by Louisa Cadwell

Created on: July 31, 2008   Last Updated: August 20, 2008

Grocery shopping has rarely been considered a fun-filled activity, but nowadays it has become an outright horrific ordeal. The thought of ever-increasing prices in the neighborhood supermarket aisles is enough to make even the most optimistic of Americans cringe in fear. Here are some ideas meant to assist you in making changes that will allow you to maintain peace of mind and a full stomach simultaneously.

CONSERVATION: Wasted food equals wasted money.

There are several ways to conserve your food. The first solution is paying attention to expiration dates. Take the time to scan your items for their SELL BY dates and do your best to select the items that will potentially last the longest. This means reaching for the milk carton at the back of the store fridge.

Of course not all items come with a pre-posted estimate of when they will go bad. For produce, it is best to be aware of which items tend to deteriorate at a more rapid rate than others. That way, if you choose to purchase a couple weeks worth of produce items, you'll be better able to determine which items should be consumed first and which items will sustain.

For example: Bananas, Avocados, and fresh berries are generally going to rot before refrigerated grapefruit, and firm peaches or plums.

If you know ahead of time that you are going to be unable to consume a particular perishable food within its expected duration of freshness, go for the frozen or canned version. This includes such items as certain fruits and vegetables, meats, or even juices.

Health Tip: It's helpful to take note of whether or not the item is canned in its own juice or water vs. juice with extra sweeteners or sugars. These sweetened juices are unnecessary evils on the shelf. Items canned in their own juice or water will last just as long as their sweetened counterparts and will save you calories.

BARGAIN SHOPPING: Knowing where to look for value.

Aside from cutting coupons, there are other effective ways to save money on your shopping excursions. Quite a few consumers recommend buying regularly used items in bulk or on sale. Most of the time this is sound advice, but there are instances when this is not the case. Unit pricing is the only sure-fire way to guarantee that you are getting the best deal.

A PRICE PER UNIT amount is usually located underneath the retail price on a price tag and represents how much you are paying per the term of measurement which most accurately fits the item you are purchasing. It is beneficial to use the PPU

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>