Here I am back to blogging about my attempts at saving money on groceries. I have tried planning ahead (still spent too much) and even tried the whole crazy couponing (saved money but not enough). So I am trying something new this time and it's probably something that I should have been doing a loooong time ago.
So what is my new secret to saving money? Or I hope it will save us money...
Sam's!!!!
I know, a lot of you are probably going, "Well, duh! Why haven't you been doing that all along?". And I'm pretty sure my wonderful sister has even told me to go to Sam's.
I guess I like to learn the hard way. :)
I spent pretty much the ENTIRE day yesterday getting groceries. I started out at Sam's and let me tell you, I was shocked at the prices!! 32 bottles of water for $4!! You can spend $4 at the grocery store and only get 12 bottles of water!
Some more examples:
2-96 oz bottles of Apple Juice: $5
30 rolls of toilet paper: $20
4 boxes of Capri Sun: $7.50
Really?! Why have I not shopped here until now?? What really made me realize just how much Sam's can save people money is when I overheard two ladies talking about how they drive from Perry (at least an hours drive) and other small towns just to come to Sam's! There must be some real savings if one is willing to drive almost an hour to load up on groceries.
And Sam's is just a short 5 minute drive for me and this is the first time I have chosen to shop here. What is wrong with me?
I called Wes about every 5 minutes starting out every conversation with, "Man, this is so crazy! I can get _____ for only $_____!!". I'm sure he was annoyed after about the 4th phone call from me. But then he just had to hear more about it all when he got home from work because I had to physically show him what I had accomplished.
My husband is so patient with me. :)
Here is a picture of what I hope is the answer to our grocery money woes.
As I was leaving, I started to think about all the things I could get at Sam's that could potentially save us a lot of money by buying in bulk. I was worried about where I was going to put all this stuff but I managed to find a place for it all. Success!!
What is not in this picture that I really wanted to go to Sam's for in the first place is meat. I have noticed that when I go to Homeland and buy meat, my grocery bill is always outrageous. Now, we can't just go without meat (ha) so I knew I needed to find a solution that wouldn't cost us so much money.
Solution found! Sam's!!
I got 5 lbs of hamburger meat for $14, 4 strip steaks for $15, and a bag of chicken breasts for $14.
But we are only a family of 2 so of course we aren't going to go through that much meat before it goes bad. Even though I have the smallest freezer in the world, I decided to try freezing everything I bought and use it on an as needed basis.
Once again, most of you are saying, "Meredith, where have you been? Freezing meat WILL save you money!". I got it...I got it...finally...after being told many times. :)
So I bought a small scale to weight out 1 lb of my meat and baggies and foil to get it stored away. I took some pictures of the process:
5 lbs of meat
1 lb weighed and ready to be "bagged"
All 5 lbs ready to be frozen
Steaks and beef; I guess this does mean I have to plan ahead :)
I will update on the results of my freezing meat attempt to save money. I really hope it helps.Now, if I had to choose one item that I was totally excited about saving money on it would have to be this:
I was just telling Wes the other morning that I have to find a way to save money on my Keurig K-Cups. I have found a flavor that I absolutely love and have only been able to find it at Homeland. But the price is pretty ridiculous. At Homeland I get 14 K-Cups for $10. That's about .71 cents per K-Cup.
Now Sam's: 80 K-Cups for $40 which is about .50 cents per K-Cup.
This is so worth it when it is something you use every single day. Not a single morning goes by that I don't have my cup of coffee. So I was pretty excited about this find. Not to mention, it is my favorite flavor! Score!!!!
I did end up having to go to the grocery store for other items that I really didn't need 20 of but tried to stick to my list and buy things less expensive: rice, beans, canned foods, Ramen (the only way to eat on a budget, for me at least, Wes won't eat it).
When I got home, I decided to make an Excel spreadsheet of the prices of the items I bought and when I bought them. I really want to see how long the Sam's items last and also be able to compare prices with the grocery store.
I know, I'm a nerd...such an organizer...what else am I supposed to do with all this free time??
Sam's List
Homeland List
Ramen? Hamburger Helper? Yes, please!
I will try to "spice things up" a little bit. I might have to get a little creative and get brave with my spices, but I can do it!
Any suggestions are kindly welcomed. I feel good about what I have done so far, I just hope it will pay off in the end. We will see!
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