• Plan ahead. Make a list of meal ideas for the coming week. Keep in mind the days you’ll have time to cook from scratch and the days you’ll be pressed for time. Then make a grocery list and stick to it.
• Buy in-season fruits and vegetables. Use local farmers’ markets when possible – the foods are fresher and tend to cost less.
• Purchase canned (in water or in their own juice, not heavy syrup) and frozen fruits and vegetables when fresh ones are not available or affordable. They’re healthy, too, and will last longer.
• Never shop for food when you’re hungry.
• Review store ads and clip coupons before shopping.
• Sign up for your grocer’s bonus/discount card for additional savings.
• Stock up on sale items you can use in a timely manner. Buy in bulk for quality and value, but serve healthy portions.
• Look for items on the top and bottom shelves at the grocery store. The most costly brands are often placed at eye-level. Store brands that maybe cheaper and just as good are often placed higher or lower.
• Assemble snacks at home in small baggies and use foods such as nuts and seeds, low-fat cheese and fresh veggies and fruits, rather than buying less healthy and more expensive prepackaged and processed snacks.
• Use your food budget wisely. For the price of a large bag of chips and a box of cookies, you can buy a lot of apples, bananas, carrots, potatoes, peppers and other healthy foods.

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