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Ways to Slash Your Food and Grocery Bill-Part 2Jul 31 '00 Write an essay on this topic.So, how have you been doing? Have you tried any of my ideas? I hope you are finding at least a few of them helpful and beneficial to you and your family! Here are some more ideas to keep more money in your pocket and spend less at the grocery store! Let's get started: Keep Track of Prices Many towns now have what we call wholesale clubs. These are stores such as Sam's where you can buy products at wholesale prices. But if you have a wholesale club in your town then you are at a great advantage because they are in direct competition with other local supermarkets. This competition is what we as penny pinchers love, but it has also made shopping for the best price a little more challenging! Unless you take the time to check prices for items on a daily basis it is impossible to make for certain that you got the best price. However, if you carry a small notebook then can write down prices from the supermarket, wholesale clubs, discount drugs, and hardware stores and then can compare prices a little more easily. Will you always succeed at getting the best price? NO! But the system will work most of the time and allow you to get the best price on most of the items you buy on a regular basis. Use The Scales Provided for you at the Department Be sure to use a scale for those things that you must buy by the pound but keep this in mind also. Not all heads of lettuce are created equal. Here is what I mean...weigh several heads of lettuce you will be amazed at the differences in weight. Some heads of lettuce will weigh a third less than another. So, get the most out of those types of items you buy. You will also find the same thing with the pre-packaged five pound bag of apples, potatoes, or oranges. I have found some that weigh nearly six pounds. I love getting something extra for nothing! Compare loose verses "by the bag" prices For example when I compare the price of potatoes the loose are always significantly higher then the prepackaged. So, I buy a 10 pound bag that will last in a cool dry place for about a month! The potatoes are usually a little bit smaller then those that are loose but I will gladly bake a few extra potatoes to save $$$$. You will also find this situation holds true for apples, onions, etc...So, compare prices! Buy Fresh Verses Canned or Frozen Sure you need to have mushrooms on hand for that emergency last minute ingredient but why not buy fresh when possible? Price per pound of fresh mushrooms are usually around $2.89 in my area. For a 7 ounce jar of whole mushrooms you would pay almost the same price. I know that buying fresh requires washing and cutting but all to often the extra time devoted always seems to pay off! Convenience Ripoffs with Baby Food The fact is that baby food is always particular high in price because you are paying for the convenience of individual servings. If you do not wish to make your own baby food then at least compare prices throughout the store. For instance, a 4 ounce jar of apple juice is 39 cents and a quart of store brand apple juice is 99 cents. You can save significantly by shopping around. Be sure to read the labels and compare ingredients also but you will often find that the ingredients and nutritional values are the same! Return Aluminum Cans and Bottles When consumers got paid a deposit to return cans and bottles everyone did it but now the idea of recylcling them seems to be less important. If you do not recylcle you are wasting money, not to mention contributing to the growing crisis of land fills. So, although recycling is a pain it can put money in your pocket and keep those bottles and cans from showing up in land fills. Do Not Take Out, Cook Ahead It is so easy to stop on the way home and pick something up for dinner...but if you add up the costs it will astound you this is the expensive option. As an alternative when you are in the mood to cook make a few casseroles or make a large quantity of soup and freeze them in portions big enough for a one meal lunch or in large enough portions for a family meal! This will offer you a no fuss option when you do not feel like cooking and is the less expensive option to a last minute meal. Change Lunchtime Habits at the Office Have you added up how much that value $2.99 meal at McDonald's costs you for the year? Go ahead, go add it up...over $800.00 a year. So, make your lunch and save money. One idea that you might try is to use your leftovers to make TV dinners! Once you get in the habit its easy! Not to mention the everyday morning coffee and occasional donut. If you are a coffee drinker then take a coffee maker to work and share the chores of cleaning the coffee maker with a few other penny pinchers in the office and you will save bundle! It is Baking Day! The harvest is in and you have picked the apples. Now, invite your friends over and make enough pies for everyone to take a few home for their freezer and make them last throughout the winter. They will come in handy throughout the year as a last minute dessert! Besides the great pies you will make great memories with family and friends and save money! Buy a Cook Book Many of us(and I am one of them) are spoiled by convenience and are afraid to make it from scratch but I guarantee if you buy a great cookbook or dust the dust off of the old one you will find some great recipes that can save you money! Try making your own spaghetti sauce, cake, pie or pizza sauce from scratch. Prepare fresh instead of frozen vegetables. Especially with all the labor-saving appliances that are at our fingertips, preparing and cooking food is far less time consuming than it was a generation ago. A "back to basics" approach will offer better tasting foods, more nutritious with less additives, and lower food costs. This concludes ways to slash your food and grocery bill! If you liked Part 2 be sure to read Part 1. I hope these ideas have helped you become an official penny pincher! Good Luck!  |
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