’s a problem. You can investigate it, and take care of it before you leave the store. That will avoid having to make a return trip, if you wait until you get home to find the error.
8. Eat a Good Meal Before Heading Out
This is probably the most common tip for saving money on groceries, but that’s because it’s an effective one. If you go to a food store on an empty stomach, you’re virtually guaranteed to buy more than you planned. But having a good meal beforehand will help you to stay within budget.
9. Have Smartphone Apps Ready
There are some good smart phone apps available to help you save money when you go grocery shopping. Check out these three:
Flipp allows you to check for deals on groceries by matching circulars with coupons from popular name brand manufacturers. It actually serves as a paperless coupon source, once again avoiding the need to pack in paper coupons.
Grocery Pal sifts through your grocery list and identifies items that are on sale at both grocery stores and discount stores. Some of the retailers that they work with include Safeway, Kroger, Food Lion, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, ALDI, Kmart, Harris Teeter, and some of the dollar stores. It can help you to know if there are better deals on high-priced items or staples at different stores.
Choose Where You Shop – Carefully
Where you shop has a lot to do with how much you pay for your groceries. Here are strategies to keep you out of the places where you will spend the most money, and in the ones where you’ll find the most savings.
10. Avoid Upscale Food Stores
You know those boutique grocery stores that seem to be popping up all over the country? Avoid them like the plague. They may have high quality items, but they’re designed for people who don’t need grocery budgets.
11. Join a Food Wholesale Clubs
You have to be careful here because the stores usually don’t have everything that you need. And since they sell in bulk, there’s a real potential to buy more product than you need (see #35 below), which is a complete waste of money. But they can still be excellent places to buy staples in bulk at lower prices.
The popular examples are Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s. You usually have to join and pay a small membership fee, but once you do you can take advantage of all the discounts that they have available.
12. Check Out ALDI
If you’ve never shop there, ALDI is a bit unconventional. That’s because it’s a food retailer that’s based in Germany. But they’ve opened hundreds of stores across the US, and a plan to keep growing.
That’s a good thing, because ALDI really does have lower prices than grocery stores on most items. Like the wholesale clubs, they don’t have everything, nor do they have a wide selection in each category. But you can save a lot of money, particularly on staples like milk, bread, cheese, eggs, cereal and orange juice.
13. Become a Preferred/Loyalty Member of Your Favorite Grocery Store
Some stores have very low advertised prices, but if you’re not a loyalty member you’ll pay something higher. An example of this is the Kroger Plus Card. Kroger has low advertised prices, as well as low prices marked at the store. But they have two prices, the one for members in the one for nonmembers. Trust me, you’ll want to become a member.
14. Avoid Duplicate Purchases if You Shop at More than One Store
If your shopping strategy involves shopping at more than one store, be very careful not to duplicate purchases. For example, if you buy meat, milk and eggs at a warehouse club, but do your regular shopping at your local grocery store, you’ll need to avoid buying meat, milk and eggs at that store too.
Once You’re in the Store…
I’m guessing that most people are probably not aware of it, but grocery stores are specifically laid out in a way that will get you to spend more money than you would. Here are strategies to get around that trap.
15. Go Easy on the Beef
We can blame the use of corn in the production of ethanol for high meat prices, but it seems to have especially impacted beef prices. You can save a lot of money by buying less beef and more other meats.
For example, I’m looking at a grocery store flyer that shows beef sirloin strip steak at $6.99 per pound. The same flyer shows center cut pork chops at $1.99 per pound, and turkey tenderloin tips at $2.99. They’re also showing $0.69 per pound for chicken leg quarters. That’s a savings of $5 and $4 per pound on pork and turkey, and more than $6 on chicken.
16. Avoid Meals-in-a-Box
You can generally assume that any prepared meal that comes in a box or package is going to cost more than a meal that you prepare yourself. If you’re trying to save money, these meals are always best avoided. This is particularly true if you have a family to feed, since you’ll have to buy a meal for each member of the family. The math just doesn’t work out in your favor with these meals.
17. Buy in Bulk When Staples are on Sale
Don’t be afraid to stock up on products that you regularly buy when they’re on sale. This can include items like meat, cereal, butter, beans and pasta. All can easily be stored, and no matter how much you buy, you’ll use them sooner or later. This can be a real opportunity to save some serious money on groceries.
18. Don’t be Swayed by the “5 for $5” Come On
Hopefully you understand that these offers are designed to get you to buy more of an item than you actually need. This is a real problem if it’s something that you don’t usually use. You may use two or three items, and end up throwing the rest out.
If an item is advertised as “5 for $5”, or “10 for $20”, or whatever the arrangement, convert the package to a single item in your head. For example, a single item might be just $1. If you only need two, then you can usually get them for $2. The point is, you don’t have to buy all five (or ten) to get the deal.
19. Avoid Name Brands – If it’s “Cool” It’ll Cost More
Store brands are almost always less expensive than popular name brands. As long as the quality and flavor of the store brand is reasonably close to the national brand, you should favor the store brand, especially the price is much lower.
Also watch out for any item that’s “cool”. Cool always costs more! You can usually figure this out easily. Just look for the items that are being advertised a lot on TV. And always remember the cool items mean that you’re paying for all that advertising.
20. Don’t Buy Something Just Because it’s “On Sale”
Some people just can’t resist a sale. In their minds, it translates into ”I’m saving money.” That may be true – if you actually need the product. But if the only reason that you’re buying it is because it’s on sale, then your spending money to no real advantage.
21. Avoid Buying Small/Single Servings
This gets close to the meal-in-a-box problem, but it extends to more items. It makes sense if you are in fact a single person. But if there are two or more people in your household, it makes little sense to say, buy milk by the quart. That’s because buying four quarts of milk usually costs a lot more than a whole gallon.
22. Pass on the Prepared Foods
This includes meals that are prepared in-store, and are typically available at the deli counter. Regular grocery stores are increasing their offerings of prepared foods, making them harder to escape. But any food item that’s prepared in-store is going to be more expensive than the same items prepared at home. You may need or want these items from time to time, but don’t make it a habit. They’re more like restaurant light than grocery items.
23. Watch Out for Impulse Items – They’re All Over the Store
Do you ever see those displays set up around grocery stores, particularly the ones that are at the end of the aisles? They’re called end caps, and they’re designed to draw you in. They’re usually selling items that people don’t necessarily need, particularly higher-priced ones. But by putting them right in your face, where you can’t avoid them, they’re hoping you’ll bite.
Don’t. Though there can sometimes be low-priced specials at the end caps, in most cases it’s the exact opposite.
24. Keep Your Hands to Yourself at the Check-out Line
Speaking of impulse items, do you know all of those snacks, magazines and magical gadgets that they have on both sides of the checkout line? Those are the ultimate impulse items in grocery stores.
They’re put there because they know that you’ll be staring right at them while you’re stuck waiting in line. And they’re hoping that impulse will take over, and you’ll add a few of them to your order. But that’s a good way to bust a budget that you have spent an hour or more trying to stay within.
25. Check the Top and Bottom Shelves in Every Section of the Store
When you go through grocery store aisles, your natural inclination is to look at the shelves that are at eye level. Grocery stores know that, so that’s where they put their most expensive items. If you want to find the best deals, carefully scan the top and bottom shelves. That’s where the lower-priced items are, and where the stores are hoping you won’t look.
26. Buy In-Season Produce
The price variation between a certain produce item in-season versus out-of-season can be enormous. The item that you might pay $2 for in- season, could cost $6 out-of-season. When it comes to produce, try to stay with buying only-in season items. That means that you’ll have to adjust your produce needs every couple of months. But you can save a lot of money doing just that.
Go online and look for recipes for various produce that are in-season during the different times of the year. It’s often just a matter of coming up with good preparation ideas that will make different items more desirable.
Extra Strategies that Will Save Even More Money
Finally, here are strategies that will help you to keep saving money on a permanent basis.
27. Set-up an At-Home Grocery Corner
It’s always easier to know exactly what you need when you have at least most of your food items stored in one place. If you don’t have a pantry, set it up in a corner in your basement or garage. Keep it well organized, that way you can see exactly what the items are that you need before you head out to the store. It works better for bulk items that are larger, and require storage space. But the organization alone can help you to save money, since you always know exactly what you need to buy – as well as what you don’t.
If you don’t already have one, getting a freezer or a spare refrigerator can also help you to stock up on foods that need to be frozen or refrigerated. These can hold the bulk items, freeing up your kitchen refrigerator for smaller items that you use more frequently. In addition, the extra units will allow you to take advantage of sales on meat and frozen goods.
The more control you have over your home food inventory, the easier it will be to save money on groceries.
28. Draw Down Your Food Inventory Periodically
Every now and again you should concentrate on using up your excess food inventory. That will not only avoid food going past its service life, but it will also force you to use items that you might be ignoring. If your inventory is particularly large, you might even be able to use this method to save yourself a few shopping trips entirely, as you “shop” down your home inventory.
29. Check out Dollar Stores for Non-Food Items
Dollar stores have certain items at lower prices than what you can find in grocery stores. This is primarily non-food items, such as paper goods, soap (but not laundry detergent), batteries, light bulbs and even certain canned goods. Plan to make a trip to a favorite dollar store once or twice a month, to stock up on these items.
30. The Most Frugal Spouse Should do the Shopping
In most households, one spouse is more frugal than the other. It’s probably some kind of natural inclination, but it can be a real advantage when it comes to grocery shopping. The more frugal partner will be more adept at finding bargains, and resisting the temptation to buy items that might break the budget.
31. Always Shop Alone
If you shop with your spouse or one or more of your children, you will almost certainly find yourself buying more than you would if you shop alone. If it’s difficult to resist your own impulse shopping, it’ll be many times more difficult to manage the impulses of two or more people.
That’s especially true of kids, since they tend to want anything they see that’s in a pretty package. Leave the kids at home with a non-shopping parent, and make grocery shopping a solo effort.
32. Limit Your Shopping Trips
You should try to limit your shopping trips to certain predetermined intervals. That might be once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on what works best for you and your household.
Multiple shopping trips mean multiple exposures to buying unnecessary items. If you’re on a diet, you necessarily want to stay out of ice cream shops. The same thing applies to grocery shopping. If you want to save money, you need to minimize the amount of time that you spend at the store. Each trip that you take presents the opportunity to spend over your budget.
33. Pay with Cash or a Debit Card
There’s a lot of debate on this point. Some say that you should use credit cards and take advantage of cash back rewards offers. That might make sense if you’re getting cash back of something like 5%. But if it’s only 1% or 2%, it probably won’t help.
The problem is that when you spend with a credit card, there’s always that fudge factor to go little bit over your budget. When you spend with cash or with a debit card, it’s easier to stay in budget, since you don’t have the opportunity to carry the float (excess) over to the next month.
Try and see which payment method better enables you to save money. If you’re highly disciplined, and you have a good cash back rewards program, a credit card may be the way to go. But if you find yourself spending more money using the credit card, cash or a debit card will work better for you.
34. Shop on the Quietest Days of the Week
It’s tough to maintain your game plan in a crowded store. Everything takes longer, including waiting in lines. One of your goals when you go grocery shopping is to minimize the amount of time you spend in the store. That lowers the chance that you will buy something you weren’t planning on. It’s easier to do that if you shop on the quietest days of the week.
I’ve found that weekends bring out the biggest crowds. Weeknights, especially on Monday and Tuesday, are usually the quietest. That’s when you can breeze through the store, get what you want, keep your list and coupons organized, and save the most money. It’s also usually when the stores are least likely to stock out of popular items, which could force you to make a return trip (and spend still more money).
35. Never Buy More of an Item than You Need
In an effort to save money, you might make a habit of buying in bulk. That can save you money, but only if you’re actually using the products that you buy. If you’re buying large amounts of items, just because they have attractive prices, you could be wasting money. That’s because any item that you purchase, and don’t actually use, you’ll end up throwing away. And that means that you be throwing away money.
Grocery shopping is one of the few areas in your budget where you have an opportunity to save a serious amount of money. Here’s your chance to make the most of that opportunity.
The post 35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
from All About Insurance https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/hot-to-save-money-groceries/
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35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries
One of the reasons why it’s so important to save money on groceries is that it’s one of those expenses that you have the most control over. Think about it. You can’t reduce your house payment quickly, or your car payment or your health insurance premium. That means that you need to find other places to save money – and groceries are one big category where you can.
To help you in that effort, were providing 35 ways to save money on groceries. Pick any 10, and I’m betting that you can reduce your grocery bill noticeably.
That’s best done at different stages of the grocery shopping process.
Do Your Homework – What to Do Before You Head Out
If you’re serious about saving money on groceries, there are a few things that you need to do before you even leave home.
1. Have a Detailed Shopping List
This may sound really old-school, but you should never go grocery shopping without having a list that details everything you need. Not only is this a reminder of what you need to buy, but it also acts as a failsafe to keep you from buying what you don’t need. (HINT: always stick to your list!)
You should also make a practice of checking off a few items that may not be entirely necessary. The reason for doing this is that if it looks like you’re going over your budget, you can cross these items off the list.
2. Review the Grocery Store Brochure for Specials
Virtually every grocery store puts out a weekly flyer that advertises their specials for the week. You should always pay close attention to this brochure. Any items that are on sale could be a tip to stock up on those. Also, highlight the specials on your list so that you know to look for them once you’re in the store.
3. Get Your Coupons
Couponing isn't nearly as much of a pain as it used to be. With apps like Ibotta, you can select coupons on your mobile device as you are in the store or before you leave your home. Once you are done with your trip you only need to scan your receipt to receive your credit. Top online coupon apps include:
Ibotta
Checkout 51
SavingStar
Along with the digital option you can always do the old school coupon cutting which can many times be stacked on top of the digital coupons above. The process may be tedious, but clipping coupons can add up. If you can save $10 on a $200 weekly order, you can save over $500 a year.
4. Look for Manufacturer’s Coupons for Higher Priced Items
Don’t limit yourself to in-store coupons. Many manufacturers offer coupons on their websites that aren’t available elsewhere. Check out the websites of the brands of higher priced items, and see what’s available before you go shopping.
For example, razor blades are notoriously expensive. But before you go to the store, check out the Gillette website and look for coupons.
Another more general source is Coupons.com. The have coupons for a wide variety of manufacturers, which will give you access to deals on a large number of products on one website.
5. Organize Your Coupons
Accumulating coupons can create a mess. Not only do you have multiple coupons from various sources, but you may also have some that have expired. It can be a real nightmare to match up coupons with the actual products that you need to buy.
You can actually buy wallets designed specifically for coupon organizing. They’re usually set up alphabetically, something like a very small and portable accordion file. But they can enable you to find the coupons that you need quickly when you’re at the store.
It can also help if you notate on your shopping list any items that you have coupons for. This will remind you, while you are at the store, to pull out the matching coupon when you find that item.
6. Set a Spending Budget
This is one of the very best but most underrated ways to stay on budget with groceries. If you go into a grocery store without a budget, you’re doomed to feel bad about how much you spent by the time you get home.
You can fix that by setting a fixed dollar amount – say, $200 – and staying within that budget no matter what. If by the time you get to the end of the store you realize that you’ve gone over budget, you can simply put a few items back (remember in Tip #1 I mentioned highlighting a few items on your list that may not be entirely necessary – this is where you put that to work).
7. Tally Up Prices as You Shop
As you buy items and check them off your list, enter the price of the item on the right side of the list. Before you check out, total up your purchases. That will let you know what your grocery bill will be before you check out. If you’re over budget, this is the time that you can decide what items you’ll put back.
But it has an important secondary purpose too. By knowing what your total bill will be before you check out, you will be able to quickly know if you are overcharged for any items.
For example, if your list total is $200, but the final bill comes to $212, you’ll immediately know there’s a problem. You can investigate it, and take care of it before you leave the store. That will avoid having to make a return trip, if you wait until you get home to find the error.
8. Eat a Good Meal Before Heading Out
This is probably the most common tip for saving money on groceries, but that’s because it’s an effective one. If you go to a food store on an empty stomach, you’re virtually guaranteed to buy more than you planned. But having a good meal beforehand will help you to stay within budget.
9. Have Smartphone Apps Ready
There are some good smart phone apps available to help you save money when you go grocery shopping. Check out these three:
Flipp allows you to check for deals on groceries by matching circulars with coupons from popular name brand manufacturers. It actually serves as a paperless coupon source, once again avoiding the need to pack in paper coupons.
Grocery Pal sifts through your grocery list and identifies items that are on sale at both grocery stores and discount stores. Some of the retailers that they work with include Safeway, Kroger, Food Lion, CVS, Walmart, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Target, ALDI, Kmart, Harris Teeter, and some of the dollar stores. It can help you to know if there are better deals on high-priced items or staples at different stores.
Choose Where You Shop – Carefully
Where you shop has a lot to do with how much you pay for your groceries. Here are strategies to keep you out of the places where you will spend the most money, and in the ones where you’ll find the most savings.
10. Avoid Upscale Food Stores
You know those boutique grocery stores that seem to be popping up all over the country? Avoid them like the plague. They may have high quality items, but they’re designed for people who don’t need grocery budgets.
11. Join a Food Wholesale Clubs
You have to be careful here because the stores usually don’t have everything that you need. And since they sell in bulk, there’s a real potential to buy more product than you need (see #35 below), which is a complete waste of money. But they can still be excellent places to buy staples in bulk at lower prices.
The popular examples are Sam’s Club, Costco and BJ’s. You usually have to join and pay a small membership fee, but once you do you can take advantage of all the discounts that they have available.
12. Check Out ALDI
If you’ve never shop there, ALDI is a bit unconventional. That’s because it’s a food retailer that’s based in Germany. But they’ve opened hundreds of stores across the US, and a plan to keep growing.
That’s a good thing, because ALDI really does have lower prices than grocery stores on most items. Like the wholesale clubs, they don’t have everything, nor do they have a wide selection in each category. But you can save a lot of money, particularly on staples like milk, bread, cheese, eggs, cereal and orange juice.
13. Become a Preferred/Loyalty Member of Your Favorite Grocery Store
Some stores have very low advertised prices, but if you’re not a loyalty member you’ll pay something higher. An example of this is the Kroger Plus Card. Kroger has low advertised prices, as well as low prices marked at the store. But they have two prices, the one for members in the one for nonmembers. Trust me, you’ll want to become a member.
14. Avoid Duplicate Purchases if You Shop at More than One Store
If your shopping strategy involves shopping at more than one store, be very careful not to duplicate purchases. For example, if you buy meat, milk and eggs at a warehouse club, but do your regular shopping at your local grocery store, you’ll need to avoid buying meat, milk and eggs at that store too.
Once You’re in the Store…
I’m guessing that most people are probably not aware of it, but grocery stores are specifically laid out in a way that will get you to spend more money than you would. Here are strategies to get around that trap.
15. Go Easy on the Beef
We can blame the use of corn in the production of ethanol for high meat prices, but it seems to have especially impacted beef prices. You can save a lot of money by buying less beef and more other meats.
For example, I’m looking at a grocery store flyer that shows beef sirloin strip steak at $6.99 per pound. The same flyer shows center cut pork chops at $1.99 per pound, and turkey tenderloin tips at $2.99. They’re also showing $0.69 per pound for chicken leg quarters. That’s a savings of $5 and $4 per pound on pork and turkey, and more than $6 on chicken.
16. Avoid Meals-in-a-Box
You can generally assume that any prepared meal that comes in a box or package is going to cost more than a meal that you prepare yourself. If you’re trying to save money, these meals are always best avoided. This is particularly true if you have a family to feed, since you’ll have to buy a meal for each member of the family. The math just doesn’t work out in your favor with these meals.
17. Buy in Bulk When Staples are on Sale
Don’t be afraid to stock up on products that you regularly buy when they’re on sale. This can include items like meat, cereal, butter, beans and pasta. All can easily be stored, and no matter how much you buy, you’ll use them sooner or later. This can be a real opportunity to save some serious money on groceries.
18. Don’t be Swayed by the “5 for $5” Come On
Hopefully you understand that these offers are designed to get you to buy more of an item than you actually need. This is a real problem if it’s something that you don’t usually use. You may use two or three items, and end up throwing the rest out.
If an item is advertised as “5 for $5”, or “10 for $20”, or whatever the arrangement, convert the package to a single item in your head. For example, a single item might be just $1. If you only need two, then you can usually get them for $2. The point is, you don’t have to buy all five (or ten) to get the deal.
19. Avoid Name Brands – If it’s “Cool” It’ll Cost More
Store brands are almost always less expensive than popular name brands. As long as the quality and flavor of the store brand is reasonably close to the national brand, you should favor the store brand, especially the price is much lower.
Also watch out for any item that’s “cool”. Cool always costs more! You can usually figure this out easily. Just look for the items that are being advertised a lot on TV. And always remember the cool items mean that you’re paying for all that advertising.
20. Don’t Buy Something Just Because it’s “On Sale”
Some people just can’t resist a sale. In their minds, it translates into ”I’m saving money.” That may be true – if you actually need the product. But if the only reason that you’re buying it is because it’s on sale, then your spending money to no real advantage.
21. Avoid Buying Small/Single Servings
This gets close to the meal-in-a-box problem, but it extends to more items. It makes sense if you are in fact a single person. But if there are two or more people in your household, it makes little sense to say, buy milk by the quart. That’s because buying four quarts of milk usually costs a lot more than a whole gallon.
22. Pass on the Prepared Foods
This includes meals that are prepared in-store, and are typically available at the deli counter. Regular grocery stores are increasing their offerings of prepared foods, making them harder to escape. But any food item that’s prepared in-store is going to be more expensive than the same items prepared at home. You may need or want these items from time to time, but don’t make it a habit. They’re more like restaurant light than grocery items.
23. Watch Out for Impulse Items – They’re All Over the Store
Do you ever see those displays set up around grocery stores, particularly the ones that are at the end of the aisles? They’re called end caps, and they’re designed to draw you in. They’re usually selling items that people don’t necessarily need, particularly higher-priced ones. But by putting them right in your face, where you can’t avoid them, they’re hoping you’ll bite.
Don’t. Though there can sometimes be low-priced specials at the end caps, in most cases it’s the exact opposite.
24. Keep Your Hands to Yourself at the Check-out Line
Speaking of impulse items, do you know all of those snacks, magazines and magical gadgets that they have on both sides of the checkout line? Those are the ultimate impulse items in grocery stores.
They’re put there because they know that you’ll be staring right at them while you’re stuck waiting in line. And they’re hoping that impulse will take over, and you’ll add a few of them to your order. But that’s a good way to bust a budget that you have spent an hour or more trying to stay within.
25. Check the Top and Bottom Shelves in Every Section of the Store
When you go through grocery store aisles, your natural inclination is to look at the shelves that are at eye level. Grocery stores know that, so that’s where they put their most expensive items. If you want to find the best deals, carefully scan the top and bottom shelves. That’s where the lower-priced items are, and where the stores are hoping you won’t look.
26. Buy In-Season Produce
The price variation between a certain produce item in-season versus out-of-season can be enormous. The item that you might pay $2 for in- season, could cost $6 out-of-season. When it comes to produce, try to stay with buying only-in season items. That means that you’ll have to adjust your produce needs every couple of months. But you can save a lot of money doing just that.
Go online and look for recipes for various produce that are in-season during the different times of the year. It’s often just a matter of coming up with good preparation ideas that will make different items more desirable.
Extra Strategies that Will Save Even More Money
Finally, here are strategies that will help you to keep saving money on a permanent basis.
27. Set-up an At-Home Grocery Corner
It’s always easier to know exactly what you need when you have at least most of your food items stored in one place. If you don’t have a pantry, set it up in a corner in your basement or garage. Keep it well organized, that way you can see exactly what the items are that you need before you head out to the store. It works better for bulk items that are larger, and require storage space. But the organization alone can help you to save money, since you always know exactly what you need to buy – as well as what you don’t.
If you don’t already have one, getting a freezer or a spare refrigerator can also help you to stock up on foods that need to be frozen or refrigerated. These can hold the bulk items, freeing up your kitchen refrigerator for smaller items that you use more frequently. In addition, the extra units will allow you to take advantage of sales on meat and frozen goods.
The more control you have over your home food inventory, the easier it will be to save money on groceries.
28. Draw Down Your Food Inventory Periodically
Every now and again you should concentrate on using up your excess food inventory. That will not only avoid food going past its service life, but it will also force you to use items that you might be ignoring. If your inventory is particularly large, you might even be able to use this method to save yourself a few shopping trips entirely, as you “shop” down your home inventory.
29. Check out Dollar Stores for Non-Food Items
Dollar stores have certain items at lower prices than what you can find in grocery stores. This is primarily non-food items, such as paper goods, soap (but not laundry detergent), batteries, light bulbs and even certain canned goods. Plan to make a trip to a favorite dollar store once or twice a month, to stock up on these items.
30. The Most Frugal Spouse Should do the Shopping
In most households, one spouse is more frugal than the other. It’s probably some kind of natural inclination, but it can be a real advantage when it comes to grocery shopping. The more frugal partner will be more adept at finding bargains, and resisting the temptation to buy items that might break the budget.
31. Always Shop Alone
If you shop with your spouse or one or more of your children, you will almost certainly find yourself buying more than you would if you shop alone. If it’s difficult to resist your own impulse shopping, it’ll be many times more difficult to manage the impulses of two or more people.
That’s especially true of kids, since they tend to want anything they see that’s in a pretty package. Leave the kids at home with a non-shopping parent, and make grocery shopping a solo effort.
32. Limit Your Shopping Trips
You should try to limit your shopping trips to certain predetermined intervals. That might be once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on what works best for you and your household.
Multiple shopping trips mean multiple exposures to buying unnecessary items. If you’re on a diet, you necessarily want to stay out of ice cream shops. The same thing applies to grocery shopping. If you want to save money, you need to minimize the amount of time that you spend at the store. Each trip that you take presents the opportunity to spend over your budget.
33. Pay with Cash or a Debit Card
There’s a lot of debate on this point. Some say that you should use credit cards and take advantage of cash back rewards offers. That might make sense if you’re getting cash back of something like 5%. But if it’s only 1% or 2%, it probably won’t help.
The problem is that when you spend with a credit card, there’s always that fudge factor to go little bit over your budget. When you spend with cash or with a debit card, it’s easier to stay in budget, since you don’t have the opportunity to carry the float (excess) over to the next month.
Try and see which payment method better enables you to save money. If you’re highly disciplined, and you have a good cash back rewards program, a credit card may be the way to go. But if you find yourself spending more money using the credit card, cash or a debit card will work better for you.
34. Shop on the Quietest Days of the Week
It’s tough to maintain your game plan in a crowded store. Everything takes longer, including waiting in lines. One of your goals when you go grocery shopping is to minimize the amount of time you spend in the store. That lowers the chance that you will buy something you weren’t planning on. It’s easier to do that if you shop on the quietest days of the week.
I’ve found that weekends bring out the biggest crowds. Weeknights, especially on Monday and Tuesday, are usually the quietest. That’s when you can breeze through the store, get what you want, keep your list and coupons organized, and save the most money. It’s also usually when the stores are least likely to stock out of popular items, which could force you to make a return trip (and spend still more money).
35. Never Buy More of an Item than You Need
In an effort to save money, you might make a habit of buying in bulk. That can save you money, but only if you’re actually using the products that you buy. If you’re buying large amounts of items, just because they have attractive prices, you could be wasting money. That’s because any item that you purchase, and don’t actually use, you’ll end up throwing away. And that means that you be throwing away money.
Grocery shopping is one of the few areas in your budget where you have an opportunity to save a serious amount of money. Here’s your chance to make the most of that opportunity.
The post 35 Ways to Save Money on Groceries appeared first on Good Financial Cents.
from All About Insurance https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/hot-to-save-money-groceries/
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