By: Brenda Schmitt
ISU Extension Family Resource Management Field Specialist
We are all motivated to save money and stretch the dollar. Money budgeted for groceries should be spent on just that – not laundry soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. Health and beauty aids should be bought in a discount or supermarket where they will be found cheaper.
Grocery dollars should be spent on REAL FOOD at a grocery store. ‘Real food’ has not been cooked or processed by a factory. It likely does not have a brand name nor is marketed with a promotion budget which increases the cost of an item. ‘Real food’ would include carrots, eggs and pork chops. These ‘real food’ items should be your top priority. Fill the cart first with fruits, vegetables, protein and milk. These departments are almost always on the outside walls of the store, which is why some people suggest to ‘shop the perimeter’.
If you have money left over, you may be tempted to shop the empty calorie aisles. You should avoid the temptation to waste money on non-essential commercial foods found mostly in these center aisles. These items are budget killers and are also largely unhealthy and full of empty calories. Snack crackers, candy, frozen meals, cheap pizzas, ice cream, pop and the deli counter are among the offenders.
There are some good choices in the center aisles that can stretch your dollar and help with the food budget of this week and beyond. Big bottles of olive oil and huge packages of brown rice or dried beans are good choices. Frozen orange juice concentrate, canned tomatoes, tubs of old-fashion oats, flour, and sugar are other ‘real foods’ worth your money.
Other uses for extra grocery money would be freezer containers and portion-sized containers to store and carry left-overs. Equipment such as slow-cookers or Dutch ovens which enable you to cook large quantities is another good investment.
One ‘processed’ food that delivers value is frozen vegetables. Be sure you are buying just peas or just green beans and not added butter, sauces and seasonings. The store brand bags of frozen vegetables are often on sale for $1 a pound which is a real value worth stocking up on. Store brand food lines are often comparable in quality but lower in price. It is important not to sacrifice value for price. White bread may be cheap but is nutritionally without value. Pay for the whole grain breads which have more fiber and flavor. It’s not just about expense; it’s about health.
If a food is heavily packaged, as most convenient foods are, chances are it’s not ‘real food’ and the price is many times higher than if you buy the ingredients and make the food from scratch. Convenient foods also taste so good but are laden with high levels of fat and salt. Examples of this would include frozen pizza, chocolate pudding or oatmeal or microwave popcorn. All are quick and easy to make and much more expensive in their ‘real food’ form.
Coupons are rarely printed for ‘real food’. You do not see coupons for broccoli or carrots. If you begin shopping only around the edges of the grocery store for real food, the time spent clipping and sorting coupons will soon become a big waste of time. There may be some savings in using coupons for non-food items purchased at discount stores or supermarkets.
Lastly, watch-out at the check-out. Mistakes do happen. Products are accidently scanned twice or the wrong product code is entered. Also, make sure all your groceries get into YOUR bag; YOUR cart and YOUR car.