A makeover of your shopping habits could offset rising food costs.
With a little planning, there is room for savings in the typical family food budget that can more than offset the current upswing in prices.
Here’s how to stretch your food dollars:
n Before your next trip to the grocery store, look in your refrigerator.
Households throw away 14 percent of the food they buy, which adds up to about $600 a year, according to a University of Arizona study.
Fifteen percent of what is thrown away is unopened and within its expiration date.
n Go to the grocery store armed with a list. Shop alone and get in and out of the store quickly.
This cuts down on impulse buying. For every minute in a supermarket, consumers spend $2.17, according to the Food Marketing Institute.
n Try store brands, which average 26 to 28 percent less than nationally advertised brands.
A 2006 Consumer Reports test of 65 store-brand products found many of these products score at least as high in quality as national brands.
n Take a calculator to compare unit prices.
While sometimes economical, bulk buying is more expensive about 25 percent of the time.
Toilet paper, frozen orange juice and canned tuna frequently cost more in larger sizes.
- Learn the rotation of your store’s loss-leader items. By knowing the pattern, you can stock up on each week’s special, especially staples like cereals, juice and paper towels.
- Don’t let coupons entice you into buying products you would not ordinarily buy.
- Reach up and bend down; bargain items are found on the top and bottom shelves.
- Shop discount stores for non-food items like pet food, cleaning supplies and personal care items.
- Be careful when choosing convenience foods. A few, like mashed potato flakes, are even cheaper than fresh-made, but many items like grab-and-go soups come at a high store markup.
- Cut back on foods with no nutritional value. Consumers spend about 12 percent of their food dollar on foods like cookies, chips, donuts and soft drinks. Reserve these dollars for healthier fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
- Shop the outer aisles of supermarkets, where you find vegetables, dairy products and meats. The inside aisles display processed foods and snacks.
