Know how. Know now.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 2 Alice Henneman, MS, RD University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County For a FREE copy of this PowerPoint and related handout: Created with PowerPoint 2003, October, Prices are rounded to the nearest 25 cents and may vary by store and region.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 3 You can save money WITHOUT...

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 4... cooking everything from scratch

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 5... packing your purse with coupons

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 6... only purchasing foods in season

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 7 16 EASY tips to help you...  Spend less and/or  Avoid losing money through tossing uneaten foods

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 8 You may be surprised at the END of this presentation by the TOTAL AMOUNT these 16 tips save!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 9 A dollar saved is even better than a dollar earned: You don’t have to pay taxes on it!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Keep a grocery list  Saves gas money on extra trips to the supermarket  Less likely to make impulse purchases

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 11  Keep list easy to access

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 12  Stay flexible if you find a sale

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 13 Savings example 1  Gas to drive four miles for an extra trip to the store $1.00 or more!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 14 Savings example 2  Impulse purchase of snack crackers at the store Snack Crackers $2.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Garbage check  Money is tossed when food is tossed!  What foods are in your trash can?

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 16 Reduce, reuse or recycle foods

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 17  Tossing “tired” lettuce?  “Reuse” it in menus more often – serve more salads; add to sandwiches, tacos or enchiladas; make “wrap” sandwiches  Reduce the amount purchased

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 18 Savings example  Eating your lettuce before it gets “tired” and needs to be tossed! $1.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 19  Too many mashed potatoes?  Reduce the amount made  Recycle in a day or two as potato patties, shepherd’s pie, potato soup

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 20  Bananas too ripe?  Recycle in banana bread or smoothies Tossing me – that’s bananas!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Avoid shopping when hungry  Everything looks good when you have an empty stomach  Eat BEFORE shopping AND feed kids who will be shopping with you!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 22 Savings example  Cost of an energy bar purchased to tide you over until you get home $1.50 I’m hard to resist if you’re hungry!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Brown bag it  Brown bag it one or more days a week  Typical fast food meal can cost $5.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 24  It can be as simple as a peanut butter sandwich and piece of whole fruit  Or, leftovers from last night

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 25 Savings example 1  Eating a sack lunch once a week $2.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 26 Savings example 2  Eating a sack lunch 5 days a week $12.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 27  Brown bag it and cut your lunch costs in half!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Coupon common sense Use coupons only for foods normally eaten

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 29 Look for coupons in  Newspapers  Magazines and...

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 30  Check the back of grocery receipt and …

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 31  Store and product online Web sites may offer coupons

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 32  Check if store has double or triple coupon days when values are increased  See if a store will price match a coupon from another store

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 33 Savings example 1  Using two 50¢ coupons for two items you DO use $1.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 34 Savings example 2  NOT using a coupon to buy a new dessert $2.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Check expiration dates  Avoid buying food past its expiration date  Foods are often priced lower near expiration date and a good buy if used before expiration Use by....

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 36  Use foods before they get too old

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 37 Savings example  Avoid dumping a half gallon of soured milk down the drain. Use it before it gets too old in milk-based soups or instead of water in oatmeal. $2.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Small scale experiments  Buy the smallest package size the first time you purchase an unfamiliar food Buy me!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 39 Savings example  Extra cost of purchasing large container of a new spice your family won’t eat $1.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Costly convenience foods  Consider how much time you REALLY save buying a specific convenience food...

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 41  It takes just a few seconds to make your own sugar and cinnamon mixture rather than buy pre-mixed

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 42  Microwaving regular oatmeal takes only a few minutes more than pouring hot water over a pre-measured package

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 43  Cutting your own fruits and veggies saves money – they keep longer than precut ones, too!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 44 Savings example  Buying a carton of oatmeal providing 30 servings vs. buying 3 boxes with 10 instant oatmeal packets each $5.50 Oatmeal

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Staple food stock up Invest in staple foods when they’re on sale  Tuna  Tomato sauce  Other?

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 46  Stocking up on a boatload of bananas – and other perishable foods – isn’t a very good investment … unless you make banana bread and freeze it

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 47 Savings example  Stocking up on 10 cans of food that have each been marked down by 20¢ a can $2.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Bulking up when the price is right and you can use it  Do the math and check if you REALLY save with the larger package

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 49  Consider if you will consume the food before it gets old Do I have to eat this?

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 50 Savings example 1  Buying a 5-pound instead of a 1-pound bag of rice (if you serve rice frequently) $1.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 51 Savings example 2  Check unit prices (usually above or below the food)  If a 1-lb. bag is $3.49 (unit price: 21.8¢/oz.) and a 6-pack of smaller bags is $2.69 (unit price: 55.3¢/oz.)...  Buy the larger bag, repackage into smaller bags, and get over twice as much per comparable weight $1.75

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Store brand savings  Store brands are comparable in nutrition to name brands  Store brands are more likely on store’s bottom shelves – look around to find the best buys

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 53  Many times you cannot tell the difference in taste between name and store brands I’m not feeding you a line!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 54  Store brands may vary more in color, size, or texture than name brands  Appearance is less important in many foods, such as casseroles I’m quite a catch!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 55 Savings example  Buying two cans of a store brand and saving 50¢ on each $1.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Prevent food flops  Check preparation methods for unfamiliar foods

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 57  The meat manager might help with unfamiliar meat cuts

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 58  Some produce departments have books or signs with descriptions of fruits and vegetables

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 59 Savings example  Avoiding the purchase of self- rising flour and finding it won’t work in your recipe $2.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Beware of snack attacks  Cutting back on snacks can help your wallet and your waistline

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 61 Savings example  Buying one less bag of chips weekly $2.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Shop the specials  Plan your menus around sales items, especially more expensive items like meat

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 63 Savings example  Buying meat on sale $2.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 64 Buy several packages of meat on sale and freeze them. Here’s how from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Food Safety & Inspection Service...

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 65  It’s safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping but this type of wrap is permeable to air.  Unless the food will be used in a month or two, over wrap these packages for long-term storage using airtight heavy- duty foil, (freezer) plastic wrap or freezer paper, or place the package inside a (freezer) plastic bag.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 66  At 0 degrees F, frozen foods remain safe indefinitely, but quality decreases.  Frozen raw ground meat maintains optimum quality for 3 to 4 months.  Larger pieces of meat like steaks or chops maintain optimum quality for 4 to 12 months.  The safest way to thaw meat is in the refrigerator on a plate on the bottom shelf so it doesn’t drip on other foods.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Think before you drink  Buy a reusable water bottle and fill with tap water instead of buying bottled water

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 68  Limit soft drinks and fancy coffees

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 69 Savings example  Drinking tap water instead of buying a 12 pack of bottled water $4.00

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension “Checkout” temptation  Think twice before buying a last minute temptation in the checkout lane

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 71 Savings example  Resist buying a magazine with the latest diet $3.50

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 72  How much do you think you could save with these tips?

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 73  If you used each example in ONE shopping trip weekly, you could save as much as... $40 per week !

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 74  Multiply $40 by 52 weeks and the grand total is... OVER $2,000 yearly!!

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 75  What could YOU do with over $2,000 extra a year?

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 76 The End

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 77 “Thank You!” to the following people for reviewing these materials and adding their suggestions for saving money at the supermarket: Sharon Balters, Pam Branson, Chiquita Briley, Cindy Brison, Toni Bryant, Jessie Coffey, Joan Davis, Sarah Doerneman, Jennifer Dunavan, Rita Frickel, Shannon Frink, Karen Hudson, Cindy Goody, Becky Guittar, Teri Hlava, Kayla Hinrichs, Vicki Jedlicka, Lisa Kopecky, Toni Kuehneman, Tracy Kulm, Jana McKinney, Jennifer Meyer, Martha Murphy, Stacie Ortmeier, Dave Palm, Amber Pankonin, Zainab Raida, Joan David Sather, Carol Schwarz, Kathy Tack, Kathy Taylor, Amy Vore, Jennifer Yen, Kathy Walsten, Jessica Wegener and Linda Wetzel.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension 78 Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.