Advice: Saving money on groceries part 2

I recently moved from the 7ème to the 2ème in Lyon (which is in the center) and immediately saw a shocking discovery:  grocery prices were on average €0.30 more than out in the 7ème, so I got an idea to share on how to save some money.

The Super-U out in the 7ème (near Gerland) has grocery prices that are about 30 cents less for the same product.  My advice is simple:  travel and save.  Pick a day during the week when you can take about 2-3 hours to shop and you’ll save between €5 to €15 depending on your purchases.  Here’s my plan to save:

1. As stated before, make a list of meals during the week you plan to eat, and then a shopping list off of that.
2. First grocery store:  Super-U in 69007 (link address)
3. Second stop:  Producer’s Market in 69007 for Fresh Produce (great prices)
4. Third stop:  Picard Surgélées
5. Final stop:   Asian stores for rice, spices or coconut milk

It’s a simple map of places to go, but it’s definitely tiring.  It’s worth it for us because we enjoy eating a variety of foods for less that €35 a person per week.  An example of my list looks like this:

        Menu this Week
        Monday:  Mushroom Wine Pork, Steamed Potatoes, Yogurt Sauce         Tuesday:  Yellow Curry w/ Cilantro Rice         Wednesday:  Cuban Beans & Pork         Thursday:  Quiche Lorraine w/ Fresh Salad         Friday:  Chili Con Carne
        Needed Items
        Super U (around €15.00)
            4-pack yogurt
            2 Cans red beans             
Paté Feuillité (fridgerated crust)             
Milk (2 bottles)             
4 pork chops            
Container smoked chopped bacon (lardon fume)             
1 sm bag shredded cheese             
1 can tomatoes          

Producer’s Market  (around €6.00) 
1 bunch cilantro             
250 grams small potatoes             
1 head garlic             
2 courgettes             
4 tomatoes             
½ bag fresh salad             
1 spicy green pepper             
1 whole green pepper             
6 eggs          

Picard Surgelées  (around €4.00)
 1 bag frozen chopped onion
 1 bag frozen mushrooms          

Asian Market  (around €3.00) 
1 kilo white rice             
 1 can coconut milk             
1 container curry paste

This menu on average costs about €22.00, I’m not including breakfast items, baguettes, teas, household items, etc… but this budgeting will cut a huge chunk out of the cost.

Consider it this way, €22.00 for two people is about €11.00 per person for a 5-day menu dinner. 

That’s like eating a dinner every night for only €2.20 a person!  No starving or eating pasta every night.

Try it once and see the grocery bills come down- especially in France.
Happy grocery-hunting!
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