Back when I was working outside of the home full-time, I still made more than one trip to the grocery store, mostly because I shop at multiple stores to get the best deals at each store. But that doesn’t work for everyone, so here are some tips for saving money while making only grocery store trip each week:

1. Start with a good stockpile. You may need to shop at several stores for a few weeks or months, or simply going to Target or Costco to stock your pantry, but starting with a well-stocked pantry will make Tip #2 easier.
2. Decide on which store to shop at depending on that week’s sales. If you already have a stockpile of staples, then you can go to Ralphs for the produce and meat deals and not have to pay $3 for a box of pasta. (If you don’t have a stockpile, don’t want to go out of your way to start one, and don’t want to pay full price for that box of pasta, explore the store and tinker with your weekly menu to come up with inexpensive meals based on what’s on sale.)
3. Know which store has the lowest price on things you eat that don’t go on sale. For example, I would hit Trader Joe’s once a month to stock up on things that I can stockpile but don’t usually find cheaper than TJ’s every day low price. For example, they have organic American cheese at $3.49, which I can’t find at Ralphs or Vons, and which is more expensive at Whole Foods.
4. Be willing to pass up some good deals. This is actually a key to maintaining your sanity and preventing burnout under any circumstances. (I’ve discussed it before in the context of The Drugstore Game.)
5. Be willing to adapt your menu to what’s available. Plan on planning your menu and your shopping list after you see what’s on sale that week, and you should keep your eyes open as you go through the store and spot the unadvertised specials.
6. Be willing to pay a (small) premium for your mental health. If hitting multiple grocery stores stresses you out, don’t do it! Even if it means you have pay a little extra for food each week. Unless your family is watching every penny out of sheer necessity, in which case hitting multiple stores is probably necessary and therefore less stressful anyway, your mental health is worth a few extra dollars.

My parents always froze bread when I was growing up, so I’ve always done it too. But the other day, my friend K. mentioned that she kept having to throw out stale bread and buy a fresh loaf for her son’s school sandwiches. And I realized that not everybody freezes bread to keep it fresh. But it really works.

I’ve found that store bought sliced bread usually freezes great and it’s easy to peel off just one or two slices at a time.

My homemade sliced bread seems to be more delicate, and I find that I have to freeze it with the slices staggered in order to guarantee easy removal. As you can see in the photo, I just slide the staggered slices into a zip top freezer bag. They never last long enough to suffer freezer burn (I make a loaf every one to two weeks, depending on how many sandwiches we eat).

K. was worried that the bread would be frozen and/or soggy when her son went to eat his sandwich. But I assured her that bread defrosts very quickly, and would be thawed enough for her to cut the sandwich by the time she was done making his sandwich. Using an oil-based condiment such as mayonnaise (me) or butter (K.) prevents the bread from becoming soggy.

Find more Works for Me Wednesday Tips at We Are THAT Family.