SAVE-A-LOT shoppers?
I shop regularly at Save-A-Lot because it's the cheapest grocery in town (on most items... sometimes the other stores have sales that beat their prices)... we don't have a Super Wal-Mart in my town and besides, I like shopping at franchises that are owned by people in the community. You have to buy your own bags because Save-A-Lot doesn't figure cost of the bags in their prices... it's one of the ways they try to keep the prices down, by cutting back on overhead. I simply bring my own bags (I don't throw away the plastic bags I get from other stores)... I keep the bags in the trunk of my car. The brands aren't familiar because they use their store brand, not name brands. It's another way to keep their costs down. I don't know if they have Aldi's stores where you live, but they're the same way. Buy your own bags, bag your own groceries, and generic/store brands (Aldi's originates in Batavia, IL and I'm not sure how wide-spread it is). I've never had anything that tasted worse then the name brands you find at major grocery stores... they're pretty much exactly the same. I'll admit that the first fews times I shopped at Save-A-Lot felt odd... but once you get onto the location of items in the aisles then it gets more comfortable. I find that's true for any store you're into for the first time.
What are some easy ways to save a lot of money?
Don’t spend , cut up your credit cards , get rid of/or payout interest bearing debts.Don’t buy coffees , take your lunch to work . Learn to cook and cease buying takeouts , when you shop make a list of your needs not wants , if you like pizza , buy a pizza base and add your own toppings , stop drinking pop and energy drinks . If you go clubbing and drink try to take Vodka , disguised in a water bottle . Don’t be shy , take advantage of freebies on offer eg. when i go to the dentist , i grab about 4 of the promo toothpaste on offer . Some of the large shopping stores or malls like Costco are always offering food , drink , if you try hard you can consume a whole meal on tastings . Some church halls or not for profit charities , offer cheap sometimes free canned goods , drinks , frozen meats , fruit and vegetables , bread kitchen goods and toiletries .If you can save in cash 50% of the items mentioned above , keep accumulating this cash and when/if you get a sizeable sum bank it !I don’t want to come across as too frugal , but it’s a start !Cheers and Good Luck , Rob
How can home cooks save money on meat?
I look at what's in the discount section of the meat department, and plan my meals around that. Pork chops are almost always on sale, so I've learned a lot of different ways to prepare them. Also, lamb is usually on sale after Easter and turkey is on sale after Thanksgiving and Christmas.Use cheaper cuts of meat and marinate them. Slow cooking will make most meats tender.Use pre-frozen meat in recipes with soups and heavy sauces. Use broth or stock to add flavor to fishes.Instead of serving individual cuts of meat, prepare dishes that spread the meat flavor throughout the dish. The old Southern trick of cooking pinto beans with ham hock is an example of this. Egg scramble with sausage and jambalaya, and many Asian stir-frys work on this principle.Serve your meat with a starchy grain and vegetables so people feel full with a smaller portion. This is why we usually cook a beef roast with potatoes.Bacon is fairly cheap and adds flavor to any dish.
Special Blend Dog food from Save A Lot made my dog VERY ill?
We made the mistake of buying horribly cheap food while visiting family over Christmas. They live deep in the country and we were in a bind for food. Save A Lot took over their grocery in "town". We ended up finding better food, but we kept the bag and used it as a one night hold over till we could go to petsmart. She started and has stopped throwing up. It s the only change we ve made. Anyone know about this food or experience the same side effects?
Save-A-Lot dog food question?
No, they're loaded with filler. They cause allergies, digestive upsets, they're not providing optimum nutrition. I wouldn't touch them at all. They'll cause health problems down the road that are very costly. Feed your dog good quality food now, save vet $$ later as you avoid many of the health issues cheaply fed dogs may face.
Is Aldi grocery/save a lot store really cheap?
I found poor quality issues with save-a-lot. poor quality food and food that is at it's expiration date already. Aldi, however has great food! In fact, there are many many things that my kids won't eat unless it comes from aldi! Great meats, really fresh produce, very, very reasonable dairy case stuff like eggs, milk, yogurt, butter. Anything you find not fresh or not lasting till the sell by date, you can return and they will give you BOTH your money back AND a replacement...no questions asked! I have such a hard time shopping anywhere else because I am so shocked at the "regular" prices. They dont' carry everything, but you can get the basics and don't be nervous about the quality. The only thing I have found that was not just as good as brand name was the potato chips and corn chips. Shop Aldi and you will never ever go back to paying full price!
What is meat?
Meat like steak, roast and ground beef are muscles. You can buy brain but it’s literally just sold as the brain. It’s not used to dilute anything. The only product I can think of like that is ground beef. It’s all the meat scraps that whould be too tough on their own, ground up with trimmed fat. You can also buy ground chuck but thats strictly neck meat and typically more expensive. Ox tails are literally the tails of cattle and high end restaurants sell the cheeks. Most what you see in the store are muscles by name. Loins (aka steaks) from the back, ribs are the rib cage, rounds are from the thighs, etc.If you buy something like liver or hearts, the organs, it’s called offal. Those 2 are popular and some lesser known bovine organs that get eaten are the rumen (“stomach”) as tripe, intestines for sausage casings, tongue, yes brains (but they’re mostly oils and fats. Pretty much like half melted fat on a plate), testicles as “mountain oysters”, the pancreas as “sweetbreads” bones for soup, eyes, almost anything! I dont think you can get lungs though. It and the windpipe get removed for disease inspection at slaughter
Where is it cheaper to buy food? At Wal Mart, Aldi or Sav-a-lot?
Wal-mart is cheaper in alot of cases and it is better to buy everything all at one huge store if you can a wal-mart super center can get you everything. food clothing shoes and even tune up your car while you wait.
What are some easy ways to save money on food?
If you don't already have a firm grasp for sound nutrition, getting those basics down pat is a great place to start. Dollars are spent on food items that offer very little nutritional value to the consumer, which is a big waste of money. Processed/convenience foods, while often fairly inexpensive, are usually poor choices nutritionally, and should be left on the shelf. Fresh food, including grains, meats, veggies, fruit, and dairy provide nutrition, and when you prepare your meals, you control the amount of salt and fat, etc. that goes into the meal. Grains----oatmeal and other whole grain hot cereals are inexpensive per serving, provide bulk for a healthy digestive system, crude protein, and many vitamins and minerals. Avoid cold cereal. Meats---- Meat should always be limited to 3-4 ounces---one of your most expensive components is offset by reducing serving size. you have discovered chicken thighs. Buy meat on sale and fill your freezer. I always cruise the mark-down section in the meat case and find great deals. Pork is quite reasonably priced most of the time. Fish from the freezer case (plain fish fillets) is usually reasonably priced compared to the fresh fish on ice. Beef cuts, such a london Broil, are fairly inexpensive, have little waste, and once marinated and grilled can be made into lots of different things--sliced thin and used in sandwiches, salad, burritos, soup, etc. So one purchase can feed you for several meals. Avoid lunch meats. Eggs are cheap and a great protein source Cheese, while expensive, is nutritious and delicious, and an ounce or 2 is a serving---so a big brick will last a long time. Pasta---always inexpensive, filling, and nutritious. Very versatile, too. Fresh produce is nutritious. Buy fresh fruit rather than juice. Milk, while more expensive than it used to be, is nutritious, and still cheap compared to the number of servings/gallon. Prepare your own meals with fresh ingredients. It will pay you back in many ways.