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03-27-03, 10:47 AM
-by Susan L. Burke, M.S., R.D., C.D.E.
Food is one of the costliest items in any family’s budget so it's important to shop wisely and economically. It’s easy to do, when you go shopping armed with a few common-sense cost-cutting tips.
It’s like staying with your meal plan: It takes some work and some discipline. But my motto is Prepare to Succeed! Once you’ve done the preparation, the rest comes easy.
• Know your meal plan. The price you pay for convenience is higher food costs AND higher levels of sodium. The recipe-based meal plan allows you to choose whole, fresh foods.
• If you’re on a budget, you will save money by buying larger sizes of foods needed for your meals. Usually, a larger-sized package of rice, pasta or cereal costs less than the smaller sizes. Do the math: Read the unit price to determine the best buy.
• Time is money. Save time by doubling or tripling-up on what goes in your recipe. You can freeze the extra portions and have a ready-made meal later in the week!
• Use substitutions. If apples are on sale and your meal plan calls for oranges, simply substitute! Take advantage of the fruit and vegetables sale items and you’ll save each week.
• Watch for sales at your grocery store and stock up on frozen vegetables when you can. They’ll keep for three months in your freezer. For breakfast, choose any cereal that’s on sale -- as long as it’s low in sugar and fat (check the label to make sure it's less than 5% of the Daily Value).
• Shop with coupons. Don't laugh. You can save a considerable amount of money by shopping with coupons. But clip the coupons of only the products that you need! Watch for coupons on cereal, dairy, eggs, pasta and rice.
• Eat your fruit, don’t drink it! You'll take in fewer calories. For instance, a four-ounce serving of orange juice has the same calories as one orange -- and who drinks just four ounces? You’ll get more bang for your buck and extra fiber by eating your fruit whole. And you'll fill up faster which means a large bag or carton of fruit will last a whole lot longer than a container of juice -- and it's cheaper.
• Variety is the spice of life! By shopping for sale items, you’ll find foods you might not usually eat. Try new fruits and vegetables such as artichokes, bok choy (Chinese cabbage), sweet potatoes instead of boring old white, mangoes, whole grapefruit, and other produce that you usually don’t buy.
• Buy in season. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are the least expensive and they deliver the best nutrition! Avoid items shipped in from out of the country -- they're typically more costly.
Buy your vegetables “loose,” They are usually less expensive. If your grocery store only carries pre-packaged fruit and vegetables, find a different store! There are some incredible fruit and vegetable stores out there -- find them!
• BONUS TIP: Try the grocery store’s brand-name items. They’re usually less expensive and of equal quality to the more well-known brands. You can very nearly buy all store-brands -- the major chains have their own vegetable oils, milk and dairy products, frozen vegetables and grains. And the difference in price is significant!
Food is one of the costliest items in any family’s budget so it's important to shop wisely and economically. It’s easy to do, when you go shopping armed with a few common-sense cost-cutting tips.
It’s like staying with your meal plan: It takes some work and some discipline. But my motto is Prepare to Succeed! Once you’ve done the preparation, the rest comes easy.
• Know your meal plan. The price you pay for convenience is higher food costs AND higher levels of sodium. The recipe-based meal plan allows you to choose whole, fresh foods.
• If you’re on a budget, you will save money by buying larger sizes of foods needed for your meals. Usually, a larger-sized package of rice, pasta or cereal costs less than the smaller sizes. Do the math: Read the unit price to determine the best buy.
• Time is money. Save time by doubling or tripling-up on what goes in your recipe. You can freeze the extra portions and have a ready-made meal later in the week!
• Use substitutions. If apples are on sale and your meal plan calls for oranges, simply substitute! Take advantage of the fruit and vegetables sale items and you’ll save each week.
• Watch for sales at your grocery store and stock up on frozen vegetables when you can. They’ll keep for three months in your freezer. For breakfast, choose any cereal that’s on sale -- as long as it’s low in sugar and fat (check the label to make sure it's less than 5% of the Daily Value).
• Shop with coupons. Don't laugh. You can save a considerable amount of money by shopping with coupons. But clip the coupons of only the products that you need! Watch for coupons on cereal, dairy, eggs, pasta and rice.
• Eat your fruit, don’t drink it! You'll take in fewer calories. For instance, a four-ounce serving of orange juice has the same calories as one orange -- and who drinks just four ounces? You’ll get more bang for your buck and extra fiber by eating your fruit whole. And you'll fill up faster which means a large bag or carton of fruit will last a whole lot longer than a container of juice -- and it's cheaper.
• Variety is the spice of life! By shopping for sale items, you’ll find foods you might not usually eat. Try new fruits and vegetables such as artichokes, bok choy (Chinese cabbage), sweet potatoes instead of boring old white, mangoes, whole grapefruit, and other produce that you usually don’t buy.
• Buy in season. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are the least expensive and they deliver the best nutrition! Avoid items shipped in from out of the country -- they're typically more costly.
Buy your vegetables “loose,” They are usually less expensive. If your grocery store only carries pre-packaged fruit and vegetables, find a different store! There are some incredible fruit and vegetable stores out there -- find them!
• BONUS TIP: Try the grocery store’s brand-name items. They’re usually less expensive and of equal quality to the more well-known brands. You can very nearly buy all store-brands -- the major chains have their own vegetable oils, milk and dairy products, frozen vegetables and grains. And the difference in price is significant!