May 1, 2003

Prairie Fare: How’s Your Food Budget?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

A couple of weeks ago I made a cardinal grocery shopping error. I went to the store hungry. I had a fairly small list of things to buy, so I didn’t think it would take very long to shop. I thought I could resist temptation.

As I strolled down the aisles, everything looked tasty. It also was "free sample" day, and those free nibbles resulted in a few extra items in my cart. I readily found all the things on my list, which would have filled two bags. I, however, came home with six bags of food. In my favor, I actually didn’t eat all the food on the way home.

If you’re trying to manage your food dollars a little more closely, consider these questions. How much money did you spend at grocery stores last month? How much of the money was spent on food? How much did you spend on food away from home last month? In today’s busy households, food away from home often adds up to more than half the food budget.

Marketing studies have shown that about three-fourths of people who sample food actually buy the product. In addition to free samples, we’re tempted by many factors in grocery stores. Checkout displays and end-of-aisle displays can prompt impulse buys. Even the delicious smell of baking bread or deli foods can prompt buying.

Look up and down the shelves, too. Higher-cost items are more apt to be at eye level.

Consider nutrition when you’re shopping. If you’re hungry for a snack, keep in mind that you could pick up a banana or other piece of fruit, a cup of 100 percent juice and a small carton of yogurt for about the same cost as a can of soda pop and a candy bar out of a vending machine.

These are some tried and true tips for wise shopping. Following them just might reduce your grocery shopping bill by 15 percent or more.

• Don’t shop when you’re hungry. (Read this one twice.)
• If possible, shop alone. Children can be helpful and learn about foods during a shopping trip, but they also may prompt purchases you didn’t intend.
• Plan weekly menus using sale items featured in store ads.
• Always use a list.
• Be familiar with the store layout to save time. Go down the aisles that include items on your list.
• For quick shopping trips, shop the perimeter of the store where staples like milk, fresh produce and bread are located.
• Clip coupons only for the things you need. Using coupons just because you clipped them may result in items in your cupboard you may not use. If the coupon is for an item you would generally use, look for stores that double coupons.
• Compare prices. "Unit pricing" (cost per ounce) is used in many stores and will quickly let you know whether the regular-priced super-size package is a better deal than the sale-priced regular-size package. Just look at the shelf edge in front of the food.

Here’s an inexpensive and nutritious side dish that’s easy to make, too.

Veggie Bake

1 16-oz. can cream-style corn
1 8-oz. package frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 c. carrots, shredded
1/4 c. onion, chopped
6 saltine crackers, crushed
2 tsp. margarine, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In separate bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and margarine. Combine vegetables in a greased 1 qt. ovenproof casserole dish. Top with cracker crumbs and margarine mixture. Bake until broccoli is tender, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Makes six servings. Each serving contains 96 calories, 2 grams fat, 19 grams carbohydrate and about 70 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin A.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

[Editors: We’ve updated the illustrated column identifier for Julie Garden-Robinson’s Prairie Fare column. If you’re using an older version or if you would like to use the identifier, please download this printable EPS file. Prairie Fare (142 Kb eps file)]