Grocery Shopping vs. Eating Out

There are habits that are hard to break like the convenience of dining out. I’ve always been a decent cook but never had the time or energy to really get down in the kitchen. Besides, a great way to unwind from work was to go out for a glass of wine and a good meal with a friend. Sunday brunches in West Hollywood were my favorite.

Once I moved to Philadelphia I pledged to cook majority of my meals. Grocery shopping as opposed to eating out - and yes, fast food also counts as eating out - is more affordable but there’s an art and strategy involved with buying food. I was an exclusive Trader Joe’s and Wholefoods shopper pre-unemployment. I still will buy certain items from Trader Joe’s due to my almost gluten free diet i.e. rice macaroni and cheese, corn spaghetti, Udi bread, etc., but I pretty much had to rule out Wholefoods. They’re out of the budget. I will occassionally treat myself to a frozen, gluten free pizza but that’s it. Regular grocery stores only.

This might sound like a no brainer but for whatever grocery store you shop at get their value card. There are always items that are discounted provided you have the card. Shopping non-brand name goods will also save you money. Most store brand goods taste pretty good and are cheaper simply because they are done in-house and therefore more affordable to produce. Buying non-brand name goods might hurt your ego a bit but once you get used to saving money you’ll get over it. Also visit different grocery stores because some are better than others for certain foods/meats/produce. Now that you’re budgeting there’s no money to waste on fruit that’s not sweet or meat that’s too expensive and not a decent cut. If you live in an area with independent, ethnic grocery stores I recommend checking these out. They tend to have excellent fruit and meat selections for a fraction of the cost of chain grocery stores. Also go to your town’s local farmer’s market. It’s a great way to get fresh, organic fruit and vegetables for a good price. I myself haven’t delved into couponing yet, but I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt to sift through some of that junk mail for a good deal. Trust me - when groupon or livingsocial begins selling discount grocery store coupons I’ll be all over it!

For toilettries and other merchandise I find stores such Walmart and dollar stores like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar General to suit my budgeting needs. Some people might cringe at the idea of shopping at Walmart but it’s an affordable option to get things you need despite what you might hear about their employment practices and pushing out the mom and pop store. I also like to get items from the dollar bins at Target. My strategy for buying toilettries is this: buy only as much as you need. Lotions, soaps, toilet paper, etc can really add up at the register when you’re trying to either buy in bulk or a large size. The goal is to keep enough money in your pocket until the next pay period and still maintain a nest egg, albiet a much smaller one than before. Emergencies don’t stop just because your money isn’t what it used to be. Neither does the occassional itch to splurge on something so make sure you still have some coins in your pocket at the end of the day. Back to topic. I like buying the single bars of soap, mini lotions, q-tips, shaving gel and my deodorant from the dollar travel bins at Target. I buy the dollar paper towels and the 6 roll, store brand toilet paper. By doing this I have money left over for the more expensive items like my face wash and lotion and I won’t flinch at the register when I see my total. There are many out there who have families so this sort of shopping will not be condusive for you. Costco and Sam’s Club might be the better route to go.

I will occassionally go out to eat, but instead of dining at the trendy restaurants, I’ve been exploring more of the mom and pop restaurants. My desire to dine is satisfied and I’ve contributed to sole proprietor’s business. Whereas eating out and shopping at expensive grocery stores might have cost several hundred dollars a month, it now only cost about half that, probably less.