Food Fun Family

Fuel Your Adventure with Safeway this Summer #FuelURAdventure

Lolli — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 12:00:16 +0000

This is a sponsored conversation between myself and Safeway. All opinions are completely my own.

Summer….in one breath it’s the relaxing break we crave all school year long. And in another breath, it is absolutely exhausting!

Summertime is the time of mixed up schedules, early morning swim practices, summer reading, vacations, long, lazy play days with friends, and family adventures near home. We might not have to pack school lunches every morning like we do September through June, but we seem to require even more fuel to keep us chugging along (and cool!!) during the summer months.

One of the keys to fueling ALL our adventures, year-round, is starting off with a good breakfast every morning. My youngest son declared this week that Quaker Life Cereal is one of his favorites and I need to buy it more often. He likes to stay fueled with a bowl of cereal or two or three throughout the day!

I visited my local Safeway recently and couldn’t wait to share with you guys the exciting #FuelURAdventure campaign. Safeway is our one-stop-shop for everything we need to keep our family fueled for our summer-time adventures, whether that’s chilled bottles of water and Gatorade for hikes or swim meets or tasty breakfast to give us energy to start the day. One of my favorite summer-time “treats” are Tostitos Scoops with a big bowl of fresh salsa made with tomatoes and peppers from our garden (we’re still waiting on the tomatoes here…).

Now! Here’s the news I couldn’t wait to share with you!! To help celebrate summer adventures everywhere, Safeway is giving shoppers the chance to win a $500 grocery gift card! You can enter simply by sharing how you #FuelURAdventure with Safeway and participating PepsiCo products this summer.

How to #FuelURAdventure

Show your local Albertsons Companies store how you #FuelURAdventure for a chance to win a $500 grocery gift card. Entry is easy as 1-2-3:

1. Take a photo featuring one or more participating PepsiCo products (see below) showing how they fuel your summer adventure
2. Share the photo on Twitter or Instagram or the contest site by 8/17
3. Use #FuelURAdventure on Instagram or Twitter and don’t forget to tag your local store

For official rules and more details, visit the contest site here

BONUS: everyone is really a winner here, because you’ll earn 4x Gas Reward Points when you stock up on any of these items. (Restrictions and exclusions apply. See your local store for details.)

PepsiCo Participating Products:

Quaker Cap’n Crunch (14 oz.)
Gatorade G2 Lemon Lime (32 oz.)
Lay’s Classic Potato Chips (family size 10.75 oz.)
Tostitos Scoops (10 oz.)
Quaker Life Cereal (13 oz.)
Aquafina bottled water (24pk 16.9 oz. bottles)
Gatorade (32 oz.)
XL Sunchips Veggie Harvest Tomato Basil and Cheese (7 oz.)

I can find all these great products here in Washington D.C. at my local Safeway store – be sure to check out these great products at your local Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets and Market Street.

So tell me, how will YOU fuel the rest of your summer with Safeway?

Connect with Safeway:

Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Safeway. The opinions and text are all mine.

15 Household Items That You Should Buy in Bulk

Lolli — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 11:00:30 +0000

This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club, but all thoughts and ideas are my own.

If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a year, you probably remember that Food Fun Family used to be Better in Bulk. I chose that name many, many years ago as a newbie blogger because, as the mom of a family of seven, I felt like everything I did was in bulk. I cooked a lot of food. I did a LOT of laundry. I took a whole lot of pictures. And heaven know that my shopping cart was always full.

I’ve always been a frugal shopper. I’m not an avid couponer, but I still love saving money on our monthly grocery bill. I employ two simple methods to cut our grocery bill down: first, I make a lot of our food from scratch and, second, I buy whatever I can in bulk.

First, What to Not Buy in Bulk

My mom always shopped at warehouse clubs like BJ’s Wholesale Club, and I have been a long-time fan of bulk shopping for my big family, too. It’s important to remember a couple of things when planning to stock up on food and household supplies:

First, Not all grocery items were meant to be bought in bulk. A couple of examples of items that you should NOT purchase in bulk are perishable foods that will go bad before you can reasonably consume them, experimental/new products that you don’t know if your family will love, items you don’t have room to store (such as loads of meat that won’t fit in the freezer or a dozen 12-packs of toilet paper what won’t fit in the closet), and unnecessary items like candy (unless, of course, it’s the month before Halloween…in that case, stocking up on candy makes perfect sense).

Second, be sure to do some comparison shopping. Not everything is going to be a deal. But there is enough that is a significant savings when I shop in bulk that it makes it totally worth it for me.

Foods And Household Items That Are Great to Buy in Bulk

Since I’ve been shopping at wholesale clubs since I before I had my own family, I have come to recognize the household items that are the best deals to buy in bulk. A lot of my favorite warehouse deals are non-food items like toilet paper and toothpaste. You can often save a ton of money when you buy a package of several products instead of buying one at a time. One of my favorite pantry items to stock up on in bulk is spices. I can often get a huge spice container for about the same price as one of the tiny containers I get at the grocery store.

Here are a few of the household items that we regularly stock up on:

Canned foods (vegetables, fruits, soups, sauces)
Rice
Flour
Sugar
Dry pasta
Dry beans
Nuts
Spices
Oatmeal
Dry cereal
Toothpaste and toothbrushes
Soap (both bar soap and liquid hand soap)
Laundry & dish washing detergent
Shampoo and conditioner
Toilet paper

It’s important to remember that not all lists are going to be perfect for everyone. Your list might look a little different than mine. If you don’t do a lot of baking, then maybe stocking up on flour and sugar in bulk will not make sense. If no one in your family likes eating beans, then a bulk supply of dry beans will go to waste. Adjust your bulk shopping list to fit with your family’s needs and buy what you know you will use.

One last tip: Be sure to check the shelf life (and use-by dates) of any foods that you plan on storing for long (in other words, don’t forget those cans that get pushed to the back of the shelf!).

What are some of your favorite items to stock up on and buy in bulk?

About BJ’s Wholesale Club

BJ’s Wholesale Club is a leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States offering huge selections of the very best products for home and business — from groceries, cleaning supplies and health & beauty to home goods, electronics and more – at incredibly low prices. Click “Find a Club“ at the top of the page to find a BJ’s near you.

Connect with BJ’s on Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

How You Can Help “Hunger Is” While You Shop #HungerIsUS

Lolli — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:58:38 +0000

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Safeway . The opinions and text are all mine.

I’m a busy mom of five kids…and that means I’m at the grocery store a few times a week stocking up on things for the fridge and the cupboards. I used to think that feeding my family was a big task, but this past year, when my oldest son turned 14 and started running track and cross country, we kicked things up to a whole new level.

Needless to say, I know my neighborhood Safeway pretty well. So when I saw signs and banners for their Hunger Is program throughout the store, they really stood out to me.

At check out, I didn’t even have to ask about the program…my cashier was on top of things and told me all about it while she rang up my groceries.

The Hunger Is program at Safeway (and the Albertsons/Safeway family of stores) is so simple and yet so meaningful. As a shopper, I don’t have to change the way I shop (unless, of course, I want to throw in a few extra participating products in my cart). But, really, I am buying SO many of the items on the list of participating products already, so it’s a no-brainer. Participating brands and products include Con Agra (Marie Calender’s, Healthy Choice, Bertolli’s and PF Changs), Coke, Unilever, Kellogg’s and Campbell’s.

Each purchase of a participating product earns a meal. Hunger Is connects hungry kids in your area to those healthy, nourishing, comforting meals.

Hunger Is….A Bigger Problem Than You Might Think

Did you know that one in five children in the US does not consistently get enough food to eat?

21 million rely on free or reduced-price lunches to get the nutrition they needs on an average school day.

Three out of every five kindergarten through 8th grade teachers say that they regularly see kids come to school hungry. (sources)

The effects of their hunger stretch across their entire lives – from their health to their performance in school to their mental and emotional well-being. Safeway wants to help make a difference in the lives of hungry children by connecting them with the food they need. They are committed to giving back to the communities in which they are established – just like my neighborhood.

About Hunger Is

Hunger Is, a joint charitable program the Albertsons Companies, through The Safeway Foundation, and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), is designed to build awareness and raise funds in an effort to eradicate childhood hunger in America. Funds raised through Hunger Is directly benefit programs focused on combating childhood hunger and improving health-related outcomes. For more information, visit www.HungerIs.org.?

So what can you do to be involved?

There are two simple ways to participate in Hunger Is. First, purchase participating products (you can look for signs throughout the store with the list of brands or you can check out the Hunger Is website for participating products). Each purchase will provide a meal to a hungry child.

Second, make a donation at the register at check out. When you go to pay, you’ll be asked if you’d like to make a donation to Hunger Is. You choose the amount of the donation, and you pay for your groceries as usual. (Note: not all markets are participating in check stand donations).

And, perhaps best of all, you can combine both methods – purchase participating products and then make a quick donation when you check out. Every little bit helps. Just ask the kids who are eating a filling dinner tonight or who started off their school day with a nutritious breakfast.

Connect with Hunger Is:

Facebook: @Hunger Is
Twitter: @HungerIs
Instagram: @Hunger_Is

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Safeway . The opinions and text are all mine.

New Finds, Great Values at #Safeway

Lolli — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 14:56:46 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway, Inc. for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

As a mom of five, I do a lot of grocery shopping. There are certain items that never leave my shopping list: milk, eggs, bread, yogurt, orange juice. (I’m guessing your perpetual shopping list might look very similar). I was joking with my 11 year old daughter this morning as I made her lunch for school that the food I buy keeps disappearing. I teased her that everyone just needed to stop eating so much!

Of course, I buy food so we can eat. Reese reminded me that it’s worse when I buy things that end up getting wasted or thrown out. Truth. The trick to making the most of my shopping trips and the money that I happily spend to feed myself and my family is buying things that I know the family will love and planning our meals out and sticking with a list so that fresh foods don’t go bad before I get around to using them.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s had to toss a veggie or two because it has been shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten about.

Safeway has long been one of my favorite places to shop. There was a Safeway down the street from my house when I was a teen and I would often walk down the hill to buy myself a snack or pick up an ingredient or two for my mom. When we moved to our current home, Safeway was the closest grocery store, and it just felt natural to shop there. It felt like home.

Now that my kids are older (and I don’t have to drag restless toddlers around in a shopping cart), shopping is a much-appreciated break from work. I tend to walk down every aisle to check out the items that are new and on sale.

The past few times I went to Safeway (which, honestly, is often!) I spied a few new products that I thought were worth mentioning. From breakfast in the morning to getting ready for the day to my lunch hour…Safeway has a great selection of NEW products! Here are a few that I picked up:

Yulu “Aussie-Style” Yogurt: It took me a while to get used to the “new” styles of yogurt, but now I’m totally hooked on adding varieties to my almost-daily yogurt consumption. Yulu yogurt is exceptionally smooth and creamy, not too sweet (which makes me happy) and loaded with protein (which makes me even happier).

Degree Dry Spray Deodorant: I’ve never been a picky deodorant user, as long as the scent is decent. So I probably wouldn’t have tried any of the new dry sprays on my own accord. I am so glad I did! Now that I’m going to the gym more often, I really appreciate a good, hard-working deodorant, and the dry spray I used lasts SO long, I always feel fresh (even on the days when I skip the gym and my shower…Yes, it happens).

Naked® Juice Bright Beets: I have been a super fan of Naked juices for a long time. I will often grab one while I’m shopping for an energy boost. Have you tried beet juice? It’s definitely worth a try! The Naked® Mighty Mango and Green Machine are really great too.

Check out all of the new products at Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, CARRS, Tom Thumb or Randalls stores. What new items are you excited about? Next time you’re at Safeway or any of their family of stores, be sure to look for the “new” tag to discover new items at great values!

Shopping and Meal Planning Tips – Facts Up Front

Lolli — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 11:39:10 +0000

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.

Feeding my family of seven probably should be a full time job – it certainly could be. Between the meal planning, the grocery shopping and then the preparing of all of the meals, not to mention the need to pay attention to the nutritional value of what I’m feeding everyone, sometimes I think it’s a miracle we eat as well as we do.

If feeding a family were only about plopping food on the table, it wouldn’t be such a stress. But it’s not only about putting dinner in front of the kids. As moms, we worry about feeding our kids the best foods with the best ingredients to help them not only grow up strong and healthy…but grow up with a healthy perspective on food and nutrition.

This mom needs some help in that department. As much as I love the idea of modeling a healthful diet and providing nutritious options for my kids, the reality is that I don’t have a lot of extra time to find food with less sugar, more fiber, less saturated fat, or less sodium. I need things to be as easy as possible.

Luckily, the Grocery Manufacturers Association Facts Up Front initiative, a voluntary campaign launched in 2011, is making it so much easier for moms like me – with not a lot of time to spare planning or shopping for the meals we feed our families – to make positive decisions when grocery shopping.

How is Facts Up Front helping moms make better-informed choices about the food we buy and eat? Simple. They are putting key information from the Nutrition Facts Panel on the front of the package. No more picking up every box or can and pouring over labels at the store.

Not only will Facts Up Front labeling provide a quick and easy resource to follow when at the store, but their website, FactsUpFront.org, is a fabulous resource for consumers to learn more about reading, understanding, and applying the information we find on food labels.

Have I mentioned that I’m a busy mom of five and can use all the help I can get?

I love that so many food manufacturers as well as retailers are already jumping on board. Food companies including Nestle, Post Foods, Ocean Spray, PepsiCo, Campbell’s, General Mills, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Kraft and Heinz already feature Facts Up Front on their packaging. Stores like Froger, Hy-Vee and Wegmans are also implementing Facts Up Front on their store brand packages.

Shopping tips: What to look for on labels

• You want foods with more nutrients – look for labels that mention potassium, fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, C, and D.
• You want foods with less saturated fat – choose lean cuts of meat and add more seafood into your meal planning. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
• You want foods with less sodium – look for reduced sodium or no salt added versions of the foods you buy, and when cooking at home add herbs and spices to season your food instead of salt.
• You want foods with less sugar – drink water instead of sugary sodas and juices. Stock up on fruits to satisfy your sweet tooth as a snack or dessert.
• You want foods with the right amount of calories – Use the nutrition calculator at FactsUpFront.org to determine your daily calorie needs and then pay attention to calories listed on Facts Up Front labels.

Meal Planning Tips

After you’ve brought the food home, use these tips and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate visual to create the best meals for your family:

• Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables
• Choose lean proteins, like serving chicken instead of beef…or reach for the beans instead
• Serve whole grains
• Use low-fat or fat-free dairy products
• Use smaller plates to eat smaller portions
• Check serving sizes on Facts Up Front labels
• Check out all of the amazing recipes at FactsUpFront.org to build healthier meals

How is your family making healthier choices in the food you’re buying and eating? I’d love to hear your best tips and tricks for serving the most nutritious foods to your family!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.

My Favorite ALDI Products $50 Giveaway #ALDIRaves

Lolli — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:21:01 +0000

I am participating in a sponsored brand ambassadorship with ALDI. All opinions stated are my own.

The cost of living here in Maryland is NOT one of the benefits of living here. And with a family of seven, things like the grocery bill can be pretty hefty. I look for savings wherever I can get them.

I discovered ALDI a few years ago when a store opened up near us and I’ve been a loyal ALDI shopper ever since. Last month I talked about how ALDI saves us a ton on our food budget. But I’m a firm believer in QUALITY foods and household products, too. It doesn’t do anyone any good to save a bunch of money if the products stink, right?

ALDIraves #1: Cereal

Just last month, I was having a conversation with some of my family members about cereals. We were running low (I can’t keep up with the cereal demand here!) and people were weighing in on what I should buy. My husband always wants some of his favorite high fiber cereal, and he’s currently hooked on ALDI’s Get Balance and Get Balance Crunch (which are JUST like Kashi’s more expensive Go Lean variety…except the ALDI Get Balance cereals are only $2.69 a box. Everyday). Get Balance Crunch just happens to be one of my favorite cereals, as well.

Then someone mentioned Frosted Mini Wheats. CandyMan said, “Don’t get that flat kind. Get the good stuff.” He reached for the half-empty box in the cabinet to show me which one was “the good stuff.” We had a good laugh when he realized that “he good stuff” was our box of ALDI Frosted Shredded Wheat. And, at $1.99 a box everyday, it can’t be beat. I can hardly find major brand cereals at that price on sale. Some of ALDI’s cereals are even less, like the Frosted Flakes and Cocoa Rice for $1.79.

ALDIraves #2: Lunch snacks

Packing lunches for 5 kids 5 days a week is a chore. I won’t lie. I have to buy SO MUCH ready-to-grab food to keep up with the needs of all of these kids in school. Luckily, ALDI has a ton of snack foods at amazing prices. Some of our favorite snacks for lunch, beyond a sandwich, a drink, and fruits and carrots sticks (which I also buy at ALDI), are fig bars (89 cents everyday!!), Fit and Active 100 Calorie cookie packs ($1.99), and pretzel tubs ($3.49).

ALDIraves #3: Water enhancers

Like most moms, I’m sure, I encourage my kids (and myself) to drink more water. They don’t seem to have trouble drinking water at home, but when they’re at school they like to pack something with a little more flavor. We LOVE the Fit & Active liquid water enhancers. They’re $2.39 and make 24 servings (but they tend to last longer at my house). Even better? They have 0 calories, 0 fat, 0 sugars, and 0 sodium.

ALDIraves #4: Peanut butter and bagels

We go through a LOT of peanut butter and bagels at our house (sometimes together, sometimes separate) and peanut butter at the stores can be so expensive, especially when you go through a jar as fast as we do. I get a 2 1/2 pound jar of peanut butter at ALDI for $3.99. The mini bagels are $1.99 for a bag of 12. Other related faves: honey and loaves of wheat bread.

ALDIraves #5: Spices!!

Spices are another thing that we use every single day but can be so expensive at the grocery store. ALDI has a limited selection of spices, but they have everything that I use on a regular basis for a much lower price, including a new favorite: a sea grinder!

ALDIraves #6: Cooking essentials

I use things like olive oil and chicken broth and canned beans and veggies for 95% of of meals, and so I like to keep my shelves stocked with them all the time. It’s easier to buy a bunch at once and not have to worry about heading to the store for every recipe, especially if I know I’m going to need it again for dinner tomorrow. ALDI has all of those dinner essentials and more.

ALDIraves #7: Hummus and pita chips

I love hummus and pita chips…just because! They are a great afternoon snack or even a lunch when I grab a few carrots to go with the hummus. My kids prefer eating their hummus with pretzels, but I’m not a pretzel fan. The hummus tastes great, comes in a variety of flavors, and is only $1.99 a tub. Love

A few of my other family essentials that I love buying at ALDI are milk (which is ALWAYS nearly a dollar cheaper than anywhere else), eggs (again, you can’t beat a dozen eggs for just barely over a dollar), toilet paper, cheese, produce, and meats. I love that the prices are stable and I know that I’ll always get a great deal. I also enjoy all of ALDI’s seasonal products – and even picked up some name brand Halloween candy and treats last week while I was doing my normal shopping.

Have you shopped at ALDI? Now that you’ve seen my favorites, what are your family’s favorite products, or what ALDI products do you think your family would love the most from ALDI?

Be sure to check out ALDI’s website to find a location near you. Follow them at twitter.com/AldiUSA and on Facebook/ALDI.USA

$50 ALDI GIVEAWAY

This week – for one week only! – I’m giving away a $50 ALDI gift certificate to one lucky Better in Bulk reader. This giveaway is available to USA residents only. Check to see where you can find the ALDI store nearest you. The giveaway will end on midnight ET 11/13/13 and a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How I Save Money Shopping at ALDI #ALDIsaves

Lolli — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 02:19:16 +0000

This post about how to save money shopping is sponsored by ALDI but all thoughts and experiences are my own.

Shopping for a family of seven (and staying within a strict budget) is no easy task. I’ve tried shopping with coupons, and though I do love the occasional coupon, I determined fairly quickly that I will never be a serious coupon shopper. I’ve always felt like I could find more of what I wanted to buy by shopping sales and knowing where I could get the best deals on each item on my shopping list.

That typically meant that I’d pay more for a few things to get the deals on the bigger things. Or it meant driving around more than I cared to.

Three years ago, my friend let me know about a new store that was opening up nearby. I’d never heard of ALDI, but as she told me about the concept, I knew it was the kind of store for me. Budget grocery shopping? All in one stop? We packed up our kids and drove together to the Grand Opening. We were literally among the first few customers to check out on opening day.

I’ve been shopping there since.

This is my ALDI. I feel at home when I walk in and I know I’m always getting a great deal.

Do you ever discover a business that feels like it was made for you – a business that melds seamlessly with your personality and style? ALDI was like that for me from day 1. I do the majority of my grocery shopping at ALDI now and spend an average of $75-$90 for a week’s worth of ingredients for meals, milk, cereal, and all of our school lunch fixings.

Yes, ALDI helps keep our food budget below $500 for the month.

How ALDI helps me save money: I buy ALL of our staples at ALDI – flour, sugar, butter, milk, cheese, meats, canned vegetables, apples and bananas, bread….you get the picture. I supplement 2 ALDI shopping trips with smaller shopping trips to a larger chain grocery store to get specialty items, unique spices, etc. At the beginning of October, after coming back from a conference out of town and finding an empty fridge, I did one of those over-flowing shopping cart types of trips. 77 items, including a large jar of peanut butter, cereal for 7, pomegranates, milk, chicken, etc came out to $139.40. I am still eating through that food.

What I love about ALDI:

#1 is the price. Can’t beat the prices at ALDI.
The quality – I love all of ALDI’s store brand products. In fact, my kids AND husband complain when I DON’T buy ALDI cereals because they like the taste BETTER. The produce is fresh, the meats and cheeses are top quality. I could go on and on throughout the store. I never feel like I’m compromising quality.
I don’t have to worry about clipping coupons, but I always know that I’m getting a great deal.
It doesn’t take me all day to shop! Because of the way ALDI is layed out AND because of the slimmed down selection (one “brand” of everything instead of a dozen choices), I can shop much more efficiently.
Everyone at ALDI seems to genuinely enjoy working there and it shows in their excellent customer interactions.

Some Aldi facts:

ALDI sells more than 1400 basic grocery and household items that are on most everyone’s “frequently bought” list. Everyday prices are up to 50% less than traditional supermarkets. {The milk at ALDI is often $1 less per gallon compared to the grocery stores in the same shopping plaza near me.}
More than 90% of the products at ALDI are sold under the Aldi brand label to keep costs down. Aldi makes sure that their products meet or exceed the quality and taste of the national name brands. And according to my family’s frequent taste testing, they DO!
ALDI reduces costs for consumers even more by having them either bring their own reusable bags or purchase reusable bags during their shopping trip. Consumers then bag their own groceries at the large counter before they leave.

My kids LOVE being able to help me bag the groceries. It becomes a family project.

Overhead costs are also reduced (and savings passed on to the customer) by having customers use a quarter to “rent” a shopping cart to do their shopping. When they return the cart at the end of the trip, they get the quarter back.
ALDI has 21 distribution centers across the country, so the food delivered to and sold at each ALDI store is local, timely, and fresh.
ALDI began in the United States in 1976 in Iowa and is headquartered in Batavia, Ill, with stores across Europe, the United States and Australia.
ALDI has more than 1,200 U.S. stores in 32 states and those stores serve more than 25 million customers each month.

The ALDI quarter carts – another one of the things my kids love about ALDI. If it saves me money, I’m a fan!

Have you shopped at ALDI? How does your ALDI help you save on your monthly grocery bill? Or if you don’t have an ALDI near you, what would you love most about having one in your neighborhood?

Be sure to check out ALDI’s website to find a location near you. Follow them at twitter.com/AldiUSA and on Facebook/ALDI.USA

Grocery Shopping Tips – Big Family “How Do You Do It?” Series

Lolli — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:15:29 +0000

About a week ago, I took 3 of my kids out on a shopping trip. Since my kids have been in school full time for the last 2 years, and because I have a couple of amazing built-in babysitters when they’re NOT in school, I had completely forgotten how difficult it is to shop with kids in tow.

“Mommy, can we get this candy?”

“Eww! I don’t have to eat THAT, do I, Mom?”

“Mom, how about we play ‘can’t catch me’ through the store? I’ll run up and down the aisles and turn corners as soon as you spot me. Then when I get tired I’ll stand in one place and scream like you’ve forgotten about me. Okay?”

That last one? He didn’t quite SAY those words, but he did one worse – he played chase through the store. I was weary by the time we got home.

In all seriousness, I do have a few tips to make grocery shopping a little less painful, a little bit faster, and a little bit easier on the wallet (yes, even when you’re shopping for 7 like me).

Tips for a better shopping trip

Leave the kids at home – I know it seems like an impossibility and a hassle sometimes, but it really does make a difference. When my kids were little, I would try to wait until my husband was home and do my grocery shopping at night. Without the kids tagging along, my shopping trips went much faster (yay for a quick trip!) and I tended to load my cart with less junk food and impulse buys.
Shop less often – When I shop every two weeks versus every few days, I spend less time shopping overall, and I definitely spend less money. But shopping less often requires MORE planning…
Plan ahead. Make a list! – I feel like a broken record here, but shopping with a list helps me spend less time at the store and less money overall. My shopping trips are more focused when I don’t have to wander the store trying to remember what I need, and I don’t end up back at the grocery store a day or two later for something I’ve forgotten.
Take a picture of it! – Now that I have a smart phone with me all the time (not the case when my kids were little) I use my phone to my advantage. How often do you try a certain brand or flavor and then forget which variety it was that you loved? Snap a picture of it at home and save it on your phone (in a grocery shopping folder, perhaps?) and then you have a visual reminder.
Pack along plenty of reusable grocery bags – I started using reusable grocery bags a few years ago, thanks to the many bags I received at conferences and other events. Those bags have come in handy many times! Now, my county requires us to use reusable bags or purchase disposable bags for 5 cents each at check out. Thanks, but I’ll use my reusable bags.
Use coupons – I admit that I am not a stellar couponer. But I always have a pouch full of coupons in my purse and use one whenever I can. However, I am aware that I can often get better deals buying off brands or by utilizing the sale prices in store.
Check the store circulars – sometimes there are “hidden deals” that might not be on my list but are worth adding to my cart. If I don’t have a chance to do some sale research before I leave home, I pick a circular up as I walk in the store and scan the deals and coupons as I shop.
Buy fresh ingredients – Cooking our meals from scratch is the #1 thing that brings our grocery budget down. I couldn’t afford pre-packaged foods all the time, and I frankly wouldn’t want my family eating that, anyway.

What are your tips for keeping your grocery bill down? I’d love to hear how you manage shopping…with or without your kids!

How do you do it?” Series hosted by:

Me (Lolli) from Better in Bulk
Lisa from Crazy Adventures in Parenting
Christine from From Dates to Diapers
Kadi from Our Seven Seeds
Kate from The Guavalicious Life