Recipe(tried): Tips for making the most of the high grocery prices

With prices rising across the nation many familes find themselves in a money crunch situation these days. Hereare a few tips I have found to help make the best of the high grocery prices.

1. Meal Plan, that way yo'll make less trips to the grocery store saving not only on gas, but on impulse purchases

2. When meal planning plan around what you have on hand, or what is on slae that week at the grocery store. For instance, If chicken quarters are on sale for 87 cents per pound, buy enough for 3-4 meals. Freeze some and keep the rest for dinner that night.

3. Check prices, bulk buys are not always the best option. When buying in bulk, make certian that first you will use all of what you are purchasing before the expiration dates, AND that it is cheaper than buying a different brand. For instance, you may be able to buy 12 eggs for less per egg than 18, or 18 for less per egg than 24. Check items prices per pound, ounce or per each unit against larger and smaller packages.

4. Consider what you can trade down on. For instance, we recently change brands of toilet paper. Not only did we save per package, we found the lesser priced one was actually thicker and softer and we use less sheets of it than the higher priced brand.

5. Cut out the high priced snacks. Ready made snacks are handy to have for on the go families, but you can save big money by investing in some zip top sandwich bags and buying packages of things like snack crackers, cookies, even dried fruits and sliced cheese instead of high priced cheese twists individually packaged. 6 small bags of animal crackers, costs 2.50, but I can but 1 pound for 1.25 and fill 14 snack sized bags for the kids. I slice a block of cheese and add a few crackers and take that for a snack. Also avoid individually packaged fruits. Slice your own and save big!!! I also make my own pudding and pack it into small cups. Store in the fridge for quick snackd for the kids.

6. Check prices. Make a list of what you normally buy, then spend one afternoon checking prices at local stores. You may find big savings from one place to the next. I recently found out a small store sells spices for .89. The same spices I purchased recently from a large chain store for 2.89. Same size, same quality...different store, big savings!

7. Find out who matches ads and make certian you keep all the ads with you when you shop. Coupons are easy to use, but when you can price match you may save yourself a trip down the road for a few items on sale.

8. If you live in a bigger city, check around to see if food delivery places sell to the public. Here we have a produce supply site that supplies all the local restaurants and most of the groceries with all their fresh produce. You can go to their warehouse and buy produce directly from them for less than the grocery stores. Watch prices though and remember that it may not always be less than some groceries.

9. Join www.freecycle.com This is a yahoo based group that users can swap and offer items they no longer need or use. You can request items as well. I have gotten hundreds of dollars worth of toys and clothes from freecycling. How does this help with grocery prices though? Often people will offer home baked goods, or supplies like new and used baking dishes, pots, and pans. This saves because you can make great use of something some one else doesn't need. I have recently used it to get free canning jars to can figs and blackberries that grow wild. This is free jelly and jam for biscuits and toast.

10. Cut out the extras. Learn how to live without the bottled Starbucks Frappachino. Instead make a pound of gourmet coffee your treat. This makes enough for weeks instead of just a few servings. Cheeto fanatic? Try the store brand, or realize that life is better without them! I used to love to purcahse those fresh bakery rolls. Now I either make my own, or buy them frozen. Savings...anywhere from 10 to 40 dollars a month. There is a fine line between dening yourself any pleasures and finding new and lesser expensive ones, so try a few new things at once. Or try to cut out 1 extra splurge a week. By doing it slowly you will not feel completely deprived and will be less likely to go back to your expensive extras.

I hope that these tips will help you out and I'd love to hear any tips anyone else has!