Military Families

How do you save the most on groceries?

Just curious if you think shopping at the commisary is the best deal or do you also use coupons? Or do you shop somewhere else and use coupons, or not? Some other option I haven't thought of? Thanks
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Re: How do you save the most on groceries?

  • Because DH does the majority of the shopping, I leave it up to him. They have a coupon-cart at the enterence that allows you to find any that may work for you, but he usually just shops around and finds what is cheap.

    I've only managed to get him off-base to buy something, and that was fresh dill for my deviled eggs. Boy loves him some commisary.

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  • I save the most using the commissary and I sometimes use their coupons. In my area the commissary has by far the best price on groceries. The closest competitor is WalMart, but I loathe going to WalMart so that option is out for me.
  • I shop around and look at the store circulars.  Some stores have better deals than the commissary, and the same goes with the commissary.  Sometimes it will have better deals than other stores.  Coupons can also save you quite a bit at both the commissary and other stores.  So I do a little bit of all three.
  • We shop at the commissary because we live on base so its a lot closer and I don't have to deal with traffic elsewhere. I've found that most of the basics are quite a bit cheaper than at a regular grocery store. I only use coupons on stuff that we need. I'm not going to buy 2 rolls of cookie dough just because I have a 50cent off coupon.

    We also buy a lot of meat/chicken/snacks in bulk from Sams Club. Can't beat their $1.80 hot dog & drink combo either...mmm or their 50 cent churros lol Big Smile

  • I like to buy bulk items from Sam's Club. 

  • We now live off base, so a drive to the commisary for us is about 20-25 minutes. We have Costco and all the major grocery stores closer, so it works out to be less expensive for us to go that route (we usually do Costco once a month and weekly trips to the grocery store). Sometimes he will be at the commisary and find a good deal and stock up, but I rarely will make a trip out there just to check out the deals.
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  • I think I get much better deals at the commissary. I also use coupons too.
  • We shop at the commissary and use coupons.  I meal plan too. 

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  • Coupons.com

    I also meal plan and shop at the commissary.  I make sure to buy the sunday paper for 1.50 and usually get 8-10 dollars of coupons for stuff I use. I found it's cheaper to buy frozen chicken than fresh. Also, I found out that two days before payday, they put meat and veggies on sale.

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  • Meal planning and commissary.  I used to clip coupons and saved quite a bit of money, but then I realized I was spending more on packaged food so I stopped.

    We did a tour of Sam's and Costco a few weeks ago and decided it wouldn't be a good fit for our family.  The poultry and red meat were just as inexpensive at our commissary and we don't have to drive downtown for it or pay a membership fee.  I stalk the commissary website for case lot sales and stock up on shelf staples like canned vegetables. 

    I do my best to stay out of the middle of the grocery store and to make our meals from scratch.  I did the math on some of our dinners recently and full meals have been coming out to about $2/person. 

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  • imageMrsOjoButtons:

    Meal planning and commissary.  I used to clip coupons and saved quite a bit of money, but then I realized I was spending more on packaged food so I stopped.

    I do my best to stay out of the middle of the grocery store and to make our meals from scratch.  I did the math on some of our dinners recently and full meals have been coming out to about $2/person. 

    Amen to the prepackaged food and making things from scratch. I bake our own bread for less than 50 cents a loaf. Frozen dinners are usually a bust and unhealthy or high sodium anyway.

    I clip coupons for TP, soaps, and some food that I do buy (yogurt, soy milk, seasonings, flour, sugar). I use common sense. Don't buy 4 dollars worth of a product that you don't normally buy/need to get 30 cents off. KWIM? 

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  • I usually shop Walmart since the commissary is generally a nightmare. I do miss all the coupons they have there though. My biggest money saving tip is leaving DH at home. I plan meals out in advance and include "leftover days". I like to look online for new budget-friendly recipes. Make a list of what you need and stick to it. Also, on the shelves where it says an items price, compare prices using the price per ounce/100 ct/whatever it may be. That price is generally in the upper left hand corner of the price tag. This way you'll get the best deal vs the cheapest price. If you have time, cook from scratch. Rather than buy pancake mix, cookie dough, pizza dough, etc make it yourself. Chances are you'll already have a lot of the ingredients at home. The last time I made pizza I made a whole wheat dough (which I would have had trouble finding in a store anyway) and spent less than 30 cents for the yeast-the only thing I didn't have at home vs the almost $5 it would have cost to buy the same amount of already made dough.
  • usually We shop at walmart, because of convenience, we don't live on post we live off, and walmart is right down the street from us.. 
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  • I don't shop at the commisary at all.  For one, it's 30 minutes away. 

    I clip and print a ton of coupons.  I also watch the sales and only buy what I have coupons for on top of the things like milk, bread and such.  I save a ton of money.  I'm not as good as one of my friends.  She went to the store last week and spent $40 on $200 worth of groceries.  She's my grocery hero, I'm not gonna lie.  Check out couponmom.com  That site rocks my world.  It will tell you all you need to know on how to use coupons best.

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  • imageiluvmytxrgr:

    I don't shop at the commisary at all.  For one, it's 30 minutes away. 

    I clip and print a ton of coupons.  I also watch the sales and only buy what I have coupons for on top of the things like milk, bread and such.  I save a ton of money.  I'm not as good as one of my friends.  She went to the store last week and spent $40 on $200 worth of groceries.  She's my grocery hero, I'm not gonna lie.  Check out couponmom.com  That site rocks my world.  It will tell you all you need to know on how to use coupons best.

    This. Here's a linky for you. I also sometimes look at My Grocery Deals, but not very often.

    https://www.couponmom.com/ 

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