Saving Money On Your Grocery Bill

By Chad Petri Reporter

In the first of a three part series, we examine what you can do to save on the necessities. When it comes to groceries, planning and calculations can go a long way. Saving Money On Your Grocery Bill

Published: Tue, August 05, 2008 - 3:57 am Last Updated: Tue, August 05, 2008 - 4:43 pm

Chad Petri

Dietician Joan Scott is a shopper on a mission. Armed with a calculator, weekly sales circular and a very stringent list, she's ready to avoid the pitfalls of food shopping. In the produce aisle, take only what you're going to need.

“What you're allowed to do in the grocery store is you can open up the bag, put them in another plastic bag,” says Scott as she sorts through a bag of grapes. She says families sometimes throw out 15% of perishables a week because it couldn't be finished. She says in season produce is your best value

“Here this orange is 89-cents, these are three for a dollar so I can get three times as many savings compared to this one orange,” says Scott. Pre-prepared fruits and vegetables may look tempting but it's cheaper to do it yourself.

“Take a little bit more time and prepare the food at home and you're going to save a lot of money,” says Scott. In the dairy section Scott says if you do some digging, you can get dairy products with longer expiration dates. When dealing with snacks and other processed food, always compare the unit price so you don't pay more than you have to on what you want.