Ok, so where is the best place to buy detergent and TP if not the grocery store? Walmart? (For those of us w/out Costco memberships) Also, I really believe that I need a strict list to go shopping or else I get overwhelmed and just toss things in the cart....what is your experience with that? very interesting article.
I get most of my non-food items at Wal-mart, but the food prices are hit and miss. They can rarely be beat on paper plates, plastic bags, dish and laundry soap, and even shampoo, etc. I personally like having a list, but what reins me in from adding a lot of extra stuff is adding up the total as I go along.
I always got my non-grocery items at Walmart. (Costco is actually not always the best deal for some things if you break it down by unit price; they have less generic brands too, although they do have some.) I never actually priced things like TP at a grocery store because I just assumed that Walmart would be cheapest.
About the grocery list -- I tend to agree with you, it's necessary! There is nothing more irritating than coming home from a big grocery shopping trip and realizing you forgot things. That's why I started making a list. Especially when you live here and the grocery store is half an hour away and the next trip is 2 weeks away, lists are essential. In response to their comment about the list being more like a wish list, just simply don't put things on it that you don't need (I thought that point of theirs was a little silly). Or sometimes if I see that things on my list are not a good deal that week, I'll skip them.
For non-grocery items here I would always try the PX first. The PX has generic brands; the Commissary doesn't (since they're not run by the same people). Generic brands are the biggest way I saved money shopping back in the U.S. We are extremely limited here, and really have no choice but to shop at these stores on base, so sometimes I just feel that I am at their mercy and have to pay the prices because there is no other choice. Shopping in the states is a lot more fun and satisfying.
Thanks for posting that Harm. I always make a list and then usually Sean will go over it and ask me if I really need everything that I put on it. Of course I don't really need chocolate, but if I can find some on a good sale then I get some. Usually I end up coming home without it. I'm like you if there's something on my list that isn't a good deal I just wait to get it somewhere else, usually on base at the commissary. Here the commissary is hit and miss. I always keep my eyes open, but sometimes they'll match the Walmart prices cause there's one directly off the base. The main thing that is a steal is the meat. I can get 4lbs of ground beef for under $10. Walmart here charges $4 a lb for the 93% lean ground beef. I've never really liked coupons, but on base they always put them right in front of your face. Like today I was going to get chicken nuggets anyway so I just grabbed the 30 cent off coupon. Usually I don't use coupons unless I'm already planning on buying the product.
I do end up buying meats and cheeses that have been marked down for quick sales because we always use them. I also like to watch for when yogurt goes on sale cause Sean will eat one of the big tubs in one sitting.
I'm hoping to be able to hit some of the case sales this year so we'll be stocked up when Sean gets back. I wouldn't mind having a whole closet full of food storage.
Oh and having WIC has saved us sooo much. If I had to buy 3 gallons of milk and 2lbs of cheese extra every month, plus the cereal, eggs, peanut butter..I don't know if we'd make it. It has saved us so much.
Thanks for this link. I realized I was doing alot of this already and was feeling pretty proud of myself. But there were some I need to improve on- like buying stuff just cuz I had a coupon and so on. Good advice...
5 comments:
Ok, so where is the best place to buy detergent and TP if not the grocery store? Walmart? (For those of us w/out Costco memberships) Also, I really believe that I need a strict list to go shopping or else I get overwhelmed and just toss things in the cart....what is your experience with that? very interesting article.
I get most of my non-food items at Wal-mart, but the food prices are hit and miss. They can rarely be beat on paper plates, plastic bags, dish and laundry soap, and even shampoo, etc. I personally like having a list, but what reins me in from adding a lot of extra stuff is adding up the total as I go along.
I always got my non-grocery items at Walmart. (Costco is actually not always the best deal for some things if you break it down by unit price; they have less generic brands too, although they do have some.) I never actually priced things like TP at a grocery store because I just assumed that Walmart would be cheapest.
About the grocery list -- I tend to agree with you, it's necessary! There is nothing more irritating than coming home from a big grocery shopping trip and realizing you forgot things. That's why I started making a list. Especially when you live here and the grocery store is half an hour away and the next trip is 2 weeks away, lists are essential. In response to their comment about the list being more like a wish list, just simply don't put things on it that you don't need (I thought that point of theirs was a little silly). Or sometimes if I see that things on my list are not a good deal that week, I'll skip them.
For non-grocery items here I would always try the PX first. The PX has generic brands; the Commissary doesn't (since they're not run by the same people). Generic brands are the biggest way I saved money shopping back in the U.S. We are extremely limited here, and really have no choice but to shop at these stores on base, so sometimes I just feel that I am at their mercy and have to pay the prices because there is no other choice. Shopping in the states is a lot more fun and satisfying.
Thanks for posting that Harm. I always make a list and then usually Sean will go over it and ask me if I really need everything that I put on it. Of course I don't really need chocolate, but if I can find some on a good sale then I get some. Usually I end up coming home without it. I'm like you if there's something on my list that isn't a good deal I just wait to get it somewhere else, usually on base at the commissary. Here the commissary is hit and miss. I always keep my eyes open, but sometimes they'll match the Walmart prices cause there's one directly off the base. The main thing that is a steal is the meat. I can get 4lbs of ground beef for under $10. Walmart here charges $4 a lb for the 93% lean ground beef.
I've never really liked coupons, but on base they always put them right in front of your face. Like today I was going to get chicken nuggets anyway so I just grabbed the 30 cent off coupon. Usually I don't use coupons unless I'm already planning on buying the product.
I do end up buying meats and cheeses that have been marked down for quick sales because we always use them. I also like to watch for when yogurt goes on sale cause Sean will eat one of the big tubs in one sitting.
I'm hoping to be able to hit some of the case sales this year so we'll be stocked up when Sean gets back. I wouldn't mind having a whole closet full of food storage.
Oh and having WIC has saved us sooo much. If I had to buy 3 gallons of milk and 2lbs of cheese extra every month, plus the cereal, eggs, peanut butter..I don't know if we'd make it. It has saved us so much.
Thanks for this link. I realized I was doing alot of this already and was feeling pretty proud of myself. But there were some I need to improve on- like buying stuff just cuz I had a coupon and so on. Good advice...
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