Grocery shopping for your family can be difficult when your food budget is tight. The cost of food is often prohibitive to healthy eating. Learning to shop frugally and wisely can save you money where it counts and put you on the road to more healthful meals.

What can you do?


• Buying sugary cereals can be bad for your wallet and your health. Cutting down on expensive sugary breakfast cereal is a challenge but it can be done. Serving hot cereals such as oatmeal, Wheatena, grits, Cream of Wheat or Rice puts you in control of how much sugar is used. All are good with cut fruits, raisins or nuts. Those hot cereals do not have to be served sweet, they are great with a pat of butter. (If you are on a low carb diet, be mindful that some cereals are fairly high in carbohydrates.)
  
  
• Buy paper products in bulk. Tissues, toilet paper, paper napkins, paper towels have no 'best used by' date.
  
  
• Cut back on convenience foods. Except when it is prudent to buy them, i.e. deep sales, 3 for 2, buy one get one free, etc.
  
  
• Want your family to eat more fruit? Cut it up for them. Buy fruits and make fruit salad the way the supermarkets do. Cut the fruit and place it in a large bowl keep cold in your refrigerator. Do not use any fruit that will turn brown.
  
  
• Clip coupons only for products that you really use; coffee, tea and cereal are good examples.
  
  
• Team up with a friend when store is having its annual canned goods sale. Work it out with your friend. Agree to buy for salt-free products when possible. Canned goods keep for up to a year (and longer) if kept in a cool spot.
  
  
• It may worth the extra 10 or 15 minute drive if you find a store where food prices are lower overall. You will have to decide, consider the cost of gas.
  
  
• If you buy those 6 chickens because they are sale, then allow them to get freezer burn* because you forget they are in the freezer, you have not saved money. Take time to add the date you placed product in the freezer. Check freezer content at least every two weeks. Try to use the products in your freezer before you restock,
  
  
• Remember it is not always best to buy the giant size. Think before you buy, have some idea in advance what you will do with the remaining product after opening and using a portion.
  

*Hint: Be careful to properly wrap food before freezing to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn is the off color leathery spot on chicken and meats. It is caused when air reaches the surface of the food product.