Seven Ways to Spend Less on Groceries

Thanks to the recession, people everywhere are looking to cut back. While some costs (e.g., mortgages, taxes) are things you can't control, you can shrink your grocery bill. I use these seven strategies to cut my grocery bill by more than $200 per month.

One: reduce waste

A 2009 study found that 40% of food produced in the United States is thrown out, about 1,400 calories per day. While some of that . A 2009 study found that 40% of food produced in the United States is thrown out, about 1,400 calories per day. The total value of that food was more than $35 billion.

Thus, if you're throwing out food regularly, you are throwing away part of your grocery budget, and money that you (or someone you love) worked hard to earn. So many families can trim cut their grocery bills by not buying more perishable food than they can eat before it spoils, and by not wasting leftovers. There are many ways to prepare or reuse leftovers that make them look completely new. Sometimes, I even cook extra to have leftovers on purpose.

To throw out less food, it's important to pay close attention to what is stored in the refrigerator and how soon it must be used. When I worked in a restaurant-scale kitchen, we labeled every container with a piece of masking tape that listed the contents of the container and the date it was stored. Every week at the co-op, a dining hall run by students, we had "leftovers night." I still have leftovers nights at home, and they are great when you are two busy to cook dinner.

I also turn less than perfect vegetables and odds and ends, such as chicken necks, into soup stock. Stale bread makes good bread crumbs, or French toast.

Two: stock up when prices are low

Often people wait for a sale when buying clothing or electronics, but not everyone thinks of stocking up when the grocery store has a sale. If you plan ahead, you can see significant savings by stocking up on sale items, and cancel your Costco membership.

If you buy extra soup during the store's "buy one, get one free" special, you won't need to pay full price for it later. Non-perishable food items, such as canned goods, flour, or dry beans, are perfect for this kind of stockpiling. You can also stockpile non-food items, such as toothpaste, detergent, or household cleaners.

If you don't have a chest freezer and have space for one, buying one. With a freezer, it's easy to stockpile expensive meats, seafood, and frozen vegetables at rock-bottom prices. It doesn't take long for a chest freezer to pay for itself.

Three: consider coupons, but don't let them change your buying habits

Many people swear by coupons, and they are useful paired with sales. But consider this: marketers offer coupons to entice you to spend more on a name-brand item or to buy things you normally wouldn't.

Often, store brands are significantly less expensive than the name-brand items. And a Consumer Reports study found that people often can't tell the difference between the name-brand item and the private label.

Four: Keep a price book or subscribe to a service

To start a price book, record the prices of items you buy often when you visit the grocery store. Eventually, you will have a record of the lowest price for which a grocery store will sell an item. This enables you to know when a grocery store's sale price is truly a good deal, and when a "sale" isn't really a bargain. The price book is best used in combination with stockpiling. When prices are low, buy extra.

If keeping a price book is too much work, consider a service that tracks prices for you. I subscribe to the Grocery Game, which posts a weekly list of items that are good deals for stockpiling. Coupon Mom, which is free, also tracks grocery store sales.

Five: eat less meat

Meat is one of the most expensive things you can buy at the grocery store, and Americans eat considerably more of it than people in many other countries. Try reducing the size of your meat portions and putting more grains and vegetables on the family's plate. Or consider meatless meals one or more nights a week.

Six: do some work yourself

Instead of buying precut carrot sticks or baby carrots, buy some regular bagged carrots and make carrot sticks yourself. Swap regular lettuce for bagged salad mix. If you spend some time doing prep-work when you get home from the store, you'll have everything ready to go when you need to make dinner.

Seven: shop less often and reduce impulse buys

Are you going to the grocery store every night on the way home from work? If so, you're probably buying lots of things you don't need. Try shopping once a week and use a list. And leave the kids at home, so they won't beg for expensive packaged foods.