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Oct 30, 2008 -- Stay out of the grocery store to save money
CLARKONOMICS: Federal data now shows that consumer spending has dropped at the greatest rate since 1974. Many adult Americans have no historical frame of reference to gauge things by when it come to that. So this will be the first true belt-tightening that some of us will have to go through.
Clark's old rule applies to today's climate: If you're pinched in the wallet, try to limit the amount of time you're in a store -- even for groceries. Go to a strict shopping-list system to avoid impulse purchases and buy your non-perishables only once a month. When it comes to perishables, you should only get them on an as-need basis.
You can save by not being in the grocery aisle. Also, try Amazon.com as a place to buy your non-perishables -- if it proves to be a cheaper option for you. Of course, any grocery industry analyst can tell you that one of the cheapest places to buy your groceries is Aldi!
In a related arena, we can expect more unemployment in the coming months. Clark always thinks it's particularly sad when someone is doing great on the job and they're still canned because of larger market forces. He's seen that happen several times over the years in the radio industry.
There's no time like the present to trim your spending, build some savings and reduce your debt!
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What others are saying
This one is easy. Buy locally grown foods from the farmer's market and you will most likely save a lot of money on fruits and vegetable, and you will save money on future health problems if you start eating healthy now!
Save on Soda: By Making Your Own Seltzer
I heard Clark say on the TV show that he hasn't found a low-cost brand of soda that he likes, and I didn't either, so I switched to club soda and bought a store brand. It didn't take long for me to be satisfied with club soda instead of Pepsi or Coke; it's mostly the carbonation I like. But then, my husband and I bought a seltzer-making machine online from Soda Stream, and now we're (1) spending about 1/3 as much as the store brand of seltzer cost us (the cost now is to buy the refill for the CO2 tubes; (2) not polluting the environment with plastic bottles; (3) not taking a chance of what's in the lining of the plastic bottles that soda comes in; and (4) not having the hassle of buying bottles of soda and then returning them. It's easy and so much cheaper. For anyone who enjoys carbonation as much as I do, I recommend it all the way around.
Aldi's
I love Aldi's. The majority of the food it tasty and good! (I don't like the pasta) I'll spend $58 for what it would cost in a "regular" store like shoprite or foodtown at $110.!!!!
By making a week's menu, and a list for the items, we save a great deal - and I use the "perishable recipes" first, i.e., spinach pizza, vegetable casseroles, and save the "non-perishable recipes" for the end of the week. That way I can continue to shop just once a week, and don't wind up throwing out produce gone bad.
grocery
I tend to look at the circular of the store before I go there. Also, in the local Kroger, they always have mark downs on slow moving items that you can buy and freeze.
tough times ahead
The Fed is printing money like crazy, that means that everything will be more expensive tomorrow. Do not spend more than you have to, pay your debt, store non perishable food for you and your family,(if you end jobless, at least you will have food in the house), keep an emergency fund at home, money for emergencies or in case of a bank holiday.
And I like Aldi...they have the best chocolate.
Aldi's
Had a store open up about 12 mi from my home. Is it that much cheaper at Aldi's than lets say Walmart? Walmart is only 5 mi from my house. And how is Aldi's meat? Walmarts is bad. Have to go to Publix to get meat. Thanks for anyone who answers back.
Saving more
For amazing savings in all areas, the best thing to do is go to the library and borrow "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. Read it cover to cover and use as many ideas as you can. This book is truly the nuts and bolts of how to change your spending/saving patterns. Highly recommended.
Aldi's
Until the past six months, Aldi's was among the best places for basic groceries ... but not anymore. In our area, with have a family-owned chain which matches or beats Aldi's on most items, and has a much better selection. Also, I think Aldi's is losing its direction using about one-eighth of its local store space for non-food or non-household items.
