Know how. Know now.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension2

Alice Henneman, MS, RD University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County

ahennema@unlnotes.unl.edu

For a FREE copy of this PowerPoint and related handout: http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/supermarket-savings.shtml

Created with PowerPoint 2003, October, 2008.Prices are rounded to the nearest 25 cents and may vary by store and region.

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You can save money WITHOUT ...

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... cooking everything from scratch

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... packing your purse with coupons

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... only purchasing foods in season

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16 EASY tips to help you ...

Spend less and/or

Avoid losing money through tossing uneaten foods

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You may be surprised at the END of this presentation by the TOTAL

AMOUNT these 16 tips save!

You may be surprised at the END of this presentation by the TOTAL

AMOUNT these 16 tips save!

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A dollar saved is even better than a dollar earned: You don’t have to pay taxes on it!

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1. Keep a grocery list 1. Keep a grocery list

Saves gas money on extra trips to the supermarket

Less likely to makeimpulse purchases

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Keep list easy to access

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Stay flexible if you find a sale

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Savings example 1Savings example 1

Gas to drive four miles for an extra trip to the store

$1.00 or more!

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Savings example 2Savings example 2

Impulse purchase of snack crackers at the store

SnackCrackers$2.50

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2. Garbage check 2. Garbage check

Money is tossed when food is tossed!

What foodsare in yourtrash can?

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Reduce, reuse or recycle foods

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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

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Savings exampleSavings example

Eating your lettuce before it gets “tired” and needs to be tossed!

$1.00

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Too many mashed potatoes?

Reduce the amount made

Recycle in a day or two as potato patties, shepherd’s pie, potato soup

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Bananas too ripe?

Recycle in banana bread or smoothies

Tossing me – that’s bananas!

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3. Avoid shopping when hungry 3. 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!

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Savings exampleSavings 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!

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4. Brown bag it4. Brown bag it

Brown bag it one or more days a week

Typical fast food meal can cost $5.00

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It can be as simpleas a peanut butter sandwich and piece of whole fruit

Or, leftovers fromlast night

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Savings example 1Savings example 1

Eating a sack lunch once a week

$2.50

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Savings example 2Savings example 2

Eating a sack lunch 5 days a week

$12.50

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Brown bag it and cut your lunch costs in half!

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5. Coupon common sense5. Coupon common sense

Use coupons only for foods normally eaten

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Look for coupons in Newspapers Magazines and ...

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Check the backof groceryreceipt and …

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Store and product online Web sites may offer coupons

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Check if store hasdouble or triplecoupon days when values are increased

See if a store will price match a coupon from another store

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Savings example 1Savings example 1

Using two 50¢ coupons for two items you DO use

$1.00

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Savings example 2Savings example 2

NOT using a coupon to buya new dessert

$2.00

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6. Check expiration dates6. 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 ....

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Use foods before they get too old

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Savings example Savings example

Avoid dumping a half gallon of soured milkdown the drain. Use itbefore it gets too old in milk-based soups or instead of water inoatmeal.

$2.50

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7. Small scale experiments7. Small scale experiments

Buy the smallest package size the first time you purchase an unfamiliar food

Buy Buy me!me!

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Savings example Savings example

Extra cost of purchasing large container of a new spice your family won’t eat

$1.50

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8. Costly convenience foods8. Costly convenience foods

Consider how much time you REALLY save buying a specific convenience food ...

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It takes just a few seconds to make your own sugar and cinnamon mixture rather than buy pre-mixed

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Microwaving regular oatmeal takes only a few minutes more than pouring hot water over a pre-measured package

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Cutting your own fruits and veggies saves money – they keep longer than precut ones, too!

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Savings example Savings example

Buying a carton of oatmeal providing 30 servings vs. buying 3 boxes with 10 instant oatmeal packets each

$5.50

Oatmeal

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9. Staple food stock up9. Staple food stock up

Invest in staple foods when they’re on sale

Tuna Tomato sauce Other?

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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

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Savings example Savings example

Stocking up on10 cans of food that have each been marked down by 20¢ a can

$2.00

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10. Bulking up when the price is right and you can use it10. 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

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Consider if you will consume the food before it gets old

Do I have to eat this?

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Savings example 1Savings example 1

Buying a 5-pound instead of a 1-pound bag of rice (if you serve rice frequently)

$1.50

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Savings example 2Savings 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 smallerbags, and get over twice as much per comparable weight

$1.75

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11. Store brand savings11. 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

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Many times you cannot tell the difference in taste between name and store brands

I’m not feeding you a line!

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Store brands may vary morein color, size, or texture than name brands

Appearance is less important in many foods, such as casseroles

I’m quite a catch!

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Savings example Savings example

Buying two cans of a store brand and saving 50¢ on each

$1.00

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12. Prevent food flops12. Prevent food flops

Check preparation methods for unfamiliar foods

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The meat manager might help with unfamiliar meat cuts

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Some produce departments have books or signs with descriptions of fruits and vegetables

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Savings example Savings example

Avoiding the purchase of self-rising flour and finding it won’t work in your recipe

$2.50

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13. Beware of snack attacks13. Beware of snack attacks

Cutting back on snacks can help your wallet and your waistline

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Savings example Savings example

Buying one less bag of chips weekly

$2.50

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14. Shop the specials14. Shop the specials

Plan your menus around sales items, especially more expensive items like meat

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Savings example Savings example

Buying meat on sale

$2.00

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

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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.

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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.

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15. Think before you drink15. Think before you drink

Buy a reusable water bottle and fill with tap water instead of buying bottled water

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Limit soft drinks and fancy coffees

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Savings example Savings example

Drinking tap water instead of buying a 12 pack of bottled water

$4.00

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16. “Checkout” temptation16. “Checkout” temptation

Think twice before buying a last minute temptation in the checkout lane

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Savings example Savings example

Resist buying a magazine with the latest diet

$3.50

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How much do you think you could save with these tips?

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If you used each example in ONE shopping trip weekly, you could save as much as ...

$40 per

week!

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Multiply $40 by 52 weeks and the grand total is ...

OVER OVER $2,000 $2,000 yearly!!yearly!!

OVER OVER $2,000 $2,000 yearly!!yearly!!

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What could

YOUdo with over

$2,000 extra a year?

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The EndThe End

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“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.

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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.