How to Save on Groceries

Thanks to everyone that sent in recommendations on how to save on groceries while still eating healthy food. Special thanks to Thomas, Jacob, and Marie for their great answers.

Now while these tips will help you save, there is one product mentioned below that should never be purchased cheaply - see below. This could be a real eye opener to some of you.

Here are the emails on saving your hard earned money when buying healthy food...not all of these might be applicable toyou, but surely some will...

"Re: Saving money on good food:

- Check the discount section in the meat department of your supermarket grocery store. Items might be reduced by 50%. They are usually close to the "best before" date and must be consumed in the next few days or frozen.
- Shop in China town, wherever that may be. Fish, and shellfish, are usually 50% cheaper. Meat too, and you can get the bones for soup. Green vegetables are also less expensive there, and you can find many varieties of veg that can't be found in the supermarket.
- Find the grocery supermarkets that cater to ethnic enclaves, such as Eastern European, Somalian and Ethiopian. I don't know why but the price for meats is usually lower, and you can find the more unusual cuts, soup bones, organ meats, liver, etc.
- For rice, shop at the ethnic stores that cater to Asian Canadians. Prices are much lower.
- Buy spices at the health food bulk store, or even better, ethnic Indian or Pakistani grocery stores; much, much less expensive than the small glass jars at the supermarket.
- If you have access to a farmers' market, the food is usually fresher. Even better if you can go to a 'pick your own' place. Prices are not necessarily lower but food quality is higher, so better value for money.
- Try to eat what's in season; the price is usually competitive or lower, and quality and freshness, not to mention taste, is much better, again better value for money.
- When pricey items are on sale, buy more and put in freezer, (if its an item that freezes OK, e.g., limes and lemons, certain meats, etc.).- Watch the flyers for bargains and loss leaders.
- If you like to drink bottled water, try a water filter instead. Uses tap water and tastes much better than bottled (usually), and much cheaper per litre.
- Make a grocery list and stick to it.


Next email...
"One way I save money is through purchasing some of the basics at Sam's Club or Costco. Although they don't have much, if anything, organic, I believe I heard CB mention before to first get the diet in order, then move to organic. I also shop at Super Targets and Super Walmarts to save more money."

Next email...

1. Buy at the farmer's market. It's often fresher and requires some sort of immediate action. Worth it, though. You find unusual varieties of fruits and veggies that you wouldn't find at the store, too.

2. CostCo. HUGE bags of spinach and brocolli. Frozen salmon and other fish. Good deals on bags of avacados and colored bell peppers. Not impressed by their fruit, though. It tastes fine, just not always a good value. Fish oil caps (400 for $9.00). Protein powder (6lbs for $25).

And that's where the alarms went off in my head...Are these cheap supplements of good enough quality to help?

I went to an industry source for the down-low...and asked, "Can you get good quality protein and fish oils for these prices?"

His reply...

"For the whey protein it is possibly that it is a good product if it is being sold directly by the manufacturer.

Turn to the back, if it says "manufactured by" instead of "manufactured for" then there is a good chance that they could afford to put out a flavored 80% concentrate for a really low price.
However, knowing this industry, that still doesnt mean they havent taken a "this market doesnt know any better" mentality and cut corners to make some extra profit.

Its really a crap shoot. However if it says "manufactured for" you know that the product was made for a supplement company, which means the manufacturer has taken their cut of the profit, which can be really big, making selling a good product for really cheap almost impossible.

As for the Fish oils, good fish oil is expensive as heck. The better the fish oil, the more unstable it will be and the quicker it will go bad. If I were going to buy fish oils, I would error on the side of high cost on this one, as a bad fish oil product would actually be bad for your health.

The better fish oils have more EPA and more DHA, both very unstable compounds (due to the double bonds). These EFA's can become easily oxidized. So you pay a lot of money for good companies to ensure that their processing does not cause oxidation and that there products are safe from oxidation via high quality capsules and containers.

If you buy cheap stuff and it has gone 'bad' you are ingesting capsules full of oxidized, rancid fat...You might end up consuming a product with the exact opposite health effects of what you were hoping to get - such as increased risk of cardiovascular disease!

When it comes to things like healthy fats, spend the extra money for the extra piece of mind."

And then I went to another nutrition expert, Chris Mohr, Ph.D., for his recommendations on fish oil...

"I do believe higher quality fish oils are important. Fish oil shouldn't give you fishy burps or taste fishy at all. Two favorites are Nordic Naturals and Carlson. Fish oils are screened very well for mercury and other contaminants, particularly ones like NN and Carlson."

So it does NOT sound like 400 fish oil caps for $9 is a wise deal. Sorry to break that one to you.

Next email...

"Craig, one of the things that helps me the most with this is to find a good farmers market during the summer months, where I can get a large selection of vegetables and some fruits at a price lower than what I can find at the supermarket.

Also, this spring I planted some tomatoes, peppers, and blueberries in some pots at the house, and with a total start-up cost of about $25, I now have summer long supply! For protein I can usually find inexpensive canned tuna and salmon, plus a big bag of frozen chicken breasts for about $5 at wal-mart."

And final email...

"Key #1 - Buy at a Super Walmart, Sam's Club, or Costco for your groceries. These places also price match so if they are not already the cheapest, they will match any competitor.
Key #2. Your cheapest high quality protein sources will be eggs, canned fish (salmon, sardines, tuna)and dairy.
Key #3. More fruits and vegetables really means more vegetables. Leave off the blueberries, strawberries, etc. for now and stick with whatever fruit is affordable and in season. Buy your vegetables frozen (especially greens like Spinach). They will keep longer, preventing waste, and you can simply take them out the night before and put them in tupperware for travel. They'll defrost in the fridge overnight and while you work. You can also slice tomatoes, zucchini, squash, carrots, etc on top for even more vegetables to eat it like a salad. Or you can just heat it briefly in a microwave when you are ready to eat.
Key #4. Stick to whole grains and buy in bulk. A box of regular oatmeal will last days longer than a box of cereal. A bag of brown rice or potatoes will last days longer than a loaf of bread, but cost similarly. They can also be cooked up in large batches.
Key #5. Beans like pinto, black, navy, etc. are decent sources of protein and are dirt cheap.
Key #6. Chicken and beef can be bought in bulk packages. No it is not the healthiest. No the omega ratio is not as good, but lets be frank--meats are not good sources of either omega 3 or 6 anyway. If the ratio is skewed, the amounts are still too small to be very significant. Take your fish oil and cover this minor indiscretion. Or skip these meats entirely. You CAN build a great physique without them."

So there you go...you can't get this type of education in school,

CB

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