Higher prices at the grocery store have many families wondering how they will get by should prices continue to climb as we have been warned they will. Luckily, grocers recognize this and are offering competitive weekly sales and brand names are joining this crusade with more advantageous coupon offerings. Even with these savings, there is one sneak attack that is rarely talked about. It isn’t just your imagination that package sizes are getting smaller, or when packing remains the same, many times the weight contained within them have been greatly reduced, sometimes as much as 25%.
Fight Back!
If we are to cope with skimpier packaging and price increases, it’s better if we have within our arsenal every price-reducing trick available. Here is one of my recent favorites: a home made a recipe to make laundry soap for around .02¢ a load, compliments of the Duggar Family. It takes around thirty minutes of your time, the ingredients are incredibly simple, and by making your own laundry soap, you stand to save hundreds each year.
Another huge price saver is contacting local growers for bulk items such as beans, corn, wheat, lentils and more. These bulk goods store well in food grade five-gallon buckets. Shelf life can be extended by storing the buckets in a dark, cool, moisture free location. If storing them in a basement, consider keeping them up off the floor to avoid moisture build up. Wood pallets can sometimes be found for free at hardware stores, building sites and online.
The cost of fruits and vegetables can be cut in half or more simply by going to a pick-your-own farm. Consider home canning to stretch your reserves through the winter season.
Just after Thanksgiving, grocers here in North Idaho launched incredible sales on staples such as flour, sugar, soups, and spices. In fact, the prices were rolled back to pre-2008. If you have the cash flow, in circumstances where staples drop to one-half of their current price, buy all that you can afford. Not only will you save on the price of food, you will also reduce trips to the grocery store which saves on the cost of gas.
Spices have increased alarmingly over the past several years. But there’s a trick that grocers aren’t likely to share. If you are willing to forgo the fancy packaging, you can reduce the cost by 80% by buying in bulk. Bulk spices are typically offered at the larger chain stores. The only extra step you will need to do for bulk spices is to find inexpensive containers and labels to take the guesswork out of meal preparations.
Pasta’s, likewise, can be purchased for much less. Typically you can save at least 50% when buying pasta’s in bulk. The same goes for beans, cornmeal, oatmeal and nuts.
Super-savers, coupon clippers, and desperate households have begun to notice that the larger big-box stores like Costco and Wal-Mart are not always the go-to place for extreme savings. Many times, outlet stores and your local grocer’s will beat the “Every Day” low price of their larger competitors. The best way to comparison shop is to look online at weekly grocery circulars such as ppgazette before mapping out your grocery savings strategy.
To save on non-food items such as paper plates, napkins, tin foil, plastic wrap, cleaning products, and hygiene products, have a peek at your local Dollar Store. You might be amazed at the savings you’ll find…but a word to the wise. Before purchasing an item in quantity, always try unfamiliar brands of shampoo, laundry soap, and dish soap first. That saying “you get what you pay for” can sometimes be true, but you wouldn’t want to take it to the bank.
Barbara Fix, the author of this article, has written a new book entitled "Survival: Prepare Before Disaster Strikes!" (ID: UFKKCVLD2AFV6) Edited December 12, 2011
The cost of the book is $11.66 plus $3.95 shipping. If you are interested in learning how to prepare for the hard times that are ahead, I would encourage you to get this book.
