How to save money on your groceries...

[jmowreader]

These are food storage jars. Get quite a few--these ones are made by Anchor Hocking and come in sets of four, as pictured above. If you're not worried about appearances, you can put a plastic sack inside a lidded one-gallon bucket or an Empty Paint Can (they sell new empty paint cans at Home Depot) and save some cash that way.

Any decent supermarket has a Bulk Foods department. The more staples you can buy in bulk, the less you'll spend on food.

[Ilsa]

1. Some items that last a long time:

Beans (many varieties)
Rice
Sugar
Salt

Please add more of your favorites.

[handmade34]

2. good idea

but I would rather forget the "decent supermarket" and form food cooperatives; share the labor and expense and buy in even larger bulk...

also community gardens and potlucks!

also store in a freezer (the fuller a freezer is, the less energy it takes and many things keep better in the freezer)
grow your own sprouts (very easy and inexpensive and provides fresh greens in winter)
use a slow cooker to make soups and stews

[gateley]

3. Or, get sick as a dog and don't have insurance -- I haven't been able to eat a bite

in about 5 days.

But this is a great thread. Bookmarking for when I make it back to the land of the living.

[marybourg]

10. Get better soon!

[gateley]

12. Thank you! Since I can only drag my butt out of bed a couple of times a day for

about 30 minutes max, I'm getting plenty of rest!

[Robb]

4. I cut my grocery bill in about half last year.

There are several websites out there that track major grocery store prices and sales, then cross-check them with a database of currently available newspaper and printable coupons.

It is only slightly time-consuming, and requires a rudimentary filing system. Also requires having the money to "strike" when a deal is very, very good and stock up.

One I like right now: http://www.couponmom.com

YMMV, but I can't bring myself to pay full price for stuff I know goes on deep discount eventually.

[ejpoeta]

9. i've been doing the same thing and have saved a lot

and we actually have groceries.

[gateley]

13. I've gotten so used to getting something off with my store cards, I'm actually insulted when they

expect me to pay full price! I'll check out this site -- thank you!

[shraby]

5. I use clear plastic containers..large ones like those that can be purchased at the dollar store

to store my stuff in..that way I can see what I have and how much of it. I store spaghetti and lasagna pasta in one of those oblong box type clear ones that will snap shut good. Sure is better than opaque containers.

[appleannie1]

6. I have a small garden and grow some of my own in summer and either can or

freeze a lot of what I grow. I have even grown tomatoes and peppers in pots on the back porch. I also grow my own herbs year round on window sills. In this country about a third of what is grown for market is thrown away simply because it is not perfect. If something is shaped funny or has a small spot on it, it is thrown away because no one will buy it in stores. It is a total disgrace. And then supermarkets throw away tons of produce every year because it is past prime but is still usable if you use it right away. We should all demand that they sell things of that nature at low cost markets. Or at the very least, donate it to food banks. When a person is hungry they don't care if the tomato is not perfectly round.

[bluerum]

7. Not sure about paint cans. They have rust inhibiting lining

that I would not want in my food.

[jmowreader]

8. That's what the plastic bag inside is for

I would probably use a gallon ziploc bag in a paint can...the can itself being there to keep the vermin out of your foodstuffs.

[noamnety]

11. You can get great storage jars for next to nothing

at thrift shops. While you're there, you can pick up a cheap dehydrator for using on fresh seasonal produce.

[unkachuck]

14. although it's a pain in the ass, (at least my ass)

....work the sales as much as possible....pick up those items on sale today that you know you're going to need next week....

....have a clear shopping strategy; know what you're going to buy before you enter the store, purchase the items and get out....