But driving all around town trying to find the best prices just wastes gas- here in Houston that would be gas mileage-murder because of traffic and being such a big city.

I don't think it's a question of driving around town -- you just choose the store you go to according to what you need. If I need a lot of staples, I'll go to Aldi, because there's a big price differential there; but if I need produce I'll go to Food Lion b/c there's better selection but it's still cheap. Then the other little things you need, you just get wherever you happen to be. Basic pasta, say, is going to be the same price anywhere.

Super-frugal people keep a price book that tracks prices of individual items at individual stores ... "apples average $1.59 a pound at Kroger, they average $1.87 a pound at Hy-Vee, and this week at Ralphs they're $1.35 a pound, which is a GREAT sale." It seems like a lot of work but I guess if you're focused on dollars you do it!

I go to the farmers' market and then the larger grocery store every week.

I do, but mainly because there's not one grocery that is most convienent. There's a small grocery across the street from me, but they don't have everything I need for a real grocery shopping trip, plus they are more expensive, but if I just need one thing it's great to just walk across the street. There's a Harris Teeter nearby (1.5 miles), but they are kind of expensive. There are about 4 Krogers within 2.5 miles from me, so I go to those a lot because they are cheaper. I go to Whole Foods (2.5 miles away) about once a week, but I don't buy everything there, because it's expensive, but I have my definite staples I always get from there (like milk, I only buy from WF's). But my FAVORITE grocery store is Publix, and the nearest one is like 7 miles away. So I only go there if I am driving by (which isn't often). I Publix!

OH, and I visit family in KY (KY state line is 1 hr away, my family is 2 hours away), and KY has ZERO tax on groceries and 6% on everything else, and TN (where I live) has 5.sumthin% on food and 9.25% on everything else. So I make SURE and stop off in KY and get things when I am driving through, usually at a Sam's Club/Walmart/Kroger because they are along the interstate. I can REALLY tell a difference in my bill when I get groceries in KY! Often, items are 3-5 cents cheaper too! Which is weird.

GROCERY TAXES SUCK!

1 stop for everything...don't have the time to be running all around!

I do all my major shopping at Wal-Mart because it's convenient, but they don't always have what I need. Usually Sam's and Wal-Mart are in the same area so I can drop by Sam's to get the bulk stuff I need (plus their frozen shrimp are great).

I will go to another store if I REALLY need to, but I'd rather get it all done at once and not have to fight the crowds twice.

We live in a rural area, so we try to do our major shopping all at one time when we go to the closest city, over an hour's drive away. That's when we hit the warehouse store, the large chain supermarket, and the dollar store. We've learned to plan ahead in terms of perishables like milk and meat. Basically, we try to go the local market only if we are going to town for several other errands as well because one trip to town and back is about a quarter of a tank of gasoline.

I go to a lot of different stores because I have a lot of different food needs. I go to the Chinese mart for Chinese ingredients that I just can't get at Kroger. I go to Trader Joe's for high-quality canned goods and cured meats, and I go to Wholefoods because they have better baguettes, cheeses, and beers. It's all so close to me that I don't feel like I'm being a spendthrift with my gasoline. For me, it's not really about price as much as it is about availability of specialty items.

I like to go to one big grocery store and buy it all there, but if I need the odd thing like a little jug of milk or a pepper etc. I'll pop round to the local corner shop.

I visit several stores, partially due to prices, but also because no one store carries everything I want or need. I don't do it all at once and I stay with my general part of town, but I do as valancyjane said - when I'm in the area of my Whole Foods, I'll stop and get things there that I can't other places, etc.

My big, bulk shopping I do at Wal-Mart because they consistently have the lowest prices. I tried doing the price book thing for a while, but Wal-Mart pretty much always had the best prices so I stopped tracking it. But, their produce isn't the best and they don't carry some items, so I'll also go to Kroger, HEB or whatever, to get other things.

It's a constant balancing act between price, convenience and getting the good stuff!

I shop the grocery store on post (Army), walmart for quick pick ups and HEB for gourmet items.

I usually got to two different grocery stores. I hit up Aldi's for things like cereal. I don't mind if I'm eating Bran with Raisins instead of Raisin Bran because I saved like $2 per box. Then I head to Wegman's for the stuff that I couldn't buy at Aldi's. Wegman's has a good selection of meat, produce, and cheese, plus whatever else I need.

I buy most of my groceries at one store. But i will shop at BJ's also to buy stuff in bulk.

I shop at difference places because it saves me money; fortunately, for me, all the supermarkets and markets are near me so the drive is short. I go to a Chinese supermarket for mostly meats, rice/noodles, and all the Asian foods/condiments that I use. And then, I go to Stop and Shop for all the other foods I can't get at an Asian supermarket.

I shop at difference places because it saves me money; fortunately, for me, all the supermarkets and markets are near me so the drive is short. I go to a Chinese supermarket for mostly meats, rice/noodles, and all the Asian foods/condiments that I use. And then, I go to Stop and Shop for all the other foods I can't get at an Asian supermarket.

I live in a small town with only one store, so I am pretty much limited to that place for day-to-day stuff. When I need more exotic items, I drive to the nearest 'big' city (25 miles away), and combine that trip with stops at Target, Home Depot, etc. I keep a running list of things so I can make the most of the gas usage.

When I lived in the Chicago suburbs, though, I went to about three different stores regularly, shopping the sales for their loss-leaders.

God, I miss Trader Joe's.

Going to a bunch of grocery stores would probably annoy me, since I'm not a big fan of the weekly shopping trip, but I often buy things like herbs or unusual items at Whole Foods and then go to the grocery store for the rest of my food. Luckily, these two particular stores are just down the street from one another.

Not at the moment, since my fiance is sure that doing that wastes more money than just going to one store, since gas prices are so high. However, I live so close to one store, and I have walked many times when I was trying to save up on gas, haha. There is another store close, but not close enough to comfortably walk. So if I walk to one store, and drive to the other, I can see some benefit.

Yes. Depends on the sales for the week.

I want to, and I make lists of where to buy what, but in the evenings when it is time to run those errands, it saves gas (even though I have 4 grocery stores within a mile from my apartment, traffic to get to all but one eats up my gas) I just go to the one. I did recently go to an international market to get some tomatillos that weren't surrounded by fruit flies though. Honestly, I probably go to the most expensive grocery store in my area...Harris Teeter, beucase their produce and fruit is usually top quality, and they are friendly, the floor space is more open and clean, and everyone is always friendly...AND they speak good english so I don't have to get frustrated when I am trying to ask a question to someone and they dont' know what I am saying.

We go to Costco for all the stuff we go through constantly - milk, bagels, cereal, pasta, meat (freeze and defrost when needed) etc. Then we do the regular grocery store for the smaller stuff - produce, deli meat & cheeses, etc. Sometimes we even go to Trader Joe's for specialty stuff, but not too often (for some reason, their cottage cheese tastes better than anyone elses). The nice thing is that TJ's is right next door to Costco, and everything is within a couple of miles of the house, so the hardest part is keeping my daughter interested as we shop

I usually hit up Trader Joes first - the stuff is cheap and really good. What I can't find there, I get at my local grocery store. I usually buy the same stuff every week so I can pretty much do this with my eyes closed!

First stop: Trader Joe's. Then Ralph's. The ones I visit are right next door to each other, so it's convenient anyway.

I buy most of my groceries online, and run to the store near me if I run out/need something else/my online grocer doesn't carry it.

Yep sure do.

We go to Costco to load up on the items that we always keep around (water, vitamin water, paper towels, meats, frozen fruit, pastas..whatever else...) and then the grocery store for other items that we dont need in bulk, ya know?

Seafood is always purchased in Chinatown. Freshest EVER and great prices.

Fruit (of the non-frozen kind) is always bought at the local fruit stands...

I forgot to mention, I read the weekly specials for ALL the grocery stores before I go. That way, whichever one has better deals, or more things on sale I need, that's the ONE I'll go to!

In Southern CA, I make the rounds between Costco and Trader Joe's (they are with in a mile of each other) and then hit Ralph's if I need something either one of them doesn't have or maybe Henry's. In OR where I live in the summer there is only a local village market near me so I go there in a pinch but usually I drive into Bend and hit Costco, Trader Joe's and Ray's. Would like to go to the Farmer's Market more often.

Ahhhh yes, Costco and Sam's. "The Land of the $100 Paper Towels", my dad called it. LOL My folks lived in San Diego and would go to Costco to buy one or two necessities, but could never leave without spending at least a hundred dollars. Costco and Sam's were a blessing back then, though, because we had 8 people at home and we used a LOT of paper towels and TP. And it took a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and frozen burritos to fill up the teenagers. Good thing they weren't finicky.

Not really. I buy certain things at Costco because them come in bulk but that is about it. I wouldn't be saving money driving all over the place.

them=they

Dang this is a close poll! I go many, many places. But with the rising prices in gas, it may not be actually saving me money anymore.

I go to 4 different places, but it's not to save money they just have different things I like. I go to the farmer's market for produce, Pavilions for seafood, Henry's for their raw milk, and Trader Joe's for everything else on the cheap since it's closest to me. I usually go on different days.

If I'm only picking up a couple things I go to the store nearest to my house. But I live near 4 Trader Joe's, 3 Ralphs, 2 Whole Foods, 5 Vons, 2 Albertsons, 2 Bristol Farms, 3 Smart & Final, Costco, and 3 small produce markets. It definitely pays to scour the grocery ads and know what's cheapest at which stores. Sometimes I'll make 3 or 4 shopping lists and make an afternoon of it.

Off the top of my head, I can tell you:
Smart & Final usually has the cheapest ground turkey, tomatoes, and lettuce
Trader Joe's for bottled water, eggs, vitamins, and cottage cheese
Albertson's for most dairy, potatoes, and seasonal fruit
Either Albertson's, Ralphs, or Vons will have soda and meat on sale each week
Bristol Farms is a waste of time unless you want lox and caviar
Whole Foods is fun, but their deli counters are the most expensive
Farmers markets have more produce and it's sometimes cheaper, plus snacks like homemade granola and trail mix
If you buy DVD box sets, a Costco membership will pay for itself

I'm absolutely spoiled for grocery stores within a one-mile radius of my house, so I can be picky. I use Trader Joe's as my starting point, because it's almost always decent quality for a low price. But they don't always have everything I need. So I'll round out my shopping at a traditional retailer like Ralphs or Safeway.

But for fish and some meats, I prefer to go to the nearby upscale grocer, which has the best-quality seafood and butcher. It's more expensive, but worth it for quality, IMO. Of course, I can't do all my shopping there because the store also charges through the nose for staples.

So yes, this sometimes means I wind up going to three stores. Like I said, they're all within a mile so I don't feel too crazy doing so. And I'm familiar enough with each store's layout that I can hit all three and get my week's shopping done in about an hour.

there are times that i'll go to more than one place. i usually like to go to the store that i get the best deal (ok...cheapest) but there are times that i'll also go to whole foods to get specific products. sometimes you need a better quality

I always go to Aldi for most of my staple items like all my baking supplies and my basic veggies and just about anything else I need. If they don't have it at Aldi, I look for it at Walmart. If they don't have it at Walmart, I go to Pick N Save. And I try to hit up the farmers' market for seasonal veggies, fresh eggs, and cheese.

Farmer's market for produce and then a supermarket for regular items and an occasional stop in at the neighborhood corner for small things that I've run out of like eggs or 1/2&1/2.

I tend to run my errands in a row as I've got my routine all lined up to save gas and time. It's just how I am but it's really beginning to make cents/sense now with the gas prices

I miss having a farmers market. You are so lucky Bizzybee. I end up having to go back and forth from stores trying to get the freshest but cheapest deals. Thank goodness I do have great competitors beside one another.

I feel lucky to have a Sunday morning farmers' market less than half a block from my place

The only reason I'd go anywhere else is if there was something I REALLY wanted and it wasn't at Kroger.

I do shop at different places, but not to save myself money, quite on the contrary, I probably spend more, but I want the best, food is important to me, it has to be fresh and preferably organic, I spend a lot of my money on what I put inside me.

Grower's Direct then across the street to Trader Joe's. Also Costco, Von's, and farmer's market.

I go between Kroger and Publix here, there are some things are way cheaper at each store on a regular basis so I pick up those items here and others there.