By Deniese Zeringue, LSU AgCenter Extension Agent
If you shop smart, you can live on a tight budget and still have a healthy diet. Get the most out of your food dollar by adopting the following practices:
1. Don’t shop when you are hungry – You are likely to buy more food. Have a small snack before you go grocery shopping.
2. Make a grocery list before you go the store. Buy only what is on the list.
3. Choose the grocery store that will give you the most for your money. Supermarkets will nearly always have lower prices than small stores because they can buy their stock in larger quantities.
4. Compare prices by using cost per unit of various foods. The “unit price” is usually listed on the grocery shelf. The unit price is the cost of the item per ounce, quart, gallon, pound or any other unit of measure.
5. Buy store brands instead of highly advertised brands. Store brands are often just as good quality as the name brands.
6. Instant nonfat dry milk usually costs less per serving than fresh milk and can save you a great deal of money if you use it for cooking or drinking. Mix it half and half with fresh milk for drinking and get the flavor of fresh milk.
7. Save money by purchasing a whole chicken and cutting it into parts yourself.
8. Ground beef (hamburger) is usually a good buy, if it is fairly lean. Extra-lean ground beef will yield more meat when cooked.
9. Compare the cost of medium and large eggs. If the price of large eggs is more than 7 cents above the medium, medium size are the best buy.
10. Pasta (macaroni, spaghetti, noodles) is a good buy for price and good nutrition. Plain shapes of pasta are usually less expensive than fancy shapes. Whole grain is higher in fiber than white, although it may cost more.
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