Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Surprise! Not all advertised bargains are bargains!

Surprise.    My granddaughter and I were enjoying a blue bunny ice cream cone.    It's a great treat and they are lift ion controlled so we so to have too much.   Granddaughters was full sized , mine was a mini -- like 1/2 the size.    Calling customer service today.    Usually of you call, they learn ot Halle Ed and can make adjustments to the manufacturing line to correct the problem, amd you usually get coupons for free product,    It pays to complain.     But, complain nicely.  

I got my just 4 you feed today from Safeways.  Besides the five dollar off of twentyfold coupon that may or may may not be a bargain, the rest of it was ornery much a joke,  

You can't believe everything that you see as being a bargain,  

Sour cream 24 ounces 1.99.   I got sour cream for .88 at Fred Meyers this week.  Granted, it is or a key 16 ounces, but still, that's. It a bargain at 1.99

The inferior brand of brownie mix is 1.61.   I almost never pay more than a dollar and sometimes .88 for Betty Crocker or Pillsbury.   I did pay  1.60 for Giravaldi chocolate at Costco.   Yum!  

BBQ sauce, Rays, I paid .55 or .58 for with sake and coupon is on sale for 2.88

The kicker,,.,,,,refried beans,    They were on sale for 80 at Safeways a few weeks back.   I can buy one variety for .78 at Costco, and .88 all the time at Winco.    They are on sale coupon for .....wait for. It...1.13.  

It goes back to a main principle.......

My mother used to say that some people would t know a bargain of it got up and bit  them in the butt.    
Don't  be that person.     KNOW YOUR PRICES. .......

You don't have to know every price in the store, just the things you buy on a regular basis.   That usually is 15-20 things,    Some things I just know I don't buy unless they are under a dollar.    I have target prices ....nothing to do with the red ball store.  ......

It's a good rule of thumb .  My vegetable target used to be .39.   Then .69.  Now it's a buck.    But, of course, the COL hasn't risen according to the government,     LOL on that one.  

I digress.     I want fruits and veggies for a buck,    Green chillies , canned fruit, cake mix, pasta -- all under a dollar.  

Meat's target price is two dollars.   Granted, ground beef is more like almost four, but I can average and ise chicken, eggs, beans and pork for one and two dollars to average.  

Target prices mean you don't have to remember so many numbers.    

Knowing your prices saves a lot of money.    By saving money on the staple items, you can buy a variety of things so children get the benefit of tasting new things and you aren't eating rice and beans every night.  

The last calculations I did, we were eating for three dollars a day.  That is is less than a lot of people spend on their morning coffee at the big bucks store.    I have spent a lot more this quarter because we replenish the freezer after the big thaw.   But, we don't need any protein for quite some time so it will
Average out.  

We eat well.   We eat balanced and we eat the best quality I can find for the money.    We just don't ever , pretty much, pay full price for our food.   We find the best price available.    It takes some time, I make the time up by cooking efficiently.    Time is money, make your money count.  

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspectives. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until it goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by 
cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck. 






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