24 March 2010
23 March 2010
How to Shop for Groceries
The reason that I decided to write this series of posts was something funny that happened. Two funny things happened, actually. The first was that a friend of mine returned to school, and was given the instructions to buy the "standard school supplies." He wasn't sure what that meant, and asked me. Having three kids, and having an unnatural fondness for school/office supplies, he thought I would know what that meant.
I did not.
So we brainstormed, and we got through, and then he realized that he needed an icepack to keep his lunch cool. He asked me where he could find that.
"What store are you in?"
"Target."
"Go to the last aisle of sporting goods. It's in the back of the store, and it is between toys and travel. It's in the last aisle where they keep the lunch boxes, coolers and thermos products."
There was a long pause. "How do you know that?"
"It's Target. Don't pay more than $1.99."
Then today, you know, if you follow my twitter, I had breakfast at Starbucks. I had a coupon that anyone could get online, for one free pastry when you bought a drink, hot or cold, before 10:30am. Right after that, I heard the radio announcer tell us that it was also Free Cone Day at Ben&Jerry's Scoop Shops, so I tweeted that as well.
I heard from my friend, and he wanted to know how I did that. How do I know where the freebies are?
Well, I don't know. I just do. And I'm an amateur. There are people much better at it than I am. If only I could make a living shopping for other people. At least, I can try to teach you what I know.
I'm planning on three separate posts about this. This first one will be on grocery shopping. Others will include eating out, buying school supplies, outlet shopping and whatever else might strike my fancy or yours (or that you might ask for.)
Oh, just while we're on the subject, July 10th is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Dress like a cow, get a free combo meal. We don't actually have any Chick-Fil-A's here, but we happened to have been in a Maryland one on July 10th one year.
Anyway, onto groceries.
Groceries can sometimes be complicated to buy. I should also mention that some of the advice I'm going to give is advice that I don't take (like checking dates - I'm terrible at checking dates), but it still works. For grocery buying and for cooking for the complete novice, I would recommend the book, The Kitchen Survival Guide by Lora Brody. This was a phenomenal resource when I was first married and setting up my own kitchen and doing my own shopping. While what my mother did cook was delicious, she didn't make a wide variety of things, so for me, it was all new.
1. The first tip is really the most important. Do NOT go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Always eat first. What I usually do if I'm going alone, and it's in the morning, I will go to the bagel shop right in the grocery store, and get a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of water. That way, I'm already eating and I'll sit at their tables and do tip number two...
2. Make and keep to a list. If you have a list, you're more likely to buy what's on sale and what you need, and you won't deviate from your list often.
3. Review the sale flyer before you go. This will also help you plan your meals for the week. Sometimes, there are great sales (like bottom round roast for $1.79/lb) and you'll want to buy extra to freeze. At that price, I think I bought three roasts.
4. Buy items in season. Yes, it's great to get strawberries in December, but there's a reason that they're $3.99/lb. They also don't taste as good, and depending on where they're imported from, they don't last as long because of their trip here. Strawberries are a summer fruit, squashes are a fall/winter. Vidalia onions are only around for about four to six weeks, and if you've never had them, HAVE THEM. They are sweet and succulent, and we eat them almost every day for that one month they are here. We eat them raw, on sandwiches, mixed into salads, sautéed in butter, mixed into fried rice. There are other sweet onions, but none like Vidalias.
5. Even with a list, follow the layout of the supermarket. It doesn't seem as though walking through the entire supermarket will save you time, but I've done the run around in the order on the list and the follow every aisle, and the follow every aisle method is actually faster. I usually start in produce, then the bakery, then the back wall of meat, and then just go aisle by aisle until I get to dairy and finish up with frozen.
6. Get the supermarket's savings card. On one shopping trip, they took off $25 from my order. This is rare, but now at my supermarket, the card is linked to Sunoco gas stations. We get ten cents off for every $50 spent. Right now, we're up to seventy cents off our gas, so we're waiting for an empty tank so that we can fill up. In that same venue, try out the store brand. I am a brand-name fiend -- I know the difference between Philadelphia Cream Cheese and others. I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi. There is no cheese doodle like Bachman Jax, and I can tell Rold Gold pretzels from Bachman Thin&Right, but there are certain things that I don't mind getting in the store brand. Our store's butter is excellent as is their sour cream and milk. I prefer the store's chicken to Perdue's. Try it out. If you like it, there is a huge value.
7. Use coupons. Stores will sometimes accept expired ones if the date is close. It doesn't hurt to ask. If they say no, oh well, but if they say yes, you've just saved money. You should also be wary of coupons. A lot of the Pillsbury ones are buy 3, get $1 off. It's just not worth it sometimes.
8. Plan out your meals. I found that when I was doing that, we ate well and we saved money all the time. This does mean that you will have to plan on taking things out of the freezer, although roast beef and pot roast can be cooked frozen. It just takes a little longer. Chicken really can't, although my mother-in-law has done it and it's always excellent. She should teach a class.
9. Wal-Mart is a great place to get brand name non-perishables, but you must know the prices of these same goods at your regular supermarket.
10. Specialty places like Trader Joe's and Penzeys Spices are good places to find things that you won't find elsewhere. In the case of Penzeys Spices, the prices are very close to supermarket prices, but the spices are fresher and sold in larger containers. I've been using their mail order for about three years, but if I'm in town (I've only been to the ones on Long Island and in Philadelphia), I get them there, and save on the shipping. There is no tax on spices since they are a food (at least in my state and in PA). They also have a great catalog with fantastic recipes. I never throw away their catalogs. Trader Joe's has some unique things that you can't find anywhere else, and their prices are quite reasonable. Another specialty place is the bulk warehouse stores. BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club are just a few of the ones that I know. There is a membership fee, but if you can buy in bulk, it can really save a lot of money. (BJ's has a terrific granola mixture that the kids and I love for $6.99). This is really good for paper products. Their milk prices are under $2. I don't usually buy fresh food there because I have never needed six cucumbers for anything. I've tried. They just go soft. They're very reasonable on candy (great for Halloween) and frozen appetizer type foods (great for New Year's and the Super Bowl).
So, happy shopping.
I did not.
So we brainstormed, and we got through, and then he realized that he needed an icepack to keep his lunch cool. He asked me where he could find that.
"What store are you in?"
"Target."
"Go to the last aisle of sporting goods. It's in the back of the store, and it is between toys and travel. It's in the last aisle where they keep the lunch boxes, coolers and thermos products."
There was a long pause. "How do you know that?"
"It's Target. Don't pay more than $1.99."
Then today, you know, if you follow my twitter, I had breakfast at Starbucks. I had a coupon that anyone could get online, for one free pastry when you bought a drink, hot or cold, before 10:30am. Right after that, I heard the radio announcer tell us that it was also Free Cone Day at Ben&Jerry's Scoop Shops, so I tweeted that as well.
I heard from my friend, and he wanted to know how I did that. How do I know where the freebies are?
Well, I don't know. I just do. And I'm an amateur. There are people much better at it than I am. If only I could make a living shopping for other people. At least, I can try to teach you what I know.
I'm planning on three separate posts about this. This first one will be on grocery shopping. Others will include eating out, buying school supplies, outlet shopping and whatever else might strike my fancy or yours (or that you might ask for.)
Oh, just while we're on the subject, July 10th is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Dress like a cow, get a free combo meal. We don't actually have any Chick-Fil-A's here, but we happened to have been in a Maryland one on July 10th one year.
Anyway, onto groceries.
Groceries can sometimes be complicated to buy. I should also mention that some of the advice I'm going to give is advice that I don't take (like checking dates - I'm terrible at checking dates), but it still works. For grocery buying and for cooking for the complete novice, I would recommend the book, The Kitchen Survival Guide by Lora Brody. This was a phenomenal resource when I was first married and setting up my own kitchen and doing my own shopping. While what my mother did cook was delicious, she didn't make a wide variety of things, so for me, it was all new.
1. The first tip is really the most important. Do NOT go grocery shopping on an empty stomach. Always eat first. What I usually do if I'm going alone, and it's in the morning, I will go to the bagel shop right in the grocery store, and get a bagel with cream cheese and a cup of water. That way, I'm already eating and I'll sit at their tables and do tip number two...
2. Make and keep to a list. If you have a list, you're more likely to buy what's on sale and what you need, and you won't deviate from your list often.
3. Review the sale flyer before you go. This will also help you plan your meals for the week. Sometimes, there are great sales (like bottom round roast for $1.79/lb) and you'll want to buy extra to freeze. At that price, I think I bought three roasts.
4. Buy items in season. Yes, it's great to get strawberries in December, but there's a reason that they're $3.99/lb. They also don't taste as good, and depending on where they're imported from, they don't last as long because of their trip here. Strawberries are a summer fruit, squashes are a fall/winter. Vidalia onions are only around for about four to six weeks, and if you've never had them, HAVE THEM. They are sweet and succulent, and we eat them almost every day for that one month they are here. We eat them raw, on sandwiches, mixed into salads, sautéed in butter, mixed into fried rice. There are other sweet onions, but none like Vidalias.
5. Even with a list, follow the layout of the supermarket. It doesn't seem as though walking through the entire supermarket will save you time, but I've done the run around in the order on the list and the follow every aisle, and the follow every aisle method is actually faster. I usually start in produce, then the bakery, then the back wall of meat, and then just go aisle by aisle until I get to dairy and finish up with frozen.
6. Get the supermarket's savings card. On one shopping trip, they took off $25 from my order. This is rare, but now at my supermarket, the card is linked to Sunoco gas stations. We get ten cents off for every $50 spent. Right now, we're up to seventy cents off our gas, so we're waiting for an empty tank so that we can fill up. In that same venue, try out the store brand. I am a brand-name fiend -- I know the difference between Philadelphia Cream Cheese and others. I can taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi. There is no cheese doodle like Bachman Jax, and I can tell Rold Gold pretzels from Bachman Thin&Right, but there are certain things that I don't mind getting in the store brand. Our store's butter is excellent as is their sour cream and milk. I prefer the store's chicken to Perdue's. Try it out. If you like it, there is a huge value.
7. Use coupons. Stores will sometimes accept expired ones if the date is close. It doesn't hurt to ask. If they say no, oh well, but if they say yes, you've just saved money. You should also be wary of coupons. A lot of the Pillsbury ones are buy 3, get $1 off. It's just not worth it sometimes.
8. Plan out your meals. I found that when I was doing that, we ate well and we saved money all the time. This does mean that you will have to plan on taking things out of the freezer, although roast beef and pot roast can be cooked frozen. It just takes a little longer. Chicken really can't, although my mother-in-law has done it and it's always excellent. She should teach a class.
9. Wal-Mart is a great place to get brand name non-perishables, but you must know the prices of these same goods at your regular supermarket.
10. Specialty places like Trader Joe's and Penzeys Spices are good places to find things that you won't find elsewhere. In the case of Penzeys Spices, the prices are very close to supermarket prices, but the spices are fresher and sold in larger containers. I've been using their mail order for about three years, but if I'm in town (I've only been to the ones on Long Island and in Philadelphia), I get them there, and save on the shipping. There is no tax on spices since they are a food (at least in my state and in PA). They also have a great catalog with fantastic recipes. I never throw away their catalogs. Trader Joe's has some unique things that you can't find anywhere else, and their prices are quite reasonable. Another specialty place is the bulk warehouse stores. BJ's, Costco, Sam's Club are just a few of the ones that I know. There is a membership fee, but if you can buy in bulk, it can really save a lot of money. (BJ's has a terrific granola mixture that the kids and I love for $6.99). This is really good for paper products. Their milk prices are under $2. I don't usually buy fresh food there because I have never needed six cucumbers for anything. I've tried. They just go soft. They're very reasonable on candy (great for Halloween) and frozen appetizer type foods (great for New Year's and the Super Bowl).
So, happy shopping.
17 March 2010
What is this Blog Thing?
Happy St. Patrick's Day. I thought that with my blog being so green that I should say that since I was posting today.
I'm not sure what this blog will be. I think of it more as a website to feature my writing. As you can see on the sidebar, I have a published chapbook for sale, and a paypal account to go with it. I actually sold this book last summer at the IWWG Summer Conference, where it was very well received. Money being tight, I'm not sure that I will make it to this year's conference.
Back to what this blog is. I write in all areas. I watch Morning Joe every morning, and so I have many views on politics, government and pop culture. I can be very opinionated, but try to remain open-minded, not so open as to change as much as to listen.
I write fiction. Maybe one day, I'll sell it.
I write about children (mine usually) and like to give advice, on parenting (which I've been for thirteen years, nearly) and on education (a field that I hold my degree in and taught in a variety of early childhood programs for over ten years.)
I write about travel, something I love to do and love to do organized even more.
So, what you find here will be what I find here: myself and everything that comes with that.
Welcome...again.
I'm not sure what this blog will be. I think of it more as a website to feature my writing. As you can see on the sidebar, I have a published chapbook for sale, and a paypal account to go with it. I actually sold this book last summer at the IWWG Summer Conference, where it was very well received. Money being tight, I'm not sure that I will make it to this year's conference.
Back to what this blog is. I write in all areas. I watch Morning Joe every morning, and so I have many views on politics, government and pop culture. I can be very opinionated, but try to remain open-minded, not so open as to change as much as to listen.
I write fiction. Maybe one day, I'll sell it.
I write about children (mine usually) and like to give advice, on parenting (which I've been for thirteen years, nearly) and on education (a field that I hold my degree in and taught in a variety of early childhood programs for over ten years.)
I write about travel, something I love to do and love to do organized even more.
So, what you find here will be what I find here: myself and everything that comes with that.
Welcome...again.
05 March 2010
My Phoenix Project
I've started a new goal oriented program. I was going to write that it has a limited scope, but the scope is only limited on what I choose to do with it. It began in a fan fiction community that I moderate, and the ideals of each category are from that community and the original works. The idea behind this project is really bettering yourself, personally and professionally and taking care of others around you. I'm excited about it and that is why I have decided to include them here. Many of these items are things that are done or will be done in real life. I have also added a real world component that relates to my writings and my goals of continuing as a freelance writer.
The objective is to do at least three items from each of the four groups. I've added a fifth group, which is more than the glorified to do list it appears to be at first glance. I tried to choose long-term professional goals, not simply 'pay my bills on time.'
Completed tasks will be bold. Notes on ongoing tasks will appear in different colors. I've eliminated the tasks that I won't do at all.
My tasks are as follows:
RED - step outside your comfort zone - be bold - completed 1/3 min.
B. Give 12 hours volunteer service to the organization of your choice.
C. Go through your things and donate unwanted/unneeded clothes, books, old glasses, etc. to an organization such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. -we did this on Sunday - 3 bags of unneeded/too small clothes - we will continue to do more throughout the spring.
D. Write a letter to your Congressional representatives (or equivalents) and local newspaper about an issue that matters to you.
I. Join the local chapter of an organization that promotes a cause you believe in and participate in at least three meetings and one significant event.
J. Teach someone a skill you possess, free of charge.
YELLOW - for others - help your community through your creative talents - completed 2/3 min.
C. Go through your things and donate unwanted/unneeded clothes, books, old glasses, etc. to an organization such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army. -we did this on Sunday - 3 bags of unneeded/too small clothes - we will continue to do more throughout the spring.
D. Write a letter to your Congressional representatives (or equivalents) and local newspaper about an issue that matters to you.
I. Join the local chapter of an organization that promotes a cause you believe in and participate in at least three meetings and one significant event.
J. Teach someone a skill you possess, free of charge.
YELLOW - for others - help your community through your creative talents - completed 2/3 min.
A. Administrate a contest or fic exchange. - I ran the Holiday Fic Exchange in December and now I am running the Community's Anniversary Contest.
B. Help another community member resolve an issue or challenge they are facing. - I am doing this, but since it's private, I won't be putting the person's name here - this will be worked on tomorrow.
C. Submit entries to three community contests. - soon, deadline is at the end of the month
D. Recruit two new members to the community.
E. Create a piece of fic (at least 1000 words), art, or a vid to fulfill the request of another community member (that includes adopted plot bunnies). - working on this right now
F. Beta-read 5,000 words or more of fic for another community member.
G. Comprehensively review (200 words or more, not counting quotes) at least five pieces of other people's work on the community.
H. Create a piece of meta for the 'verse, at least 1000 words. - I just did this and posted it to the comm. Click over and read about Women in Daydverse. :-)
J. Participate in at least two community side projects (radio play, podcast, convention planning, etc.) - I've done one podcast and plan on being involved in convention planning as it comes up.
BLUE - foster your education and learning as well as seeking the truth
B. Help another community member resolve an issue or challenge they are facing. - I am doing this, but since it's private, I won't be putting the person's name here - this will be worked on tomorrow.
C. Submit entries to three community contests. - soon, deadline is at the end of the month
D. Recruit two new members to the community.
E. Create a piece of fic (at least 1000 words), art, or a vid to fulfill the request of another community member (that includes adopted plot bunnies). - working on this right now
F. Beta-read 5,000 words or more of fic for another community member.
G. Comprehensively review (200 words or more, not counting quotes) at least five pieces of other people's work on the community.
H. Create a piece of meta for the 'verse, at least 1000 words. - I just did this and posted it to the comm. Click over and read about Women in Daydverse. :-)
J. Participate in at least two community side projects (radio play, podcast, convention planning, etc.) - I've done one podcast and plan on being involved in convention planning as it comes up.
BLUE - foster your education and learning as well as seeking the truth
B. Read 3 books by a prominent author (or authors) in a genre you don't usually read and write a review for your blog or newspaper.
C. Read a book that opposes a position you believe, and write a review of it for your blog or newspaper.
D. Research your local government (mayor, city council, etc) and be prepared to vote accordingly in your next election.
E. Attend a local cultural event, such as a concert, festival, or art show, and write a review of it for your blog or newspaper.
F. Learn a new creative skill, such as painting, knitting, playing an instrument, cooking a certain kind of cuisine, etc.
G. Write an essay on your blog or for a local publication of at least 1000 words introducing people to an unusual subject which fascinates you. - working on this as well at the moment
H. Participate in a local historical society, SCA gathering, or similar event.- I was a SCAdian for 10 years. I'd like to go back.
I. Learn a new non-creative skill (how to fix a leaky pipe, change your car's oil, do your own taxes, etc)
J. Learn at least one skill other than the one you chose for Objs. F. or I. that originates in a culture not your own, and the heritage behind it (origami, belly dancing, etc.)
GREEN - for yourself - both mentally and physically, simply putting yourself first.
(NOTE, starred items must be maintained for 90 days to count)
*A. Make a significant healthy change in your eating habits (cut out soda or sweets, more fruits and vegetables, cut out fried food, etc.)
*B. Get at least 6 hours sleep a night, or establish a regular meal schedule.
*C. Learn and practice a coping technique for an emotional and/or personal issue (punctuality, organization, phobia, etc.)
D. Do something to improve your appearance (new haircut, contact lenses, new outfit, learn how to take care of your skin, etc).- alas, next week
*E. Establish and implement a plan for the next stage in your career or education. - actually this blog is one of those things that I'm working on, plus entering a contest in May and a guest blog for another site.
*F. Kick a bad habit (nail biting, smoking, etc.)
*G. Make and keep a reasonable budget. - working on this now
H. Go somewhere or try something that you have always wanted to.- you couldn't have done this in the Fall (for my trip to Wales);-)
J. Use contacts you have made or new information you have gathered to help overcome a significant obstacle or achieve a significant goal in your life. - working on this as well
OTHER
A. Call health insurance company and find out important information with the new administrators.
A. Call health insurance company and find out important information with the new administrators.
B. My "Good morning" project. I will be saying this to someone who is not used to being awake in the morning. I NEVER say "good" morning. I just don't believe in it, so this is really about my outlook and starting the day off right. If I can pause in the middle of the chaos to say 'good morning', my day might just switch gears.
C. I have to work on some religious stuff that I'm not getting into in this public post, but there's money involved, and of course, religion, so there's that.
D. Write and submit a piece on my trip to Wales for publication.
E. Write and submit on spec a local article on applepicking for the Fall, which will be here sooner than we think.
F. Get the editorial calendar from for the local newspaper where I have a contact
G. Write something for my friends at ESC - any suggestions on topic would be most appreciated since the one I thought of isn't appropriate right now.
H. As a joke, I said that I would write a post about post-it notes, and their many uses (I am the expert after all), but the more I think about it, the more I think that it's a really good idea. Useful for students and to showcase one of my favorite school supplies.
I. Build a corral for the plot bunnies - they're getting a little out of hand, and it doesn't help when other people (who shall remain nameless) keep leaving extras on my doorstep.
J. Clean off my dining room table so that we can eat at the dining room table.
K. Organize paperwork, and do the taxes. Start eliminating unnecessary papers from the house.
L. Create laminated checklists for the kids for getting ready for bed and for school the next morning, unfortunately tied to dessert since that's the only thing that motivates them at the moment. (I know that's bad. I'm usually 100% against food rewards (I will write an entry on nutrition soon) - I think that they're unhealthy and create false expectations and put too high an emotional value on food, but we actually eat some kind of dessert every night, could be one scoop of ice cream or a bowl of strawberries, so this is more of a 'you get your work done before you get dessert'.)
C. I have to work on some religious stuff that I'm not getting into in this public post, but there's money involved, and of course, religion, so there's that.
D. Write and submit a piece on my trip to Wales for publication.
E. Write and submit on spec a local article on applepicking for the Fall, which will be here sooner than we think.
F. Get the editorial calendar from for the local newspaper where I have a contact
G. Write something for my friends at ESC - any suggestions on topic would be most appreciated since the one I thought of isn't appropriate right now.
H. As a joke, I said that I would write a post about post-it notes, and their many uses (I am the expert after all), but the more I think about it, the more I think that it's a really good idea. Useful for students and to showcase one of my favorite school supplies.
I. Build a corral for the plot bunnies - they're getting a little out of hand, and it doesn't help when other people (who shall remain nameless) keep leaving extras on my doorstep.
J. Clean off my dining room table so that we can eat at the dining room table.
K. Organize paperwork, and do the taxes. Start eliminating unnecessary papers from the house.
L. Create laminated checklists for the kids for getting ready for bed and for school the next morning, unfortunately tied to dessert since that's the only thing that motivates them at the moment. (I know that's bad. I'm usually 100% against food rewards (I will write an entry on nutrition soon) - I think that they're unhealthy and create false expectations and put too high an emotional value on food, but we actually eat some kind of dessert every night, could be one scoop of ice cream or a bowl of strawberries, so this is more of a 'you get your work done before you get dessert'.)
M. Write at least one blog entry a month for this journal and crosspost it elsewhere. It will be minimum of 1000 words, and on something topical or fall under my expertise: parenting, education, politics and law, travel.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
