AND tip of the day: Eating Right on a Budget

 

 

TIP OF THE DAY

 

January 24, 2013

Eating Right on a Budget

Credit card statements from the holidays are hitting the mailboxes and it’s time to tighten our purse strings again.
The key to keeping food costs low when grocery shopping is to have a plan before you hit the store. Take an inventory of what you have on hand and what you’ll need and make a shopping list to avoid impulse purchases or costly mistakes.
Other ways to reduce cost and control portions and quality are:

• Don't shop when you're hungry. If you do, you’re more likely to make impulse purchases on less nutritious items that cost more.
• Check for supermarket specials in the newspaper and online and plan your meals around what’s on sale.
• Buy cheaper meat cuts such as the beef round.
• Buy whole chickens to cut up into batches to cook, dividing them into servings and saving the leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer for future meals.
• Buy fruits and vegetables that are in season and locally grown.
• Buying frozen or canned foods can sometimes save even more than buying fresh produce since there isn’t the chance of having to throw out rotted fresh produce.
• Buy store brands, sometimes called private label, instead of their name brand counterparts, to save you money. Store brands are nutritionally equivalent to the name brand items.

For more information on getting the most for your dollar at the grocery store, consult a registered dietitian in your area and visit the Academy's Savvy Food Shopping section.

SOURCE: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics