Tips for Saving Money on Your Grocery Bill

As the prices on food continue to rise, mom-experts everywhere have tips on how to save money on the family food bill. By using creative solutions to everyday problems you can save significant amounts of money. Whether you are simply looking to trim your food budget or completely overhaul it these tips can get you started. Just remember to choose one or two tips to get you started and then add on as you go. This way you can start to make a difference where it will impact your family food bill the most. Here are some tips for saving money on the family food bill-

· Buy day-old bakery items. The bread, buns and other baked goods at the day-old bakery is almost as good as in the supermarket, yet it is half the price of fresh. A quick visit to a day-old bakery and you can stock up on bread and other products you can freeze and use later. How much you will save depends on how much bread you consume.

· Always buy in season. Shoppers should understand that there are times when the supermarket is practically giving away fruits and vegetables and other times when they cost a fortune. Buy fruits and vegetables only in season and only if they are reasonably priced. You and your family can learn to enjoy fruits and vegetables that are available year-round at a low cost, such as bananas and carrots. If you have the time, you can also buy when produce is cheap and prepare and freeze it for later use.

· Try using nonfat dry milk. Nonfat dry milk is much cheaper than regular milk. You can use it in place of or combine it with regular milk to reduce the cost of your overall milk consumption. Your savings will be extremely significant if your family consumes a lot of milk each week.

· Pick your own fruits and vegetables. A quick search online can let you find out if there is a food co-op in your area where you can pick your own fruits and vegetables, which can be purchased at a fraction of what you pay at the supermarket. In addition if you have the land you can try growing your own for significant savings.

· Go a little vegetarian. You do not have to completely give up meat, just do not eat meat every single night. Fixing vegetarian casseroles and other vegetarian dishes several times a week can save the typical family significantly during the year. Vegetarian-based casseroles, stews, soups, bean / rice dishes, and omelets are all good substitutes for meat-based meals.

· Brown bag it to work. This is really one of the easiest ways to save money, as brown bagging it is about one-third the cost of eating lunch at even an inexpensive restaurant. In addition you can make your own lunch much healthier saving you money in health care costs as well.

· Never buy what you do not really need. Everyone knows that there are many products we buy because we love them, but do not really need them. Some examples of this are: soft drinks, sugary snacks and other sweets. Giving them up will improve your health, reduce your medical and dental-related expenses and fatten your wallet all at the same time.

· Avoid the vending machines and bring your own snacks/drinks to work or school. You should keep in mind that you will pay significantly less for the candy bars and soda pop you buy at the grocery store than from a vending machine. You can stock up on snacks at home and simply bring them to work avoiding the temptation of dumping your hard earned cash into the vending machine.