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Money-Saving
Tips
It’s the food choices made over the long run—day-to-day,
week-to-week—that add up to good nutritional health. No
one set of menus or recipes, whatever the cost, can satisfy
everyone, nor can you always eat as planned. Being flexible
is part of making
healthy eating fit into your lifestyle and budget.
Before Going to the Store
Eat something healthy. Don’t shop hungry.
In the kitchen, make a list of meal ideas for the coming
week. Keep in mind the days you will have time to cook
from scratch and the days you will be pressed for time. Then,
make a grocery list and stick to it.
Shopping
At Home
Review store ads, clip coupons, and organize them.
At the Grocery Store
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Sign up for your grocer’s bonus/discount
card for additional savings.
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Try store brands. The most
costly brands are often placed at eye-level. Store brands
that may be cheaper and just as
good are often placed higher or lower on the grocery shelves
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Look for the unit price to compare similar foods. It
tells you the cost per ounce, pound, or pint, so you
will know which brand or size is the best buy. Most stores
show the
unit price
on a shelf sticker just below the product.
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Buy in-season fruits and vegetables. Use local farmers’ markets
when possible— the foods are fresher and tend to cost
less.
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Purchase canned (in water or in their own juice, not
heavy syrup) and frozen fruits and vegetables. They’re
healthy, too, and will last longer.
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Buy milk (fat-free or
low-fat) in large containers (gallon or 1/2 gallon) that
generally cost less than milk in
quart containers. Milk sold at "24-hour" convenience
stores usually costs more than that sold at supermarket
food stores.
(Non-fat dry
milk is the least expensive way to go.)
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The whole may
be cheaper than the parts—buy a whole
chicken and cut it into pieces at home instead of
buying pre-cut chicken (breasts, legs, and wings) that
may be
more expensive.
- Stock up on sale items you can use
in a timely manner. Buy in bulk for quality and value,
but serve healthy portions.
· Use your food budget wisely. For the price of a large bag of
chips and a box of cookies, you can buy a lot of
apples, bananas, carrots, potatoes, peppers, and other healthier foods.
Back At Home
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Assemble healthy snacks at home in small baggies using
foods such as nuts and seeds, low-fat cheese, and
fresh veggies and fruits, rather than buying less healthy and more expensive
prepackaged and processed snacks,
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Do "batch cooking" when
the food budget and time allow. Cook a large amount of
spaghetti sauce,
divide
it into family-size
portions, and freeze them promptly for
meals later in the month.
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Take advantage of planned leftovers to cut preparation
time and save food dollars. For example, prepare
a roast, serve half of it, and freeze the remaining half to use later
with vegetables for a quick soup or in other dishes.
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Health
Money Tips
