Saving More at the Grocery Store

It often costs more to buy a single packaged item than the same item in bulk. However, this may not always be the case. Make sure you check and compare the unit prices on the price label located on the grocery shelves. The unit price is typically listed for a set amount of food such as an ounce or gram. Buying in bulk can also help the environment by using less packaging. Remember that it also makes sense to buy items in bulk that have a longer shelf life (e.g., canned and dry goods), so that you don’t end up throwing out food that has gone past its expiry date.

Will cutting coupons cut your costs?

Coupons can be a quick way to save money if you use them wisely. Make sure that you aren’t buying items that you normally wouldn’t buy if you didn’t have the coupon. Also, if you have to make a special trip to another store to cash in on your coupon, you most likely won’t be saving any money. Even if you have a coupon for an item, the same item from a store brand may be cheaper. Shop wisely and compare your prices.

Saving cents and getting your greens
Only 41.3 percent of Canadians (over 12 years of age) consume vegetables and fruit at least five times a day (Statistics Canada, 2007). In other words, more than half of us may not be eating the recommended number of vegetable and fruit servings from Canada’s Food Guide. Eating enough vegetables and fruit is important to our overall health and well-being.

You might think that fresh vegetables and fruit are more nutritious than frozen or canned. It’s important to remember that fresh vegetables and fruit can often be shipped over long distances. The time between picking and purchasing can cause vegetables and fruit to lose some of their nutritional value. In some instances, frozen or canned vegetables may actually have a higher nutritional value than fresh because they are packed at their nutritional peak (Breene, 2006). In addition to being less costly, canned or frozen vegetables last longer and can be kept on hand to serve with meals and added to recipes.

Convenience versus cost savings

A lot of items at the grocery store are now ready-to-eat. For example, bagged salads, cut vegetables, shredded cheese, sliced fruit, and ready to eat meals. These items are handled more and in most cases cost more. Also, by preparing the food yourself, the food may store longer and you may have less waste. The bottom line is that using these foods sometimes is okay, but if it is too often, the extra cost will add up.

Eating Out and Keeping More Money in Your Pocket

When money gets tight, people often eat out less often. You can save a lot of money by making your food at home. If you do eat out, keep the following cost saving tips in mind:

• Before you are seated at a restaurant, have a look at the prices on the menu. You can also check to see if they offer healthier choices (e.g., Eat Smart! certified restaurants in Ontario).
• If you are bringing along children, check to see if there is a “kid’s menu” or a “kids eat free” deal.
• Always ask the server if there are any daily specials.
• At many restaurants the single serving sizes are enough for two people. You can purchase one main entrée and split it with someone else and save money and calories.
• Have water to drink instead of pop, coffee, or alcohol.

Best Buys from the Food Guide

Vegetables and Fruit Buy large bags of frozen vegetables and fruit. Purchase vegetables and fruit in season. You can try freezing or canning them when prices are low.

• Buy regular brown rice and oatmeal instead of the instant or special flavoured types.
• Buy plain high fibre cereal (at least 4 g of fibre per serving) and add your own nuts and dried fruit.
• Try baking your own low-fat muffins in bulk. You can always freeze the leftovers.

• Skim milk powder is the least expensive form of milk. Mix it with water and refrigerate so that it is cold for drinking or adding to cereal.
• Buy fresh milk in the larger containers as it often has a lower unit price. You can also freeze bags of milk and keep them for up to six weeks.

• Meat is probably the most expensive item in your food budget. Canada’s Food Guide recommends only 2-3 servings of meat or alternatives for adults daily. Therefore, fill up more of your plate with vegetables.
• Eat more meatless meals and up your intake of lower cost meat alternatives, such as dried peas, beans, lentils, tofu, eggs, canned fish, nuts, and seeds.
• Buy a variety of meat selections when they are on sale.

Brown Bagging It: Saving Money at Work, School, and Play

Whether you’re thinking about lunch for work, school, or play, taking the time to pack a lunch on a daily basis can add up to big savings.

Another good thing about packing your own lunch is that you can be in control of the nutritional value of your meal and ensure that your lunch has at least three of the four food groups from Canada’ s Food Guide.

Choose your food wisely to make sure it is higher in fibre and lower in fat (e.g., whole fruit, 100% whole wheat pita, milk products with less than 2% Milk Fat, lean meat).

Check out the following chart that looks at the nutrition and cost value of a fast food meal versus a homemade lunch. The difference is clear - you get better nutrition and more value when you prepare your own lunch. Using this example, you can save more than $1500 a year by making your own lunch five days a week.

KEY REFERENCES:

Breene, W.M. (2006). Healthfulness and nutritional quality of fresh versus processed fruits and vegetables: A review. Foodservice Research International, 8 (1), 1-45.

Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education. (n.d.). Refrigerator and freezer storage chart. Retrieved May 6, 2009 from http://www.canfightbac.org/en/_pdf/storage_chart-eng.pdf

Statistics Canada. (2007). Canadian Community Health Survey (Cycle 2.2). Ottawa: Health Canada.

United States Department of Agriculture: Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. (2000). Recipes and tips for healthy, thrifty meals. Retrieved March 3, 2009, from http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/FoodPlansRecipeBook.pdf