| Before going to the store: | | | | purchase three cans of soup, for example, that's |
| 1. Take inventory of what you have on hand. | | | | three purchases. |
| This prevents you from purchasing things you | | | | 4. Buy store brands. |
| already have and it helps with meal planning. | | | | You can save as much as 30 - 40%. By the way, |
| 2. Decide how much you are going to spend. | | | | the same manufacturers who make the more - |
| Set a goal for the price per person per meal. For | | | | expensive name brand products make many |
| example: Breakfast =2$ person, Dinner $4 person. | | | | store brands. |
| 3. Make your grocery list based on planned menus. | | | | At home: |
| Estimates show that people who shop without a | | | | 1. Check your receipt for errors. |
| list spend as much as 40% more than they do | | | | 2. Make your drinks. |
| when they have one. | | | | Buy powdered mix and make your own soft |
| 4. Eat something. | | | | drinks. For an extra treat, use fresh fruit, yogurt |
| This helps avoid impulse purchases. Studies show | | | | and ice cubes to make a smoothie. |
| that people spend about 10% more than they | | | | 3. Limit kids' portions. |
| normally do when they shop on an empty | | | | Parents often give kids adult-sized portions and |
| stomach. | | | | wind up either eating it themselves (at the |
| 5. Get coupons from the Internet. | | | | expense of their waistline), or throwing it out. |
| Other sources include buying several copies of the | | | | Give kids a smaller portion. If, after eating that, |
| Sunday paper, getting them from manufacturer's | | | | they are still hungry, give them more. |
| web site, get from the store's web site and my | | | | 4. Look for manufacturer's rebates. |
| web site. | | | | Look carefully, as sometimes they are on the |
| At the store: | | | | back of or even inside the box. |
| 1. Buy nonperishable items in bulk. | | | | 5. Cook in advance. |
| Purchase items like canned goods, sugar, and flour | | | | In her book, "Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a |
| in bulk when they are on sale. | | | | Day and Eat for a Month," Deborah Taylor-Hough |
| 2. Buy cheese in bulk and shred it yourself. | | | | says she cut her monthly food bill for her family |
| 3. Use one coupon for each item purchased, even | | | | of five from $700 to $300. She did it by cooking |
| if you purchase more than one of the item. | | | | a month's worth of food ahead of time and |
| Coupons generally say "one coupon per purchase." | | | | freezing it in family-size portions. |
| However, if you have three coupons and | | | | |