Gain grocery shopping smarts: Tips to save
Mark Green
Issue date: 1/7/09 Section: Lifestyles
According to an article titled "Cut Your Grocery Bill" by Donna Montaldo on www.couponing.about.
com, buying bargain brands can save a shopper an average of 40 percent on their annual grocery bill.
Coupons and sales are another way to lower your grocery bill. If a particular food item is on sale or has a coupon, it's a good idea to stock up and plan meals around discounted items.
Making a list is imperative to smart grocery shopping. A good grocery list is made by planning meal for the week. It is important to keep in mind what food you already have when planning meals. By planning meals ahead you can save money by buying common meal ingredients in bulk.
Dan Gulbrandsen, a sophomore pre-engineering major from Chicago, said he shops differently now than when he first moved out on his own.
"I buy a lot of things in bulk now," he said. "Back then it was always just grab and go."
Grab and go seems to be a common theme amongst college shoppers.
Ravsten and Jensen, finishing each other's sentences, said, "Usually we just come, we just walk around, and find things that we need or want."
Although smart shopping can save students time and money, it appears that most students fail to follow this advice, at least until they've been on their own for a while.
"Most of the time we do prepared food," Ravsten and Jensen said, "but we just recently bought a lot of cookbooks and spice racks. Cooking and shopping smarter is our goal for the new semester."
For students who want to cook their own meals and save money, the Internet offers a wide array of tips and suggestions. The most common advice is to buy things like eggs, chicken, beans and rice. These food items are relatively inexpensive but high in nutritional content and can be used in a wide variety of meals.
For example rice, chicken and vegetables can be combined with many different seasonings and sauces to make a plethora of nutritional, tasty and inexpensive meals.
com, buying bargain brands can save a shopper an average of 40 percent on their annual grocery bill.
Coupons and sales are another way to lower your grocery bill. If a particular food item is on sale or has a coupon, it's a good idea to stock up and plan meals around discounted items.
Making a list is imperative to smart grocery shopping. A good grocery list is made by planning meal for the week. It is important to keep in mind what food you already have when planning meals. By planning meals ahead you can save money by buying common meal ingredients in bulk.
Dan Gulbrandsen, a sophomore pre-engineering major from Chicago, said he shops differently now than when he first moved out on his own.
"I buy a lot of things in bulk now," he said. "Back then it was always just grab and go."
Grab and go seems to be a common theme amongst college shoppers.
Ravsten and Jensen, finishing each other's sentences, said, "Usually we just come, we just walk around, and find things that we need or want."
Although smart shopping can save students time and money, it appears that most students fail to follow this advice, at least until they've been on their own for a while.
"Most of the time we do prepared food," Ravsten and Jensen said, "but we just recently bought a lot of cookbooks and spice racks. Cooking and shopping smarter is our goal for the new semester."
For students who want to cook their own meals and save money, the Internet offers a wide array of tips and suggestions. The most common advice is to buy things like eggs, chicken, beans and rice. These food items are relatively inexpensive but high in nutritional content and can be used in a wide variety of meals.
For example rice, chicken and vegetables can be combined with many different seasonings and sauces to make a plethora of nutritional, tasty and inexpensive meals.