Reducing Household Food Expenses

Here is another article I ran across today in the L.A. Times. Learning to reduce food expenses, can really add up over a 52 week period. We've been cutting back on some luxury items in our household and really trying to eat local, in season fruit and vegetables that are on sale, in an effort to reduce overall expenses for imported items that may not be in season. Here are some highlights from the article.
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Food.
Not only do you need to eat food to live, the expense of it for the average family can eat you alive! Since food is a necessary and recurring expense, just saving, for example, $20 a week on your purchases can convert to over $1000 in savings over the course of a year.

1.) Try to plan in advance. By knowing what you need, you will be able to buy in larger quantities (almost always less expensive) and cut down on convenience food purchases (always more expensive).

2.) If you use national brands, spend a little time clipping and using coupons. $1.50 invested in the Sunday newspaper could save you $20 or more at the checkout. Organize the coupons by type, so as you develop a shopping list you can make a notation if you have a coupon.

3.) Consider store brands or generics. You may find the quality is equal to (and sometimes better than) the national brands, and store brands/generics are generally considerably less expensive.

4.) When it is on sale, stock up. Of course this only applies to those items that you use on a regular basis. Stocking up on an item which you use once a year doesn't make sense (and robs you of spending money, not to mention shelf space).

5.) Shop at the store that is the cheapest overall. Surveys have shown that there is sometimes as much as 10-15% difference on identical grocery orders at 2 different stores in the same area. If you spend $500 a month on groceries, that can equate to $600 to $900 a year in savings. Don't throw away your money just because it is your habit to shop at a certain store.
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I'm noticing our food bill is going down. We do have local organic produce delivered to our home weekly. We are basically just going to the grocery store for dairy and meat items, as well as pantry staples. We are seeing the results of taking the time to plan healthier meals, and incorporating more vegetables. I would say one thing to our success is to allow ourselves to at least enjoy one meal a week that "is the good life," or whatever we want to eat. This way, we both are sticking to eating the healthier items on a more regular basis.