How do you pay for your groceries?

[frugalgirl]

We use the grocery store's gift cards that we purchase through the school's scrip program. The school credits our kids' tuition account for 2.5% of the purchase price which is 1.5% more than the credit card gives us.

[PetMom]

Checks only. Using cash just lets them quickly count and toss into your hand and you wonder if you are getting the correct amount back while you are gathering up your items. After you have loaded your groceries on the conveyer belt quickly enough to make sure they ring up the sale items correctly. (A local store - not Wal Mart - sometimes will ring up sale items at full price).

We are credit card free and cannot stand those things (a strong personal opinion there) but do use a debit card for other purposes.

Marvholly: that is interesting that you only shop the ethnic and farmer markets - wonder if that is cheaper or equivalent to chain store prices.

[nanamom]

I don't use paper checks for anything. My bank sends all my bills (saves stamps) and I also try very hard to not use credit cards unless we are at a hotel and I have to guarentee a room. I use my debit card but have them run it as a credit card. I use cash for smaller purchases. I should use my debit card to get the rewards but I tend to loose track of what I have paid and that can cause problems!

[Guest]

Debit card.

I know Dave Ramsey says you spend less if you use cash, but I find it to be the opposite. We spend more if we have cash, less if we use debit cards. So, we do not carry cash, only a debit card.

I WAS using a Credit Card to get the rewards, but, even though I trust myself, I find it to loose track of what your spending that way.

I may start prepaying my credit card though so it is more like a debit, and I will still get the rewards.

[BlackDiamond]

debit card or cash.

Where I live, there's a lot of dirtbags who pay with food stamps too which is really annoying, watching them get all kinds of good stuff with my money while I buy mac & cheese. My roommate used to work part time at the big grocery store in our town and he said that the vast majority of people there bought with food stamp cards.

I also shop at a lot of small grocery stores now (mostly to avoid the infuriation of the food stamp people lol) and they are classified as other by cc. The prices I find to be the same...meats tend to be cheaper and fresher. Store brands tend to be tastier which is what I usually buy. Certain things tend to be more, such as juices and fruit. But not more by much. The savings on meat makes up for it.

There is also a farmers market in Boston every friday and I pick up some veggies there on my way home. Cash only and super inexpensive.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

In this day, Black Diamond, when foodstamps are actually just another debit card, how do you know who is paying with "foodstamps"? Are you listening for the details of their purchases? ("M'am, you have $8.32 cents in taxable purchases, so I'll need $8.98 cash." You look and see that this person has bought a big package of toilet paper.)

I do not care for this insult to people who use foodstamps. No doubt you are rubbing elbows here with readers here at this forum who are trying to do the best for themselves and who use foodstamps. Please have some manners.

[fe2o3ez]

I use a store credit card b\c it accumulates points and sends me a quarterly check. I make sure to pay the balance monthly so no interest is incurred, but every few months I receive a stack of $60-90 in store credit checks. That's about $300 per year just for managing the use of the card for those purchases. There's no annual fee, so with no interest, this is free money!

[mrvirgo]

I use my reward checking account debit card 15 time per cycle. Then I switch to a credit card because I get back 2% on groceries. I never use cash at a grocery store no matter how small the purchase.

[BlackDiamond]

In this day, Black Diamond, when foodstamps are actually just another debit card, how do you know who is paying with "foodstamps"? Are you listening for the details of their purchases? ("M'am, you have $8.32 cents in taxable purchases, so I'll need $8.98 cash." You look and see that this person has bought a big package of toilet paper.)

I do not care for this insult to people who use foodstamps. No doubt you are rubbing elbows here with readers here at this forum who are trying to do the best for themselves and who use foodstamps. Please have some manners.

Because I know what a food stamp card looks like vs. a debit card, because I've heard them whining to cashiers that certain things aren't covered and because my best friend used to work in this same grocery store for 6 years.

Manners does not equal lying and/or holding back your opinions in a forum designed to give opinions. I speak my mind and if you or others don't agree with what I have to say, put me on ignore. These people are taking money out of my pocket to use their food stamps and I am entitled to my opinion about it.

[feh]

Where I live, there's a lot of dirtbags who pay with food stamps...

So people who use food stamps are dirtbags, eh?

It saddens me that you hold such a stereotype.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

. I speak my mind and if you or others don't agree with what I have to say, put me on ignore.

I have never put anyone on ignore on any internet forum. This request that I not respond to you is not granted.

[BlackDiamond]

Then respond to me. But don't expect me to not say what I think just because it disagrees with you.

[coach2wealth]

Your missing one option: coupons & sales. My wife saves almost 80% of retail on our grocery and drugstore purchases.

[HistoryChick]

Credit card for the cash back for most every purchase. If the total is less than $10, I use my debit card (for a # of transactions reward program)

[mrvirgo]

I use debit cards to meet the requirements of my three high rewards checking accounts. When those requirements have been fulfilled, I switch to Penfed's cash back VISA since they give an instant cash back deducted from the balance that's due at the end of each billing cycle; that beats trying to accumulate enough points and waiting for checks in the mail that seem to take forever to arrive.