Grocery saving tips

I've written about this probably more than once over the years, but it might be time to revisit it. I'm still managing to keep our weekly grocery budget under $200 for eight people. That's with 90% of our groceries being purchased at Aldi. Not included in that number are trips to Costco, which are probably once every five weeks, an occasional bulk order, and the Chinese market. At Costco I buy paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, olive oil, peanut butter, some seasonings, mayonnaise, honey, and sometimes sun-dried tomatoes. That total is usually around $125. I tend not to buy much food there because often it costs more than at Aldi. The Chinese market I go to every couple of months where I stock up on ingredients that are impossible to find at my regular stores. This total is also around $125. The bulk order happens when I need more wheat or oats and I'll throw some other baking items in as well when I'm ordering. Figure around $150 for that depending on the price of wheat. With those fascinating facts taken care of, here is how I do it. 

• Know how much things cost. It is impossible to know if something is a good deal or not if you do not know this. Having a sense of unit price is most helpful. Keep notes on your phone if you need to. Often at my nearby grocery store they will have buy one get one deals. When I stop and do the math, the individual price is still more than it is at Aldi. Unit price is especially important to know at places such as Costco because it is easier to think something is a good deal because you're getting so much, but often Aldi is cheaper. 
• Stick to ingredients when you can. Processed or prepared food is what has gone up the most. Flour? Not so much. 
• Stock up on items that are a good deal. There are some parameters for this. First, it will get eaten. Nothing is a good deal if no one will eat it. Second, you can safely store it. You can freeze a lot of things. Canned goods are also good for storing. Fruits or vegetables are good options if you are willing to put in the work to store them. (At the Chinese market last week I found huge bags of okra on sale for $0.99 each. This was an unbelievable price and I bought it all. It did mean I needed to spend time the next day slicing and bagging it all to freeze it. It was completely worth it.) Eggnog on super clearance? Well unless you're going to sit down and drink it all immediately, it won't last. 
• Don't do your shopping all at one store. Investigate where the good prices are. Aldi is usually the winner, but other stores sometimes have loss leaders that are worth the trip. 
• Use meat more as a condiment than a single main dish. We usually have meat as part of a stir fry or some other type of entree where I can stretch one pound between eight people. 
• Only buy what you're actually going to eat or store. Throwing out wasted food is a good way to waste grocery money. I will often plan meals based on what is languishing in the refrigerator. You can even Google a series of ingredients if you aren't sure what to do with them. 
• Plan your meals before you go to the store and then shop from a list. It is the best way I know to control your grocery budget. I've shopped at Aldi for so long that I remember when it only took cash. I would bring my cash and keep a running total in my head so I would have enough to pay for the food. I did this for years and it did create some very good habits. It's hard to impulse buy if you literally do not have enough money to pay for it. I can still estimate how much a cart of food will be within about $5. 
• Not only should you develop a sense of unit price, but also start to pay attention to price per person for meals. The cheapest meals I make come in at under a dollar per person. These are great to bring out when the budget is feeling somewhat thin. I try to have a variety in a week. We'll have a more expensive meal for one dinner, but I'll offset that by having a couple of more budget friendly meals. More often than not, I'll be pulling meat out of the freezer for many of the week's meals. This is meat I bought on sale, so not only did I pay less, it doesn't add to that week's grocery total. Soups, some vegetarian meals, and some pastas are usually all budget friendly meals. 
• Use your leftovers. Ours usually get eaten for subsequent breakfasts and lunches. It's been a very long time since I could make double of something and freeze it for a future meal. You can always freeze leftover rice, vegetables (I usually do this for future pot pies), and meat (also for future pot pies or casseroles). If you have bones, make stock with them. 
• Bread products have become very expensive. We solve this by making our own. Sometimes you can find day old bread products on sale which can be frozen to keep them for future use. 
• I tend not to buy snacks and we don't buy soda. We have crackers and pretzels, but that is about it. If someone wants a snack-like item, they can have a piece of fruit, make something (I'm always well stocked for baking), or the child can purchase it themselves with their own money. We've had this policy for years and I don't think anyone has been traumatized.