Efrain and Jackie show you where the inexpensive groceries are at.
The proliferation of cooking shows on cable television has sparked an renaissance of interest in cooking amongst men, myself included. This experience was soured when I endeavored to prepare a potato leek soup from scratch and tabulated an out- of-pocket cost of over $40.
Supermarket chains depend on the produce section for most of their profits. If the farmers got anywhere near the retail price for their goods, money would indeed grow on trees. You don’t have to accept the generic offerings and overpriced produce at conventional supermarkets. You can realize a tremendous savings by stepping outside of the major supermarket chains for your grocery needs. The eye-opening truth is that fresh produce does not have to be a luxury. Fear not, dear Cheapster, for here are a few places where you can purchase fresh, affordable groceries:
Ethnic Supermarkets: Latin supermarkets are becoming a shopping staple for 
many Southern Californians. My favorite Latin chain is the Vallarta supermarket chain. Not only can you get enough limes for a dollar to make a real “limonada” almost as cheap as Kool-Aid, they also offer a full service mexicatessen with a clean and professional kitchen in full view of shoppers. Most delicatessens put out tubs of potato salad and cured meats for your selection. At Vallarta, you can literally see the entire process, from raw vegetables to the finished product prepared and displayed for your purchase.The chiles rellenos are picture perfect and delicious! There are other chains that follow the same model, notably Cardenas Markets and
many Southern Californians. My favorite Latin chain is the Vallarta supermarket chain. Not only can you get enough limes for a dollar to make a real “limonada” almost as cheap as Kool-Aid, they also offer a full service mexicatessen with a clean and professional kitchen in full view of shoppers. Most delicatessens put out tubs of potato salad and cured meats for your selection. At Vallarta, you can literally see the entire process, from raw vegetables to the finished product prepared and displayed for your purchase.The chiles rellenos are picture perfect and delicious! There are other chains that follow the same model, notably Cardenas Markets and
Not to be outshined, the Ranch 99 market chain has cemented its position as a favored shopping destination for many Asian households. You cannot find a better selection of seafood at a better price. It’s not the salmon and trout that make this place unique, it’s a wide assortment of fresh fish, shellfish and even frogs (both live and skinned for your convenience).One caveat to keep in mind, be wary of any food product imported from China. Their rapid industrial growth is akin to the growth we experienced during the epoch of Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle, with equal disregard for consumer safety. Fortunately for us, law requires that all fresh fish be labeled with an appellation of origin.
The only compromise it that produce you buy at the ethnic supermarkets may not have quite as long a shelf life as what you find at Ralphs or Vons, but the cost savings more than offset this difference. Brand name items are similarly priced no matter where you go, Oreos and Pepsi Cola will not vary in price by any appreciable difference, but with the items that make the biggest difference in your quality of life, there is no question who wins hands down.
Fresh & Easy: This growing supermarket chain has a lot of ready-made meat 
packages that come with seasonings and sides. They also have their 99 cent produce packs, which normally contain a quartet of tomatoes or a couple of pears. These are ideal for people who live alone, and a couple of produce packs lasts for about a week. If you sign up for their mailing list, they’ll send you coupons on a regular basis. The best thing about these coupons is that they’re not discounting a specific food item, but your entire purchase.
packages that come with seasonings and sides. They also have their 99 cent produce packs, which normally contain a quartet of tomatoes or a couple of pears. These are ideal for people who live alone, and a couple of produce packs lasts for about a week. If you sign up for their mailing list, they’ll send you coupons on a regular basis. The best thing about these coupons is that they’re not discounting a specific food item, but your entire purchase.99 Cents Only Stores: Be sure to exercise discretion when purchasing food items here. Many of you may not know that a lot of the food items come directly from the manufacturer, so it’s perfectly fine to eat. Just that the quality when it comes to some of the food may be a bit lacking. I know this because my father, one of the hugest cheapsters that has ever walked the face of the earth, refuses to shop at the 99 cents store because of the “low quality.” However, to my father’s discredit, some of the larger stores have a refridgerated section with lots of fresh, perfectly good produce. I’ve purchased individual packets of salad dressing, nectarines, salad, and fig newtons there and glad to say I’m still alive and kickin’.
Whole Foods: If you go with the generic brand anywhere, that’s definitely going to save you some clams. Whole Foods, although on the pricey side, does have a house brand (Whole Foods 360). So if you stick to those, you will save quite a bit.
Here are a few other tips:
Sales are Supreme: Check the weekly mailers base your meals around what’s on sale. I like to do what I call the “food roll,” meaning at the end of the week I check to see what kinds of ingredients I have a lot of, then plan a meal around that. For instance, if one week I bought supplies to make hard-shelled tacos. Then I noticed that I had a lot of leftover cheese, so bought some potatoes to have a couple of baked potatoes. You can really minimize waste that way.
Versatility: A general rule of resourcefulness is for an item to have multiple uses. So in the case of food, if an ingredient can be used in a variety of dishes, you’ll be more likely to use all of it. If a recipe requires exotic spices or more than a few ingredients, just pass. The simpler the ingredients, the more economical it is.
To Coupon or Not To Coupon? Coupons are only good if you use them, otherwise what’s the point of chasing them down, then going through the trouble of cutting them out and remembering to use them. This may come as a real shocker to you, but I am not much of a coupon person. After attempting to use coupons, I find that I forget to use them. I can stay within my food budget by buying the stuff on sale or eating at Govinda’s, the Hare Krishna restaurant near my house. With most markets nowadays, if you sign up for a club card, they automatically load up their weekly in-store coupons on to your card, which makes saving that much easier. So it’s really up to you if it’s worth your while to be a couponeer.
Consolidate Your Shopping Trips: It’s pure silliness to go to 10 different markets just to save a few pennies on garlic. So stick to just a couple and make sure they’re all in the same vicinity. This will save you time, money, and gas.
