Practical Ways to Fight High Grocery Prices

[sunshine]

Practical Ways To Fight High Grocery Prices

1. Learn to cook intelligently. Invest in a
good, inexpensive cookbook.

2. Plan all meals in advance.

3. Cook only as much food as your family
will consume at each meal.

4. Cook slowly. Do not overcook. This
prevents vitamin & mineral losses.

5. Save and make use of all leftovers.
Start collecting leftover recipes.

6. Serve smaller portions. Eat less, stay
slimmer...and healthier.

7. Eliminate fancy, fattening, expensive
desserts.

8. Give children smaller portions and
teach them not to waste food.

9. Avoid "fad" and junk foods consisting of
empty calories.

10. Cut down on all sweets, white flour
products and fatty foods.

11. Stop smoking. Drink juices instead of
alcoholic beverages.

12. Don't drive many miles to save a few
pennies at a certain store.

13. Use powdered milk instead of fresh
milk.

14. Beat high coffee prices by drinking tea
- and save about half.

15. Take your lunch to work.

16. Watch "open dating" on perishables
and avoid buying outdated, spoiled food.

17. Become a "comparison shopper". Buy
"specials" from several stores.

18. If you don't have one, invest in a new
or good used freezer.

19. Read labels. Remember that
ingredients are listed in order by weight.

20. Purchase only what you will use and
eat everything you buy.
21. Visit your grocer as LEAST often as
possible.

22. Trade money-saving recipes with
friends, relatives, neighbors.

23. When grocery shopping, carry a list
and stick to it!

24. Shop only on a FULL stomach. Never
when hungry.

25. Never take children grocery shopping
with you.

26. Clip, save and use "store coupons".
Trade those you don't need.

27. Watch for grocery store "sale" ads and
shop the store's specials.

28. Watch the cash register when
checking out. Errors can be costly.

29. Buy your favorite foods in the largest
size containers available.

30. Buy cheaper "store" or "house"
brands.

31. Avoid the supermarket's "gourmet"
section.

32. Stock up on genuine bargains.

33. Ignore advertisements for "new" or
"improved" convenience products.

34. Avoid all convenience foods and items
with long lists of additives.

35. Stock up on "in season" foods.

36. Pocket big savings by using more
poultry in your menu.

37. Avoid non-nutritious foods, junk
foods, sugary foods, soft drinks, etc.

38. Dine out less often. When you do, take
home leftovers in a "doggie bag".

39. Grow some of your own herbs, fruits,
vegetables.
40. Avoid convenience stores. They're
more expensive.

41. Ask store personnel to steer you to the
"best buys".

42. Buy your favorite foods by the case
and ask for discounts.

43. Make your own soups, bakery goods,
ice cream, yogurt, cole slaw, jams, etc.

44. Buy unsliced cheese and sandwich
meats. Slice them yourself and save.

45. Look for damaged merchandise and
ask for price reductions: dented cans,
crushed cartons, outdated bakery goods,
bruised produce, etc.

46. Buy ONLY food items from your
grocery. Buy non-food items elsewhere.

47. Serve a balanced diet and you won't
have to spend on vitamins.

48. Buy "in season" produce from local
farmer's fields, gardens, orchards.

49. Compare prices of foods in various
forms - canned, frozen, fresh and dried.
Buy the least expensive.

50. Observe "unit pricing". Compare
weights before deciding.

51. Before checking out, weed out the
items you don't need.

52. Limit snacks at home to popped corn,
fruit & vegetables.
http://www.pioneerthinking.com/highgrocery.html

[canadian gardener]

terrific list Sunshine, thank you. I can attest to the value of many of these strategies.

Some of my favourites like menu planning, shopping from a list, using no name and store brands, limiting snacks to healthy hm versions, serving a balanced diet, stocking up on bargains so that we "shop" our pantry and freezer for things at much much lower prices all add up.

so do checking your grocery tape every time, it's a habit now. Avoiding conveniance food pays off in the initial cost of buying it, and the health costs that eating that garbage will run you later if they become a big part of your routine diet. Once in a while won't harm you or your budget, but regular use certainly will.

Shopping less often and never take the kids and often the dh. It really bumps up the costs as they add "just one or two things". My sister taught me that even if you hit the dollar burger at McDonalds before a big once every two week shopping trip, you will save money on impulse hungry buys, and you will have the stamina to finish the shopping trip.

Running a garden, freezing veggies, home canning fruits and jams and tomatoes are all good strategies that I used in the past, and can attest to their value.

Other strategies are more regional for example the double or triple coupon areas which make couponing more worthwhile, or skim milk powder which in my area costs almost the same as liquid milk.

I encourage everyone to check out the strategies that they don't use and see if they might be worthwhile adding into your own routine.

[guest7]

Great tips... I know a lot of newbies are going to need this. Thanks for the thread

[Emerald_Mommy]

Thanks for posting this!

[homesteadmamma]

Denise, thanks for those great tips.

[mom2matty]

Excellent tips.......thanks!!

[staceyy]

Really good information.

[FrugalMomof3]

Thanks for the tips!

[baxjul]

Thanks!

[SammeyG]

Thanks for the tips. I am really glad that I came across this thread.

[willow]

Sunshine, thank you for the tips, they are good reminders. I'm working hard to cut back on food costs so I copied your list and posted it on my frig.

One thing I did do this weekend was look at what I had in my cart before I checked out. I ended up putting back a couple of items that I really didn't need.

I have found it pays to check unit pricing, sometimes the bigger package isn't always a better deal.

[SewCrafty]

Great list Denise!

[PrairieRose]

Great info Denise!

[Pepper]

Great Tips

[canadian gardener]

bump up for new members