Guest Author - Jill Valente

It seems like every time I enter the grocery store I am flabbergasted about the money I have spent on essentially nothing. How is it that eggs, milk, butter and a couple pork chops equals me spending $70? On the other hand, restaurant prices seem to be out of control as well. My husband and I visited a favorite establishment of ours on the Upper East Side this past weekend only to be greeted by obnoxious waiters pushing fine wines, pricy desserts and entrees that were all well over $40 – insanity! Take-out also has taken me out of the game with a minimum of $50 spent for pizza and salad which leads me back to my first option, the food store and home cooked meals. The world feels like a mess right now but we should embrace this time and get back to basics, preparing a home cooked meal each night for ourselves and our families. Here are some cost-saving tips for the grocery store…

Eggs
During my entire pregnancy, it seems I could eat breakfast foods for every meal. Each day I come home with a game plan for what to make when really all I want is scrambled eggs. I even wrote an article about it called Breakfast for Dinner. Breakfast meals are quick and easy but most importantly they are cheap since the main ingredient is usually eggs. Experiment with different styles of cooking eggs – scrambled alongside a whole wheat bagel, fried on a piece of multigrain bread or boiled to make delicious egg salad.

Avoid processed foods
A great suggestion for healthy foods shopping is to avoid the inner aisles and stick to the perimeters of the grocery store. Staying in the outer perimeter usually gives you access to fruits and vegetables, poultry and meat, milk and eggs whereas the inner aisles are most likely where you will find all the processed foods which are not only bad for you but also seem to be the most expensive. Avoiding cookies, crackers, sugary cereals and snacks will save your waistline and money at the register.

Sale items
I never enter a grocery store hungry or without a list, both can lead to overindulging and purchasing the wrong items. The only times I stray from the list is when approaching what is on sale. Buying items on sale not only saves you money but tests out your creativity. Go to the store and check out the latest special, whether it is pork chops or lean ground beef use your brain and create a meal around the item.

Soups
Being that it’s fall, soups most likely will end up in your dinner rotation because of the cool weather but another great thing about soups is that they are inexpensive and can be made into many different meals. Additions like pasta, rice or potatoes make them extra hearty for dinner plus their accompaniments, usually a salad and some home baked bread are equally inexpensive. Also, they can be packed up for lunches at school or work, saving even more money so break out the soup pot and start cooking!