BlogHer - How to Save Money on Groceries? Stay OUT of the Middle Aisles - Comments

Slight Disagreement

Zodiac_ — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 10:35:57 -0500

I can't say that I agree with everything on this list. Making stuff from scratch is impossible at times. With jobs, children and even relationships, people just don't have the time to cook anymore.

I shop within a budget because food isn't cheap anymore. I give my son stuff from the basic food groups and there isn't anything wrong with him except he might have a bit more preservatives in him.

I travel up and down the aisle once a month looking for things to feed my hollowed legged boyfriend, my bottom less pit brother and my picky three year old. This really limits my choices on creativity and what I can cook for them. A big staple in my house hold is Mac and Cheese. More often then not I buy cheese and elbow noodles and make it myself.

I guess I am blessed with the fact my son can't stand sweets, and adore cheerios. Getting him to eat meat is tricky, he can't stand the texture, so I have to discover ways to get him to get iron protien and other good vitamins into his system.

I keep a look out for bargain sales 10 for 10 mix and match and that is when I go on my stocking up binges. My cupboards may not be the healthiest in the world, but it does have some healthier aspect than cheetoes and kool-aid. (which is what my brother lived off for a whole summer while my mother was on "strike")

I will be posting this and more on my blog as it has inspired me to blog.

Taholtorf.wordpress.com

Some Cereals, Too

julesk — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:34:01 -0500

This was a good article. Already the way I'm shopping, but a wonderful reinforcement to my buying habits.

I might add to the list of center-aisle products, the limited, but sometimes a time-saver cereals such as plain Cheerios, Raisin Bran, etc. Definitely not the sugar-loaded crap that is so alluring to our children (and some adults), but there are a few tried and true winners and usually there are coupons for them, too.

excellent advice

Rasputin45 — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:24:24 -0500

You can save a lot of money on spices if you buy them in bulk or in packets. I have seen these in health food stores or in asian markets, the price is usually only 10-20 percent of grocery store prices.

Brava!

fabfrugalfoodie — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:23:43 -0500

Excellent, excellent post.

Fabulously frugal recipes - for foodies.

Standing at the checkout line

Vered — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:05:45 -0500

That's the hardest thing for me. I know they place unnecessary stuff there, trying to make me to buy more, but it's sometimes hard to resist.

----

Need to hire a blogger? I’m a mommy blogger and a blogger for hire.

You make a great point about coupons

LucindaA — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:18:42 -0500

I don't begrudge those who are avid coupon shoppers. But you make an excellent point that most food items that have coupons are not healthy foods in the first place. I don't use coupons anymore because I never find coupons for the food I actually want to feed to my family.

Coupons are desinged to get you to buy food you wouldn't normally buy. To get you to try the latest and greatest highly processed food. Thank you for bringing attention to that.

This is really a fantastic

MrsWsKitchen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 09:34:55 -0500

This is really a fantastic post. It's not just a recommendation to stay at the perimeter, but what foods in the center aisles are good for you--well done.

I can add:

- dried fruit without added sugar (for which I often have coupons, I might add)
- other grains, like grits, millet, etc.
- nuts
- canned tuna
- canned coconut milk
- soy sauce, sesame oil, curry pastes and other international products

I'd also make an exception for curry powder on the spice blend rule (though I admit homemade is better in taste if not quality). :)

I find myself, during this budget crunch, moving to more traditional staples (though not much of the processed stuff) such as those above, then adding a smattering of meat. I do definitely appreciate the value of frozen veggies and canned tomatoes.

Amanda
Mrs.W's Kitchen

How to Save Money on Groceries? Stay OUT of the Middle Aisles

Alanna Kellogg — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:30:00 -0500

Wednesday's Wall Street Journal got me to fuming. "Frugal Shoppers Drive Grocers Back to Basics" hyped the headline. Good news, yes? We wish. Reporter Ben Worthen wrote that supermarkets make as much as 70% of their profits from the middle aisles and thus are focusing attention there: "... the recession has refocused [supermarkets] on the staples sold in center aisles." Those "staples" he cites? Private label brands of canned vegetables, breakfast cereal and whole wheat bread. OMG I thought I'd have a heart attack.

Commenter Janice Benedict expressed my frustration perfectly. "Swell image, yum. Mommy buying basics. Canned food, white bread, salty snacks. The basic sodium/preservatives diet. For best results simply top with Zazz! soda pop." (I'd link to the WSJ story but a paid subscription is required. Instead, check other reactions to the story in its comments.)

Please, I do not begrudge supermarkets their profits, and to be fair, there IS some good news in this statistics, in that 70% of profits is down from 85% just ten years ago. (Are you doing the math? This is an 18% drop in middle-aisle profits. Over a decade, that's not exactly a sea change but still, progress.)

But please, please, PLEASE, supermarkets, I beg you, be part of the health and budget solution, not the source of the problem.

In the mean time, while I live in hope, here is the information that shoppers need to know.

WHAT ARE THE REAL STAPLES AND WHERE ARE THEY FOUND?

How can a family save money on food? Get OUT of the middle aisles where the shelves are lined with processed food that may be convenient (maybe) but is rarely healthful and certainly not satisfying. I call these the 'empty calorie' aisles, temptations to wasting money on non-essential commercial foods, budget killers that are unhealthful and full of expensive but empty calories. Think potato chips. Crackers. Candy. Cheap pizzas. Ice cream. Soda. The deli counter -- especially the deli counter. Frozen meals.

Instead, shop the perimeter of the store where the real basics are to be found. Vegetables and fruits. Milk and butter and eggs and meat. Then start to cook.

WHAT MIDDLE-AISLE FOODS ARE HEALTHY AND GOOD VALUES?

There are a FEW center-aisle foods that are worth dashing into those center aisle for. Here's my list -- and if you have others, please add them to the comments.

Coffee and tea -- just the basics, nothing fancy
Dried beans -- in one-pound bags, just beans, avoid the beans packaged in boxes that tend to be way more expensive
Canned beans -- black beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas, etc.
Spices -- not spice mixes, just plain spices, watch for spice sales every couple of months and refresh your spice jars
Canned vegetables -- fresh would be better but canned vegetables can be lifesavers, think canned tomatoes
Frozen vegetables -- but just vegetables, no sauces, no herbs
Frozen juice -- orange, apple, etc.
Oatmeal -- in the big tubs, not the tiny packages with sugar and spices
Spaghetti sauce -- yes you can make your own but unless you can buy tomatoes in bulk at very low prices, commercial spaghetti sauce is a good value
Dried pasta --
Rice -- in bags, not boxes of parboiled rice like Uncle Ben's
Baking staples -- flour, sugar, salt
Olive oil -- the plain stuff, just for cooking

HOW TO RECOGNIZE GOOD VALUES IN THE CENTER AISLES?

There are exceptions, of course, but here are the questions I ask myself whenever I'm tempted by a product in the center aisles (and also food products along the perimeter too).

> Is it a food or a food product? If it's a 'product', chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value.
> How much processing has the food undergone? The further it is from the original form, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value.
> Does the food have a brand name? If the food has a brand name, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value.
> How many ingredients are in the food? If the food has more than one ingredient, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value. (Think broccoli and oatmeal.)
> How many ingredients are recognizable? If we don't recognize the ingredients on the ingredient list, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value.
> Do you have a coupon? If there's a coupon for a food, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value.
> If an item is on sale, chances are, it's NOT healthy and NOT a value. (Think of the last time you saw brown rice on sale.) Exceptions include seasonal foods like strawberries in the spring and apples in the fall, fresh sweet corn in the summer and winter squash during the winter.

MORE GROCERY-SHOPPING INSPIRATION

Food Dilemma: Where to Splurge, Where to Save from San Diego Food Stuff
Smart Shopping for Healthy Foods from Kids Cuisine
Review: In Defense of Food from Macheesmo

Can you tell? BlogHer food editor Alanna Kellogg gets pretty worked up on the subject of saving money on groceries.