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soups, stews and other casseroles also freeze well so cook double and keep a container for later use.

A year ago I would have recommended shopping the outer aisles where there is meat, bread, eggs and other staples, including fresh vegetables and fruit. At this point, fresh vegetables and fruit are so overpriced that unless there is a "loss-leader" sale, I'm buying frozen.

In summer I buy at farmer's markets so I can have more fresh produce at better prices. During cold months I use frozen. For one thing, most produce is shipped non-ripe and for so many days that it has lost nutritive value by the time you eat it. Frozen fruit and veggies are picked ripe and frozen very quickly.

Definitely try generic brands for all fruit, vegetables, canned meats, cereals, crackers and snacks. I still don't like the local generic cereals, but with most other items I can't tell a difference. In fact, I like one generic brand of all vegetables better. And while this article doesn't concern over-the-counter medications, you can save mega-bucks buying generic brands. The important ingredients are the same.

To truly save money on food, do a real budget. Compute exactly what you can afford to spend on food. Then plan your shopping so that you go once a week only. It's too easy to buy just one impulse item on each trip if you go more often. If you shop at more than one store, make sure you buy no impulse items at any of them.

Finally, go back to that list of what you have in your cabinets. It your cabinets are like mine, not everything will work for favorite recipes. Goggle recipes for whatever you have that's hard to plan into your regular menus. This can include even spices (get with friends and share spices; we all have too much of some things and spices go bad if not used).

Definitely look up recipes for anything different from what you usually serve. A hunter gifted me with a nice lot of venison last year. I had only one cookbook with game recipes and they were complicated and not always realistic.

I went online and found a lot of recipes. Plus I noted ingredients and marinade times that worked to make the meat less "gamy" so I could experiment with my own beef recipes, too.

We all need to save money at grocery stores. Go for it, and learn to coordinate what you have with what is healthy for your family.

Learn more about this author, Margaret Shauers.
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