Finding Free Solutions on Your Grocery List

Artist Credit: The Fairy Market by Charles Van Sandwyk

It would be an understatement to say grocery prices have gone up. Particularly when some of these items have not only doubled in price; but tripled; over just the last couple of years. I find Springtime especially expensive. Any food items that we saved from our kitchen garden harvest, like apples and dried herbs, have mostly been used up. Preserves like canned tomatoes & relish are getting low and likely the jam is all gone. So how can we get everything we need this time of year; and also end our grocery trip having spent a little less money?

I start by looking at my shopping list. I keep mine on paper but some people use their phone or keep it in their head.

The food items are the most difficult. Sometimes you simply have to pay the price. But the best thing to do to avoid this (of course) is to buy these items on sale. I check the flyers (online & on paper) and only buy non-perishable staples at that time. If you can get your timing right (and have a few stores at your disposal), you can usually do this for perishable items as well. Some of the points programs are good too. But I'll only use them if they are truly free, offer a physical card and actually accrue enough points to offer money off, at least a few times a year. Don't forget to check the 50% off racks in the bakery, deli & frozen section at your stores. Store-made made pizzas and flat breads are often 50% off, and can be easily frozen.

But what about the other items on your list? There are actually many items we buy that can be eliminated with creative solutions. Or there are lower cost options. Here's some ideas. I can't help you with the milk though; unless you have a neigbour with a cow. Actually, I can! Most recipes will work just fine if you use 1/2 the milk and make up the difference with water.

Shopping List:
- bread
- lettuce
- bottled water
- sugar
- chicken broth
- potatoes
- plum sauce, soy sauce, ketchup
- composting bags
- parcel paper
- saran wrap, freezer bags, ziplocs
- window cleaner
- bathroom cleaner

Leaf lettuce regrowing from a "living lettuce"

Try these freebies or re-usable solutions instead:
Bread: Buy from bakeries & smaller grocery stores - they are often cheaper and always have a day old/50% off rack.
Lettuce: Buy a "living lettuce" with the roots attached--they really do regrow! Use it down to a small nub with a few short leaves attached, trim off any dead leaves. Re-pot it for your windowsill. The one in the picture is showing a lot of growth after only 4 days and I had trimmed it right down to the nub. In the summer, you can grow them in tubs outside. You'll get at least another full head's worth of lettuce. 2 for the price of 1!
Bottled Water: Don't buy it. Its appeal is mostly its temperature. Buy a plastic juice jug & keep it full of tap water in the fridge.
Sugar: Don't be shy to take 1 sugar packet when you buy a take-out coffee. It's part of the price. Dump it into your sugar bowl when you get home.

Chicken Broth: Don't buy it. It's very easy to make your own. Boil up a chicken carcass or even a leg or wing saved from your last chicken meal, together with old vegetables (carrots, celery, onion) in the fridge. Add a bay leaf & pepper. Strain and freeze broth in margarine tubs. If you don't have time; save the pieces of chicken and vegetable odds & ends in separate plastic bags in the freezer and make as needed.
Potatoes: You pay almost the same now for 3 russet potatoes as for a whole 5 lb bag which usually holds a dozen or more. Keep them in a cold place. If they go soft, make mashed potatoes or slice them up for home fries. Save one or two in a dark cupboard to plant in the late Spring! Once it has a couple of roots (or even a sad looking leaf!); it's ready to plant. Potatoes will grow in a large deep pot if you don't have much garden space. Put some dirt on the bottom of the pot, plant the potato near the bottom with leaf partially exposed and place in a sunny spot and keep gently watered. Keep adding dirt on top as it grows. You'll get at least 5 potatoes for every one you plant.

Plum Sauce/Soy Sauce/Ketchup: Hey, you pay for those little packets the restaurant includes in your order when you've treated yourself to take-out! Save them in a bowl in the fridge. You only need 1 or 2 soy sauce packets to dress up rice. Plum sauce is great for dipping chicken & fries but a few packs also works nicely in a stir fry. We all know what to do with the ketchup! But it's also great on top of meatloaf mixed together with a little brown sugar & dried mustard. These little packages also work great in lunch boxes.

Composting Bags: Don't buy them. Most cities that collect "green" waste on garbage day will accept food waste in brown paper or newspaper. Wine sleeves, take-out bags & free newspaper flyers are brilliant for this use.
Parcel Paper: Cut the bottom off of grocery bags and you have a perfect flat sheet for wrapping.
Saran Wrap/Freezer Bags/Ziplocs: Use containers & crockery with lids and reuse bread, burrito and plastic vegetable bags.
Window Cleaner: A drop of dish soap or bubble bath in lots of water works great & there's no harmful ammonia smell.
Bathroom Cleaner: Save those almost empty shampoo or bubble bath bottles, add water & use to clean sinks & tubs.

When you go over your shopping list, check each item and see if there's a free solution you hadn't thought of before. Or try and find a lower cost option.

Happy Shopping .. and Saving!

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