I started with humble beginnings myself when I first moved out on my own... working in a small retail shop in SoHo and then a bar in the Village and then taking the train home to a rinkydink apartment that I shared with 4 other people. I quickly discovered that I had to learn how to cook since many of the stores/restaurants were all closed by the time I got home from work late at night.
When I bought a computer, I soon discovered that many supermarkets have an online website where you can look up their weekly circular to see what's on sale for that week or following week. You can also find out where they are located for those of you who just moved in to the neighborhood. If you live in a large city that happens to have several in your neighborhood, good chance that they will be competing with each other and you can find a great buy. Make a list of what's on sale and it will help you stay away from impulse buying (never grocery shop on an empty stomach!) as well as help you dictate what dishes to make for the week. I don't know of anyone who has time these days to go food shopping every day (our parents usually shopped once a week!) so allot yourself a food allowance for the week and try not go above it.
Learn about your supermarkets. Fresh produce is usually situated near the entrance while meats and dairy are usually along the outside perimeter of the store. Try to stick to the outer perimeter of the store to buy food while everything else like junk food, paper products, cleaning products and sundries are usually in the middle of the store.
Make a shopping list of items that are on sale for that week and if you can afford it, stock up on canned tomatoes, soups, and frozen vegetables. They will last for a long time and you can have them on hand to add to recipes and extend some meals as well thus saving money. (TIP: January and March are the months that many supermarkets have a frozen food sale so if you have room in your fridge, stock up!) Frozen vegetables are great since you can cook just the amount you need and keep the rest in the freezer until needed. Be careful about packaging though since "family size" does not always mean a savings! Do your math comparing dollar/cents per ounce/pound (and you thought you didn't need to learn math)!
Buying store brands is perfectly fine and most of the time they are priced lower than national brands. Don't waste your time and money buying dented cans or food that is about to expire. Look for the expiration date! If the supermarket that you shop at does not have a store brand of an item that you need, buy it when it's on sale or use a coupon.
A well stocked pantry will save you money in the long run. You'll have that item handy in your pantry when it's not on sale at the store the following week. When ricotta and mozzarella cheese is on sale that week, I'll buy it and keep it in my fridge since I know that I can make a variety of Italian dishes for that week or following week depending on what other ingredient will be on sale. If eggplant is on sale that week as well, then I'll make eggplant parmigiana or rollatini. No bake lasagna noodles at 99 cents will dictate that dish. Ziti pasta on sale that week will become baked ziti and so on... Now I can hear some of you raising your voices about diet and too much carbohydrates and fats but if you moderate your intake you won't get fat. A pan of lasagna makes 8 servings so you'll have a meal for a week (or freeze some for another time).
Aside from supermarkets, sidewalk produce vendors are a great way to save money too but most of the time the produce they sell while may be cheaper than a supermarket, are usually very ripe and meant to be eaten that day or so. Check out the grocery department in drugstores as they usually will have lower priced items due to low overhead on cereals or canned foods. 99 Cent Stores (or Dollar Stores) are popping up in many cities so if you can one, check them out! Most of the time their food items come from our neighbor to the North (Canada) and in many cases, are manufactured in the USA for sale in another country. Now, why would you pay $2.49 for a loaf of bread when you can get the same item for $1.00 or less? If you are lucky to have a warehouse club in the neighborhood (CostCo, Sam's Club, BJ's Warehouse), joining them can save you money as you buy in bulk (if you don't have the room to store it, split the item and cost between friends). I've found that a carton of 3 dozen large eggs at COSTCO costs about the same amount as 1 dozen large eggs at the local supermarket! Walmart and Target are also great mega stores to look into!
If you are lucky to live in a city that has a Chinatown or Asia Town, check them out for fresh produce which is ALWAYS cheaper and fresher than a supermarket since the turn over is so great. Restaurant Chefs usually check out the local green markets or Chinatown markets since the produce is delivered daily early in the morning and is so reasonably priced that they are all sold out by night fall.
For those of you who say you have no time to shop and would rather order in, think of how much money you are spending for the week on take out/eating out vs making it yourself! Speaking of restaurant Chefs, if you think like one, you'll bound to save money and I'll let you know how in the next blog. Don't worry, everyone has 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. It's just how you manage your time. You can take one full day out of the week and cook a bunch of dishes for that week.
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