Grafton County

Now is the time to start saving at the grocery store!

If you are like many people across the area you have noticed your grocery bill inching higher and higher each time the cash register rings “total sales.” The cost of kitchen staples such as beans, rice, flour, milk and eggs have risen the most.  Eggs have gone up anywhere from 20 to 60% in the past year, milk and dairy products 10% or more. 

Why are food prices higher?  A recent survey of news articles over the last few months cite a variety of reasons.  As oil prices have increased so has the cost of bringing food to your favorite grocery store.  Corn and soybeans, originally grown as feed for livestock are now being diverted to alternative fuels.  This means that it costs more to buy feed for pigs and beef cattle. The US dollar has been weak, making it worth less when purchasing food products from around the world.  Finally, poor wheat harvests have caused flour based products to rise in price.

What’s a family to do?  One family of three in Portsmouth has seen their weekly food bill jump from $125 a week to $200 a week.  We are all experiencing the pain of rising gasoline prices so quick trips to the store really need to be considered carefully.  Nutrition educators have preached good shopping habits for years.  When the cost of food rose less than the cost of living many of us chose to ignore their advice.  Now it is time to revisit their ideas and make some changes in how and when we shop.  Each idea may not be workable for you, but trying some of them can help you control how much you spend in the grocery store.

1. Make a list:  Keep it close to your kitchen area, and make sure everyone in the household uses the list.  Plan your trips and explain to family members that if something isn’t put on the list, they will just have to wait until the next shopping trip.  Some retailers are now using their company websites to list their sales so if you don’t get a flyer in the mail, you can now go on-line to check out the weekly specials.  Plan your menus around those items on sale.
2. Don’t shop hungry:  Everything looks good when you want to eat.  Bring a high protein bar from home in your purse or pocket to eat before you go into the store.  Then stick to the list you created in step #1. 
3. Buying deli products?—have them sliced thin.  Meats and cheese can go further when making sandwiches. 
4. Keep track of how much food is being tossed out.  Pay attention to what is in your fridge and use it up before it goes bad.  Serve more salads after shopping.  Make a plan for leftovers or freeze them.  Prepare less food in the first place.  Make your goal to feed your family, not the garbage can.
5. Bring your lunch to work.  Even buying some convenience foods to pack in your lunch is cheaper than spending $25 or more a week on fast foods or restaurant meals. 
6. Reconsider using coupons, but only for foods that you use.  Check papers, magazines, flyers in the mail, and internet coupons.  Some coupons are now being printed on the back of your sales receipt—check them out.
7. Use unit pricing to help compare costs.  The largest size isn’t always the cheapest per unit.  Grocery stores post the information to make it easier for you to make shopping decisions.  But keep in mind that if you buy a large size and you don’t use the whole container, you will just be throwing money away.  Reread suggestion #4.
8. Finally, consider buying store or generic brands.  If you and your family can’t tell the difference in a product, buy the cheaper brand.  But if your favorite spaghetti sauce costs more and everyone loves it, but it.  You can save money on other foods that you and your family haven’t developed brand loyalty for. 

Financial experts don’t see an end to high food prices.  In fact, all indications are that the cost of food is going to continue to increase.  Less money for food because of higher expenses for gasoline and fuel oil will make for tough choices in the grocery store.   Anytime you start your car, you should have a plan to combine as many errands as possible in one trip—mail, groceries, laundry and other errands.

Saving money on food is starting to make a lot of sense to us all.

Information compiled by Deb Maes, Grafton County Extension Educator in Family & Consumer Resources.