Grocery Shopping

There is so much to say about this topic that I don't know where to begin. I'll start with a time sensitive deal that everyone should take advantage of if possible. Many grocery stores in my area (and I believe around the country) are offering a 10% bonus when you put your stimulus package (wait...this is spose to be a kid friendly blog) rebate check toward an in store gift card. You don't have to cash the physical check at the store. Instead you can put it on your shiny new cash reward credit card (that you had overnight delievered to you after reading yesterday's post...very un-frugal of you) and save up to an additional 5% (depending on the reward structure). The Mrs. and I went hog wild with this one since grocery shopping is something we have to do every week. I wouldn't recommend buying more credit that you can easily pay off when the credit card statement comes in the mail (or email) at the end of the month. Remember, if you're going to use a credit card, make sure you pay it off IN FULL every month. Getting a couple percentage points back on all your purchases is great and all, but it's never worth the double digit interest charges the credit card companies charge you if you carry a balance.

Alright, let's move on to how to grocery shop. Remember how I originally told you how much I love a good deal...well this holds true at the grocery store too. Some people might be thinking, "great, Franco is going to tell me how I need to read through the paper every day and clip coupons." Let me tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Time is a valuable resource. Some people's time like my dentist are appartenly more valuable than others (your's truely) as he consistently likes to make me wait in his waiting room (well that's what it's for), do 10 minutes of actual work on my mouth, and then slap me with a several hundered dollar bill...but i digress. I couldn't think of many things I'd rather NOT do than pour through the paper clipping coupons to save an extra 50 cents on my next puchase of Spinach Souffle. If clipping coupons is your thing, than more power to you, but if not, let me tell you another effective way to save.

All grocery stores run weekly specials. Some of the specials (usually on the front or back pages of the ciruclar) are much juicer than the "sucker's special" when they drop the price of shaving cream from $4 a can to $3.90. When you go to the grocery store, try to make a list of staples that you absolutely need (e.g. milk, eggs, bread, etc...) and then leave plenty of room for creative "extras." The non-staple purchases should center around your favorite products that are on sale that week. If you have extra storeage at home, stock up on your favorite items when they go on sale. I'm a bit embarassed to admit it, but I tend to stock up on the breakfast Lean Pockets whenever they get marked down to 4 for $6.00 and after watching this hilarious bit, who can blaim me ;). If you want to take it to the next level, many stores will match their competitors ads, so instead of criss crossing the city to hit up all the deals, just go to your favorite store and see if they will match all the prices. This type of grocery shopping gets adicting as Mrs. Franco and I reguarily compare receipts to see who's percentage savings are the highest (I smoke her almost every time ;) ).

Lastly, let me leave you with this parting thought. If you are willing to put in the time to cook your own food at home, you can eat really nice meals for about the same price that you would pay for a standard lunch and a drink at any sit-down (where did that saying come from and how does one find a "stand-up" one?) restaurant. As a quick example, you can buy an entire beef tenderloin from Costco for about $8-$9/lb. Let's assume you want to eat a standard 8 ounce (half pound) steak with a side of asparagus and a potato. The asparagus and potato will probably only run you another $2-$3, so your grand total is somewhere in the ballpark of $6-$7. Put that with a bottle of "good enough" wine in the $8-$12 range and your are talking about a great meal for right around $10 (unless you are bit of a lush and drink the whole bottle of wine). It's hard to get out of any restaurant...even Denny's...for under $10 per person. The cost of eating out (which I LOVE to do!) is a whole nother post. The key is to plan your portions and use all your ingredients before they go bad. All the money you saved on groceries can quickly get flushed away when food is not consumed and has to be thrown out.

Ciao,
Franco