by Victoria Rose Perkins

Created on: December 11, 2008   Last Updated: January 14, 2009

Saving on groceries should never mean sacrificing nutrition. The challenge for all of us is to stay healthy and spend wisely on our ever-increasing grocery bills. And that challenge can be looked at in a negative or positive way. I've chosen the positive way!

One of the first questions to ask ourselves is this: How much cooked food do I throw away out of my fridge each week?. This is one of the first ways to cut that grocery bill. Many times I meant to reheat something, and ended up throwing it away!

1. After dinner every night there are always leftovers. Instead of putting them in the fridge thinking we will get around to eating them, I have invested in some microwavable and reusable containers. I save all leftovers, date and freeze them. An added advantage to this is, when you don't want to cook, you have accumulated a variety of leftover meals to choose from.

2. Do you only have time to drink half a pot of coffee in the morning and end up leaving the rest sitting there? Invest in a thermos and take the leftover coffee for lunch. Coffee poured into a thermos will keep its flavor for the rest of the day. This saves money too because now you dont have to spend $2.00 for that extra pick-me-up in the afternoon.

3. Coupon clipping can be a valuable aid as well as online printable coupons. However, we must be careful to only use the ones that match up to our grocery list. There is a strong temptation in most of us to buy something because it is "on sale". Advertizers know this and this is why they offer coupons in the first place.

4. Buy in season. Fruits and vegetables purchased at a farmer's market first, or in the grocery store are much more reasonably priced. Some vegetables can be cooked and frozen. Isn't that what the store offers? Buying canned fruits out of season (watch the sugar content) is less expensive than frozen in my store. Check your's.

5. When buying a turkey, I always slice some of the leftovers into sandwhich size, some into cube cuts (for soups/stews) and freeze them. Turkey freezes very well. You can have hot turkey sandwiches in February and turkey soup in March! It will taste delicious. Side note: Never start carving your turkey until it has been taken out of the oven for at least 30 minutes. This is the main reason why turkey gets that dried out taste. By waiting 30 minutes the turkey juices will settle back into the meat and keep it moist.

6. Bakery outlets and bakery stores, including your local grocery store, always have a tray of bread/baked

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