Do you have a bakery bread outlet in your area? We do, and it literally saves me sometimes more than fifty percent off of the price of what I would usually pay at the grocery store. I’ve been shopping at the bakery outlet for our bread for a couple of years so I am a little spoiled to the prices I find there. I was a little apprehensive about shopping there initially, for basically a fear of the unknown. I wasn’t sure of the quality, and like everything else in life, I don’t like change.

My mom actually told me about the bakery, but I honestly didn’t believe the incredibly low prices. The bread is marked down, simply because it is day old bread. The quality however is just fine. I have never purchased any inferior bread over the  two year period that I’ve purchased it. The store is about thirty minutes from my house, but I drive to that area about once a month, and when I do, I stock up on bread for the entire month. Check Bimbo Bakeries website to see if there is a location near you. I’m sure their are other bakery outlets out there if there isn’t a Bimbo location near you.

For everything that is pictured I paid a total of $14.63 ($13.50 bread + $1.13 tax). That’s $1.33 for every package of bread. I can not even come close to this price at the grocery store. I purchase this much since I only shop there once a month, and it wouldn’t be cost effective for me to drive there every week or every two weeks. This will last somewhere between four to six weeks. We store our bread in the freezer until needed. Each time I take a loaf out of the freezer I put an extra one in the refrigerator so that it is completely thawed when we run out of the loaf we are using.

This is what’s pictured: 6 packages of Oroweat Sandwich Thins, 4 packages of Mrs. Baird’s Honey 7 Grain, and 1 package of Oroweat 7 Grain bread. The Oroweat Sandwich Thins are priced 3 for $5 dollars, the Honey 7 Grain is about $.90 a loaf, and the 7 Grain bread (short loaf) is about $1.09  a loaf. Because I purchased more than $5 in merchandise, I receive one item free, and the cashier gave me the 7 Grain Bread ($1.09) as my free item.

I could probably find some of the bread for around the same price at the grocery store if I watched the sales, and was able to combine a coupon with the sale. We don’t receive bread coupons in our inserts often enough to keep me stocked up on bread. I don’t even bother looking for good deals at the grocery store on bread, because it saves me more time and money by purchasing everything I need at the bakery outlet.

It was supposed to be date night, but being the frugal person that I am, I had my mind on the sale that was about to end at the grocery store. It would be my last opportunity to hit the store before the sale was over. We had our date night, and then my husband accompanied me into the store because I needed him to do a separate transaction to maximize our savings for the evening. We picked up a few odds and ends as we walked through the store. My main purpose was for cereal and crackers, certainly not something that we could live on for a week, but available at a price I couldn’t pass up.

The grocery store layout is designed to sort of guide you right through the produce department, probably in hopes of you picking up a few things that aren’t on sale. They got us! We purchased some garlic, jalapenos, and shallots that weren’t included in the shopping trip, along with the green bell peppers that I had planned on for the low low price of three for a dollar. The garlic and jalapenos are actually quite affordable and bring a lot of flavor to a meal. The shallots, on the other hand, were a bit pricey at $2.99 per pound, something I didn’t know until checking with my husband after returning to the car since we had checked out separately. We’ve never cooked with shallots, but knew that they offered a milder flavor than onions, while still providing the familiar texture of onions.

The entire transaction went well except when it came to the shallots. I somehow just knew that they would be a problem. The cashier didn’t know what they were, and neither did the cashiers on either side of us. I explained that they were shallots, sort of similar to onions and she looked over the produce card for the item number since most produce are priced by weight. Shallots of course were not listed on the card, so she searched for another employee that could run over to produce to find the item number; no luck, so I offered to run over to the produce area myself. She turned me down, and out of frustration rang the shallots up as yellow onions.

After returning to the car, I explained to my husband the delay because of the shallots and asked him if he remembered what the price was. He of course remembered that they were $2.99 a pound, and I explained the whole incident and that the cashier wound up charging me for yellow onions instead of shallots. The ironic part is that my husband’s order came out higher than I expected because his cashier didn’t scan two of his coupons correctly, so in the end, it wound up being a wash.

Can you save over $490 a year by enjoying a delicious Stouffer’s Easy Express meal with your family of four, instead of going out to a restaurant just once a month? Walmart says you can, and I think they’re right. A recent Parade insert from the Sunday paper included an ad by Walmart which made the statement, “Save over $490 a year”. The ad made reference to Stouffer’s Easy Express Meals, but I had also seen another ad stating the same savings for Wanchai Ferry. I found it to be pretty interesting and wanted to learn more. According to the ad, the savings was based on an independent survey of casual dining meal spending reported by consumers who eat at a casual dining restaurant at least once per month, as compared with Walmart’s price per serving for a restaurant-style entree, salad and bread.

Based on their survey, the average family of four spends about $40 for a meal at a casual dining restaurant. This is almost right on the money with what we spend. We are a family of five, but our three year old usually either eats what we’re eating, or we order a kid’s meal for him. The meal that is suggested in the ad is Stouffer’s Easy Express Lasagna (35oz) on rollback for $6, to be served alongside salad and bread. This would make the meal right around $10 or a little less, a considerable savings over eating out at the restaurant. We usually eat out once or twice a month, but the national average may be a little higher than that.

Most families eat out at a restaurant out of necessity because of a tight schedule, exhaustion, or any number of other reasons. Nearly all of our meal planning is done in advance and planned out so that if we do have a tight schedule, we have something that is simple and quick, ready to eat. We do however enjoy eating out at restaurants. It is a fun experience, we enjoy the atmosphere, and above all we enjoy the food. Our family enjoys eating out as much as the next family, but being budget conscious requires us to really think about where our money goes.

I like that the Walmart ad suggests an alternative for eating out. When I first encountered the ad I was really skeptical about what Walmart was trying to advertise. Thinking about the ad further though I thought about the definite savings that a family would see if they ate the suggested meal. The meal isn’t bad, and I think the lasagna is cheaper than what I could make at home from scratch. In a sense it’s about saving time and money since most families are pressed for time with the numerous activities that a family is involved in, especially with the holidays right around the corner.

On another note though if you find it difficult to say no to eating out, check out Dana’s article from Frugal In Virginia on “3 Ways To Save On Eating Out”.

I am constantly amazed at how being a conscious consumer could save me literally hundreds of dollars each year. The last few weeks have been a perfect example. I started finding different alternatives for the staples that we keep at our house. The alternative doesn’t even lack in quality, it is in fact either of the same quality or better than what we were previously purchasing. Just when I think I’ve found the best way to do my grocery shopping, I am surprised to find a better alternative.

• Our couscous is now purchased in bulk. This is a staple at our house, and where I was previously purchasing the boxed couscous for about $.40 an ounce, I can now purchase it for about $.15 an ounce.
• We purchase our sun dried tomatoes in a dehydrated form rather than soaked in oil. I had a brand that I was really happy with, but was a little disappointed with the price. We were purchasing these in oil, but found that we could make the same purchase with dried tomatoes and add the oil ourselves (since we don’t always need them soaked in olive oil).
• I just found powdered Buttermilk at the store. I had been planning to make this purchase and as luck would have it I noticed it as I was walking down that aisle. Rather than purchasing traditional Buttermilk at the store, the powdered Buttermilk will last much longer, and cost me a lot less.
• We eat spinach about once a week at our house, either fresh or frozen. This week I found a new source for our spinach. I usually purchase our spinach at either of our local grocery stores in the pre-bagged area. Sometimes if the spinach looks fresh enough in the produce area, and the price is lower than the bagged spinach I purchase it from the produce area, chop off the extra stems and get cheaper spinach. Tonight while purchasing milk at Braum’s I discovered that the spinach at Braum’s is actually cheaper than either of my grocery stores. Lesson learned that not everything at Braum’s is over priced.

If I were a typical consumer, I would continue with my normal shopping trips, always purchasing the same brand. I know that I am not a typical consumer, always on the lookout for an alternative to how we currently do our shopping, and pleasantly surprised when I find the alternative. You have to be an unusual consumer to find the best price which requires you to get out of your comfort zone and do something a little different.

Manufacturers know that we are creatures of habit and will continue with the same brand year after year. Just take baby steps to find those new alternatives to save money. Don’t go crazy and change ten things at once only to be frustrated and disappointed, returning to how you usually do things. Make small simple changes over time that allow you to become comfortable again and create a new comfort zone for your grocery buying habits.

I made my first bulk purchase at the grocery store that just introduced bulk dispensers, Homeland. The new bulk products didn’t appear to be heavily used, but it is located in a high traffic area near the produce area, so it at least has the potential to get some interest as people are walking by. I’m excited that I have a store in the area that finally offers this service and can’t wait for them to add additional items to their inventory.

I thought about the consumers reluctance to purchase items in bulk and that the following might hinder them from purchasing in bulk to begin with:

• Packaging isn’t appealing (it’s a plastic bag or container)
• Inability to see the value of purchasing in bulk

Purchasing in bulk allows the consumer to make smarter, and many times healthier choices over their manufactured counterparts. If you think back to the General Store times (think Little House on the Prairie here), providing items in bulk was the mode of dispensing products to the consumer.

The couscous I purchased wound up being $.13 per ounce by purchasing in bulk. I also have minimal trash to dispose of since I used a plastic bag. We usually purchase Near East couscous in a box which costs approximately $.24 an ounce for plain, and $.41 an ounce for flavored. We almost always purchase the flavored couscous so the savings by purchasing in bulk for our couscous allows me to make other specialty purchases that we would otherwise wait to purchase. We grow an assortment of herbs that can be used to flavor the couscous so our cost is still at a minimum even though we will need to add some flavor to the couscous.

Don’t let the bulk concept scare you. Before I made my purchase I walked over to the aisle with couscous to determine if the bulk price was lower, it was, and I walked back over to the dispenser to get the couscous. The only thing different about purchasing in bulk is that your purchases will need to be transferred to a container once you return home.

If you haven’t seen them yet, many grocery stores are moving to the bulk model for rice, pasta, nuts, and other items that lend themselves well to the bin dispenser concept. Our local store is selling high quality Basmati rice for $1.79 per pound when the packaged version is selling for almost double that price. Whole Foods and other niche type grocery stores have been using this concept for quite some time. It’s an old fashioned concept that has been making its way back into the marketplace as some consumers have become less brand conscious and more value oriented. The one difference in buying in bulk from bins is that you’ll need to wash the items thoroughly before cooking with them. Our local market has also started marketing dried fruit in small packages that they organize from bulk purchased fruit.

The demand for bulk dispensing is on the rise due to the economy, since buying in bulk offers an opportunity to purchase larger quantities of a food, usually at a lower price. The reduction in packaging is also appealing to consumers because of the desire to go green by purchasing bulk products in containers or plastic bags that are less wasteful than their manufactured counterparts.

I am frequently asked what I think about a particular generic brand versus the name brand to identify which is of a better quality. I have learned that quality is relevant mainly to the person consuming the product and may vary based on taste preference. The absolute best way to determine if switching to a store brand is something that will work for your family is to take the plunge and purchase a store brand product.

The thing to remember about trying the store brand out is to only purchase one or two items that you don’t normally purchase so that your entire shopping trip isn’t a dud. Once you do decide what products work, and what products don’t, keep a list of what works for your family.

One source of contention that many shoppers come up against, is the unwillingness of their family to try a different brand. Sometimes it is the packaging that keeps your family from trying a new brand since many people associate store brand products as being inferior. Try a blind taste test with your family, and see if they can tell the difference. We did this with Aldi Cheese Curls versus Cheetos.

I don’t feel like I have slighted my family at all when I introduce a new store brand to them. On the contrary, I am helping them realize that brand isn’t the most important quality of a product; first and foremost is taste.

Over the last three years I have adapted and changed the way I shop to cut expenses, save money, and live frugally. I find it challenging and fun to see if there is a more inexpensive alternative. Finding the alternative can be done in many ways:

• By shopping the sales and planning your meals around those sale items
• Using coupons and combining a coupon with a sale price
• Purchasing a store brand product of equal quality
• Buying in bulk for frequently used items
• Finding alternative sources for lower food prices either online or at a brick & mortar location

I have learned to not discount a store based solely on appearances which may require a little field work (aka shopping trip) to determine if  a new store warrants further investigation. I look for alternatives when purchasing groceries to keep costs down either by waiting for an item to go on sale, purchasing in bulk, buying a store brand, or by creating a comparable product using similar ingredients.

On a recent trip to Aldi my mission was to pick up a few groceries and select a few items that would be comparable to a trail mix I had recently purchased. My husband and I just returned from a trip to Denver and one of the snacks I brought along was a pre-packaged trail mix. I don’t normally purchase trail mix due to the high price per ounce of the ingredients, but found Planters Trail Mix on sale at Walgreens for $.99 and combined the sale with a coupon which allowed me to pay $.50 for a six ounce package ($2.79 regular retail).

The trail mix was good, but I wanted to purchase the ingredients individually to see if I would be able to arrive at a good price per ounce with ingredients purchased from Aldi. The Planters Trail Mix I purchased included cashews, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate pieces (similar to M&M’s), peanuts, raisins, and dried cranberries. I purchased similar products that would provide the same results, and ended up with cashews, semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanuts, and Fit & Active dried mixed berries (cranberries, cherries, blueberries, and strawberries). My total for all four products came to $9.36 for a total of 45.5 ounces. While the price was cheaper when the Planters Trail Mix was purchased on sale at the $.99 price, my alternative trail mix came close ($.20 per oz.) to the per unit price of the Planters Trail Mix ($.16 per oz.).

The end result of determining if an alternative trail mix would be cheaper ends with mixed results. I think that the alternative trail mix is a great deal since my $.99 price would be dependent on waiting for the Planters Trail Mix to go on sale and risking the chance of purchasing the product at a much higher price per ounce if the product was not on sale at all. I like the alternative trail mix and welcome the opportunity to continue finding cheaper alternatives to products that my family enjoys.