With food prices on the rise, feeding your family without starving the wallet has become harder to do. Although with smart shopping skills, you can stretch your food dollars and save money at the same time.

Get Ready…

Do you have a food budget?   A food budget is an amount of money you have or want to spend on food each week or month.  To plan your food budget:  Look at your current income, weekly and monthly bills and other expenses (such as gas money).  Look at how much you spend on groceries, meals eaten out, and vending machine/convenience store snacks. If you are not sure how much you are spending, try tracking these expenses for a month.  Set your food budget.  Based on your current income, bills, other expenses, and your current food expenses, set a certain amount of money aside for your future food expenses.

Get Set…

Knowing your food budget is important but before you go to the store, you need the right set of skills to help you stay within your budget.  Plan meals and snacks in advance and always shop with a list.  Take note of the foods you have right now and what foods are on sale at the store.   After your meals and snacks are planned, make a list of everything you need.  This includes and food and non-food items (cleaning supplies, pet food, shampoo, etc).

Go Shopping!

Now that you are at the store pushing your cart along with list in hand, you’ll want to find the best deal for your dollar. Go shopping with these tips in mind: Get the most nutrition for your money.  Choose fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables and make sure they are not damaged or spoiled.  Check dates on food packages and check for tears or holes.  Pick store brands.  The ingredients, taste and quality are often the same but you pay less for store brands.  Resist impulse buys.  Stick to your list to avoid unplanned purchases. Free samples, in-store bakeries and seasonal items displayed early often lead to impulse buys.  Make sure the food you buy can be used before it spoils or becomes unsafe.   Remember to store your food purchases properly and reduce food waste.

About the author:  Lisa Mapel is an Extension Program Assistant and Better Living for Texans educator with the Brown County AgriLife Extension office.  Lisa may be reached at 325.646.0386.