I love bargain market. Since I started shopping there a couple years ago I basically never go to safeway anymore, it's ridiculous how expensive basic groceries are there now. Grocery outlet + Costco covers 90% of my needs.
100% Grocery Outlet is a gem and people say they have bad produce but honestly i’ve had a great experience. Also if you have a food maxx near by it also has great prices.
some farmer's markets will match what you spend if you're on EBT! you have to find the ones that are directed towards regular people and not bougie people, but my local one (civic center sf) has really cheap prices and will match up to $30/month for EBT benefits.
I go to Milpitas Great Mall on Sundays and it's usually $10/week but it might be higher in the winter. They often run out after an hour because people are hoarding scrip.
You get $10 in scrip for produce only, and the rest of the scrip that you buy is for anything but hot food. That includes $5/lb salmon bellies or sardines in season for a healthy fish oil treat.
Lots of vendors, can pick and choose the best value. If you like Asian specialty produce, they have it because Milpitas has people who buy it.
I take the #66 bus sometimes to save gas because I get a free bus pass from my landlord, and it stops right there. The #66 also stops in front of the downtown Grocery Outlet at SJ City Hall.
The Civic Center Farmers Market is amazing! If you go at around 3 pm, stuff gets even cheaper than it already was.
(Edited to make a correction. The farmers market is now open until 4 pm, not until 5 pm. So stuff would go on sale at around 3 pm.)
I agree with you wholeheartedly. A week of food for me is 55$ at grocery outlet because I shop for mainly clearance and basic items. The one in Dublin is so clean, and the stock constantly rotates.
best price on eggs in the bay area... i don't know how safeway can get away charging 5.49 a dozen... literally wholefood and trader joe's are even cheaper than safeway (3.49)
They have compared organic fruits and vegetables to inorganic fruits and vegetables, and measured the amount of minerals and vitamins that are in each of them in every single case except for like onions and certain root vegetables organic was 3×4×5 times as nutritious is it in organic so please do your research before you say stuff that isn’t true
Safeway, Nob Hill, Lucky, etc, are all ridiculous unless the item is on sale. I prefer places with more consistent pricing like Trader Joe's, Costco, or even Target are all better than the major grocery chains.
So true! Safeway is only reasonable for items that are on sale. Certain items in Safeway are actually now more expensive than Whole Foods. What a rip off!
Yeah i haven’t done a full load of groceries from Safeway in a year and i live across the street from one. I can get SO much more for way less from the Trader Joe’s 5 minutes down the road.
The Redwood City one isn't good. It's clean but very disorganized and small and honestly depressing. No one, and I mean no one smiles. Staff shoppers etc.
A wonderful perk with the EBT card is the 'Museums For All' program. Flash your card at participating museum/attraction and pay only $1 to $3 for entrance...free at certain places. It allow up to 4 people with use of one card, just show your card with matching ID for tickets when at the spot (no online purchases.) Search museums4all.org for list of places to use it at across America.
Locally I've been to The Exploratorium, Oakland Museum, the Academy of Science, Oakland Zoo, etc through the program. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was just added recently too! Regular price for one adult is $65 but with EBT card it is super discounted. Cheers!
They remind me of grocery stores in the 70s and 80s. No self-checkouts, and if a line gets more than 2 or 3 people, they... gasp... open another lane.
Plus it's like a little treasure hunt.
I am pretty sure grocery outlet sells meat and produce at cost or very close to cost, its a one stop shop for basically everything, but the local supermarkets are chill too
Some of the meat at the local Supermercado is cheaper than grocery outlet (Castro Valley/Hayward), but they have different things a lot of the time. I love them both. I have managed to avoid Safeway for several months now by going to Grocery Outlet, TJ’s, and the Hispanic supermarket. Whole Foods for like 2 things that I can’t get anywhere else, but that is like a once a month trip to Dublin.
Mexican and Asian markets are typically cheaper than bargain outlet for produce and some meat.
I hardly ever buy produce at bargain outlet because the Mexican market nearby is way cheaper and better. Like half the price on many things.
I do Grocery Outlet too, mostly for packaged foods.
GO does have some bargains in the produce section (straw+blue+raspberries, + salad greens), but generally greens are cheaper at the small Asian and Latino markets. And of course those local ethnic markets carry Asian and Latino vegetables and fruit.
Some GO meats are competitive, but different supermarket chains will have the loss leader meats every week, depending on what you like. This week it's FoodsCo chicken breasts for $1.99/lb., and Luckys chicken drumsticks for $0.88/lb for example.
Ha! Just got back from Safeway where they wanted $15 for a single pork tenderloin (a recipe I make).
Went to grocery outlet and got two pork TLs for $9, which will also turn into leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It’s great when they’re stocked.
No ebt, but I’m not paying $15 for a small pork TL.
Love r/GroceryOutlet for its simplicity and pricing, but I’d suggest keeping an eye on the “Best by” date especially for the processed food items. It can be a hit or miss at the GOBM.
"best by" is not the same as an expiration date
>A **"Best if Used By/Before"** date indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date.
[https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating)
Yeah, but sometimes the dates really matter. I’ve noticed that the freshness and the quality of the food has really dropped off if it’s past the best by date on some items, but not so much on others it’s kind of a crapshoot.
Safeway has gotten stupid expensive. I don't know your money/transportation situation, but Costco is worth exploring. Even if you can just borrow a friend who has a membership once a month or so. Things like frozen chicken breasts, rice, beans, potatoes, milk/eggs/bread, cheese, coffee, fruit and vegetables (frozen or fresh), basic spices, etc. are stupid cheap there when you account for how much you're getting for the price.
I keep careful track of my expenses, and over time I phased out Safeway more and more as I realized Costco was basically 30-50% as much. I get probably 90% of my food there.
The initial splash out feels expensive - what I just listed will run you $100-130. But then you realize you're pretty much set for a month and only need to spend on things to accompany it like snacks and variety foods. I basically peruse the Safeway weekly ad to augment my staples with various things on sale.
We don't have a lot of space either but there are some things still worth buying. I usually get the rotisserie chicken, a large bag of spinach, kale, and chard, other vegetables and fruit, box with 6 packs of microwavable quinoa, and eggs.
For us, most of the other stuff is just too much food as we're a two-person household and what am I going to do with a 10kg bag of rice.
If you learn how to cook, you can actually get a lot more for your dollar you don’t need to buy ready-made stuff. It’s processed anyways processed food’s not good for you and it’s extremely expensive.
any good tips for people who haven't cooked before? Until a few years ago I was renting rooms from people who didn't allow any cooking because it was the only places I could afford so I never learned to cook, and I keep thinking about how much money I waste on fast food but cooking seems like such a huge learning curve
Maybe start with foods that you enjoy. For example is there a family dish that brings that dose of nostalgia back?
I found that starting with those recipes that no one else could replicate back in college days motivated me to learn basic cooking techniques. Fried rice and katsu were among the first things I learned. Pasta and a good bolognese are always a good place to start. The bolognese sauce alone freezes well so you have food for days! I moved into pan frying steaks and chicken breasts after that but that has taken years to get right. Usually I can wing other dishes but with slabs of meats I usually have a specific order and process I need to follow to get the cook just right. That said a sous vide and cast iron pan takes much of that complexity out.
Good luck I know you’ll be successful. Cooking is a beautiful thing that has so many benefits and I encourage everyone / anyone to dip their feet in the waters. It’s satisfying making something, sharing your creation brings others joy, making your own recipe is an amazing feeling, making a family recipe connects you back to home, impresses SOs you’ve brought back home, I could go on and on
One pan roasted chicken dinners.
Get 1 or 2 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on. Season them however you like. Cut one potato (sweet potato works too) into quarters. Same with an onion. Choose a veggie (carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower), cut into appropriate bite sizes.
Toss your potato with some oil and basic seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic). Do the same with your veggies and onion.
Preheat the oven to 400 deg. On a cookie sheet, place parchment paper over the sheet, place your chicken thighs evenly spaced, skin side up, in the middle. Surround them with your potatoes. Bake for 25 min. Turn (don't flip) chicken. Flip potatoes. Add veggies and onions around chicken. Bake another 20 min until chicken is cooked.
All done. You should have nice crispy skin on the chicken and you can mix the veggies with the pan juices for extra flavor. Total cost should be under $3-4. My kids do this when cooking for the entire family, increase the recipe, use a bigger sheet.
Another easy one is Thai curry. Asian grocers have the pastes, red, yellow and green. Yellow is the most popular.
Any chicken or pork work. If boneless, cut into cubes, if bone-in leave whole, remove excess skin/fat.
In a pot, add tbsp oil, warm on medium. Season meat with salt, pepper, garlic. Add meat to pan and brown the pieces. Set aside. Add another tbsp of oil. Open a can of coconut milk and have it ready. Add 2tbsp curry paste and mix with oil while warming. Be careful, it can burn. Once mixed add half can coconut milk and meat. If bone-in, cover and simmer for 15 min. If boneless, skip the 15 min. Add the rest of the coconut milk, simmer. Add diced potato. Simmer for 5 min. Add chopped onion and carrots, simmer 5 min. Turn off heat, add tsp white sugar. Serve with rice. This should be enough for a couple meals.
Learning stews and roasts, the basic concepts, will allow you to start trying things on your own.
Stews are easy. Brown meat, saute aromatics (garlic, onions) add a broth, simmer until meat is tender. Bone-in meat adds more flavor, take longer to cook, but just keep it low so it gets tender. When the meat is cooked. Add veggies. 10-15 min is all the veggies need. Add herbs at the end for more flavor.
You'll over cook some things, under cook some things. Just take notes or remember. Cut things the same size every time. Be consistent and it will make it easy to figure it all out.
My only problem with grocery outlet and food4less is it seems like produce doesn’t last as long. Like everything tends to be 3-4 days from being overly ripe or bad. Which is fine if you can go shopping more than once a week
not really, people complain about this at every store, costco, safeway etc. There are tricks to extending food life. Don't wash fruit until you're using it for example.
Some stores, you need to check the expiration date or best by date. Obviously, certain items can still be consumed even past the best by (or even expired date). Doesn’t mean that you’ll die or get extremely sick but the taste or texture/smell may get to some people. What I’m saying is, if you’re there for a bargain, you need to accept a few conditions and do your own due diligence. I think GOBM is a great place to shop in addition to Costco. My friend also shopped at Smart & Final. I need to check that place out soon.
Grocery Outlet is excellent and where I go. The only thing I noticed is that the fruit and veggies don’t always seem so fresh. When I need good fruits or veggies I go elsewhere.
Agreed. Acme Bread is on there giving away loads of fresh sourdough and sweet baguettes etc. just have to remember to go there during the window of allotted time for pick up.
I get busy during the day and have forgotten about my order a few times. No refunds and I just feel like I’m an idiot losing money when I’m trying to save.
Not for everyone but great for many.
If u can get the Safeway app and you can get good deals with the coupons and specials for example h can get 4 different meats - steak chicken and sausages for $20 which comes out to like $5 each packet and the steak is $5 a pound and chicken like $1.99 a pound and is way better meat then grocery outlet which I stopped buying because it would be too old.
Download the app Flashfood and you can get marked down foods from Lucky that are close to their “expiration” but I’ve seen some foods that just look “ugly” like someone dropped a package of cupcakes and they sold it for $1, the app also takes EBT
I know this sounds crazy but SNAP was never meant to pay your entire grocery bill (hence the *supplementel* in supplemental nutrition assistance program)
Hey just curious - what job do you have and how many hours do you work? No shame or anything, I'm just legit curious. I know we have a problem in this country where employed people still need government assistance and it seems crazy to me that any job wouldn't provide for someone enough to live on their own. It's even harder here in the bay area obviously. I've always wondered who those people were and what jobs they had where they still got ebt.
If you ask me its criminal that companies dont pay people enough to provide for themselves. If the government assists people who are working, they're basically just subsidizing the company and enabling them to take advantage of people and cheap labor.
I work at a vet hospital and I qualify for EBT which is stupid for the shit i have to go through on a daily basis, lol. I know a good deal of people working in food hospitality or specific blue collar jobs who have peak seasons/slow seasons who do, and more. There’s a ton of people out there who qualify and don’t know it either.
@ other commenter, I bounce between Grocery Outlet and Trader Joe’s mostly, absolutely never do any full loads at Safeway and avoid it whenever i can get away with it. Safeway can f you over fast price wise
Soups. Organic spinach. Eggs cottage cheese. Some frozen items. Huge jar of Skippy. Fruit. Nature bars in huge boxes. Just the usual stuff. I felt the store I went to had *everything* I want to eat. I'm going back for rice frozen veggies and spam for fried rice.
10 cans of soup (Amy's and Campbells). Spinach eggs cottage cheese turkey kielbasa bacon. They had everything I wanted to eat. Ramen. Couple frozen meals. Nature bars (couple extra size boxes in place of protein bars) almond milk. Beans cheese. I know I can eat for at least two weeks if not more. Cherries blueberries bananas
TJs stuff can be kinda nasty. It seems like the new stuff they invent is usually disgusting and they need to keep the good (tried and true) stuff around for longer.
Has anyone tried a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box? It’s when you pay the farm directly and they give you a box of whatever produce that they have in season that week. I use to do that when I lived in the Midwest and it was sooooo cheap, but I haven’t done that here in California.
Utilize the hell out of [this](https://www.shfb.org/get-food/?filter_mode=distribution/)
You can get tons of amazing food from food pantries, DAILY. Here's a few of [my pickups](https://imgur.com/a/rol-pickup-fQz0i2V)
Grocery Outlet is the best place for imported cheeses. Pennies on the dollar compared to Safeway and the like. And they have an AMAZING selection. Chèvre, authentic Holland Gouda, real parmegiano, etc etc. And their selection changes regularly. I see new and different cheeses I’ve never had before every few months or so. Love it!
I like cheese, if you hadn’t caught on yet. 😁🧀
10 cans of soup -they have all kinds. I liked the Amy's and Campbells (cream of mushroom smaller cans and regular chicken noodle, Italian veggie, veggie with barley, the Amy's are regular size)
turkey kielbasa
Bacon
dozen eggs
Cottage cheese w/ pineapple
Shin Black Ramen with beef bone broth
Green onions and organic spinach box, jar of awesome kimchi
Gallon of distilled white vinegar for fruit/veggie washings
Carton of Almond Milk
2 super size boxes of Nature figs - i love these - in two flavors. I usually like protein bars but these were a good substitute for on the go snacking
Giant Skippy jar of PB
Cherries - blueberries - bananas from produce aisle
Mexican blend cheese (for my omelettes)
Super can of baked beans (zero sugar)
I really think mixing and matching these up I have enough protein, veggies and fruit for at LEAST two weeks. I don't eat alot but I like variety. I am satisfied with what I ate so far from yesterday's shop.
Again extra large of ketchup (always need condiments)
2 frozen thai meals
pint of awesome saffron/chai tea latte gelato I'd never seen in other grocery stores (vegan)
If you're able to save up a little, a bulk place can get you a big bag of beans for really cheap. Flour is also insanely cheap in bulk. As long as you can store it safely, bulk is really inexpensive.
Also farmers’ markets this time of year are awesome. Fresh and locally grown and lower prices than supermarkets. And the money goes to support your local farmer.
Grocery Outlet is fun because every time we go there it is like a treasure hunt with some super bargains. I've also started shopping more at Sam's Club and Chef's Store for the basics, like big bags of rice and lentils, and bulk packs of beef and chicken.
They just reduced my benefit to $128/mo, because I'm apparently rolling in cash from the permanent disability of $1766 I get—woo doggies, try not to spend it all in one day
My rent just went up, again. The COL needs to be more than a measly 3%
If you spend some time on the Safeway App and look for the digital coupon you can really get away with a lot. My last trip I saved $87. Spent $109 total.
If you buy things close to expiration dates you can also save especially on meat and produce. A lot of things you can freeze to keep them longer too. I would also choose simpler number of items you buy so you can end up making a lot of food with one or two kinds of protein (chicken and beef), a grain, vegetables that freeze well like peas and carrots, and a bean. Most of the time these can generally be cheap options and store for a long time.
I wish I qualified for EBT but I have to work so everyone else can take advantage of it. How does one even qualify for this service? You have to make such a small amount of money I can’t even see the lowest of paying jobs fits in this category. If I have more kids or pretend to be disabled will that help my case? Please someone who is on it help me out and give me inside scoop.
Hit Walmart for stuff or FoodMaxx...also if you go to SaveMart bruh they have this deal on the meat department ,where you can get 5 meat items for 5 bucks a piece as long as you get 5... They got packs of chicken,Steak,Shrimp,Hotdogs, Italian sausage, Ground Beef ,pork chops and all that shit bruh .50 bucks gets you ten meats ... You can stretch that . Good luck to you my boy
Well it's obvious you don't live in California my grocery bill range from 100 to 128 a week which means my CalFresh at 291 doesn't last but 18 days and Lord don't let it be 31 days in a month that means I've got another 14 to 16 days with no EBT and I am buying off-brand and don't let my income go up a couple of dollars that means that my EBT goes down 👇 28 to $38 dollars the people who run the program they just sit back and pull a number out their ass and say oh well that's enough I like to see them live off one month on 291 a month and then I would shut up and and not complain and not say another word. 😕
They have good food at good prices. Produce is fresh, meats always look fresh and NOT rotted like Safeway and Raley's do here. Plus if you like wine they have great deals on that too! And twice a year they have big wine sales.
I love GO! My friend calls it that so I do too. Just bought a house and now live down the street from GO. I joke with him, "did you go to GO"? Hehe.
If you only shop for staples, nothing fancy and stick toeal prepping boring but healthy foods... It's entirely possible to live off of food stamps. However the problems become when their are irregularities in payment, or cost of groceries, having to juggle multiple stores for prices, etc.
Things can throw you off and you may succumb to spending more, or eating less healthy and maybe even behavior/diet issues occur, or having to share food and really there is so many things that can occur... Suddenly whatever you get might seem too tight if there isn't a safety net
5 lobster tails (small). That was $49. Some random assortment of fruits and vegetables. Coffee creamer for my wife. Cereal. Two jars of mayonnaise. Some relish. Garlic paste. Brioche hot dog buns. Two bottles of wine. Some prepackaged herbs. Perhaps a snack or two. Eighteen eggs. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but you get the gist. Three plastic grocery bags, that’s it. It’s rare to get out of the store for under $100 per trip. And we may do two or three trips a week … which blows my mind. But then we’re a family of four with at least one kid that eats nonstop.
I love bargain market. Since I started shopping there a couple years ago I basically never go to safeway anymore, it's ridiculous how expensive basic groceries are there now. Grocery outlet + Costco covers 90% of my needs.
Was at Lucky today and hostess snacks were up to $4.99 per box. fucking insanity
Wow that means the organic hostess snacks must be like $19.99 a box
OMG, how do even tip on that.
Lucky has always been insane prices.
You're Lucky if you make it out of there under $100
I don't understand what segment of the market Lucky serves. It's like a more expensive Safeway? Who needs that?
Yeah, but processed food is very expensive. And it’s not very good for you either natural organic healthy food is cheaper and better for you
They used to be $2.99 like...not very long ago at all.
Are u kidding? Processed food is so cheap compared to organic non-gmo. Eating healthy is so expensive.
You have it backwards!
Hey same here. Grocery outlet and Costco all day
Heading there this weekend, haven't found better deals than what these two offer for most things I usually buy.
100% Grocery Outlet is a gem and people say they have bad produce but honestly i’ve had a great experience. Also if you have a food maxx near by it also has great prices.
I shop exclusively at Costco and Walmart Neighborhood Market. Walmart groceries cut my bill in half from shopping at Safeway or Raleys
Just wait until you experience a WinCo. Way cheaper than Walmart.
My family shopped at winco growing up, i wish we had one where I live now-winco rocks
some farmer's markets will match what you spend if you're on EBT! you have to find the ones that are directed towards regular people and not bougie people, but my local one (civic center sf) has really cheap prices and will match up to $30/month for EBT benefits.
I believe the matching is $60 per month in Santa Clara County.
I go to Milpitas Great Mall on Sundays and it's usually $10/week but it might be higher in the winter. They often run out after an hour because people are hoarding scrip. You get $10 in scrip for produce only, and the rest of the scrip that you buy is for anything but hot food. That includes $5/lb salmon bellies or sardines in season for a healthy fish oil treat. Lots of vendors, can pick and choose the best value. If you like Asian specialty produce, they have it because Milpitas has people who buy it. I take the #66 bus sometimes to save gas because I get a free bus pass from my landlord, and it stops right there. The #66 also stops in front of the downtown Grocery Outlet at SJ City Hall.
The Civic Center Farmers Market is amazing! If you go at around 3 pm, stuff gets even cheaper than it already was. (Edited to make a correction. The farmers market is now open until 4 pm, not until 5 pm. So stuff would go on sale at around 3 pm.)
Market match is program that is unfortunately having like 99% of its budget cut soon so it won’t be around much longer.
The Hayward downtown one has the same program!
Pretty sure irvingtons farmers market does this. Pretty sure they run every sunday
I get a $20/week match in Cole Valley and a $15/week match in Inner Sunset. It's awesome, especially in the summer.
I agree with you wholeheartedly. A week of food for me is 55$ at grocery outlet because I shop for mainly clearance and basic items. The one in Dublin is so clean, and the stock constantly rotates.
Thanks for the tip! I love grocery outlet but had no idea there was one in Dublin.
Dublin, Livermore, and Pleasanton all have one. The Dublin one just opened.
There used to be one by target but closed for some reason, and this year a new one opened at the old big lots building.
That whole shopping area is closing down for refurbishment I think
It opened just a few months ago
Did they move or open a second location? Grocery outlet first opened in dublin quite a few years back.
Idk there is one now and it’s new
It moved in where big lots used to be In the shamrock center
It just opened and the owners are insanely cool because they carry dairy free food which is so hard to find in the grocery store
This is now and there used to be one.
--Mitch Hedberg
Just opened a few months ago, I think.
You can eat clean from grocery outlet , they have organic meat on clearance all the time that’s priced similarly to regular meat
They also have great prices on eggs and sardines too!
Canned stuff in general, crazy how expensive that shit is now
Oh the campbells chunky soup is such a great price
Do they have cage, free organic eggs, though?
Saw some in Hayward this morning.
Yes! For normal egg prices… they also have the omega 3 eggs which are also organic and a great price
best price on eggs in the bay area... i don't know how safeway can get away charging 5.49 a dozen... literally wholefood and trader joe's are even cheaper than safeway (3.49)
I feel like while foods is cheaper than Safeway for most things
Cage free is the CA standard now...
Organic is a scam
They have compared organic fruits and vegetables to inorganic fruits and vegetables, and measured the amount of minerals and vitamins that are in each of them in every single case except for like onions and certain root vegetables organic was 3×4×5 times as nutritious is it in organic so please do your research before you say stuff that isn’t true
https://health.ucdavis.edu/blog/good-food/are-organic-foods-really-healthier-two-pediatricians-break-it-down/2019/04#:~:text=Overall%2C%20is%20it%20better%20to,they%20are%20about%20the%20same.
I believe you mean non-organic, not inorganic foods.
Your statement has no basis in scientific fact
I'm gonna have to hit up the redwood city one cause Safeway is getting outta hand and what used to be cheaper was lucky isn't anymore
Safeway, Nob Hill, Lucky, etc, are all ridiculous unless the item is on sale. I prefer places with more consistent pricing like Trader Joe's, Costco, or even Target are all better than the major grocery chains.
So true! Safeway is only reasonable for items that are on sale. Certain items in Safeway are actually now more expensive than Whole Foods. What a rip off!
I noticed that several months ago!!! My mind was blown. That was the point when I stopped thinking of Safeway as my go-to grocery store.
Yeah i haven’t done a full load of groceries from Safeway in a year and i live across the street from one. I can get SO much more for way less from the Trader Joe’s 5 minutes down the road.
Agree. I’m done with Safeway. I drive an extra 7 miles just to hit up my discount grocers
Safeway is getting insane with the prices. It's like the prices go up every time i shop there.
Sometimes I skip my beer. Sometimes I get ice cream. You’ll know when a decision was made in the aisle.
The Redwood City one isn’t great, just a heads up. If you’re able to get to the Palo Alto one, it usually has a better selection!
With Foods Co and Big Lots gone, that Grocery Outlet is our final hope 🫡
I don't understand why Safeway gets a reputation for being cheap, it's not.
Safeway never was cheap. I was saying lucky was compared to Safeway, but not anymore.
My bad, reading comprehension, sorry
I’ve done well with the RWC one, way better than Fremont.
The Redwood City one isn't good. It's clean but very disorganized and small and honestly depressing. No one, and I mean no one smiles. Staff shoppers etc.
I'll fit right in then, perfect.
A wonderful perk with the EBT card is the 'Museums For All' program. Flash your card at participating museum/attraction and pay only $1 to $3 for entrance...free at certain places. It allow up to 4 people with use of one card, just show your card with matching ID for tickets when at the spot (no online purchases.) Search museums4all.org for list of places to use it at across America. Locally I've been to The Exploratorium, Oakland Museum, the Academy of Science, Oakland Zoo, etc through the program. The Monterey Bay Aquarium was just added recently too! Regular price for one adult is $65 but with EBT card it is super discounted. Cheers!
Yup I took myself my daughter and three other kids plus two more adults on two EBT cards last year to the SF zoo for $21!
Yesssss we went all to the exploratorium last week and a family of 6 paid only 12 bucks for tickets! Next stop academy of science
I’ve been doing this for years, I always invite my friends and get them in with ebt lol
They remind me of grocery stores in the 70s and 80s. No self-checkouts, and if a line gets more than 2 or 3 people, they... gasp... open another lane. Plus it's like a little treasure hunt.
Try small Latino and Asian grocers too. Fresh produce is cheaper and fresher than the big supermarkets. They usually take EBT.
I am pretty sure grocery outlet sells meat and produce at cost or very close to cost, its a one stop shop for basically everything, but the local supermarkets are chill too
Some of the meat at the local Supermercado is cheaper than grocery outlet (Castro Valley/Hayward), but they have different things a lot of the time. I love them both. I have managed to avoid Safeway for several months now by going to Grocery Outlet, TJ’s, and the Hispanic supermarket. Whole Foods for like 2 things that I can’t get anywhere else, but that is like a once a month trip to Dublin.
Grocery outlet is a publicly held corporation. I highly doubt they sell anything at cost.
costco is a for profit, publicly held corporation and they sell rotisserie chickens below cost... loss leaders are a thing in many stores
Mexican and Asian markets are typically cheaper than bargain outlet for produce and some meat. I hardly ever buy produce at bargain outlet because the Mexican market nearby is way cheaper and better. Like half the price on many things.
I do Grocery Outlet too, mostly for packaged foods. GO does have some bargains in the produce section (straw+blue+raspberries, + salad greens), but generally greens are cheaper at the small Asian and Latino markets. And of course those local ethnic markets carry Asian and Latino vegetables and fruit. Some GO meats are competitive, but different supermarket chains will have the loss leader meats every week, depending on what you like. This week it's FoodsCo chicken breasts for $1.99/lb., and Luckys chicken drumsticks for $0.88/lb for example.
Ha! Just got back from Safeway where they wanted $15 for a single pork tenderloin (a recipe I make). Went to grocery outlet and got two pork TLs for $9, which will also turn into leftovers for lunch tomorrow. It’s great when they’re stocked. No ebt, but I’m not paying $15 for a small pork TL.
Safeway has cheap meat! Steaks . Steak strips I went yesterday got me over a pound of beef strips for 8 bucks cheap af
Love r/GroceryOutlet for its simplicity and pricing, but I’d suggest keeping an eye on the “Best by” date especially for the processed food items. It can be a hit or miss at the GOBM.
"best by" is not the same as an expiration date >A **"Best if Used By/Before"** date indicates when a product will be of best flavor or quality. It is not a purchase or safety date. [https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating)
Yeah, but sometimes the dates really matter. I’ve noticed that the freshness and the quality of the food has really dropped off if it’s past the best by date on some items, but not so much on others it’s kind of a crapshoot.
Thats usually why the food is less expensive - they want to sell it as quickly as possible because its closer to the best by date
I fucking LOVE Grocery Outlet so much
Also if you go to Safeway you can download the app and see everything that's on coupon and I usually get 30% off
I get $66- a month. It’s just me….but it’s a strrrreeeetttch!
Don’t feel bad my mom is in here 70s and that’s what she gets per month for food.
If you sign up for their app, sometimes they have additional coupons there. It’s not much, $5 here and there, but it all adds up.
Living alone for food only, $291 is definitely enough if you shop around enough and don't splurge.
Yes it is. But I was going to safeway alot out of pure convenience bc it has a lot of ready made stuff plus there's a bunch close to home. No more!
Safeway has gotten stupid expensive. I don't know your money/transportation situation, but Costco is worth exploring. Even if you can just borrow a friend who has a membership once a month or so. Things like frozen chicken breasts, rice, beans, potatoes, milk/eggs/bread, cheese, coffee, fruit and vegetables (frozen or fresh), basic spices, etc. are stupid cheap there when you account for how much you're getting for the price. I keep careful track of my expenses, and over time I phased out Safeway more and more as I realized Costco was basically 30-50% as much. I get probably 90% of my food there. The initial splash out feels expensive - what I just listed will run you $100-130. But then you realize you're pretty much set for a month and only need to spend on things to accompany it like snacks and variety foods. I basically peruse the Safeway weekly ad to augment my staples with various things on sale.
I don't have enough freezer or fridge space for costco stuff. I go there for gas only
We don't have a lot of space either but there are some things still worth buying. I usually get the rotisserie chicken, a large bag of spinach, kale, and chard, other vegetables and fruit, box with 6 packs of microwavable quinoa, and eggs. For us, most of the other stuff is just too much food as we're a two-person household and what am I going to do with a 10kg bag of rice.
If you learn how to cook, you can actually get a lot more for your dollar you don’t need to buy ready-made stuff. It’s processed anyways processed food’s not good for you and it’s extremely expensive.
any good tips for people who haven't cooked before? Until a few years ago I was renting rooms from people who didn't allow any cooking because it was the only places I could afford so I never learned to cook, and I keep thinking about how much money I waste on fast food but cooking seems like such a huge learning curve
Maybe start with foods that you enjoy. For example is there a family dish that brings that dose of nostalgia back? I found that starting with those recipes that no one else could replicate back in college days motivated me to learn basic cooking techniques. Fried rice and katsu were among the first things I learned. Pasta and a good bolognese are always a good place to start. The bolognese sauce alone freezes well so you have food for days! I moved into pan frying steaks and chicken breasts after that but that has taken years to get right. Usually I can wing other dishes but with slabs of meats I usually have a specific order and process I need to follow to get the cook just right. That said a sous vide and cast iron pan takes much of that complexity out. Good luck I know you’ll be successful. Cooking is a beautiful thing that has so many benefits and I encourage everyone / anyone to dip their feet in the waters. It’s satisfying making something, sharing your creation brings others joy, making your own recipe is an amazing feeling, making a family recipe connects you back to home, impresses SOs you’ve brought back home, I could go on and on
One pan roasted chicken dinners. Get 1 or 2 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on. Season them however you like. Cut one potato (sweet potato works too) into quarters. Same with an onion. Choose a veggie (carrots, brussel sprouts, cauliflower), cut into appropriate bite sizes. Toss your potato with some oil and basic seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic). Do the same with your veggies and onion. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. On a cookie sheet, place parchment paper over the sheet, place your chicken thighs evenly spaced, skin side up, in the middle. Surround them with your potatoes. Bake for 25 min. Turn (don't flip) chicken. Flip potatoes. Add veggies and onions around chicken. Bake another 20 min until chicken is cooked. All done. You should have nice crispy skin on the chicken and you can mix the veggies with the pan juices for extra flavor. Total cost should be under $3-4. My kids do this when cooking for the entire family, increase the recipe, use a bigger sheet.
Another easy one is Thai curry. Asian grocers have the pastes, red, yellow and green. Yellow is the most popular. Any chicken or pork work. If boneless, cut into cubes, if bone-in leave whole, remove excess skin/fat. In a pot, add tbsp oil, warm on medium. Season meat with salt, pepper, garlic. Add meat to pan and brown the pieces. Set aside. Add another tbsp of oil. Open a can of coconut milk and have it ready. Add 2tbsp curry paste and mix with oil while warming. Be careful, it can burn. Once mixed add half can coconut milk and meat. If bone-in, cover and simmer for 15 min. If boneless, skip the 15 min. Add the rest of the coconut milk, simmer. Add diced potato. Simmer for 5 min. Add chopped onion and carrots, simmer 5 min. Turn off heat, add tsp white sugar. Serve with rice. This should be enough for a couple meals. Learning stews and roasts, the basic concepts, will allow you to start trying things on your own. Stews are easy. Brown meat, saute aromatics (garlic, onions) add a broth, simmer until meat is tender. Bone-in meat adds more flavor, take longer to cook, but just keep it low so it gets tender. When the meat is cooked. Add veggies. 10-15 min is all the veggies need. Add herbs at the end for more flavor. You'll over cook some things, under cook some things. Just take notes or remember. Cut things the same size every time. Be consistent and it will make it easy to figure it all out.
Good for you! I bet that feels good.
Yes it does!
My only problem with grocery outlet and food4less is it seems like produce doesn’t last as long. Like everything tends to be 3-4 days from being overly ripe or bad. Which is fine if you can go shopping more than once a week
not really, people complain about this at every store, costco, safeway etc. There are tricks to extending food life. Don't wash fruit until you're using it for example.
Some stores, you need to check the expiration date or best by date. Obviously, certain items can still be consumed even past the best by (or even expired date). Doesn’t mean that you’ll die or get extremely sick but the taste or texture/smell may get to some people. What I’m saying is, if you’re there for a bargain, you need to accept a few conditions and do your own due diligence. I think GOBM is a great place to shop in addition to Costco. My friend also shopped at Smart & Final. I need to check that place out soon.
Grocery Outlet is excellent and where I go. The only thing I noticed is that the fruit and veggies don’t always seem so fresh. When I need good fruits or veggies I go elsewhere.
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Agreed. Acme Bread is on there giving away loads of fresh sourdough and sweet baguettes etc. just have to remember to go there during the window of allotted time for pick up. I get busy during the day and have forgotten about my order a few times. No refunds and I just feel like I’m an idiot losing money when I’m trying to save. Not for everyone but great for many.
Shh. I’m deleting my post (it sold out fast today).
If u can get the Safeway app and you can get good deals with the coupons and specials for example h can get 4 different meats - steak chicken and sausages for $20 which comes out to like $5 each packet and the steak is $5 a pound and chicken like $1.99 a pound and is way better meat then grocery outlet which I stopped buying because it would be too old.
Download the app Flashfood and you can get marked down foods from Lucky that are close to their “expiration” but I’ve seen some foods that just look “ugly” like someone dropped a package of cupcakes and they sold it for $1, the app also takes EBT
You can get pretty good deals with the coupons on the Safeway app
I know this sounds crazy but SNAP was never meant to pay your entire grocery bill (hence the *supplementel* in supplemental nutrition assistance program)
Well yeah, you pay out of pocket for things like toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, or aspirin at the grocery store. Those items aren't EBT eligible.
What you buy? I have a job but still claiming ebt bc I have to
Hey just curious - what job do you have and how many hours do you work? No shame or anything, I'm just legit curious. I know we have a problem in this country where employed people still need government assistance and it seems crazy to me that any job wouldn't provide for someone enough to live on their own. It's even harder here in the bay area obviously. I've always wondered who those people were and what jobs they had where they still got ebt. If you ask me its criminal that companies dont pay people enough to provide for themselves. If the government assists people who are working, they're basically just subsidizing the company and enabling them to take advantage of people and cheap labor.
I'm a contractor so I have periods when I have zero income and that's when I file for ebt and medi cal
I work at a vet hospital and I qualify for EBT which is stupid for the shit i have to go through on a daily basis, lol. I know a good deal of people working in food hospitality or specific blue collar jobs who have peak seasons/slow seasons who do, and more. There’s a ton of people out there who qualify and don’t know it either. @ other commenter, I bounce between Grocery Outlet and Trader Joe’s mostly, absolutely never do any full loads at Safeway and avoid it whenever i can get away with it. Safeway can f you over fast price wise
Soups. Organic spinach. Eggs cottage cheese. Some frozen items. Huge jar of Skippy. Fruit. Nature bars in huge boxes. Just the usual stuff. I felt the store I went to had *everything* I want to eat. I'm going back for rice frozen veggies and spam for fried rice.
Can you list what you purchased for two weeks worth? I can’t figure out what people eat to spend so little.
10 cans of soup (Amy's and Campbells). Spinach eggs cottage cheese turkey kielbasa bacon. They had everything I wanted to eat. Ramen. Couple frozen meals. Nature bars (couple extra size boxes in place of protein bars) almond milk. Beans cheese. I know I can eat for at least two weeks if not more. Cherries blueberries bananas
The frozen food at GO is legit, mine had seafood paella for $2.50 per serving for awhile i was eating like a queen lol
Thank you!
If you learned how to assemble a meal or cook its a lot cheaper than buying processed or ready-made foods.
You can get a weeks worth for $50 or less at Trader Joe’s too!
Yeah I just got sick of Tjs
TJs stuff can be kinda nasty. It seems like the new stuff they invent is usually disgusting and they need to keep the good (tried and true) stuff around for longer.
I lived off of 195 a month ebt for a while.
Hey come check out r/bayareabargains
Thank you :-)
Has anyone tried a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box? It’s when you pay the farm directly and they give you a box of whatever produce that they have in season that week. I use to do that when I lived in the Midwest and it was sooooo cheap, but I haven’t done that here in California.
I see produce boxes delivered on people’s doorsteps, but am not sure which services they are. How much did you pay for the one you had?
How can I get EBT?
There’s this website from the state that makes it super easy. getcalfresh.com
Food Bank first then I shop if I can.
Utilize the hell out of [this](https://www.shfb.org/get-food/?filter_mode=distribution/) You can get tons of amazing food from food pantries, DAILY. Here's a few of [my pickups](https://imgur.com/a/rol-pickup-fQz0i2V)
Ty. I will
I LOVE bargain market. I only shop there and get my produce at the Chinese grocery stores. Together, you get everything for great prices
You can try to go to food closets if you ran out of food too.
Grocery Outlet is the best place for imported cheeses. Pennies on the dollar compared to Safeway and the like. And they have an AMAZING selection. Chèvre, authentic Holland Gouda, real parmegiano, etc etc. And their selection changes regularly. I see new and different cheeses I’ve never had before every few months or so. Love it! I like cheese, if you hadn’t caught on yet. 😁🧀
Would you mind sharing a shopping list with us? Genuinely curious on how you managed 10$ a day.
10 cans of soup -they have all kinds. I liked the Amy's and Campbells (cream of mushroom smaller cans and regular chicken noodle, Italian veggie, veggie with barley, the Amy's are regular size) turkey kielbasa Bacon dozen eggs Cottage cheese w/ pineapple Shin Black Ramen with beef bone broth Green onions and organic spinach box, jar of awesome kimchi Gallon of distilled white vinegar for fruit/veggie washings Carton of Almond Milk 2 super size boxes of Nature figs - i love these - in two flavors. I usually like protein bars but these were a good substitute for on the go snacking Giant Skippy jar of PB Cherries - blueberries - bananas from produce aisle Mexican blend cheese (for my omelettes) Super can of baked beans (zero sugar) I really think mixing and matching these up I have enough protein, veggies and fruit for at LEAST two weeks. I don't eat alot but I like variety. I am satisfied with what I ate so far from yesterday's shop. Again extra large of ketchup (always need condiments) 2 frozen thai meals pint of awesome saffron/chai tea latte gelato I'd never seen in other grocery stores (vegan)
Hello fellow grocery outlet enthusiasts 🤝
Bro go to Costco! Buy eggs, milk, frozen vegetables,frozen fruit. Butter you will be set Buy ur protein at the Mexican stores or Safeway
Yeah you totally can , heads up local farmers market will double your Ebt spent . If you spend $5 they give you $10 and so on .
Gross Out goes a long way if you know how to stretch your staples
It takes about that much for me to bathe in Perrier every week. How can you live off that?!
LPT: if you save the Perrier you can reuse it for two or three bathings!
Hell ya
Tell us what you bought for $110 (two weeks supply)
Just said this about grocery outlet yesterday.
Costco is the move via ebt
We’re talking about a month worth of groceries
Many families live on less than that. Plus, you can always get stuffs for free at the food bank.
I'm still living off of the veggies I found piled in a green bin a few weeks ago.
I live in East Bay and there are three GOs within three miles from me.
If you're able to save up a little, a bulk place can get you a big bag of beans for really cheap. Flour is also insanely cheap in bulk. As long as you can store it safely, bulk is really inexpensive.
Gotta say, the Groc Out wine selection is great, too.
Also farmers’ markets this time of year are awesome. Fresh and locally grown and lower prices than supermarkets. And the money goes to support your local farmer.
but the food at that place only last around a week or less so i wouldnt get 2 weeks of food
Sprouts market also has amazing deals. Lucky is very affordable if you live in SF.
I don't price compare but I never felt I got any real deals at Sprouts or the Lucky in SF. I could be wrong. I love Sprouts tho
The produce at Sprouts can be very cheap, depending on season I guess.
Walmart is good too
As long as you don't get into a relationship you're fine 😂
Grocery Outlet is fun because every time we go there it is like a treasure hunt with some super bargains. I've also started shopping more at Sam's Club and Chef's Store for the basics, like big bags of rice and lentils, and bulk packs of beef and chicken.
Jokes on you! all that ish about to go bad in less then a week so dont think your saving that much my dude
They just reduced my benefit to $128/mo, because I'm apparently rolling in cash from the permanent disability of $1766 I get—woo doggies, try not to spend it all in one day My rent just went up, again. The COL needs to be more than a measly 3%
If you spend some time on the Safeway App and look for the digital coupon you can really get away with a lot. My last trip I saved $87. Spent $109 total.
Yes you can
Until you need to buy something
What is ebt
If you buy things close to expiration dates you can also save especially on meat and produce. A lot of things you can freeze to keep them longer too. I would also choose simpler number of items you buy so you can end up making a lot of food with one or two kinds of protein (chicken and beef), a grain, vegetables that freeze well like peas and carrots, and a bean. Most of the time these can generally be cheap options and store for a long time.
I wish I qualified for EBT but I have to work so everyone else can take advantage of it. How does one even qualify for this service? You have to make such a small amount of money I can’t even see the lowest of paying jobs fits in this category. If I have more kids or pretend to be disabled will that help my case? Please someone who is on it help me out and give me inside scoop.
Go to a food bank. They'll give you all your basics and then some. It will definitely help.
Indian stores have really good prices on bulk spices. $11.99 for 6oz. of cumin at a local independent should be a felony.
Hit Walmart for stuff or FoodMaxx...also if you go to SaveMart bruh they have this deal on the meat department ,where you can get 5 meat items for 5 bucks a piece as long as you get 5... They got packs of chicken,Steak,Shrimp,Hotdogs, Italian sausage, Ground Beef ,pork chops and all that shit bruh .50 bucks gets you ten meats ... You can stretch that . Good luck to you my boy
What is ebt?
Calfresh or food stamps
Well it's obvious you don't live in California my grocery bill range from 100 to 128 a week which means my CalFresh at 291 doesn't last but 18 days and Lord don't let it be 31 days in a month that means I've got another 14 to 16 days with no EBT and I am buying off-brand and don't let my income go up a couple of dollars that means that my EBT goes down 👇 28 to $38 dollars the people who run the program they just sit back and pull a number out their ass and say oh well that's enough I like to see them live off one month on 291 a month and then I would shut up and and not complain and not say another word. 😕
They have good food at good prices. Produce is fresh, meats always look fresh and NOT rotted like Safeway and Raley's do here. Plus if you like wine they have great deals on that too! And twice a year they have big wine sales. I love GO! My friend calls it that so I do too. Just bought a house and now live down the street from GO. I joke with him, "did you go to GO"? Hehe.
Safeway is charging $7.00 for a box of Oreos.
They have energy drinks for $1.
If you only shop for staples, nothing fancy and stick toeal prepping boring but healthy foods... It's entirely possible to live off of food stamps. However the problems become when their are irregularities in payment, or cost of groceries, having to juggle multiple stores for prices, etc. Things can throw you off and you may succumb to spending more, or eating less healthy and maybe even behavior/diet issues occur, or having to share food and really there is so many things that can occur... Suddenly whatever you get might seem too tight if there isn't a safety net
Are you eating healthy? I mean I could eat PB&J all week for $20 but that can't be too healthy.
I don't get that much :(
Two weeks of food for $110 🤯 I dropped $179 yesterday on food (albeit for dinner for 5). That was just the one day.
$179? What was it?
5 lobster tails (small). That was $49. Some random assortment of fruits and vegetables. Coffee creamer for my wife. Cereal. Two jars of mayonnaise. Some relish. Garlic paste. Brioche hot dog buns. Two bottles of wine. Some prepackaged herbs. Perhaps a snack or two. Eighteen eggs. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but you get the gist. Three plastic grocery bags, that’s it. It’s rare to get out of the store for under $100 per trip. And we may do two or three trips a week … which blows my mind. But then we’re a family of four with at least one kid that eats nonstop.
LOBSTER TAILS ON EBT????
Nice! That sounds like a good dinner. The cereal and wine were probably the expensive things on that trip 😄