Trader Joe's Rocks -Love their chalk board art.

I’ve been an off- and on-customer of Trader Joe’s for years. The main reason I don’t frequent that grocery store as often as I like is the insane parking lot that every store in my area seems to have. The stores’ lots are just not large enough for it’s popularity making it an obstacle course to park. However, I think I’ve found a hidden gem as  new stores are popping up in many neighborhoods near my home, and one of them has a larger parking lot!

Trader Joe’s has been around since  1967 starting out in Pasadena, California. When I was a kid in the early ’80′s, there was one in my neighborhood that my parents would frequent for inexpensive wines and spirits. They slowly grew during the 1980′s and ’90′s, but their popularity really hit it’s peak this millennium with the opening of stores across the nation (including Arizona and the mid-west.) I became a regular shopper in the late ’90′s as there was one within walking distance from my apartment and I didn’t have to fight the parking  lot traffic to shop there.

However, once I moved out of that apartment, it just was too much of a hassle finding parking. But…I think I’ve found one I can actually shop and park at!

What’s so great about Trader Joe’s that makes me want to shop there more frequently?

1. Their prices. Two large bags of groceries at TJ’s (affectionately known in these parts) can be under $50. At my local grocery store the same items would be closer to $80.
2. The quality of their food. Much of their food is organic and isn’t over priced for the quality.
3. Great frozen food choices. I’m not much of a cook, so when I’m hungry and Mr. LH isn’t (which is quite often) I can quickly heat up a TJ’s frozen meal that’s healthy and delicious.
4. Prepackaged salads. I like salads but if I buy the ingredients and make them myself, the extra stuff often goes bad before I can eat it all. Purchasing smaller, pre-made salads makes more sense. TJ’s has a great variety to choose from.
5. Two buck chuck! I’m not much of a wine drinker, but we keep a decent stock of the stuff in our pantry for company. I love TJ’s wine selection and you can’t beat the prices.

It also helps that Trader Joe’s is known for treating their employee’s quite well and more like a family. I’ve never seen a grumpy checker at TJ’s and I can’t say the same at my local chain grocery store (those people really don’t like their jobs based on their facial expressions!)

Are you familiar with Trader Joe’s? Shopped there recently?

There have been numerous studies that show that American’s waste almost 1/3 of the food they purchase. That includes edibles from Grocery stores, restaurants, produce markets and deli’s. That means that 30% of our Nation’s produced oils, fats, grains and dairy products end up in the garbage.

The fact that it’s also a huge energy loss and bad for the environment is a different story. You can save yourself some money by eating what you order!

1. Buy only what you need.

You can immediately start seeing savings by making sure you eat everything you bring home from your local grocery store. Whether you are cooking for two or are a family of five, steps can be taken to help with this. For example: If you’re making 4 hamburgers on game day, do you need a whole bag of buns that are just going to go bad? Try your grocer’s deli. Many markets now offer homemade rolls and buns that you can buy individually. Not only are they fresher and healthier, but you can get 4 delicious buns for those burgers and not have extras laying around. Many of these deli’s also offer fresh sliced meats. Feeling like a turkey sandwich? Have the deli just slice up a few slices for you. You will never hear them complain.

You can also insure you are not over purchasing by keeping your cupboards and pantry’s organized. It’s always silly to buy a jar of peanut butter because you forgot you had some hiding in the back and it spoiled. Make sure you can physically see everything you currently have in your cabinets and stop “repeat” buying.

2.  Stop chucking your groceries.

It’s a darn shame to see food go to waste. I am sure everyone is familiar with ‘cleaning’ out the fridge. That’s where you go through your refrigerator and start tossing out those cheese slices you didn’t get to quick enough or some leftover enchiladas that have been in there for a while. This can be solved in several ways. For example: Freeze half of that cheese when you first bring it home and make sure you store leftovers in the fridge in airtight containers. If you don’t think you’ll be eating those leftover hot wings in the next week, then freeze them. Freezing and storing food properly in the refrigerator will help it last longer so it’s still good to eat when you are ready for it.

3.  Don’t over order at restaurants

I can’t even say how many times I’ve seen a family of four at a restaurant and their table has enough food on it to feed another table next to them. Many sit down restaurants have greatly increased their portions so that the customer feels they got their money’s worth. Keep that in mind because now it’s much simpler to share a main dinner with sides. If two people go out for dinner there is a good chance that don’t need to order two full dinners. Most restaurants are happy to split up a meal into two. Some however do charge for this. If they are going to charge you, then just order that single dinner normally and have them bring you another plate when it comes. It’s not tough to cut that chicken marsala in half!

If a 4-pack family visits a fast food chain do they really need FOUR value meals with FOUR fries? Definitely not. If you know your kid only ever eats half his food, then order accordingly. It’s a huge waste of money and food to let it end up in the trash. Again, sharing comes into play.

4.  Make it a mission

The most important step is to simply make it your mission to stop wasting food. I frequently review our kitchen inventory and I make a mental list of what needs to be eaten. Need to use up that bacon but it’s not breakfast time? Make BLT’s. Got some left over ground beef and a head of lettuce that’s getting old? Make some tacos quick! Dairy and meats need to be eaten (or frozen) relatively soon after you bring them home.

In summary: Buy only what you need, store food and leftovers properly, don’t over order and make it a mission.

A federal study found that 96.4 billions pounds of food is wasted by U.S. Retailers, Food Service businesses and retailers annually. For a family of four, that amounts to 122 pounds of food thrown out each month. Here is a depiction of that family’s monthly share, the sum of waste in eight different foods groups as depicted in the study.

Wasted Food

This is a guest post by Uncle Casey.

Now that I’m willing to visit a few different stores for my produce, meat, cheese, and frozen goods, I’m even more impressed with Vallarta Market.They offer some of the best prices for produce and meats. Oh, and Bud Light beer.   Here’s a sample of my receipt:

1. 1 white onion = .09 cents (Their white onions were on sale for 7 pounds for $1.00!)
2. one bunch of cilantro = .25 cents (or 4 bunches for $1.00)
3. one bunch of green onions = .25 cents (again, 4 bunches for $1.00)
4. .29 pounds of limes = .15 cents (limes were on sale for 2 pounds for $1.00)
5. 1 green pepper = .75 cents
6. 1 head of iceberg lettuce = .69 cents
7. 4 bananas = $1.26
8. 1 pound of 85% lean ground beef = $4.59 ( I know that in other parts of the country, ground beef is a lot less, but here this is a good deal.)
9. 30 pack of Bud Light = $17.99

Making time to shop around saves me quite a bit of money. Vallarta’s produce is local, but I need to carefully select the items since they save money on not having additional labor weeding out the bruised fruits and vegetables, which I’m just fine with.

With a stocked refrigerator and enough food for meals to last 14 days, the $156 that I spent in groceries (including my local chain market) is a great deal for my area.

How have you been saving money on groceries?

Fresh & Easy Market

Fresh & Easy grocery market’s have been popping up all over my neighborhood, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to explore them. Until now. Yesterday, my husband and I decided to explore their produce and packaged dinners since I had heard they offer a lot of prepackaged, easy to make meals. Since I’m always rushing around, and I don’t cook (yes, you read that right; I don’t cook!), I figured I’d find something I’d like that would be easy to make – read: Microwavable!

I was pleasantly surprised to find their groceries were fresh, reasonably priced, and they offered a lot of variety. Some examples of their prices:

• 10 lb bag of Idaho Russet Potatoes: .98 cents (right now potatoes are on sale in many local markets, but this beat out large chain prices by .02 cents)
• 5 lb bag of oranges: .98 cents
• bananas: .19 cents each
• Swirled raisin, cinnamon bread: 1 loaf – $1.50 (on sale – they offer 50% off of packaged meals that are expiring that day or items that are quickly approaching their “sell by” date).
• Premade Penne pasta with creamed tomato sauce: 1 serving $1.99

This is just a smattering of items I purchased. But as you can see, their prices are quite reasonable, especially their 50% off sale items. As long as you’re willing to consume the item within a day or two, you don’t need to worry about food poisoning (and most grocery stores’ expire date can be pushed a few more days anyway. – My husband’s family used to own a grocery store when he was in high school, so I have some insider information here.)

Checking out is also quite easy since it’s a do-it-yourself type checkout stand, and personally, I love these stands (major chains have installed a couple of these, but limit its use to 15 items per person). I can scan items quite quickly and have my husband help me bag them at the end of the end of the revolving belt. I even find it sort of fun, but that’s probably because I’m strange.

Now that I’ve had my first shopping experience at a Fresh & Easy, I’m sure I’ll be returning soon.

Do you have Fresh & Easy Market’s appearing in your neighborhood?

99-cents only

To reduce the amount I spend on my groceries and household items, I’ve started shopping at the 99-cent store. Of course I can’t buy everything there, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a few items, such as shaving gel. However, many times, I arrive only to be greatly disappointed by the items on hand, the wilted and bruised produce (you read that correctly, a few of our stores here carry groceries), and the lack of brand-name items. Yet, I’ve realized there is a trick to obtaining the best quality items for only 99-cents: Call to find out what days they receive their deliveries!

It turns out that Tuesdays and Fridays are the best days to shop at my local 99-cent store because those are the days they receive their shipment of goods. So, Tuesday morning I headed over to my local store (now that I’m on summer break, I can do this in the morning!) Not only was I pleasantly surprised by their food goods, their produce was fresh and they had a large variety of fruits, veggies, and breads. Fresh strawberries and blueberries were stocked for only 99-cents, in contrast to my local grocery store where they are selling for $2.49 to $3.99 a pack. They also had name-brand items such as cases of Sparklett’s bottled water, a case of 30 individual bottles for $2.49! I also noticed an increase in shoppers, the ones that I’m sure are savvy to the 99-cent store delivery schedule.

This strategy, of calling to find out a store’s delivery day, got me thinking about how it could be beneficial for scoping out other retailers such as Cost Plus, Ross, even Goodwill. If the best quality items and the most variety of any item happens on a delivery day, then wouldn’t it be beneficial to call a favorite store and ask them about their delivery days? I know that from here on out I’ll be calling my favorite stores to find out when they can expect their next delivery. I’ll become one of those regular shoppers who appear on delivery days along with the little old ladies who learned this trick years ago!

Do you shop at the 99-cent store or discount stores? Do you call ahead to find out when they receive deliveries?