Shopping for Lower Food Prices

I got to thinking about this after reading a thread on a discussion board about folks who keep a list of the things they normally buy and shop from that each week. The impression I got was that they were shopping as supplies ran low in their pantries.

I shop differently. For instance, I buy in bulk so the price is cheaper and there's always something to eat in the house (as well as some stored food for emergencies.) And by bulk, I don't mean just filling up a bag at the bulk bins.

The natural food store near me gives a 10% discount for ordering by the case or bag, so when I need rolled oats, for example, I’ll order a 25 pound bag. A half-gallon jar of it goes in the kitchen cabinet and the rest is dumped into a bucket I got from the bakery department (well-washed, of course). Once sealed, the oats stay fresh pretty well as long as we work our way through them consistently. There are products to help storage, like oxygen absorbers and mylar bags, but we've found they aren't necessary in our dry climate as long as we keep the bucket in a cool place.

I buy my rice in 25 pound bags at a large ethnic food store for much less per pound than the little 2 pound bags at the grocery store. For those eating whole grains, brown rice is usually available in a number of varieties, including Jasmine, Basmati, and sushi. The store also has large packages of noodles, rarely whole grain, but good for the occasional noodle dish. And they store quite well.

Buying this way keeps the price of our food down, as long as we keep on top of what we have and use it up. Processed products like rolled oats do not keep as well as the intact whole grain - the oat groats, and products with higher fat - like oats - do not keep as well as lower fat things - like wheat berries. Whole wheat flour, of course, doesn't keep well at all unless stored in the freezer, but we have our own grinder (pedal powered) and just buy whole wheat berries that we can grind as needed. Brown rice does not store nearly as long as white; I've taken to keeping brown rice in the freezer now after having to throw quite a bit out because it got rancid.

For regular shopping, I go through the ads each week and shop the loss leaders. For instance, Shredded Wheat is on sale this week, so I'll get the maximum number of boxes (4) permitted. I also check the clearance shelves at any store I go to. Usually the expiration dates are a ways off; the store is just getting rid of a product. My best score was 9 tins of organic fair-trade cocoa powder for a buck each. Those lasted us, gosh, I think about 3 years. I recently scored a bunch of small wild rice boxes for pretty cheap, too, and we just finished up the last of a case of "Pasta & Chreeze" I'd gotten half price. I guess the brown rice noodle version wasn’t as popular as the regular pasta one.

For produce, I buy some frozen (on sale or at Costco) but primarily get organic, locally grown produce in season. It tastes better and is usually priced about the same as store-bought organic. For much of my produce, I trade volunteer labor - over three years at a CSA and now at a small organic farm's produce stand.  And, of course, we are starting to grow more of our own.

I have also been buying my spices in bulk for years so I don't have to run to the store every time I empty a jar. I just shop in the closet. A Penzey's store has opened up in Tucson and I can't wait to go check it out!

For my style of shopping, a print-out list wouldn't do a lot of good because what I buy weekly, monthly, and seasonally is never the same. Shopping weekly for only what I needed that week, regardless of sales, would also cost a whole lot more.