Saving Money on Groceries

Another way to save money on groceries is to join a co-op. I need to do this myself. It takes some planning as you only order once a month or quarter. By buying in bulk as a group and splitting orders you can really get some good savings on grains, nuts, spices, and the like.

One thing I noticed about the coops I have visited is that they can pressure you to buy stuff in order to "make a case." What I mean is that the cost break comes when someone orders a whole case of a product. A person may not want to buy a whole case herself, so she begs others to split a case with her. You might end up with a 24 pack of "healthy" grape soda you never intended to buy if you buckle to pressure.

Something else to watch when you buy in bulk is eating it too fast. I got in trouble with this from buying at Sam's Warehouse. Plus you need somewhere to store the extra food. If you don't store it carefully it can spoil or get critters in it.

One last thing is to stick to your list. This goes for the grocery store, too. We think if there's a special we ought to stock up. Yes, do that IF you have the extra funds and IF you really do use that product. Now that our family's diet is changing to a more vegetarian/almost vegan one, it doesn't make sense to stock up on Froot Loops cereal! LOL

Blessings,
-Donna Tweet