Tips to Remember at the Grocery Store

People with busy lives always are in need of some help to lighten their loads - especially in meal planning, cooking areas.  Every little bit helps, right?  "Campell's Kitchen" has come up with a list for going to grocery stores.  Take a look.

At the Grocery Store

Buy a rotisserie chicken. One 2- to 3-pound chicken will yield about 4 cups of shredded meat. Most recipes call for 2 cups—freeze or chill the remaining meat to use in another meal.
 
Purchase twice the amount of meat called for in a recipe. Freeze what you don’t use for the night’s dinner and plan on using it the following week.*
 
When you’re at the deli counter stocking up on sliced meat and cheeses for lunches, have the attendant cut small amounts of different varieties of cold cuts, like turkey, salami, and roast beef. Then grab a loaf of artisan bread and plan on panini sandwiches for dinner.
 
Pick up an assortment of fresh bagels—they’re not just for breakfast anymore! Use them as an interesting alternative to hamburger buns
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Buy frozen meats like fish fillets and boneless, skinless chicken breasts that have been individually frozen. That way, it will be easy to pull out the quantity you need and leave the rest frozen for another meal. It also really speeds up defrosting times—when you only need to defrost a piece or two, it goes a whole lot quicker!
 
Grab a bag of frozen meatballs. You’ll be able to get spaghetti and meatballs on the table in record time, but they’ll also be the base for hearty meatball sandwiches. Add a jar of Prego^® Italian sauce from the pasta aisle, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese from the dairy case, and a few crusty hoagie buns from the bakery.
 
Stock up on resealable plastic bags, freezer bags and storage containers. They’ll come in handy for foods you prepare ahead.
 
Buy fresh fruits in season—they make nutritious, ultra-speedy desserts, not to mention that they’ll be at the peak of flavor and reasonably priced.


Have a great day!   Keep it simple and make it real.

Jeanne

Grocery Shopping Price Comparisons

Grocery shopping can be hell or it can be pleasant. I found it to be hell as a working mother because it was something on a list of to-do’s that had to be done.

Back in the late 70’s - early 80’s Massachusetts got rid of some Blue Laws that forbade certain types of stores to be open on Sunday. These laws went way back to the beliefs of the Pilgrims/Puritans and were tough to repeal. I hope my facts are straight on this. I don’t want to be accused of rewriting history.

I thought I had it made when the supermarkets were open on Sunday because I had another full day to get the shopping done. Such a relief! I think it was a tremendous uplift for all working people who had time crunches. The shopping task was not all that easy because of coupon clipping and price comparing.

There was no extra time to sit down and clip coupons and make lists of the least expensive product per ounce per store and then figure in the time and gas cost to drive from one store to another to save 5 cents!!

Now, of course, my lifestyle has changed as have my shopping habits. I could shop at 2 a.m. if I pleased. I do not please. I do not clip coupons very often because I find that the coupons are not for things I use. Traveling around from one store to another for the cheapest price on one item is a waste of time.

In light of all this, I am embarking on a grocery shopping research study of my own making. I have a printed list of everything I purchase regularly. I have made three columns - one for each of the most convenient grocery stores - and will enter the price of each item at each store. Whichever store has the largest saving margin will get my business. No more fooling around. There may be one exception, however. I purchase all paper products at Dollar General and will continue to do so unless the prices at one of the other stores can beat them.

The research starts today. I will let you know how it all turns out.