Our love of convenience can boost our grocery bills. Most of us are short on time and not surprisingly, grocers see this as an opportunity to increase their profits. Now, more than ever, the canny shopper needs ways to save at the supermarket,

Supermarkets are stocked to allow shoppers to buy everything they need for a specific meal on one shelf or in one area. The consumer pays for the convenience of not planning meals when they buy pre-measured and prepared ingredients.

To Cook or Not: Your Choice
As a general rule, the less processed a food or product is, the less expensive it is, and the less packaging it needs. Less processing often translates into more healthful food, too.

While you're waiting in line, take a look at your grocery cart. How much prepared food is in the cart? You may not think you have time to clean carrots, but you will pay extra for the baby-cut prepared ones. You might prefer to buy marinated and seasoned chicken breasts, but it's less costly to marinate them yourself.

If you know the difference in price for these and scores of other items, you can make an intelligent decision whether to save your time or your money.

Buying ingredients closer to their raw state usually saves money, but doing so means cooking these ingredients. This might take some time. Usually, the pay-off is worth it in terms of flavor, health, and family well-being. And don’t forget about the money you will save.

Compare Prices
Learn to compare prices so that you can identify and stock up when you find a true bargain. The paper towels on sale may not actually be less expensive than your favorite brand. If you know prices, you will recognize a bargain.

The best tool for this is a price book you keep yourself. This is simply a listing of items you commonly buy and the lowest price(s) for each item. This will help you identify the true sales.

Shoppers who use a price book regularly claim to save up to 20 percent. Twenty percent of $100 is $20. If you spend $500 at the market each month, you will save $100. That can make a significant difference in the course of a year.

With even two or three adjustments, you may find you save a noticeable amount on your grocery bill. And your family may even eat more healthfully for it!
 

Gary Foreman is a former purchasing manager who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website www.stretcher.com and ezine.