It’s a rainy, gray morning here in Boston, so I stayed under the covers with M & m instead of going to yoga like I had planned. I even laid out my yoga clothes and mat, but I shut off my alarm and went back to sleep. Looks like my warm, comfy bed won this morning!
Breakfast
I whipped up an oldie, but goodie for breakfast this morning:Ā Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes. I totally destroyed the second pancake– it stuck to the pan and fell apart– so I didn’t include it in my photo. But, I can assure you it tasted better than it looked! š
I topped my Sweet Potato Oatmeal Pancakes with honey, raisins, walnuts, and chia seeds.Ā I also drank an iced coffee with soy milk with breakfast.
Grocery Shopping 101
Continuing with my financial series, my next post is about how I save money at the grocery store. I aim to spend less than $75 per week and my bill usually comes in around $65-70. Here’s how I save money at the grocery store:
Grocery Shopping 101: Before I Leave the House
Grocery Shopping 101: At the Grocery Store (Part 1)
Grocery Shopping 101: At the Grocery Store (Part 2)
Grocery Shopping 101: Unit Price
Sign Up For My Grocery Store’s Email Updates
Eat From the Pantry or Freezer
There’s even more money-saving tips on Trading Up Downtown, including this morning’sĀ guest post: Trading Up Without Paying Up.
Breville Juicer Raffle
Just a reminder that the raffle for the Breville Juicer ends tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at midnight. (I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday morning.)Ā Be sure make your donation to our Team In Training page if you want a chance to win. You can check out the giveaway details here.
Blog Bake Sale
Calling all bakers!!!
On Tuesday, September 7, I will host a Blog Bake Sale to benefit Team in Training! If you’ve never participated in a Blog Bake Sale, check out Meghann’s post about the rules and logistics. Her post is very detailed and explains how it all works. I’ll run the Blog Bake Sale on Carrots ‘N’ Cake in the same way.
If you’re interested in donating baked goods, please send me an email at carrotsncakeblog@gmail.com with your name, the baked good(s) that you would like to donate, a short description of it, and a photo and/or link to its deliciousness by Wednesday, September 1. You don’t need to be a blogger to participate. All baked goods are welcomed!
Question of the Day
What are you favorite tips and tricks for saving money at the grocery store?
70 Comments
I use a lot of manufacturer’s coupons plus the store’s own coupons. Sometimes you can double up on them and things are even cheaper!
Making a list before I go and sticking to it! It’s hard not to get distracted by so many options in the grocery store.
Thanks so much for the grocery shopping tips! I try to use coupons when I can to save some money but I’m not the best at finding where the deals are before I go. Now that my husband is unemployed, I NEED to be doing that! We spend wayyyyyy too much on groceries!
Oh wow!! Can I please come over for breakfast at your place?
One of my tips is to stock staples once a month at a store with the lowest price on those items (I made a spreadsheet and went to a few stores to compare prices. Wal-Mart ended up being cheapest for me for purchasing things like canned tuna, lentils, beans, etc). On a weekly basis I only have to purchase milk, bread, and produce (and occasionally and ingredient I forgot to purchase on my “big shop” day). My husband and I almost always eat all our meals and snacks at home (or make it and bring it with us) and spend about $350ish on groceries a month.
Another resource for those in the southeast is Grocery Czar: http://groceryczar.com/ They have an aggregator that shows you which stores have the lowest prices on certain items. Southern Savers (http://www.southernsavers.com/) is also a good resource. It shows you how to combine weekly sales with certain coupons to get the best deals. There may be similar sites for different parts of the country.
I don’t really have any original tips, but they work really well: clip coupons in the paper or online every Sunday; buy store brands; buy in bulk.
clipping coupons and generic buying, plus sticking to a list, is what i tend to do. plus buying all my organic stuff at farmer’s markets or trader joe’s
Thanks for all the links – I started reading Trading-Up Downtown a few weeks ago so the names/links were very helpful! You have amazing tips! š
Great tips! I always go with a list, I never go hungry, and I buy all my fruits and veggies from a local farmer’s market which I’ve found is less expensive than Trader Joe’s (where I do most of my shopping).
I use a site called The Coupon Master http://thecouponmaster.com. You can pick out just the coupons you want instead of buying a Sunday paper with a bunch of coupons you won’t use! You pay just 5-10 cents per coupon, but if you pick the best coupons, the net savings is totally worth it!
http://healthyfitmama.wordpress.com
Tina, what is your marathon training schedule this week?? x
@Tess: It’s similar to last week!
Eek, I love the new look of your blog! That pug graphic is so adorable, squee!!!!
I look through ads before shopping and I spend hr on Sundays clipping coupons. It really does Save money!
Maybe it’s because I live in The Silicon Valley, but my grocery bill is clearly too much! Must plan more..
Your “unit price” post sure stuck with me the first time I read it. I *always* check that now! My tip is clip those coupons! You may feel dorky or like tour grandmother when you do it, but you will be amazed by how much you can save or get “free”!!!
that looks yummy.. everybody wants to save money.. just like janna, i live clipping and printing those coupons too..
I liked the post on shopping your pantry – I’ve been eating my way through various spaces, starting with the freezer. I made a bunch of meals that aren’t my normal thing in order to use up various frozen veg my ex-roommate left behind, plus ate anything of mine that had been there longer than a week. Now I have no more freezer burned foods, and a nice organized freezer!
Next up is the carb cabinet – soba noodles, rice, and dried beans ahoy!
I think you are great and love all your blogs…Keep up the good work…I want to see more places that you wined up in…
Fantastic website you got here, best content yet!