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Cut
food shopping costs and improve health
March 04, 2009
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Now
may be the time to put your grocery cart on a Depression diet.
Simple changes in your shopping habits can save money and
improve your health. All it takes is a little care before
you shop and some thought about where you buy your food and
the choices you make at the store.
Start with a list.
It may seem basic, but maintaining a running list –
on the refrigerator door or any consistent, convenient place
– is a practical way to stay organized. When you use
the last of the cumin or notice you’re running low on
fruit, add it to the list.
Use that list to help you stay focused while you shop. You’ll
be less likely to buy what you don’t need and more likely
not to forget something vital.
Are you a coupon clipper?
That’s great. Just don’t fall victim to the lure
of products you wouldn’t have otherwise bought. Even
with a coupon, name-brand products are often more expensive
than store-brand alternatives.
And you may not need the product at all.
For example, try mixing your own salad dressing using vinegar
and oil, for example, instead of buying commercial dressings.
It’s cheaper, and it tastes good. The simpler, the better.
Be strategic about where you shop, too, and what you buy when
you get there. If you shop at:
* Your neighborhood supermarket. Shop the sales. Compare the
costs of private labels, store brands and name-brand products.
The quality of discount brands is often as good as –
and sometimes superior to – that of name-brands. Pay
particular attention to breakfast cereals, canned goods, jams,
jellies and other condiments where you can find substantial
savings for good-quality products.
* Natural foods stores. Again, shop the sales. Prices on high-quality,
whole grain breakfast cereals, soymilk or rice milk and organic
fruits and vegetables are often better than those at conventional
supermarkets.
* Ethnic food markets. There are good values to be found,
for example, at Indian and Asian supermarkets.
You may see the same products – Indian heat-and-serve,
single-serving entrees, for example – at conventional
supermarkets at substantially higher prices. Go with a list,
especially if you have to drive a distance to get to the store.
* Warehouse stores. Buying in volume can be economical, but
it isn’t always the way to go. Think carefully before
large quantities of foods.
An extra large bottle of vegetable oil, for example, may go
rancid before you can use it all. Buy too many croutons, and
they may become stale before you get to the bag’s bottom.
* Gourmet stores. Scale back on specialty items. Give them
as gifts and enjoy the champagne apricot preserves when a
jar comes your way.
* Web sites and catalogs. Think carefully about mail-order
foods. Shipping and handling charges can be substantial.
Other ways to pare down your grocery bill:
* Waste less. Take leftovers to work or school for meals instead
of buying lunch. Plan a “leftovers day” once a
week for dinner and use up bits and pieces.
* Use more low-cost staples as the base of meals. Beans, rice
and whole wheat pasta are healthful foundations.
* Eat more meatless meals, or use meat and cheese as condiments
or minor ingredients. You’ll cut the saturated fat and
cholesterol and boost the overall nutritional merit of the
meal.
* Cook more meals at home. We spend 40 percent of our food
budgets on meals eaten out. There are huge potential savings
by staying home more often.
Make something good come out of these desperate economic times.
Put your grocery cart on a diet now with changes that can
last for the long run.
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