One of the side effects of eating gluten-free, sugar-free is that it has me shopping at higher-end stores, like Whole Foods. Now, don't get me wrong, I really enjoy shopping there. The atmosphere is nice, the employees know their store and their products, and they carry quality items. However, if I were to do all my shopping there, I would spend quite a bit more than I have budgeted.
So, when we first started eating this way I would go to Whole Foods for the gluten-free stuff, Kroger for sale items, and Wal-Mart for everything else. Occasionally, another store would have something else on sale that I would stop for. And keep in mind that most of the time I had a three year old, and a 6-9 month old with me. That's a long day of grocery shopping! And I would do this once a week, or once every week and a half.
After a while of this, I started re-evaluating my priorities, and came up with this plan. A main factor was the time involved in this, another factor was the service I was getting. I hate to be this way, but the service I was getting at Whole Foods/Kroger/Martin's was superior to the service I was getting at Wal-Mart. So, I tried to figure out if I could stay within my budget and NOT shop at Wal-Mart. It's funny how your mindset can change. When we first got married, I only shopped at Wal-Mart, with an occasional stop at Kroger or Albertson's for sale items. Now I feel that my time is better spent elsewhere, as long as I'm not spending more money.
I mentioned a plan at the beginning of the last paragraph. Now I'll tell you what it is! Two of the main things that I feel are way more expensive at higher end stores are paper goods and toiletries. So I sat down one evening and did my best to figure out how much I spent on these things. Then I started doing some research online. I found that most paper goods can be bought on Amazon.com for just about the same cost, if not a little less, particularly if you're not brand-loyal.
If you are a care-giver, you can sign up with the
Amazon Mom program, and get free 2-day shipping on most items. You also get discounts emailed to you. If you sign up with Subscribe & Save, you can get certain things shipped to you every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months. This gives you a 15% discount, and 30% on diapers and wipes. There is always free shipping, and free return shipping, too.
So I buy diapers and wipes either on Amazon or Diapers.com. Paper goods come from Amazon, some of these on their Subscribe & Save plan. I plan to buy razor blades on eBay.
We don't go through toiletries too fast, and I buy my shampoo at Whole Foods already, so I'm not buying those online as of yet.
I have not priced out saran wrap, ziplocs, foil or waxed paper. And there are a few things that I get a Costco, like olive oil, that I need to price online. If I can find comparable prices, we will cancel our Costco membership, and save that $40 a year.
In summary, I shop at Whole Foods and Kroger/Martin's regularly, with the occasional stop at Trader Joe's or World Market (for coffee). Paper goods get dropped on my door step.
I have also re-instituted my once-a-month grocery shopping. This alone saves time and money. I did this right after Gracie was born, but slowly fell back into once a week or so. Now I spend a day shopping, or two half-days, and then a quick trip or two back to the store for milk, eggs, or produce.
I would like to figure out exactly what I'm spending a month with buying paper goods in bulk. That is something I plan on doing in the next week. Let me know if you're interested in a sample month's grocery break-down. I'm interested to see exactly how it's going to work out!
I'll be back tomorrow with a de-cluttering update and more on the challenge!!
