Have you tried discount stores like Big Lots or Grocery Outlet to try and save money?

[Auntymimi]

I have so much fun going into these types of stores, I never know what kind of treasure I will find. Some people think they carry an inferior product but it's just not true. Manufactures batch products by the thousands then if the Chain stores don't order it all they have to get rid of it. My best finds have been seasonal items. One year I bought 4 pgs of Seattles Best Coffee, x-mas blend for 2.50 a pkg. I find coffee creamer for .99 cents all the time and that goes for as much as 3.50 at the chain store. Or how about Halloween Oreos for 1.99 at Thanksgiving. They also sell things that say "new" on the pkg. maybe it is new and didn't sell well or it's no longer new and their printing a pkg. without the new on it now. Or maybe it's a new size so they can't sell the old size pkg any more. Oh, and if you do find that great deal buy as much as you can because if it's a truly good deal they won't have any left when you go back to get some more. I Hate when that happens!!!

[KarenB]

We live in the country and don't have these anymore. When we lived in Toronto we had Weston bakeries and Peak Frean Cookies and biscuits. The $5-8 package in the store was 50 cents!

[K. Slink]

There's an Ocean State Job Lot, a Family Dollar, and a Goodwill all less than a mile from my house, plus a PriceRite grocery store too. I never shop anywhere else anymore--who can in this economy?

[norsen]

Very rarely do I pay full price on anything. But I have learned to taste test any unknown brand, whatever the price. Low price isn't cheap if you don't like it, or can't doctor it up. I seem to end up buying certain things at certain stores. There must be a reason why. LOL. After eating up all the meat in my fridge freezer I am stocking it back up. I have been watching the meat sales. Anyone else notice that today's meat sale prices were the full price a year or so ago?

I live with in a mile of two clumps of stores I frequent. First there are Family Dollar and Sav-A-Lot discount grocery in a thriving version of a strip mall. Since I don't clutter up my freezer space with frozen veggies, Sav-A-Lot is my go to store for certain canned items of tested brands. Plus the surprize name brand item at a great discount. I have always been hesitant about buying meats and produce at discount stores. Yesterday I took the plunge tho. 5 lbs of nice looking small Yukon Gold taters. 2 2.5 lb pork shoulder roasts at $1.69 per lb. Since I live alone, I prefer keeping my roast sizes under 2 lbs.

The second clump of stores consists of Walgreens, Pic n Save grocery, Goodwill, Salvation Army, the laundromat and Culver's frozen custard with some of the best cheeseburgers around.


3 blocks away there is a Kwik Trip, a regional gas/convenience store. Great prices on milk, taters, onions, bananas and breads.

[norsen]

5 miles away after driving thru the detours etc is the clump of big box stores. Aldi's, Menards, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree (the true dollar store), another Kwik Trip and Culver's. Dollar Tree is my go to store for huge discounts on cleaning supplies, personal care items and the occasional food item. A few things I buy, I can only get at Wally or Target, but I watch for sales on them. I don't buy much at Aldi's. Menards does carry a few great deals plus a few items of food that no one else carries.

[brigid]

5 miles away after driving thru the detours etc is the clump of big box stores. Aldi's, Menards, Walmart, Target, Dollar Tree (the true dollar store), another Kwik Trip and Culver's. Dollar Tree is my go to store for huge discounts on cleaning supplies, personal care items and the occasional food item. A few things I buy, I can only get at Wally or Target, but I watch for sales on them. I don't buy much at Aldi's. Menards does carry a few great deals plus a few items of food that no one else carries.

I love Dollar Tree. I can get all kinds of nice beauty supplies there, plus other things that are very handy around the house. Great place to save TONS of money!

[K. Slink]

I've found that it pays to make regular trips and note the prices on certain items. One store sells spaghetti sauce for 99 cents, while another has it at $3!

[BasilRock]

I was just at Aldi's this afternoon and got lots of bargins. Wisconsin cranberries marked down to .49 a 12oz bag. I got 10 lbs white baking potatoes for .89 and 3lbs of yukon gold for .69. Their eggnog (which I like better than Deans or the other more popular brands) is only $1.89 a quart as the others is almost $3.00 at the big chain stores. I to live alone like Norsen and have to watch my penneys. Just before Thanksgiving Target had turkey breasts for .79lb and I found one for a little over 4lbs. Perfect for me. Saving it in my freezer for this summer on the grill. I also have a "Food for Less" (Kroger) real close and they have some very good prices and sales. Also their meat is really good for a grocer. We all have to do what we can to survive.

[linda joneli]

We have Grocery Outlet in my neck of the woods and i find it a great price for bargains. They stock items that the packaging style is going out of date, the product is changing etc etc. The biggest bargain for me was the Spruce goose wines as produced by the Evergreen Air Museum at around $18 a bottle, have picked them up at GO for as little as $5. Sometimes you can go in there and find nothing, but other times I can go in and spend (and save) a small fortune. Like kerrygold Butter and cheeses from Ireland at a 1/4 of the normal price, they also stock cheeses that can't be found in any of the normal supermarkets.
I really don't like Walmart at all, but i do go in to purchase some of the Great Value grocery products, which are a lot cheaper that the branded products but what's more interesting is that all of them are produced in the USA.

[linda joneli]

As for my meat, i purchase solely from the place where the animals are slaughtered. I can buy 1/2 a pig for about $1.80 per pound cut and wrapped and it is really top quality. Being that I am English i love Lamb. I can purchase a whole organically reared spring lamb for around $2.25 per pound overall, cut and wrapped, which is a vast difference from the $10.00 per pound Costco are asking for lamb chops and a really good leg for roasting costs me about $12/14, which is a far cry from the Frozen Legs of New Zealand Lamb which start at around $70.