Monthly Grocery Budget.

[MeepBeep]

We do a lot of price comparing between Wal-Mart and the local store (which we prefer). Some items are cheaper at one and other things are cheaper at the other.

Get the Walmart Savings Catcher app and scan your receipts it will automatically match any local advertised sales prices and refund you the difference, doesn't work for unadvertised products that are lower but we still get money back almost every scanned receipt... If you buy name brand stuff that is commonly on sale you are sure to get money back...

Also for many non-food items at Walmart I have been checking the price on Walmart.com before purchase, A LOT and I mean A LOT of the items are substantially cheaper at Walmart.com then the stores, so I price match them, it's a hassle but IMO worth it... And I'm not talking just a little cheaper, I have been finding items that are 20% or more cheaper at Walmart.com...

Also there are certain items I will never purchase at Walmart, like fresh meats... I can get fresh meat a lot cheaper at other local stores, especially the ethnic grocery stores in the area that always have great meat and produce prices...

 

[N F C]

I wouldn't consider pizza night and dinner out to be part of the grocery budget. Those go under entertainment in my money plan. Cause they are not necessary, while eating is. When it's time to cut back the budget, those entertainment meals are the first ones to go bye-bye!

I agree with LG, that was more entertainment than grocery budget.

Get the Walmart Savings Catcher app and scan your receipts it will automatically match any local advertised sales prices and refund you the difference, doesn't work for unadvertised products that are lower but we still get money back almost every scanned receipt... If you buy name brand stuff that is commonly on sale you are sure to get money back...

Also for many non-food items at Walmart I have been checking the price on Walmart.com before purchase, A LOT and I mean A LOT of the items are substantially cheaper at Walmart.com then the stores, so I price match them, it's a hassle but IMO worth it... And I'm not talking just a little cheaper, I have been finding items that are 20% or more cheaper at Walmart.com...

Also there are certain items I will never purchase at Walmart, like fresh meats... I can get fresh meat a lot cheaper at other local stores, especially the ethnic grocery stores in the area that always have great meat and produce prices...

The WM closest to us used to price match at the register if you brought in the other stores sales ad but they quit doing that some time ago. Is the app you're talking about good at all their stores? I've never heard of it, might be something we could use.

 

[donrae]

Thanks Meep, I'll have to look into that now that I have a smart phone. It's got to be good for something besides introducing me to new levels of cursing

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I'll probably break up entertainment type food at the end of the month. We usually don't do much at all, we pretty much only eat out for special occasions like birthdays or graduation. We do really need to get back on an overall budget, though, which is why I'm doing this. We took Financial Peace years ago and did very well at getting out of debt. We had a fully funded emergency fund and were debt free but the house.......and then I was diagnosed with leukemia and it all went to hell. The last two years have basically been survival mode, in more ways than one, and lots of things have fallen by the wayside. Well, time to get back on track!

tomorrow will probably be a trip to the bread store and maybe Wal-mart again. I'm not sure why The Locusts decided to start drinking milk so much, for years it's been pretty much for cereal only. But I've gone through a gallon in just a few days, and we're out of cereal.

Does anyone else notice this at the store---folks pull their cart up in front of the milk doors, and just park and study the milk for ever? I mean, it's the same milk it was last week, and the week before, in the same places and basically the same prices, or the same price difference. you're probably going to buy what you bought last time, so why the in-depth study? Or maybe it's just me........I just double check the price and grab and go.

 

[MeepBeep]

The WM closest to us used to price match at the register if you brought in the other stores sales ad but they quit doing that some time ago. Is the app you're talking about good at all their stores? I've never heard of it, might be something we could use.

That is really odd, I wonder why as their price matching policy is nationwide, and clearly states they are to do it if the customer request it be matched http://corporate.walmart.com/policies ... I have never had a problem price matching from ads or from my phone... In fact I do it so frequent and do most of my shopping late at night that the regular late night cashiers just take my word for it now i would contact Walmart corporate and inquire why your store isn't doing it...

As for the app, it appears that it's nation wide, you can even key in the receipts manually on a computer if you lack a smart phone...

https://savingscatcher.walmart.com/faq

https://savingscatcher.walmart.com/

Does anyone else notice this at the store---folks pull their cart up in front of the milk doors, and just park and study the milk for ever? I mean, it's the same milk it was last week, and the week before, in the same places and basically the same prices, or the same price difference. you're probably going to buy what you bought last time, so why the in-depth study? Or maybe it's just me........I just double check the price and grab and go.

Probably looking at the prices, I always do as they change all the time at my Walmarts... One of my local Walmarts about 6 miles East of me sells their new bottom shelf 'Price First' milk at $1.99 the one 2 miles West of me sells it for $2.68, while Great value is $2.98 I believe at both, that is this week at least the price seems to change weekly... On that subject at least by me their 'Price First' and 'Great Value' milk are identical but the 'Great Value' is more costly... Check yours by looking at the manufacturing plant, lot and date stamp info on the jug in my area it's the same exact lot of milk, from the same manufacturing plant, at the same time just a different 'brand' label slapped on the jug...

 

[N F C]

For milk, we look at price first then expiration date. I don't mind admitting, I'll pull things like milk from the back of the shelf to get a later date for longer shelf life. It can take us about 10 days to use up a gallon of milk so the fresher it is when I buy it, the better for us.

 

[donrae]

Bread store $13.07

Wal mart 129.46

so a total of 498.66

 

[lazy gardener]

One price savings is to buy milk at the local gas/convenience store where they sell milk at the state minimum pricing. Can often save 80 c per gallon.

 

[MeepBeep]

One price savings is to buy milk at the local gas/convenience store where they sell milk at the state minimum pricing.  Can often save 80 c per gallon.

Can I just say that minimum pricing scheme in your state is beyond ridiculous, IMO? I can buy a gallon of whole milk for $1.99 and you have to pay a minimum of $3.60 under a state mandate, that is nearly double my price... The local dairy farmers must to love it though...

 

[N F C]

Wow, I haven't seen milk sell for $1.99 for a long time. Around here we pay almost $4 a gallon and it doesn't matter what store you get it at, they're all the same.

 

[lazy gardener]

Can I just say that minimum pricing scheme in your state is beyond ridiculous, IMO? I can buy a gallon of whole milk for $1.99 and you have to pay a minimum of $3.60 under a state mandate, that is nearly double my price... The local dairy farmers must to love it though...

Where are you? I'll start driving to your state to buy my milk. I bet you pay at least $1 less/bag of chicken feed and probably 1/2 as much for a bag of wheat or barley compared to me. Yes, the state minimums are a kick in the teeth. But, I can assure you that the dairy farmers don't see those profits. Those profits go to the middle man.