Saving Money Grocery Store

So many people ask me how I save so much at the grocery store buying healthy food. Well, I do a lot of preparing. I usually shop at Wal-mart, Harris Teeter, Aldis and Trader Joes.

Meat:
I try to get most of our fresh meats at Harris Teeter, the quality and fresh cuts they offer are so much better (in my opinion) than the prepacked, frozen stuff at other stores. The only meat I do buy at Wal-mart is the organic ground turkey. I like to buy organic meat, which can get expensive, so I have found that buying the chicken thighs vs. breast saves a ton. I also do a lot with the ground organic turkey. We do not eat much red meat, my husband doesn't like it and I am a border line vegetarian. I also like going to Trader Joes to get meat. I have join a local farmers meet, all the meat is from local farmers but I have yet to use it. Our freezer died in the garage and we lack space.

Fruits/Veggies:
I try to buy organic but it can get very costly. I try to hit up the local fruit stands and farmer's markets during this time of year. I buy lots of fruit/veggies from Aldis. They do not carry organic so I try to get fruit and veggies that you can peel the skin off, ex. apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, potatoes, etc. I love Trader Joes, they are just a hike from my house but they offer very affordable produce that is organic. I do watch out though because throughout the store there are many things that are the TJ brand and are not at all organic.

Dairy:
I try hard to buy organic milk, it's just very costly and we go through about 3 gallons a week. If I don't get organic I always get the kind that doesn't treat their cows with antibiotics, etc. Cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. I usually get at Wal-mart and Harris Teeter. Harris Teeter has lots of good deals on cheese and I stock up, when they do. I always buy organic yogurts. My kids consume way too much not to and they carry it everywhere, usually on sale plus the coupon match-ups. Eggs I buy organic, again you can find them everywhere, plus coupon match-ups.

Cereal/Breakfast:
This is my biggest down fall. Because I don't buy much junk food, my kids and husband always go crazy on the cereal row. I try to persuade them to get the less colorful crap filled and get the boring kind with lots of fiber and vitamins but that colorful crap usually wins. We do eat lots of oatmeal and grits (super cheap). I always make and never buy pancakes, waffles, and biscuits. So much cheaper and healthier.

Snacks:
Like I said before, my kids LOVE fruit, so they snack on that a lot. I make tons of smoothies. I freeze a few of each fruit I have and then use almond milk and ta-da, a healthy milkshake. Cheese cubes, cheese sticks, fruit and veggies, fruit cups, fruit leather, organic fruit snacks, dried fruit, trail mix, popcorn, granola bars, etc. I find that the that is definitely where I save money. The boxed and bagged stuff is expensive and really full of crap. I make my own version or buy the organic version or we just skip out on it.

Drinks;
Milk, juice, water...that's what my kids can choose from. I always buy the no sugar added juices. I drink water and Ryan loves sweet tea, which is super cheap and so easy to make.


For my coupons, I simply get my weekly emails for the local stores and do match-ups. I don't buy stuff I will never use. I rarely pay for soap, tooth paste, tooth brushes, shaving cream, shampoos and conditioners or cleaning products.

I save a lot and it's pretty easy. I spend about $400.00 a month which includes my husband taking his lunch everyday to work and us eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in. We eat out about once a week. We allow out dining out budget to be $40.00 a week. I plan my meals around what I already have and what's on sale at the store. I cook A LOT.