In March, the U.S. Labor Department stated February wholesale food prices made their sharpest jump since 1974. Measured in U.S. dollars, corn costs three times what it did a year ago and soybeans, wheat, rice and other staples are skyrocketing as well. Farm animals are also fed these grains which means the cost of meat and milk is shooting up too.
Grocery prices in general are rising for truckers must pay more for gas to distribute to stores the goods you buy and farmers pay more for gas and for oil products that kill the bugs that attack their crops. What can you do to cut your food bill?
1) Use coupons. Those printed in your newspaper and those online you can print. Some stores also issue their own coupons which allow you to get double the manufacturers' coupon discounts
2) Join store "rewards clubs." Like frequent flier airline clubs, most stores charge nothing to join and they reward their good customers with special discount coupons sent to their homes. These "clubs" can save you a lot of money.
3) Comparatively shop. Stores aggressively compete to lure you in by running big ads in newspapers offering "unbeatable" discounts on particular products. Read the ads each week and when you're in the stores, look for "manager's specials" as well. if you have a Wal-Mart near you, the price competition will be especially stiff.
4) Paper shopping bags cost stores 5 cents each and many will give you 5 cents for each one you bring in to bag your groceries. Or if you bring in small cloth reusable bags, they will give you 5 cents for each of those bags you use. 10 bags is 50 cents refunded to you. In addition, recycling bottles pays 5 or 10 cents a bottle and it's convenient to recycle them when you shop.
5) Your local mom and pop store. We have one near us and because the owners know us, they discount most of what we buy and they do the same for other good customers. We pay less for some products than the big stores sell them for.
6) Dollar Stores. They offer incredible deals. Near us are 99 Cents Only stores. They buy manufacturers and farmers overages and closeouts in huge quantities and sharply discount them. Most household name brands wind up on their shelves, as does fresh quality produce.
7) Consumer Club Stores. This is Sam's Club, Costco, etc. Great discounts but they often sell you giant size portions.
8) Shop grocery co-ops if they exist in your area. This is where neighbors have gotten together to buy in huge quantities the items most in demand among themselves. Big price savings if you can use what they have.
9) Grow some of your own fruits and vegetables. This was common practice during World War ll. In the Los Angeles area where I live, some schools and some neighbors even grow community vegetable gardens. And farmer's markets are held weekly in which farmers load their trucks with fresh produce and drive from 50 to hundreds of miles to sell to the public at very attractive prices for there are no middlemen involved.
10) Food Banks. Generous donors want you to have this food and it's free. In the U.S. 1 in 11 people now go to food banks for all or part of their groceries.
These are tough times but by taking these suggestions, you can save significant money on your food bill.
Dick
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