ten on tuesday

10 ways to save at the grocery store:

1. go with a list. I spend WAY too much when I go without one. I take PC with me to the store, but I've noticed I spend less without him there. I tend to peruse the meats aisle, etc. more carefully.

2. Store brands, if possible. We don't eat canned veggies (well, I do, but only for breakfast and that's another post), but we do eat frozen, so I stock up when it's 10/$10 sales... usually by buying 2-3 bags.

3. beans. We eat bean-heavy meals once a week. Wait, that's wrong. I make a bean-heavy meal once a week: we eat for at least 3-4 additional meals.

4. limit ziplock bags. We use tupperware for lot of things, like lunches, and I prefer to use glass reusables, so our "plastic" dollars go further.

5. Buy meats in bulk. I buy everything meat related in bulk. If bottom round roasts are on sales for less than $1.99/lb, I will buy the biggest one and cut it into 2-3 smaller roasts. Simply wrap in butcher paper and freeze.

6. Skip the boneless skinless chicken breasts (unless on sale- Stop & Shop is really good for this). I know they are healthier, but it's cheaper and tastier to buy bone-in chicken and remove the skin yourself. Result? Delish chicken, less cost per meal. We also eat a lot of chicken thighs and drumsticks; simply buy in bulk and split into "meal sizes" and freeze (for this, I use ziplock bags).

7. skip the 100 calorie packs. When I was single (or even pre-move in with PC), I used to get home with my groceries and divvy up the servings. Yup, into little snack bags with 1 serving per bag. Then I'd put the bags back into the original container. If you wanted Cheezits at my mom's house, you would reach into the box and get an individual serving.

8. Use coupons and store cards to add up the savings.

9. Shop the flyer. Know what's on sale and for how long. If it's not there, get a rain check. I think the rain check is the most under-utilized component of a grocery store.

10. Bring your bags! Not only is it environmentally responsible, but now most stores give a $0.05-$0.10 per bag credit. A big 2 week shopping order with 10 bags? That's $0.50-$1.00 off your order, just for not using flimsy plastic bags. Win-win.

Today was day 2 of walking. Today hurt more, anyone tell me why? Still did my 1.2 miles.. 24 minutes. My healthy lunch of the day: curried beef with peas, salad, green beans and 2 pieces of Kavli... yum.