Us cooks love to go shopping and sometimes it can be a hectic journey depending on what you're cooking. You may be preparing for a party or just having friends over. We can all use some shopping tips to help us get what's on our list, save time and money, and make the grocery shopping less stressful. Here's some mine and my friends' advice! A Quick Tip from my friend Kassandra:
If you have a Publix grocery store in your area or a store where you can bring empty gallons like what you buy water or juice, you can fill them up with water for $.30! The 5 gallons at my store are $1.50! This is a HUGE savings seeing that buying 1 gallon of water is $1 or a little more, so you're saving money while buying good clean fresh water!
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Amanda's tip is soooo cool and I'm going to try it! She buys an entire pork loin strip when it goes on sale and cuts it into pork loin chops, little mini pork roasts, and larger chops to stuff. Ends up being SOOO much cheaper!
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Andrea is one of my newest friends and she's been sharing some wonderful shopping tips with me, so check this one out - I do this myself! When chicken goes on sale for .99 lb., she buys $50 worth, removes the meat from the bone (so that she has boneless, skinless breasts for the freezer) and she makes stock out of the bones. It's like getting the stock for free :) Isn't that cool?
Also, be sure to check out her blog, "Andrea - the Kitchen Witch."
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If possible, shop in a familiar store and visualize the store’s layout when preparing your grocery list. List items in order beginning where you will begin your shopping. Then when you go to use your list, start from the beginning of the where the items are on your list and work to the end of the store. This way you don't forget something and have to walk many aisles backwards.
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If you are around them, shopping at local farm stands and local produce markets allows you to save a ton of money on seasonal fruits and vegetables. Plus, you'll get much more variety of fresh herbs at markets than at the local grocery stores! Kam and I definitely recommend shopping for your veggies and herbs at these markets more than at the grocer.
from Amanda...
Mini Pork Roasts & More Pork to GoAmanda's tip is soooo cool and I'm going to try it! She buys an entire pork loin strip when it goes on sale and cuts it into pork loin chops, little mini pork roasts, and larger chops to stuff. Ends up being SOOO much cheaper!
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from Andrea...
How to Get More Out of your ChickenAndrea is one of my newest friends and she's been sharing some wonderful shopping tips with me, so check this one out - I do this myself! When chicken goes on sale for .99 lb., she buys $50 worth, removes the meat from the bone (so that she has boneless, skinless breasts for the freezer) and she makes stock out of the bones. It's like getting the stock for free :) Isn't that cool?
Also, be sure to check out her blog, "Andrea - the Kitchen Witch."
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from Kim...
Stick with your ListIf possible, shop in a familiar store and visualize the store’s layout when preparing your grocery list. List items in order beginning where you will begin your shopping. Then when you go to use your list, start from the beginning of the where the items are on your list and work to the end of the store. This way you don't forget something and have to walk many aisles backwards.
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from Kam...
Save $$$ at Farm Stands!If you are around them, shopping at local farm stands and local produce markets allows you to save a ton of money on seasonal fruits and vegetables. Plus, you'll get much more variety of fresh herbs at markets than at the local grocery stores! Kam and I definitely recommend shopping for your veggies and herbs at these markets more than at the grocer.
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from Kim...
Shop in the Mornings!This is totally my way to shop! I love to go to the grocery store at a more convenient time when it's not so crowded and I understand that you might not be able to do this but if you have to shop on Saturdays, try to get there when the store first opens so that way you can roam through the aisles practically undisturbed and if you're doing your big shopping, you won't have to worry about holding up the line. I find that I'm much more calmer when I can stroll through the store taking my time and I don't feel stressed when I'm done! Try this tip!
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from Kam...
Don't Spoil the Ice-CreamDuring this time of the year, when you go grocery shopping, and you're tempted to go by the ice cream isle or even the dairy isle, be sure to carry an insulated cooler in your car, so the ice cream doesn't melt, and so that the dairy products don't spoil.
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from Kim...
Dates Matter
This tip is more of a common-sense thing, but can never be stressed enough when grocery shopping. Pay attention to the dates on your items such as meats, milk, and juice. Oftentimes, the grocery stores put the most recent dates out front to sell all them off but it there's a difference in the taste and healthiness based on the sell by or use by date. I always try to find the latest dates especially for meats and even if it takes me more time in the store because I have to ask an employee to help me, it's worth it! Staying healthy is too important to overlook.
This tip is more of a common-sense thing, but can never be stressed enough when grocery shopping. Pay attention to the dates on your items such as meats, milk, and juice. Oftentimes, the grocery stores put the most recent dates out front to sell all them off but it there's a difference in the taste and healthiness based on the sell by or use by date. I always try to find the latest dates especially for meats and even if it takes me more time in the store because I have to ask an employee to help me, it's worth it! Staying healthy is too important to overlook.
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from Kam...
Go Green with Your Shopping Bags!
I have met one too many people with tons of plastic bags stuck in nooks and crannies in between the crevasses of their refrigerators and the wall nearest to it. Try investing in some eco-friendly shopping bags for when you go grocery shopping. They definitely pay for themselves after a couple of trips to the grocery store- you'll be helping the environment, and you won't be one of those people with a billion plastic bags. ______________________________
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I have met one too many people with tons of plastic bags stuck in nooks and crannies in between the crevasses of their refrigerators and the wall nearest to it. Try investing in some eco-friendly shopping bags for when you go grocery shopping. They definitely pay for themselves after a couple of trips to the grocery store- you'll be helping the environment, and you won't be one of those people with a billion plastic bags. ______________________________
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from Kim...
Saving $$$ With Generic Brands
Saving $$$ With Generic Brands
Not always do I need the name brand of items. Take dry herbs for instance. At the Dollar General store in my town, they are always 2 for $1, so I pick up parsley, Italian seasonings, basil, sage, paprika, chili powder, lemon/garlic pepper, oregano, etc., and just stock up! And they taste just as good! This saves me a lot of money than buying these at the grocer for about $3 a bottle!
Send your tips to my email address:
ordinaryrecipesmadegourmet [a] gmail.com.
ordinaryrecipesmadegourmet [a] gmail.com.
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Regular Shopping Tips Contributors
Kamran Siddiqi, author of
The Sophisticated Gourmet
Kim McDougal, author of ORMG
Regular Shopping Tips Contributors
Kamran Siddiqi, author of
The Sophisticated Gourmet
Kim McDougal, author of ORMG
