# Finally getting down to pennies



## cm4ever (Oct 26, 2012)

Ok, So we have been picking up things, but now we finally took the time to really see what was cheaper where.

Thought I would share....

ok...Between Sam's club and Aldi's here are the weird things we found out. Rice is cheaper at Sams and so is flour (no surprise there...), however, with Aldi's now lowering thier price of a box of Potato Flakes to 99 cents where I live, It beats out Sams by a mile. LOL

I was surprised. 

OH..and bottled water, Aldi has beat Sams for that. 

Anyway, figured for those penny pinchers out there...this helps.

CM4ever


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## 101airborne (Jan 29, 2010)

Oh yeah in todays economy pennies count. I check the internet for sales before I do much shopping out side of everyday items.


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## nomadjanet (Mar 28, 2011)

we don't have aldi's; I always hear good things about them. we have a very good regional grocer HEB, they are really great. They have volumn stores and also high end stores, they try to match the area they are located in.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

cm4ever keep up the good work. 

Our (local) aldi's got off to very slow start but I have noticed their parking lot is a lot fuller ... now a days.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Sams is the best for flour and rice. 

We are getting an Aldi here. We already had a SavALot, I've been to Aldi in another town over. I buy flats of canned goods at SavAlot...I imagine with having both in town soon, hopefully prices will get even better for a few months and everyone can stock up!

CM4Ever, I can't remember, are you canning yet?


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## cm4ever (Oct 26, 2012)

I have some jars, (about two dozen 1 pints), no canning pot yet, and I have yet to get a dehydrator. 

My fiancee and I live off of about $1500 a month....the house/internet and everything else cost about $1000 a month to maintain (including groceries for us and dogs) and it costs about $400 dollars a month in gas because of how far we have to drive to work. (Our town was a Textile Mill town that never recovered). SO...I have about $100 a month to work with for prepping.

LOL. But currently we are at about (in two months of work) 1 to 2 months of food and within the next month we are getting two 55 gallon tubs for water to set up with the gutters for water source. (found someplace that sells by my fiancee's work food grade 55 gallon barrels for about $15 each..if you live in upstate SC...write me..I'll send you the link so you can get into this too....:sssh

So, long story short..nope on the canning. I'm picking up used jars as I can and going to try to plan a garden in the spring (or just hit the local farmer's market this year...). I currently live where my backyard is up against the projects (complete with the once a month woman fight where at least once you hear "hold my weave, I'm going to kick her a$$") and about one block away from my house is the church that gives out food and two block away is the soup kitchen......So a garden would almost be worthless unless I hired Sentry to sit there and kill anyone who takes a cucumber. LOL

We are building up rice, picking up cheap soda in 2 liter bottles to long store it with oxygen asborbers (which are on my christmas wish list...wish I could have seen my family's face when they saw a dehydrator and a canning system along with jars and oxygen asborbers on my wish list, when last year it was keyboards and monitors. LOL).

Lets see..what else are we doing...Oh...buying ammo at Academy because it's cheaper there than chinamart (go figure), and going to a gun/knife show in a couple weeks with a small savings of money in hopes of getting some supplies there. 

My friend is making us carbon steel knives of the Kbar look at a reduction (he's a broke prepper too..LOL) so we will have good knives....need to get backups...and working on that. 

However, the sad news is this, currently I'm working Full time so we do have some extra money....in January it is probable that I will be cut back to 6 hours per day, so I'm working extra when I can and my fiancee is going to get a second job. (his second job is JUST for prepping. LOL.....). I'm trying for a supervisor post and hope to have it within the next year. 

But before you think that I'm down about this please realize, we are doing better now than we were 4 years ago....and I am doing better than most of my friends are now. I am truly and honestly just stocking up base foods to live off of for the next 6 to 12 months because I think we are about to hit a really broke phase before the economy starts to right itself again (which it will). 

I'm hoping I'm wrong. But eh..:dunno:..can't hurt to have tons of rice an beans, especially when you are just getting good at cooking them. 

Sorry..just woke up....rambling happens. LOL

CM4ever


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## musketjim (Dec 7, 2011)

I've often wondered if it's worth the price of gas to drive to various stores to save a little here and there. Do you research prices before you drive around?


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## cm4ever (Oct 26, 2012)

Actually...we have a membership to Sams, and we use that as our "eating out" place because for 5 dollars or less we can each get at 1/4 lb hotdog (nathans..mmmmmm) and a large drink and if we want to upgrade to pizza, it's only about 2 dollars more total. So, we are going there anyway. And Aldi's is our go to place for food.

As for researching online, I try, but I personally find it easier to just go there and take pictures of the prices before going to the other store. It makes the store employees look at you weird, but it's easier for me.

Plus, Sams usually has the best deal on meat when it's marked down and then we portion it and freeze it. (there is just two of us. LOL)

CM4ever

(LOL..I should post how many spices we have in our house..both the daily collection and now the prep collection I have from the .50 bin. :laugh

Opps..didn't answer the question....The cost of gas for us is nominal concerning that we live in a fairly urban area, and the amount of driving we do all week. To us it seems to be minor compared to the 60 miles a day we drive each. LOL Point of view I guess.


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Well, I say, you are doing very good on 1500.00! Wow! Hoping and praying that a canner comes in your path real soon. You never know! If you have a FB account, post it. I often update my status as "Looking for Mason Jars". (most call them mason jars around here). I haven't had any luck yet, but never know.


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## cm4ever (Oct 26, 2012)

I have ADHD, and because of that I am forced to remove all chemicals in my food as possible anyway. So, what does that relate to prepping, well..I know how to make most things from scratch and have had a habit over the years of storing items needed for it. So, having three extra bags of flour and sugar in the house already, is normal.

I just had to add extra flour, rice and beans and some spices. Plus, working temp work for over 5 years, I learned how to make a ham last for over a week, and my Fiancee is very forgiving of my cooking mistakes :kiss:. 

So, we'll keep plugging away. For example, we have been looking for a cooking stove for our bob bag, and I just found a video that teaches you how to make one with a soup/peaches can. So we are going to make those instead. Dang..my fiancee is going to have to eat a couple batches of peach cobbler so we can have the cans. ....what a horror!!. 

But we are far from ready and I'm feeling the drive to be ready. So, cutting corners again ...here we go.

CM4ever


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## Frost (Nov 8, 2012)

cm4ever said:


> my Fiancee is very forgiving of my cooking mistakes :kiss:.
> my fiancee is going to have to eat a couple batches of peach cobbler so we can have the cans. ....what a horror!!.
> CM4ever


 Sometimes, a man must suffer for his love's benefit. 
Guess I'm going to have to take one for the team.
I'' preheat the oven.


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## pills (Feb 16, 2009)

If you have a smart phone there are apps that will scan the barcode and tell you if it is cheaper someplace else. If a store price matches you can do it all in one stop. If they don't, scan your items at home and shop accordingly.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

DJgang said:


> Sams is the best for flour and rice.
> 
> We are getting an Aldi here. We already had a SavALot, I've been to Aldi in another town over. I buy flats of canned goods at SavAlot...I imagine with having both in town soon, hopefully prices will get even better for a few months and everyone can stock up!
> 
> CM4Ever, I can't remember, are you canning yet?


I had a daycare/preschool for 4 years.
Aldi's came in my town and I compared their canned goods to SavLot and Aldi's are better tasting for me.
I watched as I started prepping foods, and SavaLot has lost the battle.
I even check prices at SAL _before_ going to Aldis...Aldis always beats.
Brown sugar/powdered sugar---SAL--1.79
Aldis---1.39.
And Sam's sugars are comparable if you are looking for big 7 lb bags of brown and powdered.:congrat:
Aldis even lowered canned vegetable prices I noticed a while back.

Oh, I have all I need, but DG (Libby's)has 49 cent peas, corn, and green beans.
Last year, they were 45 cents and I stocked up big time.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

musketjim said:


> I've often wondered if it's worth the price of gas to drive to various stores to save a little here and there. Do you research prices before you drive around?


Always and make a list of things I am getting on sale.

I use this...
http://www.sundaysaver.com/

So, I know, after our meal Thursday, I'm going to kmart for more thermal tops and bottoms and 50% off flannel shirts.:laugh:


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

cm4ever--I will get blasted for suggesting this.
But till the budget gets better, please stock ramen noodles--there are several flavors now.
Hey, 6 for $1.25 is great and they cook in 3 minutes after boiling water, which is a plus for energy if that area is lacking.

Just until things get better--and IF things go south real soon...there will be something.


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

I keep a "price book" where I keep track of lowest everyday prices in my area. That way I can see if those sale prices are really worth it. Remember that most stores cycle sale prices on meats every 4 to 6 weeks. My local store has 40% off chicken about every 4 weeks. I look at my store circulars online before I shop. I am no more than 10 minutes away from 8 grocery stores, so I figure out where I will get the most "bang for my buck" before committing to where I will shop that week. Yes, it all takes time to do, but every penny counts these days.

As for Ramen noodles, I actually like them. We keep them on hand all the time. Then again we also like Spam and Scrapple


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## Survival_Foods_LLC (Oct 30, 2012)

oldsoldier said:


> Oh yeah in todays economy pennies count. I check the internet for sales before I do much shopping out side of everyday items.


You guys are all welcome to our store, we care about the economy and we know that every penny counts!.

If there is anything we can help with let us know, we will always give the cheaper price ever to be found.


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