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By Mike Barclay of 10 Cents Worth
There are two ways to do your grocery shopping: buying in bulk on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, or shopping for things as needed. Both ways have pros and cons.
Weekly or bi-weekly shopping
Pro: gas expenses
If you drive 50 miles to hit multiple grocery stores every two weeks you will spend $8 on gas (roughly, based on a 20 mpg car and gas prices of $3 per gallon) per grocery run. Does making frequent trips raise your gas usage? You betcha. Scroll down for specifics.
Taking advantage of the lower prices for many bulk items can save you a ton of money in the long run. An article on Switchyard Media from MSN’s money central said:
Why pay $5.59 for a 25.25-ounce box of Honey Nut Cheerios at a typical grocery store when you can get a 49-ounce box for $6.67 at Sam’s Club? You’ll save 8.5 cents per ounce, or 39%. And the cereal in the club-size box comes in two bags rather than one to prevent it from getting stale. Keeping it from getting soggy in the milk is up to you.
Con: wasted food
Let’s say you go to Costco and buy 2 two-packs of Franz Premium White Bread at $3.87 per pack. Seems like a great deal because the average loaf of bread at a grocery store is about $2.50. But unless you have a bunch of kids who love to eat sandwiches or a huge freezer, at least one of those loaves will go stale before you use it. Saving money by buying in bulk comes down to eating the food before it expires. If you won’t eat it, don’t buy it, even if it’s a great deal.
Shopping for groceries as needed
Pro: super sales
Let’s take the bread example again. I know I said the average price was $2.50, but if you’re like me, you don’t have a problem paying $.99 for a cheap loaf of white bread. I’m not picky! I’ll go pick up a loaf as I need it, and I spend less. This also goes hand in hand with the idea of only buying certain things in bulk. The stuff you shouldn’t buy you can go to your local grocery store for and use a coupon, buy it on sale, or stick to off brands.
A lot of times stores will have manager specials in the evening. At my local grocer, food that will probably go bad within a day or two is marked down by 50%. One thing I’ve learned is to freeze steeply discounted products to stretch their life for another day or so. If I can score a bag of my favorite cheese for $1 as opposed to the usual $4, I’m a happy camper.
Con: more gas money
If you grocery shop needed you will be making more trips, driving more miles, and using more gas. If I go to a grocery store that is 5 miles away and I visit it 8 out of 14 days, I will drive 80 miles on trips there and back. That is 30 miles more than hitting all the stores in one shot. Frequent trips averages out to be about $5 more in gas per two weeks.
Con: more time spent
To go to the grocery store every time you need food might not be the most effective way to spend your time. Is it worth it to spend half an hour running to the store for one item today to save a couple bucks? Weigh your time carefully and if it doesn’t make sense, don’t do it!
There are pros and cons to both ways of grocery shopping. It’s a matter of weighing what is the best option for you. What other pros and cons can you see? Are there other factors that you consider that I haven’t touched on?
May 20th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I always plan my shopping trips to drive in the most direct lines, and shortest distances possible. I shop at Costco for specific items that I use (salmon filet, e.g., which I cut into serving size pieces and freeze for later use), at Trader Joe’s for other specific items, and other grocery stores for foods that will spoil if not used up in a week or less. I keep a running list of needed supplies to help me plan. So far, I’m managing very well. I’m fortunate to live near a large Costco, a Target and a Ralphs, and not far from Pavilions, TJ’s or Jons.
May 22nd, 2010 at 11:42 pm
One thing that plays into my decision in this matter is my habits and how they are affected by my time availability. Often I find myself too busy to hit the grocery store more regularly, and when I run out of food, I then order out. So I try to stock up for 2-3 weeks on any items that will last that long.. pop, canned goods, frozen goods, etc.
Then I’ll buy quickly perishable items in lesser quantity and hit a closer and more convenient (albeit more expensive) grocery store to just reload on those items until my next big trip.
Works pretty well for me and my wife.