The "Ethnic" Aisle

     I find it so odd that we feel this overwhelming desire to label and categorize everything. The "Ethnic" aisle at the grocery store especially reminds me of this. Why must we label anything not from the U.S as "ethnic"? Isn't American an ethnicity? Why isn't there an ethnic American section? Probably because they already call that the frozen aisle. In any event, the "ethnic" aisles are where you'll find everything from rice and soy sauce, to salsa and matzo mix.

     I've already touched on how really planning your grocery list and sticking to it can save you money. Of course there are tricks to helping your budget stretch even further, once you've mastered the list and planning stages. I know there are TONS of people out there who clip coupons and can buy a cart full of groceries for $3.67. I am not one of those people. Yes, I like a coupon as much as the next gal, but I refuse to spend extra moments of my day searching for them. I scan the fliers that come my way and grab in-store coupons when I see them. I always enter my diaper code points and save my UPC codes for liquor bottle rebates (those add up!) too. But that's about as far as I've been able to bring myself thus far.

     I've also mentioned how shopping at the right location can help your cause. There are countless discount programs, it seems each store has there own, for Pete's sake. Take a few minutes and scope out one for a drug store or discount club nearby. If the details fit your needs then take advantage! Of course we all know about off-brand shopping too. Don't buy the brand name if you can help it, the store brand or others will always be less expensive.

     There are hidden tricks too. Tricks you may never hear about because they are so simple they are often overlooked. In my blog post, "Makin and Grocery List, and Checkin it Twice" I explain that nearly all items that are packaged in the produce section can also be found in a "buy by the weight" capacity. There is no need to buy a 8 oz carton of button mushrooms if all I need is 4 mushrooms. Pick and bag 4 mushrooms and let the cashier weigh out the price at the register. I guarantee the cost will be less and so will your waste.

     Well, the "Ethnic" aisle is another one of those super secret hidden tricks. These aisles are FULL of , what we would call (apparently) normal, everyday food. But here's the thing: it's all cheaper than it is four aisles over! Take, for instance, corn meal. Most people will find the corn meal in the baking aisle, next to the flour and such.

     Now, if you're lucky you will have a couple to choose from. The Quaker corn meal is usually the only kind available and is $2.19 for 24 ounces. I struck gold here and had the Indian Head brand available for $1.59 for 32 ounces!! The two are a slightly different product in that the Indian Head is stone ground and will likely be more coarse than the Quaker brand. If you're not picky, go for the Indian Head, it is clearly the better buy. However, if you prefer the more fine ground product you still have another option: the "Ethnic" aisle.

     It's true you will find smaller amounts of packaging in this aisle, but that only makes me like it more. Here I found the same kind of corn meal, supplied by Goya, for $1.89 for 24 ounces. That's 30 cents less than the Quaker. Why? Because it's in a bag, not a cardboard carton? That has something to do with it. To be honest, I don't care to much. I'm just glad I saved myself money, minimizing waste is an added bonus.

     I will also buy rice, tortillas, Ramen noodles and coconut milk in this aisle, among other treats I stumble across. When buying staple items especially, these aisles really come in handy. You can easily shave $5-$10 off your weekly grocery bill, if not more. I did.

Happy Hunting.

Simple City Sam