In my home Wednesday is grocery shopping day for David and I. We never go to just one store for Groceries because each store has different items on sale at different times. We start at HEB then stop at Walmart and then Kroger’s then Winco and end our shopping trip at Aldi’s for Milk and Eggs and to walk the aisle of shame.
During the week if I need just a couple items or more meat Kroger is one of the grocery stores I go to because of there clearance section, when you’re shopping on a budget, I think it’s worth knowing what you can find there. For me, Kroger isn’t just about buying groceries. It’s one of those stores where I can walk in without knowing exactly what kind of deal I’m going to find.
And right now, that’s especially true because we’re at that funny time of year when summer is winding down and stores are already getting ready for back-to-school. On my latest trip, I found summer items marked down 75% off. That’s the kind of sale I look for at the end of summer because you never know what might be useful next year.
When something you were already considering buying is suddenly 75% off, that’s when it makes sense to stock up if you have room in your budget. At the same time, Kroger was already stocking up for back-to-school. So while one part of the store was clearing out summer merchandise, another part was getting ready for families who are preparing for a new school year.
That’s actually one of the reasons I wanted to include Kroger in our Back-to-School Gift Guide and our End-of-Summer shopping series. Back-to-school shopping doesn’t always mean walking into a store and buying a backpack, pencils, and notebooks. Sometimes it’s about finding the everyday things your family needs and getting them for less.
And Kroger can be a good place to look. One of the first things I look for is the meat counter. More times than not, I can find meat that has been marked down, and this week I found three different roasts. One had originally been $12 and was marked down to $4. Another had been $11 and was marked down to $3. And the third had been $9 and was marked down to $3.
A $3 roast that can feed us for at least two meals is a godsend when you’re living on a budget. That’s the kind of grocery deal that can actually change what your grocery bill looks like at the end of the week. I don’t have to buy the most expensive cut of meat to put a meal on the table. If I can find something marked down that I can cook and turn into leftovers for another meal, I’m going to take advantage of it.
Kroger also has their 10 for $10 sales, which can be another way to stretch your grocery money. And if you shop there regularly, the Kroger app is worth having. You can keep up with sales, use digital savings, and earn points through the rewards program. Those points can also help you save money on gas. When you’re already buying groceries, I like anything that gives me another opportunity to save.
And then there are the things I buy simply because I know Kroger usually has them. For me, Milo’s sweet tea is one of those things. I drink Milo’s, and one of the things I appreciate about Kroger is that they’re usually not out of it. Walmart, on the other hand, seems to be out of my Milo’s more times than not.
If you’ve ever gone into a grocery store specifically for one thing and discovered they don’t have it, you know how frustrating that can be. So when I know I can usually find my tea at Kroger, that makes Kroger a regular stop for me. And then there’s the cheese. In my house, you can never have too much cheese.
Thankfully, Kroger seems to put cheese on sale pretty regularly, so that’s another thing I watch for when I’m shopping. I also like their frozen food section. More times than not, I can find Charlie’s pizzas on sale, and that’s an easy meal to keep in the freezer. Plus, they run deals on TV dinners and Pot Pies which I like for lunch.
I pick up lunch meat there because David uses it for work, and Kroger carries a good variety of things like Hamburger Helper and other meal helpers that I don’t always find at other stores. Those may seem like little things, but when you’re feeding a family on a budget, little things add up. Kroger is also right down the street from me, so I’m not spending a lot of gas money just to get there. That matters too.
Sometimes people look only at the price on the shelf when they’re deciding where to shop. But I look at the whole picture. How far do I have to drive? What’s on sale? What can I find marked down? Can I use a digital coupon? Can I earn points? Can I save on gas? Can I stock up on something we use regularly? And what can I find that I wasn’t expecting?
That’s what makes Kroger worth checking for me. You walk through the doors and you never really know what you’re going to find. Including Soda’s ie Pop which was buy 3 12 packs and get 3 12 packs for free. Making Soda 50 cents a can which saves my family a whole lot of money and time and it stops the trips to Sonic and QT which can become very expensive.
This week it was 75%-off summer items, back-to-school merchandise being stocked, three marked-down roasts, sale cheese, my Milo’s sweet tea, frozen pizzas, and the everyday groceries we needed. That’s a pretty good grocery trip in my book. And if you’re doing your back-to-school shopping right now, don’t forget to look beyond the traditional school-supply aisles.
Check the grocery stores, too. Sometimes the best savings aren’t sitting in the section you’re expecting. Sometimes they’re waiting for you in the clearance aisle, at the meat counter, in the frozen food section, or on the shelf where your family buys something every single week. That’s how I shop.
I look for what we need, I look for what is marked down, and when I find a really good deal, I try to make that dollar work as hard as I can. Because when you’re living on a budget, a good deal isn’t just a good deal. It’s another meal, another tank of gas, or a little more money left in the grocery budget. And that’s worth sharing because that is what keeps my freezer stocked and makes me grateful, thankful and blessed for the sales the LORD has us find.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates