ShareThisFood-frugality experts tend to agree on a list of basic approaches to saving money on groceries:
-- Plan meals ahead of time, check what you have in the refrigerator and pantry, then make up a shopping list and stick to it.
-- Don't shop hungry.
-- If possible, don't shop for food with kids. It's easier to avoid impulse buys that way.
-- If the store offers a "member card," get it.
-- Be willing to switch between national brands and the store's own labels.
-- Avoid the high-markup items displayed at the checkout stand.
-- Take the time to look at sales and coupons in the supermarket circulars.
-- Avoid waste. Americans end up throwing out, by weight, about 14 percent of the groceries they buy, according to one study. Cutting that number saves money.
-- Carry a calculator while shopping. It can be useful for comparing the per-ounce price of different-sized packages (though more and more stores do the math for you).
-- Watch the checkout scanner and scrutinize your receipt. Make sure you got all the deals you were promised.
-- Check Web sites for discount offers.
-- Stockpile. Buy a lot of a product when it is at its cheapest, at least for nonperishables. But make sure you're stocking up on things that you're actually going to use.
-- Invest in storage. If you've got the room, a freezer and storage cabinets or shelving can allow you to build up your own "store" of super-cheap stockpiled food. Remember to consider the electricity costs of running a freezer.
-- For fresh produce, eat with the season. Farmers markets offer great deals on some items, particularly on large quantities and at the end of the market day.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
Must credit Sacramento BeeSidebar to GROCERYTIPS
