Kroger + Chase Freedom = double dip!

I have Kroger in my area and found a great way to double dip on points!

Grocery Stores are this quarter's 5x Chase Freedom bonus category (along with movie theaters). It maxes out at $1,500 in spending. Kroger sells gift cards to all sorts of different places including Home Depot, Restaurants, Southwest Airlines, gas stations, and so on. These are a great way to maximize the 5x Chase points.

On top of that Kroger gives you 4x bonus fuel points (totaling 4 per dollar) for buying non-Kroger gift cards. Every 100 fuel points takes 10 cents off per gallon up to $2.00 off. This is a great way to save a little extra money on something you are going to buy anyway!

To maximize this you could buy $1,500.00 worth of various gift cards that are not Kroger gift cards. This means that you would get 7,500 Chase UR points and 6,000 Kroger fuel points. You could use 2,000 points every time you get gas to save $2.00 per gallon. I would consider filling up gas cans too at that low rate!

Get creative with points strategies and you can save big!

Buy and cook food in bulk

This is one area where I am still learning and forming better habits. I have been buying a lot of my staple foods in bulk but separating into 2-person size portions and storing them. I find that this makes cooking easier down the road. Less waste and fewer leftovers.

I am now questioning my methods a little. I am wondering if I should get 5-7 pounds of chicken and cook it all at once and then store it for later use. It makes sense from an energy use and time saving standpoint. The major issue is I like variety in what I eat and don't want to eat only chicken for dinner all week.

I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. If I buy bulk chicken and maybe cook it 2 different ways I can achieve some variety and still save time and effort later. I could marinate in 2 different ways and cook/grill it all at once to get that out of the way. I can then make several different dishes with that chicken as the base ingredient.

The bottom line is that I need to learn more about cooking and do better with what I already have laying around so I can make less frequent trips to the store. Buying certain bulk food such as pasta, rice, meat, and other staples does save money in the long run. I need to take better advantage of that!

Planning meals saves time and money

This year I have gotten a lot better about planning my meals for the week so I save money and time. Firstly I can make a grocery list before going to the store. Second I have less trips to the store saving gas and time. Finally I don't have to worry about what to cook for dinner as it is planned in advance.

I also save money by going to the store less and having less temptations to buy extra stuff not on the list. I also vow to not waste any food like I have in the past so my overall costs go down a lot. I use leftovers for lunches and it gives me some variety at work. The same old sandwich gets old fast when you have it 4-5 times per week.

Planning meals ahead also keeps me from getting lazy and going out or getting take out. If I have a really long day I will still eat the occasional meal out but not nearly as much as I used too. I am cutting my spending way down and forming good habits to pay off in the future.

Keeping the grocery costs low: I have a system!

This time of year has me paying extra special attention to my normal expenses. I switch to bare bones grocery shopping and utilize what I have in the pantry already first if I can. It has worked well this month and I am staying under budget.

I am starting to be able to purchase what I need at the lowest price. Splitting my grocery shopping between the farmer's market and grocery store is allowing me the best of both worlds. All of my produce, spices, and juice come from the farmer's market. I tend to get dry products, meat, and packaged items at the grocery store. Add in coupons and sales and I come out well!

I am getting into the habit of having fresh fruits and eating more salads on a regular basis. Not only is this healthier but it tastes better too. I have almost no canned vegetables around unless I have a specific recipe. I do get canned tomatoes and anything that is really good sale for quick needs. Mostly I use fresh these days and have better meals as a result!

Finally I am working on my bulk cooking skills a bit. I currently make my own chicken noodle soup, spaghetti sauce, and sometimes chilli in big batches. I freeze and use them over the next month or two. It takes me 1 weekend afternoon to cook all 3 at once if I need them. I always find they taste great when reheated later and it takes very little time!

I tend to go shopping more often when using fresh ingredients but I am better off money wise even with the extra trips. Both stores are close to my house and the gas cost is negligible. I try to go to both on the same day if possible. Even still sometimes you still just need butter, milk, or bread. Such is life.

Ramping up cooking at home!

I admit that I really tend to get lazy when it comes to cooking at home. I know it is the frugal, and probably healthier, thing to do. I find that since I am a Project Manager and travel fairly often I feel "too tired" to cook a lot of the time. I am now working on changing that attitude. It is going to take some time and determiniation on my part but I believe I can pull it off.

Game plan: Aside from really good specials (dollar taco night!) I plan to cook at home a lot more when I am here. I am going to do a little more meal planning and I have a couple of very important cooking tools coming from Amazon.com: A cast iron skillet and Santoku knife. I have been wanting these for years and finally bit the bullet. They are on the way!

My next step is to do some recipe researching and get a few good recipes saved for each type of meat I typically eat. This way I have ammo ready for when there are good sales. I have a variety of options and don't have to feel that I have to make spaghetti again because I have only one recipe that involves ground beef. I am also going to start experimenting more often and try to stay motivated.

I also want to dabble in baked goods a little. I especially like cookies and want to try out some recipes I found recently. Instead of eating out one weekend I want to make stuff at home and see how I do versus the restaurants. If I find I can make things good myself then why go out?

I am also trying to enforce some more self-imposed rules. First I need to separate my grocery and dining out budget so I can keep better track. Once I figure out those numbers I can move forward with training myself to think more about cooking and less about my favorite place down the street. I also need to train myself to think it will spoil if I don't eat it so I don't waste more money.

It is going to be a long yet worthwhile process to do this. I really do like cooking and need to do it more so I can become good at it.

The Grocery Game: Stage 2 Reached!

Today I have realized that I have hit "Stage 2" of the grocery game. I subscribe to a weekly database that finds the best deals each week in my local grocery store. It combines that with the current coupons available in the Sunday newspaper and I get lots of great "Double-whammy" deals.

I have reached the point where my freezer and pantry are mostly full. My grocery shopping has shrunk a lot and now I just replenish what I run out of and stock up on great deals that I know will get used. For example I like Powerade and stock up on it or Gatorade when they go on a great sale. I usually buy enough to last me 2 weeks as that seems to be the sale cycle on that item.

I am now mostly looking for good deals on my favorite meats, produce, and staple items. These are things that I constantly need. For produce specifically I find that the prices are lower and the quality is better at my local farmer's market. I am usually there every week to pick up what I need (its mostly natural stuff and spoils quickly).

It is nice to be able to cook form a full pantry as I have plenty of options to choose from. I do still buy specialized items if I am experimenting with a new recipe or agree to cook a specific dish for a group of friends. Other than that my grocery shopping has become less deal finding and more maintenance. As a result I save a lot of money on food!

Cutting the Food Budget (and keeping it down!)

As with most people I find that food is a major expense each month aside from housing and utilities. It is something we all need and buy on a regular basis. Doing our best to save money on food is a way to keep our wallets and our stomachs happy. Today I am going to share my method of finding the best place in town to get groceries for the lowest price.

1. Shop around for your staples: Everyone has items that we consume regularly and frequently. Examples: Bread, milk, eggs, meat, pasta, fruit, vegtables. Write down your top 10-15 items and comparison shop at all the stores near you. Don't forget to check Wholesale Clubs and WalMart-like stores too. Do this at least once per year as prices do change.
2. Use coupons: I am a big fan of the grocery game and subscription to the Sunday paper. Coupons allow you to save on what you already buy and stock up when sales come around. Your freezer is great for stockpiling things like meat or frozen vegetables on sale!
3. Go local: Buying you produce and spices from local farmers and/or farmer's markets not only saves you money but the quality is much higher too.You are also helping out the local community instead of imported foods.
4. Read and learn: seek out blogs, websites, books, and articles on cooking. Learn new tricks to use less or cheaper ingredients in your recipes. Seek out inexpensive recipes to try new things and reduce costs. Find an ingredient you like on sale then seek out recipes for that item!

 I do all of the above myself and I am very satisfied with my results. I find that I am now creating cheaper, tastier meals at home for almost half of what I used to spend. I use all leftovers if at all possible and keep waste to a minimum. I let the weekly sales drive my menu choices. This all adds up big time!

The Grocery Game: Update

It has been nearly 3 months since I started using the grocery game to save money on food. I was skeptical at first since it is a paid service. I decided to use the 4 week free trial and see if it really worked for myself.

The result: I save a lot of money. I pay $10 for 8 weeks access to the database. The coupons, sales, and tracking make it well worth my while to invest in it. I also subscribe to the local Sunday newspaper to automate getting the coupons each week.

According to my Kroger receipts I save 45% to 60% on my total bill. This does factor in their "regular price" so after looking at coupons only I save around 30% or more each time I go. I now have a decent stockpile of food and simply stock up on what is on sale this week when I run low.

Overall I have to save it is worth the investment. I am saving a great deal of money that I otherwise would spend even after the cost of newspapers and the website access. Give it a try yourself and you will see how much of a difference it makes!

The Grocery Game: Update

So I have been doing the grocery game for 3 weeks now. I am building my reserves of food and I am saving quite a bit along the way! I am glad I have done this as my food cost has gone down. Here are the steps I took:

• Signed up for a free trial at the Grocery Game
• Subscribed to my local Sunday newspaper
• Kept all coupon inserts from the paper
• Utilized the online coupons from the Grocery Game site
• Printed the weekly list and got the items I need!

So far I have averaged about 50% off of all items that I normally buy just by using the list. I have gotten some really great deals such as: 25 centers per can for Campbell's cooking soups, 25 cents per box for Green Giant frozen veggies, 1.99/lb boneless chicken breasts, and the list goes on. Coupons take almost no time for me and save me a great deal.

The Grocery Game makes it much easier to spot the best deals. Their database does it all for you so you just print your list, clip specified coupons, and go to the store. Well worth the $10 every 8 weeks. Even with the cost of the service and cost of newspapers I come out way ahead. Saving money on food goes a long way. Give it a try!

The Grocery Game!

Over the weekend I decided to give the Grocery Game a try. It has a 4-week free trial so I have nothing to lose. I was very impressed with my results so far. If it is consistent enough I could save a lot of money every week!

Here is the idea: The webmaster of the site, Teri, does research into all of the major chain grocery stores and drug stores including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Publix, and the list goes on. She has a database that tracks prices and trends every week. She combines this data with available coupons from various sources to save lots of money. It works!

Aside from the site you will need these to get started and maintain the grocery game:

• Loyalty card from your store of choice (if they have one)
• The sunday paper every week (buy it or subscribe)
• Visit her online coupons section for printable coupons and electronic coupons
• Discipline to keep track of all the coupons available and collect them
  

The "fine print": Teri claims it takes about 12 weeks (the alleged cycle of pricing at grocery stores) to fully utilize her system to save the most money. The service does cost money. It is $10 every 8 weeks ($65 a year) for 1 store's data. The price goes up in smaller increments if you want to track more than 1 store. I am running on a 4-week trail (free) on Kroger to see how it goes.

Every Tuesday afternoon she releases the list for that week. She color codes the items. Some are free after coupon(s) (you just pay tax) and others are highly discounted when using more than one coupon. It is a very interesting concept and I am willing to try it. She denotes the items that are near the historical "rock bottom" and you should stock up on them that week (Saturday is the last day for weekly prices).

My experience thus far? I have saved a good bit already. I got 8 cans of Del Monte tomatoes for $0.37 each and 2 boxes of Success boil-in-bag rice for $1.50 per box. Versus the normal prices my first $10 fee is already "paid for" via the savings. If this keeps up I will continue to utilize the system indefintely.

The only downside I see is that every week you MUST get a Sunday newspaper to get the coupons. Obviously you will save more than the cost of the paper but it takes time to clip and sort them and build up inventory. I will be slow at first but will get faster as time goes by. I will report again after my 4 week trial (April 26th) with my true savings.

Have you tried this?

5 ways to lower your grocery cost

One of the most expensive things we consume is food. With so many convenience foods out there the cost can rise quickly. It's no secret that $100 worth of groceries today is not as much food as it was 10 or even 5 years ago. Here are 5 steps to take to keep your food costs down:

1. Make a list and stick too it. Impulse buys increase your food cost and are usually not healthy choices. Make a list before leaving home and stick to it at the store
2. Check the weekly specials handout. Look only for items on your list. If they are on sale and don't perish quickly stock up. Sale shopping, done correctly, saves you money in the long run.
3. Use coupons. Look online, in junk mail, and newspapers for coupons for items you normally buy. Compare after coupon price to generic brand versions also.
4. Plan your meals. Make a list of meals for the week to help create your shopping lists. Always check for near-end dated meat on sale if you can use it quickly. They are marked down a LOT!
5. Don't go hungry. EAT before you go grocery shopping. Even if you have to get a burger at McDonald's you will save way more than the $1 it costs at the store. Going hungry makes you buy bigger and more prone to impulse buys.

I have been guilty of doing or not doing the above and have always spent more as a result. The above 5 steps are easy enough to do and laziness is not an excuse! Don't waste money on food so you can save for other more fun stuff!

Are you spending too much on groceries?

Never go grocery shopping hungry!

This is a lesson that I learned early on in life. It was not completely obvious to me at first but when I began to think about it I soon realized what was happening. I ended up spending a lot more that I had originally intended too and bought things I did not need. Some of that eventually was wasted. I devised a system to correct this!

Going grocery shopping hungry will make everything look extra-good to you. Suddenly things that you sort of like or even don't like look delicious. I also tend to buy more junk foods when I shop hungry. My solution to this is to go shopping an hour or two after a meal. I can then stick to my list and only deviate if something is at a bargain and I can stock up without waste.

The inverse can also be a hindrance here. If you go shopping too full then you will not get everything you need and end up having to go back later to pick up those items. This wastes time, gas, and money because you are not exactly in the mood to think about food or eating. Give yourself time to feel less stuffed and then go.

If time is an issue and you are hungry you are much better off stopping for at least a snack before hitting the supermarket. It can be a $1 cheeseburger, bag of chips, candy bar, or anything! Spending that $1 can save you 10 or 20 fold in the supermarket since you won't be hungry and looking at all the great foods around you. Before you walk in the door just make sure you don't feel really hungry or stuffed and you will be able to stick to your list and move on!