Join the 'frugalvore' movement
Posted
Jan 11 2008, 12:17 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
The "locavore" concept is that we should try to eat only foods grown within 100 miles of our homes. I'd like to suggest a new challenge: the "frugalvore" movement, which suggests that we eat whatever is on sale that week.
This isn't really a new idea, of course. Your parents likely shopped that way, by looking at the food ads and planning menus around what was cheapest.
You may already do this, if only occasionally. Ever gone shopping for ground beef but changed your mind when you saw a startling deal on whole fryers? If so, you're on your way to being a frugalvore.
Some grocery items are discounted seasonally, according to an article at Bankrate.com: frozen foods in March, eggs in April, dairy items in June, canned foods in September, turkeys in November and roasts in December.
Most of the time, though, you'll be looking for miscellaneous great deals rather than seasonal ones. If you have trouble remembering what things usually cost, consider creating a price book that lists basic and sale prices of the things you buy most often.
Hamburger Helper for a dime?
Just a touch of planning will slash your grocery bill. Supermarket ads are delivered to my apartment building every Tuesday. I read them while I eat dinner -- pictures of food seem to make leftovers taste better -- and compare what's on sale with what's in my coupon stash.
Smart Spending message board reader "chrisfan1958" is more high-tech. She goes to supermarket Web sites to preview the weekly food ads. She also cruises coupon and rebate sites like The Coupon Clippers, RefundCents, Great Grocery Challenge and Smart Source.
Recently, a reader started a thread asking for help with grocery shopping. Chrisfan had several suggestions, including frugalvoreism's logical corollary: stockpiling. She has "a very small house and a small pantry," but after hitting some big sales found room for a case of soup, 20 boxes of Hamburger Helper, 10 cans of pork and beans, 20 cans of vegetables, six bottles of barbecue sauce and 10 bottles of salad dressing.
Because of coupons and sale prices, that Hamburger Helper cost only 10 cents a box, the soup was 20 cents per can, and the pork and beans were free. So why stop at one of each?
Similarly, if pork chops are 99 cents a pound, it would be silly to buy just one package and then pay two or three times as much the next time you want to pig out. (Sorry.) Think another package won't fit in your freezer? Open it and rewrap the chops in twos -- much easier to fit in here and there.
Not on sale? Not in my cart!
Be sure to read drugstore ads, too, because they're selling more and more food these days. Walgreens regularly discounts staples like eggs, cream cheese, milk and canned foods. When eggs are $1 to $1.50 a dozen, my menu is temporarily heavy on the huevos: egg salad sandwiches, omelets, scrambled eggs with fried potatoes. This week, Rite Aid has Kellogg's cereals at five for $10 with a $5 rebate; if you have cereal coupons, the deal gets even better. Breakfast for supper, anyone?
Obviously, food is one of the things we can cut back on but can't cut out entirely. We can do without premium cable or recreational shopping, but we all have to eat. It's disheartening to see how much of a paycheck -- or, worse, a credit card bill -- can be given over to groceries.
So try this mantra: If it's not on sale, we're not eating it.
It probably won't always work, especially if you're having guests or planning a special event like a birthday dinner. But give it a try. Remember, it gives you a built-in excuse not to load the cart with potato chips, ice cream or other expensive, not-strictly-necessary foodstuffs.
On the other hand, it gives you an excuse to buy them -- when they go on sale.
