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I’m going to share with you why you should NEVER use grocery delivery or pick up services, and the reason might surprise you! Goodness, you may not even agree with me, and that’s ok!
There are 2 types of moms out there – those that love grocery shopping and those that hate it! Share on XI think there are two types of moms out there – one who loves to go to the grocery store and shop for groceries, matching up coupons and saving as much money as possible.
The other mom doesn’t like setting foot in a grocery store at all, which probably has more to do with how hard it is to take kids along while you shop.
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The Grocery Store Secret
Let me share a big secret with you – I’ve been both of these moms at different times in my life! I have my weeks when I love to go to the grocery store – especially if there are some good deals happening that I know I can take advantage of! On the flip side, the thought of taking my kids along with me to the store sounds like torture most weeks.
The fact of the matter is that groceries are a necessity and regardless of how crabby the kids are, the shopping still needs to get done.
Groceries are a necessity and regardless of how crabby the kids are, the shopping still needs to get done. Share on XImagine how excited a lot of us moms were when the idea of grocery store delivery or pick up services came on the scene. Genius idea really! Being able to shop for groceries in your jammies, right on your phone, while your kids fight with each other at home (instead of in front of a whole store full of people) is a miracle.
Don’t get me wrong, I think the idea is great – really I do, and I can see it being especially helpful when you are truly unable to get to the store.
Grocery Delivery Or Pick Up Services Drawback
There is a huge drawback to using a grocery store delivery or pick up service. Yes, I’m going to go there. I’m sorry for all grocery store delivery or pick up super fans out there – but I’m going to burst your bubble.
I’m a frugal fanatic, and I’m guessing you are too, it’s why you read my blog. I love saving money for my household and I love to help all moms save money as well. Frugal living is in my blood and I can’t bring myself to use the grocery store delivery or pick up services, and here’s why: You miss out on all the unexpected deals inside the store.
Grocery delivery and pick up services HUGE drawback = you miss out on all the unexpected deals inside the store! Share on XHow To Save At The Grocery Store
Most grocery stores have a discount, clearance, or manager’s special section of the store. Some stores even have multiple locations around the store where you can find special deals and markdowns.
One of my local stores has a clearance section in the meat department, produce department, dairy department, bakery department, and a full aisle of clearance markdowns that can include just about anything from housewares to loaves of bread.
You can’t access these deals from your phone when you are doing your online shopping, as these sections change all day long with new markdowns.
Extra Frugal Tip To Save Money On Groceries
When you are grocery shopping, always try to buy the things you need at rock bottom prices by waiting for them to go on sale. Sweeten the deal by using any coupons you have that match the sale, and stack the deal with an ibotta rebate if there is one! Now you are getting the ingredients at the rock bottom price, so go ahead stock up on them!
Wondering what ibotta is and how to use it? Read this post – Why You Should Use ibotta and start saving today!
Be Consistent To Find Grocery Deals
I’ve found so many great deals through the years, by being consistent about grocery shopping every week and making sure to check the clearance sections throughout the store each time I shop.
If you don’t know where to find the clearance or markdown section of your store, just go ask a sales associate. Sometimes they can be hard to find!
Below are just a handful of some of the best deals I’ve found over the years – and remember these deals don’t happen every single week – but I promise, if you are consistent, you can usually find a good deal of some sort every single time you shop.
Those are a few of my great deals I’ve found over the years that I never would’ve found had I not gone into the store and shopped for my groceries. Again, exactly why you should never use grocery delivery or pickup services.
My Best Grocery Store Deals
MEAT MARKDOWNS:
I found a major markdown on 3lb rolls of ground beef. The store had marked them down to $3.79 for a 3lb roll – making them a little over a $1 a pound – which is a MAJOR deal on ground beef. I found this deal right after Christmas, no idea why they marked them down – but because I own a second freezer that we have in our garage, I bought 20 rolls. Yes I did. 20 rolls equaling 60lbs of ground beef! For that deal, absolutely. This was not an advertised sale in the store – this was a one-time Manager’s Special markdown on only one kind of ground beef.
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DISCOUNT PRODUCE:
My grocery store has a couple different sections of discounted produce each week. There are usually bagged salads in the cooler section and there is also a rack with bagged discount produce like peppers, apples, avocados, bananas, etc. The bags are only $1 and can be a great deal.
I’ve found bags of peppers that looks just as fresh as the ones they are selling for full price and I’ve paid a third of the price for them. One time I found a whole box of ripe bananas for a major discount – and I bought the entire the box.
You see, at that time in our lives, we were trying a new healthy eat plan and it included eating a ton of fruit smoothies for the whole family every morning. One of the major ingredients of a good smoothie is a ripe, frozen banana.
I took the whole box home – close to 30lbs of bananas that I paid a third of the price for and stuck them in the freezer to use for smoothies!
AFTER HOLIDAY CLEARANCE:
After every major holiday, the seasonal aisle at the grocery store will always be filled with markdowns. My store usually has TONS of candy marked 75% off the day after Halloween and because my son’s birthday is at the beginning of November, I love to hit up this aisle to stock up on goodies for his party!
I also love to stock up on spray-on hair color after Halloween. You all knew I was crazy right?! Yes, I love spray-on hair color for Vacation Bible School each year and the day after Halloween is a great day to get some fun colors with a major discount.
Remember to think ahead – always be planning for what is coming up and then stock up when it’s at a rock bottom price.
DISCOUNT EGGS:
Ok, show of hands, who knew there are like 4 sizes of eggs that are sold in the store? I know I’m going to sound silly, but an egg is an egg to me. I didn’t realize there were Medium, Large, Extra Large, and probably some other size too!
One of my local store sells Medium-sized eggs for a lot less than Large-size, and the Medium-sized classification doesn’t always mean the eggs are smaller in size!
Usually the store sells Medium-sized eggs for less than all the other sizes, because they tend to be smaller eggs or just the “left-over” eggs. You know, the 5 eggs that don’t crack out of the dozen? Or the one egg that survives when a customer drops a carton. The store repackages all the left-over eggs and sells them for a discount and labels them “Medium.”
I realize not every store will do this, but I love to buy these eggs because sometimes they are the Extra Large brown eggs, and even organic eggs – my favorite! We all know eggs last awhile in the fridge, so I like to buy 3-4 dozen eggs at a time when I can find them on discount and keep them for a few weeks!
I don’t like to pay more than $1.50 for my eggs and I know you can do it too! If you have never noticed a Medium size before, just ask, or ask if they have any discounted eggs. They typically are cheaper and sometimes they really are a lot smaller, so you get what you pay for, but for some stores, they are a bargain!
I’ve also found that they have the discount eggs out early in the mornings and they only put out a few each day (the sales associate told me it all depends on who is working and if they had time to gather up the random eggs), so once they are gone for the day, they are gone.
Daily Coupon Checklist
Because I know you love to save money at the grocery store, I’d love to share my Daily Coupon Checklist with you! I’ve found this to be such a great tool to help me stay on track to not only use paper coupons at the grocery store, but to keep them organized.
Show of hands again, who desires to use coupons, but feels like they just don’t have time? Or, are you just not sure how to get started with using coupons, but deep down you really want to, and you just need someone to give you that little nudge to get started?
WISH PLANNING A PARTY WAS A PIECE OF CAKE?
For anyone who raised their hand, then download my Daily Coupon Checklist This is a great tool to help you get started using coupons.
It will also help you stay on track all week long, because you only do a simple task, each day for 10mins or less that will prepare you to save every time you shop for groceries! Sign up below and I’ll send that Daily Coupon Checklist right to your inbox as my gift to you, to help you save as much money as possible!
What do you think? Do you agree with me that you should never use grocery store delivery or pick up services? I’d love to know how you feel about grocery store delivery and pickup services. Comment below and tell me all about it!
Want to remember this post? Pin this, Why You Should Never Use Grocery Delivery or Pickup Services, to your favorite Pinterest board!
Photo by Oleg Magni from Pexels
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