by judyatlarge

Created on: August 08, 2008   Last Updated: August 22, 2008

Effective, Economical Shopping

Supermarkets have become great temptation traps for the unwary. To make your trip to the grocery store easier on yourself and your budget, make a list and stick to itas closely as you can.

Here are a few tips to make shopping cheaper and more satisfying.

Shop as seldom as possible. Set aside part of a day off for a weekly major shopping. The less often you shop, the less risk of making impulse buys.

Buy house brands. They're usually just as good as brand-name products, and are often what the store offers on sale, or with a cents-off coupon. Don't buy something simply because there's 75 cents off if it's not a product on your list. Mail-in coupons? Consider the price of the envelope and stamp before you decide if it's worth it Use your coupons before their expiry dates. Shop on double-coupon days. Take coupons from store bulletin boards, from fliers on your doorstep or in the store.

Buy refills for things like waxed paper, foil and cleaning products where available. This way you won't be paying for unnecessary packaging.

Buy bulk foods. Dry staples bought in bulk and stored in recycled large mayonnaise jars or other glass containers with tight lids reduce your amount of garbage.

Buy fresh vegetables from the bulk bins. Picking by hand allows you to check each potato, carrot, tomato, or onion to be sure it's not bruised or half-rotten, forcing you to toss it the next day.

Avoid pre-packaged items. Flour, eggs, oil, milk and baking powder make great, cheap pancakes, batters, muffins and pastry.

Make meals ahead and freeze them in appropriate sizes. Homemade macaroni and cheese, spaghetti sauce and hamburger patties can be made ahead and frozen for those nights you just don't have the time or energy to prepare and cook. Buy chicken backs and necks and meaty soup bones to make broth. Add fresh, in-season vegetables and you have a hearty soup to serve with fresh biscuits and fill up hungry tummies.

Comparison shop. But do it from home by reading those fliers and don't burn up five dollars worth of gas to save a buck on 10 pounds of potatoes.

Buying meat. Ask the store's butcher shop to give you a smaller portion if you need that and can't freeze the rest. However, if you can safely store it, buying family or economy packs of ground beef, chicken pieces, pork chops or whatever makes economic sense. Use zippered freezer bags and break down the large, cheaper buys into amounts that suit your personal needs. Buy cheaper cuts and cook them slowly in a crock-pot with savory herbs and spices.

And as all the experts say, don't shop when you're hungry. Try not to take your kids with you. Their howls of anguished deprivation can drive any adult way over budget.

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