How do you make your grocery list? Do you sit down with an ad? Do you just list what you need regardless of what is on sale (if it is on sale great!) Do you organize it by category, use a pre-printed list? What are your best tips?

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~Happiness is a large family~

Some weeks it depends on how much money we have to spend on groceries. When money is tight I only buy what is on my list. When I have more to spend I sit down with the ads and buy things on sale to stock up the pantry.

I use scratch paper for my list. Sometimes I use envelopes from junk mail (nice for a list and to keep coupons together). At the top I list out what I can price match at Walmart so I am organized when I go through the line. Then I organize my list based off the organization of the store 1. personal items. 2. fruit 3. canned goods etc. last is dairy, meat and frozen items.

Have you ever heard of the grocery game? At grocerygame.com you can sign up for a 4 week trial period for $1. What you do, is you sign up for a list store near you, mine are Kroger and Publix and you wait for the list to come out each week. It will tell you what is on sale and what coupons you can use. Sometimes, if you use a coupon stacked on the sale price, you can get items for free. It helps you build a stockpile of groceries for little money.

Hope this helps.

Luvabargain

I use the weekly ad, and for all staples I goto Aldi (unless the weekly ads have it cheaper...not usual but it does happen). I try and take advantage of the Harris Teeter ads (B/C they are always double coupons and sometimes have triple. They also do alot of B1G1...I will only buy sale items there and it has to be a good deal b/c they're expensive otherwise.

I use a list and depending on where I go is how I list it (example, I know snacks and cereal are in the first aisle at Aldi, I list those firs, Harris Teeter I hit meats first so I list that).

It seems like I am putting too much thought into grocery shopping, but when your bill is $104 and you watch it get down to $60 b/c of your sale and coupon items, it's totally worth it! (Those numbers were mine this past week and Dh was with me and watched with his mouth open b/c I had a cart full of stuff!)

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Does Money Matter?

Shell,
Good for you I try to plan a weeks menu write everything I need then I first shop my cupboards. Then I go through the ads and my coupons at the same time sometimes planning the meat dishs with the ads
. I joined Bjs this past weekend and while it was only $1.75 I used there in coupons I was happy because at Costco you can't use them. I figure if I have at least one or two whenever I go by the time my membership is up I will have at least paid for the membership. They added the 3 months free so its good for 15 months.YEAH

Shell or anyone else for that matter, Do you want to join one of our coupon trains and save even more? If so pm me or Missystuy and we will set you up

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CHOO CHOO YOUR WAY TO SAVINGS
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I have a budget, I stick to my budget so I need to but the Items I need like fresh produce and dairy in my cart first. I keep a running total in my head when I hit my budget it means go directly to check out. I can keep my weekly shoping under 50 this way.
I also have a menu plan so I know what I need for the week
Monday is ethinic foods
tuesday seafood
wednesday breakfast for dinner (always good and cheep)
Thursday is pasta
Friday is pizza
Saturday we are grilling
and Sunday I do a tradional meat and patotos type meal
Having a daily idea of whats for dinner helps me know what I will need even with out a list

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

I have a system for weekly shopping

1) I go through my cupboards and freezer to see what I've got already.

2) I look at the Safeway and Fred Meyer (Kroger) ads to see what's on sale. I clip out the store coupons I want to use. I stock up on things like laundry detergent when it is on a coupon sale.

3) I make a menu plan for the week incorporating what I already have as much as possible with what is on sale.

4) I will go to Grocery Outlet first to see what I can get there (regional discount grocery store without traditional ads). Lunch meat and cheese are virtually always cheaper here than the sales at other stores. Good bread is cheaper and snack foods are MUCH cheaper with cereal always at stock-up prices, so I don't have to stock-up. You have to go into Grocery Outlet and look, their merchandise changes so fast and they sell discontinued items at very low prices. Their frozen food is usually cheaper than the sale prices in other stores.

5) I go to Safeway and Fred Meyer and buy what is on sale and what I absolutely must have (that is not on sale) for my pre-made menu for the week or other items like shampoo.

6) I shop Dollar Tree for coffee filters, toothpaste, toothbrushes, as much make-up and beauty items as possible, and look for name brand closeout items that end up there for personal use or gifts. (It is in the parking lot of my Fred Meyer store.)

(I also know my prices for the store brand stuff. Fred Meyer has its own BBQ sauce for $.59 all the time and its own brand of ketchup in the 24 oz. size for $.79 all the time and Safeway has its own low-fat cream of mushroom and chicken soup for $.91 all the time.) Toilet paper is always cheaper at Safeway than Fred Meyer, but paper towels are always cheaper at Fred Meyer; I could go on and on....)

I am in a small town and the stores are in a row each about a mile from the other. It is only a little over two miles from the Safeway to the Fred Meyer with the Grocery Outlet between them, but I don't have any other grocery stores at all in my little town.