As a mother of a toddler grocery shopping can be an all out chore! I start each week menu planning and forming a grocery list of what I need to create our planned meals. Since we no longer receive a newspaper on Sunday's (family budget cuts) I use on-line adds to see what is on sale. Since we are closest to Cub Foods and Super Target those are the sites I primarily view. Both allow you to print coupons from their sites which make it easier once I get to the store.
Though all this planning can be a pain, (Who really knows what you will want to eat on Thursday for supper or if it will be rainy and cold like Chili weather or hot and sunny like grilling weather?!) I have tried to make my best effort. Now that we are getting busier I find that I am also planning out what lunches will be so I can be prepared when the time comes each day. (It used to be that lunch was just leftovers from supper but that does not always pan out when you have three people eating leftovers...) With all these meals to eat and of course plan for, getting a bargain is essential. But how do YOU get a bargain these days?
I shop ads so I know what is on sale. I wish I had access to more coupons but with no Sunday paper that gets tricky. There are so many web sites out there with free printable coupons but many stores do not accept them. (Have any tips on that one I would love you to leave a comment!) The other problem...not being aware of all that a store has to offer you. I grew up in a town where the meat department would cut your whole ham if you were purchasing one. Does Super Target or Cub do that?! I never have had the assertiveness to ask. In fact I was unaware that Super Target's bakery gave out free cookies for kids while you are shopping if you just ask for one until a friend told me. (What a lifesaver when we need an in store bribe?!) What other deals am I missing out on when it comes to getting a bargain?!
How do you manage your grocery shopping trips with your toddler? How do you get the best deals for your family, even your picky little eaters? Do you know of any freebies or store services that others may be missing out on? We need your comments! Let me know!
2 comments:
Craig does a majority of the grocery shopping and all I know is that he won't buy unnecessary things unless they are on sale. He's cheap (and proud of it) and I think he does use coupons on occasion. We do watch sales esp. for things like diapers etc. Sorry, this is probably not much help to you. We also are members at Costco (but mostly for the dog food). I'm impressed by how much cooking you do from scratch. I'm too lazy or maybe it's more about not being organized enough to cook. I did manage a hotdish today.
I just tend to buy in bulk from Costco. I buy the majority of my paper products, cleaning products, diapers/wipes and meats (including lunch meats) there are well and attempt to use their coupons whenever possible. I also majorly stock up whenever I see a good deal at the grocery store - i.e. blueberries at Aldi at 1.29/pint .. I bought 18 or so of them and just froze them and a box of Cheerios for .92 cents .. I bought like 10 of those! I also will do some shopping at Aldi .. some of the basics and a little bit of their produce (have to watch that). You can get skim milk there for 2.49, eggs for .99, etc. Cliff is definitely getting more used to my "stock-up shopping" .. he used to just laugh at me! But, hey I am saving him money!! Hope this helps!
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