If you’re looking to cut costs and save some money, changing your grocery habits is the way to go. It’s amazing how much you can shave off the monthly budget by being careful at the grocery store and doing a bit of preplanning. We’ve been shopping at No Frills for quite a while and it saves us money every single week. We drop our daughter off at her art class Friday nights and my husband and I go there and search for some deals. Cheap date night! 🙂
Every Thursday, I wait for the big yellow flyer to come out so I can plan out my Friday shopping trip. On the front page of the flyer, there are always some great, extra deals to be found in-store! I try to meal plan according to the best deals we find, the items I already have stocked in my fridge, and the go-to ingredients my family loves the most.
Have you seen the video from No Frills’ new marketing campaign? They are right, there are no ‘Frills’ or fancy add-ons inside the store, but does anyone really need that? I’d rather have those savings stay right in my wallet where they belong. I’m just there to shop, score some good deals, and find great products at a low price point. I don’t need any musical entertainment or pampering; I don’t need any frills in my grocery bill!
We do a lot of our regular shopping at No Frills, shopping for the basics you pick up every week like milk, bread, and eggs. But I also wait for the big deals to pop-up so I can stock up on longer lasting items – things like laundry soap, pasta, cheese slices etc. No Frills has great sales on these staples and they keep for so long! If you plan ahead for a while you can carry those savings over for months. If you can find a deal on something that you can freeze or that keeps well, it really helps lower the bills for a long time. And you always know you have those items ready-to-go which is great.
One thing I love to make with my discounted finds is sandwich rollups. When the crescent rolls and cheese slices go on sale for $1 and $2 I stock up – the expiry dates are long on those. These roll-ups are simple and delicious. Just roll a slice or two of meat and a slice of cheese into the crescent and bake it per the directions on the package. These are super kid friendly, cheap and easy and great for school lunches. To supplement your roll-ups with a snack, pick-up carrot sticks and ranch dip for $1 each. Pair this with the sandwich roll-ups and you’ve created an easy, inexpensive meal that just takes a minute to assemble. You can get creative with it too – if you use pizza or spaghetti sauce and pepperoni, you can make little pizza rollups. Another great after school snack for the kids. Or turn them into dessert – stuff them with jam, peanut butter or even a bit of chocolate – best $1 dessert around!
Another sale I wait for is on stuffed pasta, they often have great products like Ziggy’s Cheese Tortellini for $2 a pack. Fry up some sausage, add veggies of your choice, (we love peppers as they’re on sale often) and pair it with a nice sauce, which you can find for just $2 a jar. You can make a big pot of pasta for the whole family in under 30 minutes and it’s a lot cheaper, easier and healthier than takeout. You can really customize it for what your family likes too – start with a cream sauce or tomato sauce and then build it from there. See what’s on sale and what you have in the fridge.
These great deals make it easy to plan ahead for busy nights. I love to pick up a lot of those quick and easy ingredients so I can just throw something together at home. Saves time and money, and that’s what being a smart, savvy Frugalista is all about! And don’t forget about the PC Points at No Frills – load your offers and those can really add up. You’re already getting great prices on the groceries, but it’s even nicer to get an extra discount from time to time!
Give these tips a try, and see what happens when you #GetTheFrillOutOfYourBill.