I live on the West Coast of Canada and I can guarantee you that I pay some of the highest food costs in the country. With the exception of northern populations, where the food is flown in daily and weekly, I know what its like to have sticker shock at the cash register. You have 10 things in your basket, and all of a sudden, your bill is $100! Yikes! In these difficult economic times, families can use all the help they can get to ensure their loved ones get the nutrition they need to take on the world every day. Here are a few tips that I've picked up along the way that have helped me save on my food budget and helped me get the most out of my purchases.1) Never shop when you're hungry! This is an old, but very wise tip that my mother taught me before I left home. If you're hungry, you're more likely to throw things in the basket you don't need.
2) Make a list. Don't wing it, give yourself a parameter and stay in it. Stay on budget.
3) Don't buy everything at one store. This was a tough one for me to understand. Doing all my shopping in one grocery store seemed so convenient. I learned very quickly that saving money, and getting a good quality product trumps convenience any day of the week! So for my meat, I always go to a butcher and I purchase my produce from stores that sell produce only. Not only are their prices much lower than the grocery store, but they have a far more varied selection. 4) Stick the outside of the grocery store. I can guarantee you that what you spend on fresh produce, meat and dairy will be dwarfed by all the crap that you're buying from the middle of the store. There will of course be items up the middle of the store that you might need like cereal, soups and pastas, but limit these.
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