How many times have you wandered the aisles of the grocery store, uninspired? And somehow managed to spend a pile of money with only two bags to show for your efforts? When you're shopping to feed a family, costs can run high while meal ideas run low. Here the parents of iVillage share their ideas on making your next trip to the grocery store easier and less expensive.
Cost-Saving Tips
"I buy meat at the 'day old' section. The way I figure it, I never eat all the meat the day I buy it, so any meat I buy will be 'day old' anyway. If I find something on sale, I buy a lot of that item. The first time I did this, I spent more than my weekly food budget. But the next week, I used the money I saved the week before to stock up on another item. I kept the process up, and now I am to the point where I only buy milk and eggs and whatever is on sale. Another tip: weigh the pre-packaged bags of produce, and buy the heaviest one. When a bag says '5 pounds' it only means that it weighs at least five pounds. I have found '5-pound' bags of potatoes that weigh seven-and-a-half pounds. If you check, you can get up to a half a bag free!"
- iVillage member
Carrying Inspiration Along With You
"Pocket-sized photo albums make terrific cookbooks to carry with you when shopping. I clip recipes I want to try or that are tried and true. No copying long lists of ingredients onto grocery lists. And you always have ideas for dinner at your fingertips."
-iVillage member
