My favorite grocery store is Aldi. I used to shop there when we lived in Lockport, NY and they just put a location in Knoxville. The concept is this: they mostly sell their own brands, which come in a limited variety of flavors (i.e. pudding comes in chocolate or vanilla; cake mixes come in yellow, white, or chocolate), you have to bring your own bags or buy them when you check out (or pick-up empty boxes as you shop), bag your own groceries, no-frills (the items are still in the boxes not on shelves), you "rent" your grocery cart by unlocking it with a quarter but you get your quarter back when you return the cart (this eliminates the need for a cart-person to gather carts out of the parking lot), and you may have to wait longer to check out because they don't have many cashiers checking you out. BUT, the benefits are: I was spending about $175 per week for groceries and the other items to keep our house functioning. Now, I go to Aldi once a month and spend about $225. This is usually 2 grocery carts full. This gives me a refrigerator full, freezer full, cupboard full, and we have a separate area we call "The Store" we fill up with the non-perishable items that won't fit in the cupboard. I then supplement during the month with milk, fresh produce, bread, and items they don't sell there. So, in addition to what I spend monthly at Aldi, I spend on average about $50/week on "other stuff". This has cut our grocery budget way down plus we always have a lot of items in "The Store" if the going gets tough money-wise. At some point I'll post a list of what I get for the month. Until then, have a blessed day!
Becky <><
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