No, I'm not channelling 'Oliver,' nor about to break into spontaneous song and dance - I'm just excited to share a few frugal grocery shopping tips with my loyal readers. Grocery, or food shopping, is one area where everyone, I think, can learn to save a little money.
Of course, shopping can be a daunting experience in Japan to begin with - reading the labels, or even determining just WHAT IS the product, can be a real challenge. So I thought I'd introduce my basic four steps for frugal grocery shopping in Japan - though, really, they could apply anywhere.
1. Scout out your 'shopping terrain' ahead of time.
In Japan, this most often means scoping out all possible supermarkets, green grocers (yaoyasan in Japanese - the small Mom & Pop fruit/veggie shops), and 100/99-yen food shops within walking or biking distance. Consider your strength (how far can you walk laden with 3 or 4 plastic bags of groceries digging into your arms) and cleanliness/taste standards. 100/99-yen food stores are cheap, but frequently sell merchandise close to or past its expiration date. Convenience stores in principle are overpriced, and should not be in a Frugalite's grocery shopping terrain.
2. Begin tracking price trends on items you buy most frequently.
Most people buy/stock the same 15-20 food items (fresh and prepared) every week or two. The best way to save money on food is, of course, to determine which store within your shopping terrain offers the best price consistently on these items. Keeping a "price book" (just a small pocket-size notebook or stack of cards) listing the unit price for these items by location per date will help you keep track of your "best price." If, for example, you buy 200 ML of lowfat milk each week, your research after a few weeks could tell you whether you should buy that milk at Maruetsu, Ito Yokado, or Aeon. What's more, it will also tell you if that "sale" on milk at Aeon is actually a good deal or not. Want to learn more about keeping a price book? See: http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/pricebook.shtml
3. Be on alert for sales and specials.
Japanese supermarkets (with the exception of Walmart subsidiary Seiyu) don't have an "everyday low price" policy. Instead, they rely on daily and/or weekly specials to draw customers. Tuesdays, for example, might be 40% off frozen foods day, while Mondays are 10% off fish day. Newspaper "chirashi" or other advertisements are also a major source of information, though watch out for time limits, item purchase limits, and other conditions. Also, consulting your price book can tell you if the so-called "special deal" is really worth traveling to that particular supermarket for.
4. Shop strategically at two or three locations for your needs.
Now, just put steps 1), 2), and 3) together, and plan your shopping expedition around which store has the best prices on which items. Be sure to remember to bring several large, reusable grocery bags to make transporting your purchases home easier.
Finally, a word of caution: try not to be a "menu-controlled shopper." What I mean is, don't go always shop in search of ingredients for a particular meal or menu. (Ex. "I want to make cream stew today, so I need chicken, potatoes, etc...) Instead, buy your basics (meat, vegetables, fish, fruit, and dairy), and plan your meals AROUND what food is in season and is reasonably priced.(Ex. "Ooh, today eggplant, canned tomatoes, and ground pork are on sale: I'll make spaghetti!) Of course, everyone deserves a treat now and again, but making a habit of shopping to your menu, instead of shopping to the season/prices, will end up costing more in the long run.
By Wendy J. Imura. Copyright 2005.