So, the question came up: "How do you get fresh produce with no coupons"
Produce does offer coupons from time to time; not often enough for me to base my grocery shopping or stockpile on it. I shop sales for my fresh items. Also, there may be cabinet food (rice, pasta, beans, etc) that rarely have a coupon; I have a strategy for that too.
Some of the important things when shopping for whole foods (items that don't have chemicals in them) is:
1. Know your prices! Items that you need may go on sale "10 for $10"... but, if you are purchasing an item that normally sells for 79¢ and now they have it on sale for $1 - that's not a bargain! It looks good because the store circular has it on the front page with all kinds of glitter around it - but, when you know the cost of the items you purchase - you know that it would be cheaper to buy it when it's not "on sale". Be careful of BOGO (Buy one Get one free) deals, too - a lot of times they increase the retail price of the bought one and you end up spending the same as if you bought 2 during a non-sales cycle. Another thing to be aware of is price variances by store. I can drive a 1/2 block to another grocery store and the same item is selling for $1.50 more (on sale).
2. Purchase Price vs Stock Up Price. Items generally go on sale every 6 to 8 weeks. If you are trying to Stock Up on cabinet or items you can freeze, know how much you will need to get you through until the next sales cycle. If you run out of something and it is not in it's sales cycle, only buy enough to get you through until the next sale. Know your price points. Understand what is a Purchase Price or a Stock Up Price.
Price Point Example 1: Fresh Chicken Breasts normally sell for (about) $1.99 per pound. You see the sales for the week and you find it on sale for $1.19 per pound. STOCK UP! Buy as much as you can fit in your freezer or what you'll need until the next time it goes on sale.
Price Point Example 2: Fresh Broccoli normally sells for $1.19 per pound (or $2.00 a bunch). It goes on sale for 78¢ a pound or 10 for $10 (a bunch)... STOCK UP!
Both of these fresh items will store in your freezer!
BTW, I coupon for freezer bags!
3. Shop the Clearance Rack. Because of laws that are in place to protect us - understanding your "Sell By" and "Use By" dates can help you land some great deals. Meat, produce and other items will go on clearance or close-out. Obviously meat and produce will go bad and the store wants to get some monetary return for their initial investment so they will reduce the cost to get them out the door. I inspect everything before I put it in my cart (look, smell, etc)... but, don't think because they have it reduced it's because it's going bad - they are just approaching the point that if they don't get it out the door, their store will take a loss on that item. This would be a STOCK UP too, if you can freeze these items or use them immediately.
Clearance Example: I was in the produce section at Kroger. They had fresh pre-packaged collard greens on clearance for 99¢ a bag (normally $2.49 a bag). They were set to "Sell by" the next day - so, they were trying to get rid of them. I cleared the shelf (8 bags), brought them home and put them right in the freezer! What would have cost me almost $20 - I only paid $7.92!
4. Price Match. If I'm out couponing, I may have items from 4 or 5 different stores in my car. Some of you may not have time to run to 4 or 5 different stores to get 2 items from 1 store and 4 items from another. Your salvation is Price Match. Walmart will match any competitor's price (<---Click that!) for the same item (size, brand, etc). They even match store brand stuff - so, if you find that a store is running a special on (let's say) their Store Brand sugar - you can purchase the Great Value sugar for the same price - as long as it's the same size & type. Target does price matching too - but, to me - it's a hassle (listen to me whine...) because you have to go to Customer Service to get your price matched deal overage refunded or if the deal was because you needed a rewards card, they won't honor it (it's some bullshit).
5. Aldi. Yup! This (hardly) no-brand-name grocery store always has some phenomenal deals on produce and frozen items. AND... a lot of their products are not made with HFCS or MSG (like their bread)!!! They have a line of organic and Healthy Fit products that are cheaper (and IMO) taste better than some of your major chain grocery stores. Don't forget your quarter (to get your cart) or your own grocery bags to carry the stuff home... it is the modern day version of no frills - but they have some great stuff!
Those are the main ways I reduce the cost of my Fresh Food expenses. When I do that and pay next to nothing for my cleaning, personal care and other household items - it helps keep down the cost of running my house.
Take a minute to think about this... with the convenience of everything we have access to (cleaning products that cut your cleaning time, food items that reduce your time in the kitchen)... we have really been conditioned to believe we have to spend money in order to live. I am debunking that thought process. I don't have chickens or cows in my backyard and if I grow a garden it's seasonal (although I can freeze or can things) - so there are things that I depend on from the grocery store (mostly) out of convenience. I am NOT going to pay a lot of money for items that just go down the drain or I am just going to throw out when I'm done with them. Knowing that - I am NOT going to pay a lot of money for anything else either.
If I hit Powerball for a zillion dollars - I would still coupon and shop for deals. The things that we use and need to live should not dictate how we spend our money, that should be our decision.
Just like couponing - this takes time. It's really retraining how you think about shopping. Research, planning and strategy come into play. Once you train yourself and learn your prices, when the best time to buy something (summer is a great time to stock up on condiments, January is a great time for health related items...), sales cycles and how often you run out of something... you can really slash your grocery costs in half (or more)!!
You will have to allocate space to store your items, but the first time you run out of something and all you do is go to your stockpile to "shop"... it makes it all worth it!
