The best of the ads

usually a holiday week end is not a good stock weekend.  It is,  however a good weekend to look for picnic supplies to stock.   It's usually the lowest price you will ever see during the year.  

Alberways.

7 percent ground beef 3.76
Hillshire farms smoked sausage

Corn 3/1
Top round 3.99
Dryers 2/6  - note Tillamook is 2/5 before Saturday.  


Friday deals
Doughnuts


QFC

Buy 6. Save 3.   This is usually not a great bargain unless you can stack coupons.   Net prices

Cheerios.....1.49$$ coupons for 1.00 on 2 makes them a dollar.  

Hillshire farm smoked sausage 1.99

FrenchS  mustard .99.

Birds eye steam fresh 1.49. There are coupons for 1.00 off two. Makes them a dollar.  

Sweet baby rays BBQ sauce -there are coupons for 100 off three net notice before coupons is .99.   After coupons .66.  



Better buys in veggies at Winco.  
Mustard is .79 at Fred Meyers

Note: I have target prices ( nothing to do with the store with the big red balls.) .   If something is way over a target price, I don't list it.

I try for under two dollars a pound for meat.   Average.  
A dollar a pound for veggies
Canned soup has to be under .75




Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot 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.