Save Serious Money on Food
- barrieabalard
- January 28th, 2010
This post is prompted partially by the statistic that one in eight Americans now use food stamps. As startling as that statistic is, many who have little income don’t qualify because they own too many assets. Many of these people, often suburbanites who are living on unemployment or who are underemployed, don’t know where or how to find cheaper food. And, by the by, did you know that the suburbs hold the fastest-growing population of the poor?
If your budget is tight and you don’t qualify for food stamp assistance, there are alternatives that can help you save money. They come in two categories: discount, warehouse-like grocery stores, and SHARE.
When we first moved to South Jersey, the prices in the chain grocery stores struck us as outrageous—they were 30% higher, on average, than what we paid in Massachusetts. We were pretty unhappy until we discovered Aldi.
Aldi is a corporation headquartered in Germany with over 1,000 U.S. stores in twenty-nine states. It’s different in that they sell mostly their own brands at much lower prices than other grocery store house brands. National brands are often only sold as special deals that last until they sell out. You bring your own bags (if you forget them, you can buy bags for a nickel or so apiece), and you pay a quarter to use the shopping cart. That quarter comes back to you if you bring the cart back and don’t leave it in the lot. Most stores are small and are open only the hours most people shop, usually nine a.m. to seven or eight p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to five on Sunday. They don’t take credit cards or checks, but they do take cash, pin-secured debit/ATM cards, and food stamps/EBT cards. We estimate that we save approximately 25% on our weekly grocery bill by purchasing many items there. We have tried most of the store brands over the past six years, with most of them being satisfactory to quite good.
For the items we are pickier about, or that Aldi doesn’t sell, we go to the cheapest chain store in our area, Wegmans. Wegmans isn’t bad for those on limited budgets because their philosophy is to sell the basics at reasonable prices while charging much higher prices for prepared and convenience items. We pass up the higher-priced food and get the rest of what we need at Wegmans. They have served as a way to force other stores in our area to lower their prices on many items. But I only know this because I spot-check other stores periodically. I rarely shop anywhere else but at Aldi and Wegmans. Unfortunately, Wegmans will not be an option for many people—they have only a few stores in the Middle Atlantic area.
What if you don’t have an Aldi in your area? Check prices at other low-priced discount chains, such as Bi-Lo, which is in four states, and, if you live in Georgia, Food Depot. I have shopped in stores belonging to both chains. But in my experience, there’s no place quite like Aldi. They are worth checking out if one is a reasonable distance away.
Let’s say you need more help than simply suggestions for low-cost grocery stores. That’s where the program SHARE comes in. SHARE stands for Self Help And Resource Exchange, and is a discount food program where you order low-cost packages of food and pick them up at a designated time and place. You must submit your order ahead of time to be assured of food. There are no income limitations on purchasing food from SHARE—however, you are required to perform at least two hours of volunteer work, which does not have to be for SHARE, a month. In my area, you can purchase food packages that include meat, vegetables, fruit, and other basics for around twenty dollars each. They have specialty packages for the elderly and for those who need a low-fat diet. Please, if you really need food and don’t qualify for food stamps or local food bank assistance, look for a SHARE in your area.
For more information about SHARE, use a search engine to discover if one is in your area. Try Googling SHARE combined with the name of your state or metro area. Here are the SHAREs I found after a brief search, but there could be other locations I missed:
SHARE PA, NJ, DE, Metro NY, MD Eastern Shore
Additional SHARE locations and information (some links may not work)
Disclaimer: I have not used SHARE.
If you are in serious crisis, don’t forget local churches and other organizations that have soup kitchens. I volunteered in a soup kitchen back in Massachusetts. We didn’t check income at the door and we welcomed all. We never ran out of food, either. Help is available—just seek it out.
And for those of you who have plenty, don’t forget to contribute to your local food bank and other related local programs.
Next week: how to make money without a job.
Additional links:
List of Grocery Stores Nationwide
One View on What Using SHARE is Like
Tickers: discount food stores, food stamps, SHARE food assistance
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