subject: Make Money Go Farther At The Grocery Store [print this page] It has been said that a person can make money work for them. They can make $100 do the work of $300 or they can make $200 spend like $25. The determining factor is how cleverly the money is spent. It has been shown that even the most meager wage earners can substantially increase their standard of living by making smart choices with the money they do have. Money itself is really just a poor substitute for information. If someone has the know-how to build their own home, grow their own food and sew their own clothes, they wouldn't need legal tender to compensate for their lack of skills.
Food is a major stumbling block. A basic box of cereal can run $5 and more. Even if purchased with a coupon on sale, the cereal still costs, at best, $2. The better choice is to select a staple for breakfast that is cheaper while still promoting good nutrition. Many frugal experts suggest oatmeal. Standard breakfast cereal can run $5 per pound. Bulk purchased oatmeal runs around .50 per pound at even high-end stores. It's easy to see that the savings are dramatic.
Most frugal folks know the wonders of the bread thrift stores. Anyone who has access to a freezer is smart to buy the bread on sale and freeze it for later use. The same may be done with most other bulk-purchased products. Another type of item to be on the lookout for is the discount bin. One can be found in most departments, from produce to meat to bakery. It's quite common to find dramatic savings in such bins. Freezer-safe food may be saved for a later time.
Growing food is not nearly as difficult as people think. Container gardening is done in city apartments all over the world. Sprouting the plants from seeds and then transplanting them to a larger container is the usual process. Not all plants will thrive in all climates, but it is quite possible to save significant money on those that do. There are people who use black garbage bags with sufficient soil nested with cut-up sprouting potatoes to grow more potatoes. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, greens, melon, radishes and squash work especially well for container growing.
Buying quality meat for less is usually done by watching for big loss leader sales. These are sales that grocery stores run to lure new customers into stores. Again, a freezer makes for a good investment. Buying chicken in bulk is frugal. Also, adding bulk purchased textured vegetable protein to combine with regular ground beef makes the beef go farther. Other binders like oatmeal work as well. The humble egg is still one of the best buys for protein.
Bulk stores can sometimes be thrifty, so long as all the product will be used. It's better to buy items at a higher cost but lower amounts if the smaller quantity is all that can be consumed. Sometimes, joining a buying group with several people purchasing can give the buyer savings with a smaller quantity purchased.
The convenience foods, like frozen dinners, are often the problem with a strained food budget. By buying raw foods, bulk foods, or growing produce, people can make money go farther than they have ever dreamed possible.
