Chart, Clip, and Cash In :
Savvy Food Shopping Tips
Use these three easy steps to save money and your health at the supermarket:
Step 1: Chart Your Shopping Course
Use Nutrition Know-How :
• Keep pricey meats to the minimum. You don’t need more than about 6 ounces of cooked lean meat, fish, and poultry daily . A pound (16 oz) of raw ground turkey or beef will cook down to 12 ounces. Chicken breast will shrink about an ounce after they are cooked. Click here for ways to cut costs down each supermarket aisle.
• Go meatless at least once a weekly. Click here for a Mexican Mac & Cheese recipe that is fast, cheap, and has a kick.
• Fill you cart with (and diet) with mostly fruits, veggies, and whole grains (see below)..
Use the Store Circular as your GPS.
• Visit your supermarket’s website and have their weekly circular emailed to you. Ten minutes of planning can save you 10% or more on your food bill and valuable time once you in the store. The more time you spend aimlessly walking around the store, the more money you will spend. Get in and out as quickly. Use this handy shopping list to plan your shopping outing.
• Look for the perishables (produce, poultry, etc.) and staples (grains, cereals) that are on sale. Frozen veggies and fruit are nutritionally equivalent, cheaper, and time a saver in the kitchen compare to fresh as there isn’t any slicing or dicing involved. Plan your week’s meals around the sale items.
Step 2: Clip Coupons
• “Coupon” is the code word for CA$H. Double your cash back by coupling a supermarket’s coupon with a manufacturer’s coupon. For example, if the circular includes a $1 off coupon for Cheerios and General Mills provide $1 off coupon for this cereal in the Sunday newspaper, you will save two bucks when you checkout.
• Visit these websites for coupons:
Betty Crocker
General Mills and Pillsubry
Smart Source
Perdue Chicken
Step 3: Cash In
• Sign up for your supermarket’s preferred buying card to reap the weekly savings automatically.
• Your goal should be to reduce your food by at least 10-20% while simultaneously improving your health.