Food cost prices have surged, between inflation and chain disruptions, the price has increased on everything in grocery stores. So where is the best place to shop, what day of the week can you score the best deals, and what is ‘Omni channel’ shopping? Below are the tips I shared on NBC Texas Today TV for a segment on stretching your dollar and finding the best deals.
- Before You Shop: Before you go to the store, look in your fridge and pantry, take stock of what you already have so you don’t over buy and risk perishable items going bad before you can use them. This is especially important for produce
- Have a grocery list but be flexible: once you get to the store, be open to swapping vegetable choices based on price. Shopping seasonally is the best way to score the best deals, so if your recipe calls for asparagus, consider the snap peas if they’re cheaper and adjust based on what is less expensive
- ‘Omni channel shop’: There are so many places to choose from when it comes to shopping that grocers are trying to stay competitive. Omni channel shopping in multiple ways – in person at brick-and-mortar grocery stores, through third party online resources like Amazon, Walmart and Instacart, and online directly through the grocery store’s apps. Take a few minutes to choose which store is offering deals, whether it’s perishable items like dairy and eggs, or non perishable items like flour and sugar, then determine which store to hit up before you cruise the aisles
- Produce:
- In store Apps: Kroger’s app is excellent for a combination on online and in store shopping. When you’re in the store you’ll find a QR code on a lot of produce, scan it to add additional discounts when you check out. If you are an Amazon Prime member, make sure to scan your ‘in-store’ QR code, which you can find at the top of your homepage when you open up the Amazon app, for an additional 10% off anything that is on sale (yellow tag)
- Spring and summer fruit and vegetables are on their way, so swap apples, pears and citrus for berries, swap broccoli and cauliflower for asparagus and tomatoes
- Produce is also always cheaper than meat, so consider a more vegetable forward meal and consider legumes and eggs as healthy protein options over meat
- Meat and Dairy:
- For meat, buying in bulk is definitely the way to go: Costco is best for organic chicken breast, ground beef and steak. Sprouts often has buy one, get 1 half off specials, and look for
- Dairy: don’t shy away from the ‘reduced price’ section – this is often based on expiration date, but cheese, eggs and non dairy milks and creamers especially are often still good way past the expiration date
- Fish:
- Frozen is the best place to score deals – shellfish like frozen shrimp and flash frozen halibut, salmon and seabass are great thawed. Many fish departments actually defrost frozen fish, so you’re getting the same product in the frozen section, just less expensive
- Stock up on pantry basics:
- The holidays like Christmas are heavy baking seasons, so grocery stores often discount basics like flour, sugar, boxed cookie and cake mixes
- Bulk:
- Rice, dried beans, and other grains and flours are often cheaper in bulk, especially in stores like Sprouts or Whole Foods. Just be sure to store those items in seal proof glass or rubber topped jars to keep bugs out of them and extend freshness