Love to Cook. Hate to Grocery Shop.
We have been trying a few new grocery shopping options over the past few weeks. The experiences have been really different.
We like to cook great foods, try to eat healthy and some would call us 'foodies'. My friend Matt has a more colorful name for it - but I can't print that here! In addition to being beer and food snobs Sheila has some food sensitivities. She can't eat dairy or refined sugar - so that makes cooking and shopping a little tricky AND pricey.
Normally we shop at Copp's and we rarely use coupons. Much to our coach - Jenna "I never buy anything without a coupon" Gordon's dismay - we hate coupons. The paper, the weird foods, the expiration dates, the clutter in your wallet and all the bother, it does not seem worth it. Do you know the show 'Extreme Couponers'? It gives us hives. We have 2 separate barters going on right now for food. I've bartered massage therapy for $60 worth of beef. I've also worked out a barter for veggies with a local CSA farmer in exchange for video and recipe help on her website. We also have our own garden that is starting to produce lovely veg and herbs. So that helps us reduce the cash but still have great food.
First we tried Pea Pod. It is a delivery service and online shopping option. My friend directed me to it through a website called madisoncrew.com. I searched peapod and received $15 off through that site. It took me a while to set up the account, but after that I was able to shop on line. I chose to pay by check routing number vs. debt card and I saved another $5. I picked a delivery date that was a large window on a route, that saved me another $2. I price compared to our regular Copp's prices and it was only a few dollars more prior to the coupons. They do have a delivery charge but I've received free delivery for 90 days through the website, too. It has organic items, the specialty foods that Sheila needs. As we shopped we were able to see a running total and we could side by side price compare. They also have a dietary button that you can click if you can't eat certain foods and it helps eliminate those items. I placed the order and they delivered it. It was all bagged beautifully, very convenient and easy to do. The food was high quality and tasty. Did I mention convenient? They have a referral program, too. So if you want to try it - tell them Sheila Robertson sent you and I will receive a $10 bonus.
The other option we tried was Aldi's. It is the opposite of convenient but was very cost effective. You can check out our video called "Is Weird Worth It?". They do several things that help keep the prices down. They usually only have their brand items, you have to rent a cart, they sell bags (so bring your own) and you have to bag your own. We loaded up for two weeks. IF we make the food last the 2 weeks, this by far, is the most cost effective option so far (without using coupons). They do not have a referral program, but you still can tell them we sent you and they will just look at you strangely.
After we brought the food home, we made up a menu plan. We wrote down on a sheet all the meals that can be made using items we have in the freezer, pantry, fridge or in the garden. We know to check off the items used, mark when there are left overs and to make a new grocery shopping list for the next time.
There are a few fun things coming up that will make the meals last 2 weeks a challenge. Usually we would go to fancy grocery store (like whole foods) to pick up specialty items. We are boating, canoeing and camping over the weekend. We usually are usually the "Gourmet Campers" so we'll have to tone that down a little bit. Sheila has a 'staycation' planned with some girlfriends at our house. They will make foods at the house and go to a local state park for hiking and kayaking but her usual M.O. is to wow guests with special meals, so she will need to do that on a tighter budget.
There you go, our plan to save money on groceries without clipping coupons. We'll keep you posted if it all works out.
First we tried Pea Pod. It is a delivery service and online shopping option. My friend directed me to it through a website called madisoncrew.com. I searched peapod and received $15 off through that site. It took me a while to set up the account, but after that I was able to shop on line. I chose to pay by check routing number vs. debt card and I saved another $5. I picked a delivery date that was a large window on a route, that saved me another $2. I price compared to our regular Copp's prices and it was only a few dollars more prior to the coupons. They do have a delivery charge but I've received free delivery for 90 days through the website, too. It has organic items, the specialty foods that Sheila needs. As we shopped we were able to see a running total and we could side by side price compare. They also have a dietary button that you can click if you can't eat certain foods and it helps eliminate those items. I placed the order and they delivered it. It was all bagged beautifully, very convenient and easy to do. The food was high quality and tasty. Did I mention convenient? They have a referral program, too. So if you want to try it - tell them Sheila Robertson sent you and I will receive a $10 bonus.
The other option we tried was Aldi's. It is the opposite of convenient but was very cost effective. You can check out our video called "Is Weird Worth It?". They do several things that help keep the prices down. They usually only have their brand items, you have to rent a cart, they sell bags (so bring your own) and you have to bag your own. We loaded up for two weeks. IF we make the food last the 2 weeks, this by far, is the most cost effective option so far (without using coupons). They do not have a referral program, but you still can tell them we sent you and they will just look at you strangely.
After we brought the food home, we made up a menu plan. We wrote down on a sheet all the meals that can be made using items we have in the freezer, pantry, fridge or in the garden. We know to check off the items used, mark when there are left overs and to make a new grocery shopping list for the next time.
There are a few fun things coming up that will make the meals last 2 weeks a challenge. Usually we would go to fancy grocery store (like whole foods) to pick up specialty items. We are boating, canoeing and camping over the weekend. We usually are usually the "Gourmet Campers" so we'll have to tone that down a little bit. Sheila has a 'staycation' planned with some girlfriends at our house. They will make foods at the house and go to a local state park for hiking and kayaking but her usual M.O. is to wow guests with special meals, so she will need to do that on a tighter budget.
There you go, our plan to save money on groceries without clipping coupons. We'll keep you posted if it all works out.
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Wow, I'm impressed with your creativity!
Posted by: Cheryl T. | 07/18/2011 at 11:00 AM