Tag: grocery shopping

Shop by Seasons

A quick stop at the grocery store tonight yielded some great buys. Since the July Fourth weekend is coming up soon, many of the foods traditionally served on the Fourth are on sale.

Think hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, pop, buns, chips, condiments, watermelon, etc…

I used this same principle back in November when the store had a great price on turkeys. I bought four nice size ones and put them in the freezer. Two of them are soaking in a brine tonight and will be put in the smoker tomorrow.

The smoked turkey will be served at our family reunion next weekend. The other two will be smoked later in the summer for another reunion. It will be a fairly cheap (but delicious) meal because I bought in season. To buy a turkey now would not be as cost effective.

I wish I had used this principle to buy bacon. I was shocked at the price when I checked today! The guy in charge of the meat department told me that every spring the price of bacon goes up because of the demand for BLT’s. Bacon is always cheaper in the winter. That’s a tip I need to remember!

Watching the calendar and stocking up on the holidays is a great way to bag some great deals and save some money in your grocery budget!

The “Scratch-n-Dent”

When we lived in the city I did the bulk of my shopping at Aldi’s. I loved it! We had a great pantry system set up and we would shop once a month.

Actually, it became our date night. The kids went to Grandma’s and my husband and I went grocery shopping!

When we moved to the farm, I suddenly realized that since we were now 2 hours from Aldi,  It was no longer practical to use it as my main source of food.  The first few years were hard as I adjusted to shopping at a regular grocery store.

Then the Amish began to move in. A new colony was started and with it came some new stores, including a discount grocery store.

We lovingly named it “The Scratch and Dent” but other neighbors have dubbed it “The Redneck Wal-Mart”. The store is full of groceries and toiletries at a discount. Some of the jars have been dented, some of the boxes a little smooshed, but the cheap prices help you overlook those small details!

You can find everything from organic to Aldi brands and you never know what they will have on any given day. It’s like a treasure hunt!

Today I found the special face soap that my teenagers use, a birthday gift for a niece, a big bag of shredded cheddar, a package of dry erase markers with an eraser, and enough other stuff to fill a cart to overflowing!

With careful buying, a discount grocery store can be a great way to stretch your grocery dollar!