Thursday, April 9, 2009

Stocking Up: Getting the best deal on groceries

How much food do you have in your house right now?

We have... well, a lot! Our freezer is quite full, and so is our cold cellar. They are full of food we will use, bought at the cheapest prices I could find, ready for us to prepare into healthy meals (and the occasional unhealthy treat).

Why do I have so much food, when there are only four people in my family? I am not hoarding, nor am I worried about the end of the world. I am trying to make the best use of my grocery dollars, by purchasing food we use at the best price I can.

Take a can of tuna. A regular can of tuna can sell for a huge range of prices. I have seen it for $1.79 for store brand tuna in water. I have also seen it for $0.99. A few weeks ago, I saw if for $0.69 per can. So I bought 10 cans. I saved over $10 compared to buying the tuna at full price, and $3.00 over buying it at the more expensive sale price.

My goal is to buy enough tuna at $0.69 a can to last me until the next time I can get it for that price.

When I stock up on each pantry staple as I find it on sale, my shelves are full of food purchased at the lowest price, ready for me when I need it.

The same principle can be applied to frozen or freezable items, if you have a large freezer for storage. I keep my freezer full of meat, butter, frozen peas and corn, frozen fruit and cheese that I freeze in bars or grate and then freeze.

You may also be interested in some of my tips and tricks for stocking up.

1 comment:

  1. I finally found a Canadian with the same shopping habits as me. What a refreshing change. I am forever seeing the American's deals on-line but never a Canadian blog.

    We too are a family of four. Our two children left at home are teenagers. I have a huge cold cellar and a nice size freezer. My cold cellar is getting full as this month was dedicated to re-stocking the can good section sales only!!

    My disappointments have been in the flyers after the Easter weekend. This week there is little out there that I would buy on sale.

    The store I purchase most in are No Frills and Value Mart. We do have a Price Choppers in the near by city but I find their sales very limited and normally find a better deal at Loblaws. It is all a game.

    Live 50km east of Peterborough.
    marlyndubay@gmail.com

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