25. Take it back
Sometimes it happens. Something you've purchased is bad
- soured, rotted,
moldy, fizz-less, broken or otherwise spoiled. Don't be afraid to take it
back. Food is simply too expensive NOT to get what you paid for. Return
bad items for credit or replacement. Most stores will gladly oblige.
26.
Shop Several Stores
You’ll find that if you are familiar
with several different groceries in your area, some will have consistently
better bargains on certain items than others, and it’s not just a matter
of one store having better prices. We find that one local store always
has the best prices on fresh meats, but never the best prices for fruit.
27. Buy Bagged
Fruits and Vegetables
Bags of onions, potatoes, apples and oranges are often less expensive than
the same items offered loose in a bin, although the latter may be larger
and arguably more attractive. If you can use them up before they spoil,
that is.
28. Don’t Buy
Anything in Individual Wrapping This seems so obvious I almost hate to mention it. If you buy anything in
individually-wrapped, portion-sized packaging, be it potato chips,
cookies, nuts or whatever, you only need to compare what these cost with
bulk purchases to see the severe error in your ways. If you need individual
portions for the kids' lunch-boxes, buy reusable containers and fill them
yourself.
29. Open Your Mind to a New Cookbook
In the typical U.S. diet, a pound of meat serves four because meat is an
American luxury, but in Latin or
Oriental cooking, a pound of meat will serve eight or ten. Oriental cooking in particular uses meat as an accent,
and I think you’ll find, as we do, that you’ll even feel better after a
meal that makes heavy use of grains accented by small bits of meat as
opposed to a plate covered by a slab of steak or roast. Again, besides saving money, you’re saving your health.
30. Try to Produce Your Own Staples
Do you eat lots of bread? If so, a bread machine will quickly pay for
itself. Determine the items that your family uses the most, and see if you
can’t reduce your purchase to the basic ingredients. Something to
consider also if you use lots of ice cream, yogurt, or kefir. Don’t
forget snacks, which may make up a large part of your food budget.
Popcorn can be produced cheaply in large quantities, and can be flavored
with a number of low-cost items. If you’ve never tried it, I suggest a
sprinkling of nutritional yeast, which gives a richness reminiscent of
butter, but without the cost or calories.
31.
Know a Good Deal When You See One Of course you
probably can’t remember the price of everything, but most people buy the
same food items most of the time, so make it a point to notice and
remember what you pay. That way you’ll know when you see it
somewhere else for a lower price. This may sound a bit tedious, but
it’s actually rather fun when you discover a new bargain.
32.
Always Use the Produce Scale Don’t try to guess how much a pound of mushrooms amounts to.
Weigh
everything before you put it in your cart.
33.
Avoid Lavish Displays Cheese
is almost always less expensive in the deli than from the tantalizing
display of hors d’ourves set in mid-aisle. Don’t be a sucker to
marketing.
34.
Buy Cold Cuts in the Deli
Plastic-packaged cold cuts are usually more expensive, generally a lot
more expensive, plus you have less packaging to send to the landfill with
deli or meat-market purchases, especially if you buy whole units and slice
them yourself at home.
