Happy New Year! Many people make New Year’s resolutions that are typically related to health, wellness or saving money. Check out this list of 20 ways to save at the grocery store so that you can save money and be healthy too.
- Make a grocery list before you go to the store. Buy only what is on the grocery list.
- Have a small snack before you go grocery shopping. It will be easier to stick to the list.
- Choose the grocery store that will give you the most for your money. Larger supermarkets will nearly always have lower prices than small stores, because they can buy their stock in larger quantities.
- Buy store brands instead of highly advertised brands to save money.
- Compare prices by using cost per unit of various foods. The “Unit Price” is usually listed on the grocery shelf.
- Instant nonfat dry milk usually costs less per serving than fresh milk and is great for cooking or drinking. Mix it half and half with fresh milk for drinking and get the flavor of fresh milk.
- Buy milk in gallon or half gallon containers because they are usually less expensive per cup that quarts of pints.
- Individually wrapped cheese slices are more expensive than cutting your own slices. Often the block cheese is better for you because it has more calcium in it that the presliced.
- Compare the cost of frozen and canned meat, fish, and poultry with fresh. The canned may cost less per serving than fresh since there is usually no waste. Be sure to check the sodium level, which might be higher in canned.
10. Buy chicken and turkey instead of red meat because it is usually less expensive. Chicken and turkey can be a better buy because they contain more protein and less fat than many other meats.
11. Save money by purchasing a whole chicken and cutting it into parts yourself.
12. The less tender cuts of beef such as round, chuck and shoulder are less expensive, but are as nutritious as the more tender cuts. Braise or stew less tender cuts for best quality.
13. Ground beef (90% or more lean) is usually a good buy, if it is fairly lean. Extra lean ground beef will yield more meat when cooked and is also lower in calories, saturated fat and cholesterol.
14. Buy a pork loin roast and cut it into pork chops. It is often cheaper to buy a large cut of meat and divide it into several meals or servings than to buy the component cuts separately.
15. Compare the cost of medium and large eggs. If the price of large eggs is more than 7 cents above the medium, medium size are the best buy.
16. Fresh fruits and vegetables are low priced when they are in season, but buy only what you can use before they spoil. If not in season, canned and frozen vegetables and fruits may be cheaper than fresh ones.
17. Make more foods from scratch at home. Mixes and convenience products usually cost more.
18. Eat hot cereals instead of ready to eat cereals. Hot cereals cost less per serving than ready to eat cold cereals. Also, buy your cereal in a large container or box to save money instead of buying individual serving size boxes of cereal.
19. Buy regular rice and other whole grains instead of the instant or precooked form.
20. Pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, noodles) is a good buy for price and good nutrition. Plain shapes of pasta are usually less expensive than fancy shapes. Whole grain is higher in fiber than white.
For more information, please contact Kim Miles, County Extension Agent – Family & Consumer Sciences at 325-646-0386.