Grocery Shops

Ok, so not exactly MS related, but we're all doing the Kroger shops right?
What are your favorite items to stock up on that don't go bad quickly.
I buy lots of paper goods, pasta, frozen meals, and soups. What else are good things to stock up on when you don't need any more fresh foods?

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Canned goods, ground turkey, hot dogs, ole wrap, boca burgers, cheese, lunch meat, creamer, nuts. I have a stand alone freezer and it is full.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2023 04:35AM by pegleg2000.
I like to buy things that I would consider a splurge if buying from my own funds. The other day I picked up a roll of Glad Press N Seal wrap. It's not essential to have, but definitely a convenient item for me. I also plan to get some snacks too.
Dish liquid, laundry detergent. They've gotten so darn expensive! Butter, it freezes well.
They aren't offered in Maryland.

"I told myself to quit you; but I don't listen to drunks." -Chris Stapleton
pet food, Tide, Cascade Platinum dishwasher soap, cashews, rice, extra virgin olive oil, Zest or Coast, toothpaste, mouthwash, baggies, foil paper, Northern Ultra Push toilet paper, Brawny or Viva paper towels, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, kale, Arrowhead water, Starbucks Keurig k-cups, almonds, Stevia, spices, paper plates, and various household cleaning and garden supplies. These are things I use daily, but I still manage to maintain several weeks or months supply. Most of the fruit is frozen to use in my daily smoothie.
I find Milk, fresh fruit and some vegetables are best priced at Aldi / Lidl. Most items I consider as a commodity, such as paper and cleaning products. I don't care what name is on the package, it just has to work. The same with automotive items. I don't care what brand of gasoline or motor oil, as long as it's reputable and meets specs. While we have a warehouse club card, I find the the bulk food sizes wasteful and the price not really better than some other store sales; there are some exceptions for us such as baking soda, [real] American cheese, [real cream/sugar] coffee creamer, and some cleaning products. At the quality end of the spectrum, we prefer some of the prepared items at Wegman's such as sushi, chicken cacciatore, sauces and specialty cheeses.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2023 08:15AM by maverick1.
Coffee is near the top of my list! Cereal, granola bars, nuts, dried beans, rice, olive oil, vinegar. I also get paper products, ziplock bags, foil, parchment paper, etc.

I'm also wrestling with this dilemma of over buying this year. I've noticed I end up with more waste and spoiled goods. I could really stand to get a freezer.
I am no linger a member at Costco because I get so many groceries with the Kroger shops.
In addition to many of the items listed...bottled water, zip lock food storage and freezer bags, food storage containers, bathroom tissue, facial tissue, soda, sports drinks, trash bags, diapers, smoked meats, and baby wipes/powder.
I match Kroger sales with digital coupons and rebate apps to get the most bang for my buck. It does add a whole extra layer of work though! Other than that I stick with canned goods, food storage bags, beans, rice, and other pantry staples. And butter, always butter when it's on sale!
Kroger chili with no beans (they were out for a couple months), and canned peaches, except my son got a case of food service canned peaches in #10 cans. So I'm kinda stocked on peaches for now.. lol.

A lot of times I'll get one of the 5 item deals where you get the item for just enough to cover the reimbursement if you buy all 5 items. I do that a lot with butter, and dairy kinda stuff. Not too long ago my son got a new electric tooth brush with replacement heads on a buy one get one free thing with a coupon, and something else, 3 items, $15, all non-food items.
Just read this and got great ideas. I try not to buy things that so bad. So today when in the store not on a shop I walked around and found things like granite cleaner, Lysol cleaner, baby wipes, paper plates, cans of tomato sauce that do not go bad and are usually in stock. Next pick up Friday
When I'm out of stuff I need, I'll pick up canned veggies and pasta and drop them by our food bank.
I tend to stick with pet stuff, cleaning supplies and paper products for pick up shops. In store I get fresh produce and some sale items.
Personal care products, such as deodorant, shampoo ,toothpaste etc are always good. I always get dish soap or laundry soap. Plastic wrap, trash bags, aluminum foil. Sponges and gloves if you use them for laundry or dishes.
I'm getting lots of great ideas. My problem is, I'm on the Whole Foods rounds, and I do Kroger. Whole Foods is so regimented on what you're allowed, so I prefer the Kroger. I have things I definitely need, but then I get lost for "filler items." There's some great ideas here, and I'm adding them to the list.
My original list was:
Frozen dinners, Soda, Napkins, toilet paper, paper towel, soap. And then I own a bar, so I got lots of condiments and such for there. However, there's only so much stock I can keep. I'll use some of these ideas to add to my lists.
@nolimitem wrote:

I'm getting lots of great ideas. My problem is, I'm on the Whole Foods rounds, and I do Kroger. Whole Foods is so regimented on what you're allowed, so I prefer the Kroger. I have things I definitely need, but then I get lost for "filler items." There's some great ideas here, and I'm adding them to the list.
My original list was:
Frozen dinners, Soda, Napkins, toilet paper, paper towel, soap. And then I own a bar, so I got lots of condiments and such for there. However, there's only so much stock I can keep. I'll use some of these ideas to add to my lists.

I think it'd be fun to also come up with a list of filler items. I've noticed some of my favorite fillers have gone up - cilantro was $.50 but is now $.99 and limes were $.33 and are now $.50. When I'm scrounging around for something cheap to add, some of my favorites are a single carrot or a few greenbeans. Occasionally I'll have something that's cheaper than marked that sends me into a panic at self checkout (okay, panic is a bit dramatic), those bananas at self check out have saved me a few times. A small piece of ginger or a jalapeno have also helped me reach the needed total sometimes.

I used to shop grocery stores that didn't have sales so Kroger shops have been a little more eye opening. I like checking out the sale produce for $.99 and have gotten some good deals like bags of pomegranates, zucchini, limes and avocados that way. I was also scrounging the sales area yesterday and found Starbucks holiday coffee on sale. After halloween there was a miracle bag of Reese's in clearance too. Anyway, enough with memory lane but I also find some fillers or sometimes some deals that make me abandon my original plan when I check out the sales areas.

I'd love to hear what others choose for filler items!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2023 01:42PM by olympia tennenbaum.
When I do in-store shops, I always check the clearance to see if there's anything fun for a low price. I also got some great Christmas decorations once they started discounting them.

For pick-up shops, I sometimes get variety snack packs (individual chips, individual cookies, etc.). I keep a few for myself, then put the rest in a plastic bin in the staff kitchen at my day job, labeled "Emergency Snack Supply!" I've increased my popularity among my co-workers. ;-)

If I'm doing a Kroger Marketplace (i.e. one of the big stores with clothing and household items), I definitely check those areas. Recently I got two nice shirts that I can wear to the day job, and was still only at $18.67, so two shirts for 67 cents!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2023 02:41PM by amyann2.
My filler items are the $1.00 bag of nuts at the registers and cold bottled water to drink on my route. I too look for discounted items.
Organic milk, Dog food, toys and leashes; Paper products, heavy duty aluminum foil, parchment paper, Maple Syrup; pocket combs, NexxusTherappe and Humectress shampoos; clearance items; batteries; Automotive fuel additive,

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230
Only one Kroger anywhere near me, and that one is an hour away so I never shop it. I actually have never completed a grocery shop in my 8+ years of shopping. We have 6 people in our house so do quite a bit of grocery shopping. We shop Whole Foods for all meat, seafood, deli meat, yogurt, cheese, ect... Sam's Club for cleaning products, fruits & veggies.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2023 07:47PM by luckygirl0100.
Coffee, canned goods, snacks, dog food (I try to keep a two month supply in the pantry), water, cereal, paper products, etc. I always go to the clearance section right after I complete the Produce area review. Sometimes the namebrand k-cups are like three bucks a box, today I grabbed a couple of boxes of Milkbones for $1.89 each!
Another tip: check the deli dept for reduced price salads and prepared sandwiches or pizzas. We like Southwestern style salads and a few times a month I can find them at half price that are still well within the "use by date".
No Krogers by me. I wish there was a way to figure out MSC for stuff like Giant or Stop N Shop
You can also pickup household items like softener salt, air filters, office supplies and oh yeah, beer is allowed. winking smiley

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/05/2023 03:41AM by JW.
Some of my filler items are individual size ramen soup, yogurt, sports drink and single produce items (banana, orange, apple).
More than once I have had to grab a candy bar at the checkout to meet the spending threshold.
I always look for deals in the Kroger weekly flyer and shop the member coupons. It takes some planning but I find it is worthwhile; today I bought 5 jars of spaghetti sauce at 1.49 each and dryer sheets at 2.49 with the sale I saved $7.00. Cold cereal and oatmeal are also fillers for me.
In the summertime I buy flowers to plant in the yard. It motivates me to keep shopping when I see my shopping flowers blooming.
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