A couple of weeks ago, I shared money-saving tips some News & Observer readers use while grocery shopping.
Since then, I’ve heard strategies from several more people — including a local business owner with a focus on healthy eating, and a graduate student who studies food systems and food insecurity. (Have a tip? Email me at rumsted@newsobserver.com.)
Here’s what they do to save money on groceries. If you’re wanting to stretch your grocery budget, try some of these tips, and let me know how it goes.
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How a Duke University grad student saves on groceries
Ella Howie is a graduate student at Duke University, studying food systems and food insecurity.
The semester just started, and she’s already realizing that schoolwork is a major time commitment. It’s hard to find time to go to the store or cook, she told me, so she speeds up the process by shopping online. That also makes it easy to compare prices of items by weight, so she knows which stores have the best deals.
“You don’t have to wander the store,” she said.
She often shops at Walmart and uses Walmart+, which includes free delivery. It requires a subscription, but Howie gets 50% off with the student discount. That’s $6.47 per month or $49 per year.
She knows that online prices may be higher than in-store prices, and shoppers sometimes substitute items you don’t want, if they’re out of stock of the item you do want. But to her, the time-saving factor outweighs the cons.
Grocery shoppers across the Triangle are using different strategies to find deals on food. AFP via Getty Images
Howie buys enough food for breakfast, lunch and a few dinners each week, spending around $250 each month.
The foods she buys are filling and nutritious, such as beans, frozen vegetables and potatoes, and oats.
“Try to stay away from chips, something that’s not even going to be a full meal, because you’re going to spend more money, and feel worse and be hungry,” Howie said.
She freezes food that she can’t eat right away to avoid wasting it.
How an organic food business owner saves on groceries
Darin Alpert and his wife co-founded Gheelish, a Raleigh-based brand that produces organic popcorn and chips. Their emphasis on healthy eating isn’t limited to their business; it’s also a priority in their family.
They buy organic, gluten-free and dairy-free products, and avoid seed oils whenever they can.
“Doing that’s obviously more expensive,” Alpert said. “But we found ways to do it.”
They buy more organic chicken, which they eat all the time, when it’s on sale. When Publix has a buy one, get one promotion on items they buy, they stock up on them.
Exterior view of the front of the Dughi Store, 235 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC, 1895. A oyster wagon pulled by horse labeled “Nancy” and ice cream wagon pulled by horse labeled “Jno.” as well as group of people are standing in front of the store on the street. The seconnd floor shows sign for Junaluska Wine Company. By Dughi Family Photo Collection State Archives of NC
Exterior of Dughi Store, 235 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC, c.1900-1910, showing Oyster Saloon and a fruit display. By Dughi Family Photo Collection State Archives of NC
William E. Ellington, in front of his grocery store in Raleigh in 1904. The store was located on Halifax St. at the corner of Johnson. By General Negative Collection State Archives of NC
The A&P grocery store located at 1620 Glenwood Avenue just after its grand opening, June 26, 1938. The location later became the Colony Theater, and then the Rialto Theater. News & Observer
The A&P “super market” in Durham, North Carolina May 1940. By Jack Delano Library of Congress
Grocery store front, Roxboro, North Carolina May 1940 By Jack Delano Library of Congress
Piggly Wiggly at Five Points in Raleigh, NC. Whitaker Mill Road and Glenwood Avenue. c. 1952 By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
The interior of a Raleigh Piggly Wiggly store showing the produce section in 1942. By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
The Piggly Wiggly at Five Points in Raleigh, NC at Whitaker Mill Road and Glenwood Avenue. c. 1952 By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
Piggly Wiggly Store Under Construction in downtown Raleigh in 1944. By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
Food Fair supermarket in the Glenwood Village Shopping Center is seen here during its grand opening, April 15, 1954. File photo
Interior of the Food Fair grocery store in Glenwood Village in Raleigh just before the grand opening, April 15, 1954. File photo
A woman talks with a grocer at the Raleigh Piggly Wiggly in the 1940’s. By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
Piggly Wiggly, SE corner Person and Franklin Streets; Raleigh, NC, May 10, 1951. The Governor’s Square Condos occupy this site today. By Albert Barden Collection State Archives of NC
Vintage photos of NC grocery stores and markets
He and his wife keep a shared note on their phones with a list of foods they usually buy, and if one of them sees an item on sale while they’re at a store, they’ll pick it up.
The family shops at Sprouts, Wegmans, The Fresh Market, Publix, Target, Costco and Food Lion. They’re willing to buy items they know they’ll eat, such as eggs or fruit, in bulk, to take advantage of cheaper serving prices.
Money-saving tips from 3 other N&O readers
Charles Flournoy has been grocery shopping for more than 60 years.
“I’m retired, and I need to pay close attention to every dollar I spend,” he told me in an email.
He shops at four stores — Harris Teeter, Publix, Food Lion and Lowes Foods — and they’re all within four miles of each other.
Flournoy repeated several tips other readers have shared with me. For example, he shops on days when he gets a senior discount, uses coupons and looks for sales on foods that are nearing their sell-by date.
He also stocks up on items with long shelf lives when they’re on sale and checks both printed and online flyers to make sure he’s not missing any sales.
“Sometimes the online site has sale items that are not listed in the flyer,” he said.
At the end of his shopping trip, he pays close attention to the cashier and makes sure the items ring up correctly.
Former N&O employee Susan Clark also shared some tips.
She shops once a week and purchases most items at Harris Teeter. Fresh fruit and vegetables and milk are on her list almost every week.
Like other N&O readers, she stocks up on shelf-stable items when they’re on sale. Same for cheese and meat, which you can freeze.
She also makes a shopping list and uses exclamation points and question marks to indicate which items she needs to buy, and which she could buy, if they’re on sale.
Durham resident Paul Babinec has done the grocery shopping and cooking for his family for nearly 40 years. While the number of people in his household has changed — from two to four and back to two — his money-saving strategies haven’t.
He still looks for coupons and tries to use them when items are on sale, so he gets a bigger discount. He sometimes buys a surplus of something that the family uses when it’s on sale, but he doesn’t buy things just because they’re on sale.
“I’m not one to stroll up and down every aisle perusing the shelves,” Babinec told me via email. “I have a weekly list which keeps me mostly on the outside or periphery of the inside aisles. I just go into a known aisle if a list item is there.”
Renee Umsted
The News & Observer
Renee Umsted is The News & Observer’s Affordability Reporter. She writes about what it costs to live in the Triangle, with a consumer-focused approach. She has a degree in journalism from TCU.
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