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Tips to Help You Save Money at the Grocery Store

Posted on: Friday, 29 February 2008, 18:00 CST

By GWEN SCHOEN

Does it seem as though your food bill is higher every time you go to the grocery store? It's not your imagination.

The Food Marketing Institute estimates that we spend an average of $29.26 every time we go to the grocery store. That's $10 more than the cost of the average supermarket trip 10 years ago.

Last year, couples without children spent an average of $83.10 a week on food. Add two young children, and the food bill jumped to $107.20. That's not including laundry detergent, bathroom tissue, window cleaner and all the other nonfood items that end up in the grocery cart.

Overall, food prices rose 2.1 percent in 2006, and the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated inflation for food products in 2007 to be as high as 3.5 percent. No wonder those $200 trips to the grocery store seem more common these days.

It's time to take a close look at our shopping habits and come up with a cost-trimming strategy. Karla Lacey-Minors, an Elk Grove, Calif. cooking instructor and personal chef, offers 10 ways to trim expenses at the grocery store. Most involve common-sense advice that we sometimes forget when faced with temptation.

1. Avoid impulse buys

A list can keep you on track, but if you find something that's a better bargain or better quality than what's on your list, you need to be flexible and willing to make substitutions.

Shopping on autopilot --buying the same items every week without planning ahead for meals -- makes it nearly impossible to take advantage of specials. Inevitably, you will buy more food than your family needs in a week.

2. Shop the sales

I always read food ads and make my list according to what's on special. But also be careful not to buy something just because it's on sale or you have a coupon. If it doesn't fit into your plan or you end up with something your family won't eat, you haven't saved money.

3. Avoid prepared foods when possible

Your best buy is always something you make yourself. Not only will it save you money, but it will be fresher, and you can control the ingredients for better nutrition. For some people, time is money, so buying something pre-made or with some of the prep already done is worth the extra expense. My advice is to make it fresh when you can.

The more convenient the food is to use, the more you pay for it. If you are willing to take the time to bone a chicken, you will save a lot of money.

4. When buying perishables, try to avoid buying more than you can use

No matter how great a deal seems, if you end up tossing the food out because it spoils before you can use it, you haven't saved any money. Find out when your grocery store gets shipments of fresh produce and try to shop on those days - fresh produce will last longer.

5. Make a meal plan

I try to plan meals at least three or four days in advance. Not only does that save me time, but it saves money because I can shop for bargains and plan meals around those bargains. When you have a meal plan, it will help you plan for leftovers that can be used for lunches and it will help you serve more nutritious meals to your family.

6. Check the price per unit

Small families, singles and couples might save money by buying smaller amounts instead of tossing out food that has gone stale.

7. Take your lunch

If you keep track of how much you spend going out to lunch, you will be amazed. Pack a lunch at home. It will save you a lot of money. It's also important from a health standpoint, and you will be better able to control calories.

8. Buy locally grown foods in season

I am a big fan of farmers markets, but even if you buy most of your produce from grocery stores, you will always save money if you buy produce that is in season.

9. Should you avoid shopping when hungry -- and leave the kids home?

You hear this advice a lot. It's true that you will be more tempted to make impulse purchases when you are hungry. That's usually when you pick up snack food that's not on your list. As a parent, however, I think it's important to involve your kids when you shop for food. If you let them make some food choices, they will be more willing to eat what you buy, and you will end up with less waste.

10. Avoid buying nonfood items at the grocery store

I do try to buy nonfood items in bulk when I am in places like Costco, where prices are generally lower. However, I'm not going to make a special trip if I run out of something like laundry detergent. With the price of gasoline, you do need to think about all those trips to the store and factor that into your cost.

Reach Gwen Schoen at gschoen(at)sacbee.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com

Source: Scripps Howard News Service

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