Comment by Mrs. Kurtiss:

I don’t have a blog or a web site so I don’t have any url to give you but I sure am grateful that you are going to be writing about this topic. I don’t think I have ever been as scared about the future as I am right now every time I go into the grocery store. You can only cut down so much, after all the family *has* to eat, but with prices going so high so fast I could really use some advise about what to do to keep costs down. Thank you in advance, I really love this blog, it’s one of the first I come to every morning.

Comment by Lucie:

I’m another reader whose glad to see you tackle this subject. I’ve been looking through articles all over the internet about how to save money while shopping for food, and I have to say that tips like don’t go shopping when your hungry can only take you so far. I need some real advice that can actually help me out. I’m really really looking forward to this series. Thanks for this and also thanks for the other great articles I’ve enjoyed browsing around your site.

Comment by George G.:

I am the one who goes grocery shopping in my family, and I have been very alarmed at the steep rise in prices I have been seeing. My wife and I have always tried to be economical in our food buying but we want to eat natural and avoid processed food as much as possible. We can’t take advantage of most of the coupon deals because — guess what! — they are for the kind of processed food we don’t want to eat! I have also noticed that the food that has gone up in price the most is like you said, staples we can’t avoid buying. I don’t know where this is going to end, but I would be very appreciative of any help you could give. Thank you very much.

–George

Comment by Robin:

This got me thinking about what I do to keep our grocery bill down. I join with everybody else it being utterly alarmed in the rise in prices in basic foodstuffs.

1. Avoid processed foods whenever possible. I absolutely agree with George. I don’t collect coupons — their general intent is to make me buy something I don’t need.

2. Use a list, and watch out for other items on sale in the grocery store. In my state there is no tax on food, but there are plenty of other items on sale in the grocery store. I’m doing well when I don’t have to pay sales tax.

3. Making the effort to put meals on the table as often as possible, so that we don’t have to eat out. This takes planning ahead. I wrestled with this one for a long time until it became second nature.

4. I try not to cruise cookbooks looking for new recipes. I have one that I think of as my “cooking manual” — “The More with Less Cookbook” — less meat, simple recipes etc. I absolutely recommend it. There are many, many recipes in there that have become standards around here. And many of her recipes are much cheaper to cook than natural foods or vegetarian cookbooks.

Like many, many more people who are much worse off than I am, I am now unemployed. I don’t really have extra time on my hands because I’m trying to finish a degree, but in this interim the idea of a price book has resurfaced. I don’t do one, but I should. Maybe I’ll get to it soonest.

I look forward to this series very much. My most particular challenge is cooking for picky eaters. That’s why I’ve evolved a style that avoids experimentation and sticks with what works.

Comment by Ashley:

Buying in bulk . . . nearly everything. Prices still go up, but every item I manage to buy in bulk at a savings helps. Of course, the initial cost is more.

We make our own natural peanut butter. If we buy organic peanuts, we only save about 1/3 to 1/2 the cost. Non-organic? We have our peanut butter at 1/4 the cost of store bought. We make it a family affair and usually water-bath can about 3 and a half gallons of it in a single night. Next to corn, it’s my husband’s favorite task to help with!

Of course, that wouldn’t help everyone. My in-laws use about two jars a year. We find ourselves putting up our mass quantity 2X a year. If you can’t use it, ’tis not a savings at all!

Comment by Ruth:

When making casseroles, soups and stews, cut the amount of meat in half. Meat seems to be the most expensive item these days.
Ruth, PA

Comment by Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks&Me:

I’ll be happy to link to your posts.

Comment by Grace:

We have breakfast for dinner at least once a week. This has helped our family and is a real treat as we do not have those old fashioned family breakfast anymore. Everyone is out at work or school during the week and on the weekends it seems everyone scatters. We usually have sausage links or bacon about 3 pieces each and two eggs. This adds up to about 4-5 oz of protein. We also have toast and my Hubby makes waffles from scratch adding some more protein. We have butter and syrup and for a fat and slight sugar. We also have orange slices or grapes etc for a fruit. We have milk to drink for the calcium. It is a balanced meal and one that everyone really enjoys as a change from the same ole meat and two veggie meals. I also try for a no meat meal occasionally such as tomato soup and grilled cheese, and apple slices. If you need a particular item like shampoo or a box frozen meal check out that brands website. Quite often they have coupons you can print and save about one or two dollars and sometimes even more. Hope this will help.