Suddenly Saturday, analyze the ads

It's quiet.  A rare commodity with a two yo in  the house.  Never three years ago would I thought I would be dealing with doc mc stuffins and curious George.  LOL.

This is part of an on going series of how to get groceries on the cheap.  The next step is analyzing the ads.  We are lucky enough to have 4 chain stores, maybe 5; two dollar trees; a warehouse store; and two overstock stores within a five mile radius of our house.  I realize that not everyone is so lucky.
Whatever your situation, you can apply these concepts.  If you are far away from a big chain store, consider getting their ads by mail on line and going once every two weeks or a month.  Carpool with a friend or neighbor to cut gas costs maybe.  Make best use of your trip by going when you can get the best deals on you target list.  ( the things you stock, nothing to do with the store of the same name.).

The ads.

• Take a piece of copy paper.  I use something out of the recycle bin if I can.  Section it off in fourths.  I have a spread sheet made up for thos, but I started with just a piece of scrap computer paper.  
• Top each section with a name of a chain store .  
• Start going through the ads looking for 

1. A protein that is super low priced that you can buy in bulk.  
2. Anything that is on your target list that is sale priced 
3. Any produce or dairy that is low priced.  

• Mark each down under the stores ad.  Now, cross off anything that you have enough of or anything that is a higher price elsewhere.  
• Now pick the TWO best stores.  You want two to maximize your savings and give yourself the best produce of both stores.  
• Plan your trip to maximize gas.  I go to both stores of they are on the same route.  Otherwise, I buy from one store and cluster the other store with another errand I need to run.  
• Go to the stores, buy what's on your list, and get out.  The more time you stay in a store, the more you will spend.  The stores have spent a lot of money trying to get you to impulse buy. low cost specials are usually on the front page of the ad.  There are to entice you onto the store so that you buy the impulse buys.  Beat them at their own game.  

When something  is on your target list at your target price ( aka RBP ( rock bottom price) buy as many as you can  afford, as many as the store will let you buy,or as many as you need to fill your 

Self imposed quota.  I have shelves in a pantry.  They are marked off in sections.  When my tomato section is full, I quit buying tomatoes until I see some shelf space.  

If you buy one large item of meat a week and batch cook it, portion control meals and bag it for the freezer, you will save a lot of time and money.  No waste, less time cooking dinner at the most hectic time of day on most households, and you have purchased ot at a RBP.  I got chicken for .50 a pound last week.  My husband roasted two chickens and cut them up for the freezer.  I have enough chicken for is to have two chicken dinners a week for a month.  Another time it might be a pork loin that I cut into pork chops and roast for a roast dinner and or BBQ sandwiches. Or a tube of sausage from Costco that I fry and defat and store in meal sized freezer bags in the freezer.  Hamburger makes taco meat ( with homemade seasoning) , crumbles, meatballs, Salisbury steaks amd or meatloaf.  When cheese is five dollars for two pounds, I grate it, toss a little cornstarch in it and freeze it.  Eggs already
 have a long fridge life. 

You can rotate whatever is on sale and cook your protein on a Saturday afternoon or whenever things are the calmest in your house.  My answer to cook for a month freezer cooking. MIT doesn't take
long to cook a vegetable or make a salad, them eat is the biggest time hog.  Batch cooking affords you cheaper cuts of meat without the lomg cooking time that is not practical on most week nights.  

That's all for today

Next meal plans , alternative stores.

Thanks for stopping by

PLEASE share.  

Jane