Disclaimer: I certainly don’t know everything about saving money or being frugal. I just like to do it as a mind game. I love logic puzzles, Scrabble, Sudoku, you get the idea. This is just plain fun.

When I first started trying to be more frugal I kept track of the prices of food in a little notebook in my purse. I’d also write the sales prices in there to compare and see how much I was actually saving. It didn’t seem like much, 15 cents here, 50 cents there but over time it began to accumulate. I also learned when food was really on sale as opposed to just reduced. So be conscious of sale prices; know when you are getting a good deal.

I only buy meat when it’s on sale. I typically won’t pay more than $2 a pound for roasts or ground beef. We like to eat ham sandwiches. I found it is much cheaper to buy the fully cooked boneless hams that are sold in the meat department rather than get sliced meat from the deli. I bought a black forest ham this week for $3.99/lb and had the butcher in the grocery store slice it really thin. The ham is the exact same brand that Raley’s sells in their deli for $6.99/lb, $5.99/lb when it’s on sale. Did you know that the butchers will cut your meat for you any you want without any extra charge? For instance, you can get chuck roasts on sale and have them cut into 1/2 inch steaks. I’ve been doing this so long the butcher knows what I want without even asking. 😀

I have a confession to make about chicken. I don’t buy it when it’s on sale. I just buy the skinless, boneless chicken breasts or tenders that are sold at Costco. Once in a while I’ll get a whole chicken but very rarely. I hate picking off the meat and having to deal with deboning, etc. Raw chicken just seems more slimy than beef or pork. Blech!

Now on to fruits and vegetables. Did you know that buying fresh isn’t necessarily cheaper or better? Think about it. Frozen food is usually frozen the day it was picked, locking in those beneficial nutrients. The ‘fresh’ food you get at the grocery store has traveled some distance to get there. If you really want fresh, buy from local farmers, {{wink, wink}} or even better grow your own garden. (I really like the Square Foot Gardening method but that’s a post for another day.) Then freeze your abundance for winter use. As for pricing, next time you’re at the grocery store take the time to compare. I’ll give you an example. This week Raley’s had fresh raspberries (6 oz.) and blueberries (4.4 oz.) on sale for $3. Frozen blueberries and raspberries were also on sale, 16 oz for $2.50. You read that right. For 50 cents less I got twice as much fruit buying frozen. Vegetables are the same way. Stocking up on frozen food that’s on sale will go a long way in helping with your budget – provided your freezer doesn’t go out!

I do buy plenty of apples and bananas to have on hand for snacks. Usually the 3 pound bags of apples are cheaper per pound than the loose ones. The same goes for kiwi fruit. If you’re lucky enough to have a local orchard go support them. The prices are very comparable.

Canned goods and a well-stocked pantry will be discussed in my next frugal post.