Saving Money on Groceries

While I'm all for a bargain, I mostly look for sales or coupons for things I know I want. Sometimes I'll take a chance on a new product but as I primarily use fresh food, rather than canned or packages of pre-made food, I rarely do so. For me, it's a false savings to buy a brand I don't like as well because it's on sale or to buy something I don't like because there's a good deal. If I don't like it, what kind of deal is that?

I have a friend who swears by Aldi and Wal-Mart groceries, two places I don't shop at very frequently; I don't like Wal-Mart so rarely give them the business and while I go to Aldi once in awhile, it hasn't gotten into my regular rotation. Partly because I never know what they have.

I had an acquaintance who was super-cheap, shopped thrift stores and garage sales for everything and bought food at a store that sold food past its expiration date. I'm neither that cheap nor that adventurous.

The new thing I read about recently? Grocery auctions. To me, that's mind-boggling; keeping in mind that I don't want to stockpile food and their goods may be scratch and dent or oversupplied goods. Then again, it's a social outlet as well as a way to buy food. You'd have to be up on the prices in your area for it to be helpful.