Food Shopping Done Right

Classes of bums are categorized into three parts, but as you know in my last article it was all explained there. I will enlighten you once again with another tip to get past this recession.

Grocery Shopping

When you are in the pinch and you want to make your food shopping last here’s what you can do: Today I looked in my cupboards and yes, there hanging from its web was a spider, I asked that spider what did I do wrong this month with the shopping. And of course the spider just scurried away to find something to eat, since my cupboards were bare. Then an idea came to mind, why not find my favorite items for less.

I got a ride to the most convenient store there is: Walmart Super Center. I of course made a list of items that I needed, but there was also a trick to all this, finding items under $3. I know…there is no way this is possible, but yes it is! Let’s start by looking at the obvious: Fresh fruits, meats and some dairy products are very expensive. Can foods go a long way? Unlike fresh fruits that you would only have at least 2 weeks to eat before it becomes spoiled, go with the cans, they last longer, and when you are in the situation of having no money for food, you have those lovely cans to rely on.

Meats

Go with whichever meats that you would use the most often and that are CHEAP. As I was standing in this section wishing I had brought my jacket, I thought of ground beef. Using the Pyramid of Deduction* I was able to come up with multiple recipes, making my food supply larger.  

Dairy

Image via Wikipedia

How much milk and cheese you use determines how much you should buy…duh. I thought about this, for a bit. I decided on getting the half gallon of soy milk (chocolate), why? Well for starters, depending on the brand of soy milk some are cheaper than others, but what makes soy milk so unique is the longevity of its fridge life. To round it off to give you a big picture, I would say 3 weeks this item is drinkable and fresh as if the first day you bought it.

Standing in the checkout line, watching all the items I have purchased, a smile escaped my lips. Once I received the receipt all the items except the ground beef of course were under $3. Back at home the scary little spider smiled at me, and at that moment I realized that I for once smartly shopped.

So for today’s tip: Shop Smartly!

*Pyramid of Deduction- a term used to take and item and use it until you run out of recourses, Ex: Ground Beef-Tacos, Taco Salad, Mac n Beef, Stroganoff, Sheppard’s Pie and so on.*