Know how. Know now.
Alice Henneman, MS, RD
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County
ahennema@unlnotes.unl.edu
This is a peer-reviewed publication.
Created with PowerPoint 2003, October, 2008.
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Prices are rounded to the nearest 25 cents
and may vary by store and region.
You can save money WITHOUT ...
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... cooking everything from scratch
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... packing your purse with coupons
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... only purchasing foods in season
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16 EASY tips to help you ...
 Spend less
and/or
 Avoid losing
money through
tossing uneaten
foods
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You may be surprised at the END of
this presentation by the TOTAL
AMOUNT these 16 tips save!
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A dollar saved
is even better
than a dollar
earned: You
don’t have to
pay taxes on it!
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1. Keep a grocery list
 Saves gas money
on extra trips to the
supermarket
 Less likely to make
impulse purchases
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 Keep list easy to
access
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 Stay flexible if
you find a sale
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Savings example 1
 Gas to drive four
miles for an extra
trip to the store
$1.00 or
more!
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Savings example 2
 Impulse purchase
of snack crackers
at the store
Snack
Crackers
$2.50
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2. Garbage check
 Money is tossed
when food is
tossed!
 What foods
are in your
trash can?
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Reduce, reuse or recycle foods
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 Tossing “tired” lettuce?
 “Reuse” it in menus
more often – serve
more salads; add to
sandwiches, tacos
or enchiladas; make
“wrap” sandwiches
 Reduce the amount
purchased
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Savings example
 Eating your
lettuce before it
gets “tired” and
needs to be
tossed!
$1.00
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 Too many mashed
potatoes?
 Reduce the amount
made
 Recycle in a day or
two as potato patties,
shepherd’s pie, potato
soup
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Tossing
me – that’s
bananas!
 Bananas too ripe?
 Recycle in banana
bread or smoothies
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3. Avoid shopping when hungry
 Everything looks
good when
you have an
empty stomach
 Eat BEFORE
shopping AND feed
kids who will be
shopping with you!
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Savings example
 Cost of an energy
bar purchased to
tide you over until
you get home
$1.50
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I’m hard to
resist if
you’re
hungry!
4. Brown bag it
 Brown bag it one or
more days a week
 Typical fast food meal
can cost $5.00
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 It can be as simple
as a peanut butter
sandwich and piece
of whole fruit
 Or, leftovers from
last night
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Savings example 1
 Eating a sack
lunch once a
week
$2.50
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Savings example 2
 Eating a sack
lunch 5 days a
week
$12.50
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 Brown bag it
and cut your
lunch costs
in half!
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5. Coupon common sense
Use coupons
only for foods
normally eaten
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Look for coupons in
 Newspapers
 Magazines and ...
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 Check the back
of grocery
receipt and …
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 Store and
product online
Web sites may
offer coupons
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 Check if store has
double or triple
coupon days when
values are
increased
 See if a store will
price match a
coupon from
another store
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Savings example 1
 Using two 50¢
coupons for two
items you DO use
$1.00
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Savings example 2
 NOT using a
coupon to buy
a new dessert
$2.00
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6. Check expiration dates
 Avoid buying food
past its expiration
date
Use by ....
 Foods are often priced
lower near expiration
date and a good buy if
used before expiration
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 Use foods before
they get too old
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Savings example
 Avoid dumping a half gallon
of soured milk
down the drain. Use it
before it gets too old in
milk-based soups or
instead of water in
oatmeal.
$2.50
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7. Small scale experiments
Buy
me!
 Buy the
smallest
package size
the first time
you purchase
an unfamiliar
food
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Savings example
 Extra cost of
purchasing large
container of a new
spice your family
won’t eat
$1.50
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8. Costly convenience foods
 Consider how
much time
you REALLY
save buying a
specific
convenience
food ...
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 It takes just a few
seconds to make
your own sugar and
cinnamon mixture
rather than buy
pre-mixed
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 Microwaving
regular oatmeal
takes only a few
minutes more
than pouring
hot water over a
pre-measured
package
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 Cutting your own
fruits and veggies
saves money – they
keep longer than
precut ones, too!
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Savings example
 Buying a carton of
oatmeal providing 30
servings vs. buying 3
boxes with 10 instant
oatmeal packets each
$5.50
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Oatmeal
9. Staple food stock up
Invest in staple
foods when
they’re on sale
 Tuna
 Tomato sauce
 Other?
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 Stocking up on a
boatload of bananas
– and other
perishable foods –
isn’t a very good
investment … unless
you make banana
bread and freeze it
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Savings example
 Stocking up on
10 cans of food
that have each
been marked
down by 20¢ a can
$2.00
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10. Bulking up when the price is
right and you can use it
 Do the math and
check if you
REALLY save
with the larger
package
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 Consider if you
Do I have to
eat this?
will consume the
food before it
gets old
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Savings example 1
 Buying a 5-pound
instead of a 1-pound
bag of rice (if you
serve rice frequently)
$1.50
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Savings example 2
 Check unit prices (usually
above or below the food)
 If a 1-lb. bag is $3.49 (unit
price: 21.8¢/oz.) and a 6-pack
of smaller bags is $2.69 (unit
price: 55.3¢/oz.) ...
$1.75
 Buy the larger bag,
repackage into smaller
bags, and get over twice as
much per comparable weight
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11. Store brand savings
 Store brands are
comparable in
nutrition to name
brands
 Store brands are
more likely on store’s
bottom shelves – look
around to find the
best buys
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I’m not
feeding
you a
line!
 Many times you
cannot tell the
difference in taste
between name
and store brands
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I’m quite a catch!
 Store brands
may vary more
in color, size, or
texture than
name brands
 Appearance is
less important in
many foods, such
as casseroles
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Savings example
 Buying two cans
of a store brand
and saving 50¢
on each
$1.00
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12. Prevent food flops
 Check
preparation
methods for
unfamiliar
foods
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 The meat
manager might
help with
unfamiliar
meat cuts
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 Some produce
departments
have books or
signs with
descriptions of
fruits and
vegetables
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Savings example
 Avoiding the
purchase of selfrising flour and
finding it won’t work
in your recipe
$2.50
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13. Beware of snack attacks
 Cutting back on
snacks can help
your wallet and
your waistline
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Savings example
 Buying one less bag
of chips weekly
$2.50
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14. Shop the specials
 Plan your menus
around sales items,
especially more
expensive items
like meat
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Savings example
 Buying meat on sale
$2.00
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Buy several packages
of meat on sale and
freeze them. Here’s
how from the U.S.
Dept. of Agriculture
Food Safety &
Inspection Service...
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 It’s safe to freeze meat or poultry
directly in its supermarket wrapping but
this type of wrap is permeable to air.
 Unless the food will be used in a month
or two, over wrap these packages for
long-term storage using airtight heavyduty foil, (freezer) plastic wrap or
freezer paper, or place the package
inside a (freezer) plastic bag.
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 At 0 degrees F, frozen foods remain
safe indefinitely, but quality decreases.
 Frozen raw ground meat maintains
optimum quality for 3 to 4 months.
 Larger pieces of meat like steaks or
chops maintain optimum quality for 4
to 12 months.
 The safest way to thaw meat is in the
refrigerator on a plate on the bottom
shelf so it doesn’t drip on other foods.
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15. Think before you drink
 Buy a reusable
water bottle and fill
with tap water
instead of buying
bottled water
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 Limit soft
drinks and
fancy coffees
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Savings example
 Drinking tap water
instead of buying
a 12 pack of
bottled water
$4.00
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16. “Checkout” temptation
 Think twice
before buying a
last minute
temptation
in the
checkout lane
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Savings example
 Resist buying a
magazine with the
latest diet
$3.50
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 How much do
you think you
could save with
these tips?
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$40
per
week
!
 If you used each
example in ONE
shopping trip
weekly, you
could save as
much as ...
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 Multiply $40 by 52
OVER
$2,000
yearly!!
weeks and the
grand total is ...
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 What could
YOU
do with over
$2,000
extra a year?
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The End
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“Thank You!” to the following people for reviewing
these materials and adding their suggestions for
saving money at the supermarket: Sharon Balters,
Pam Branson, Chiquita Briley, Cindy Brison, Toni
Bryant, Jessie Coffey, Joan Davis, Sarah
Doerneman, Jennifer Dunavan, Rita Frickel,
Shannon Frink, Karen Hudson, Cindy Goody,
Becky Guittar, Teri Hlava, Kayla Hinrichs, Vicki
Jedlicka, Lisa Kopecky, Toni Kuehneman, Tracy
Kulm, Jana McKinney, Jennifer Meyer, Martha
Murphy, Stacie Ortmeier, Dave Palm, Amber
Pankonin, Zainab Raida, Joan David Sather, Carol
Schwarz, Kathy Tack, Kathy Taylor, Amy Vore,
Jennifer Yen, Kathy Walsten, Jessica Wegener and
Linda Wetzel.
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Extension is a Division of the Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources at the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating
with the Counties and the United States
Department of Agriculture.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension
educational programs abide with the
nondiscrimination policies of the University of
Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States
Department of Agriculture.
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