You’ve certainly noticed that your favorite food items have either increased in cost or decreased in size or both!

Since food is one of our major expenditures, the grocery store is a good place to use some tactics to lessen the sticker shock at the check out.

Check out the ads!

Buy items that you eat when they are on sale. Stock up on items that have a shelf life that won’t expire before you will use it.

Buy store brands

They are usually cheaper.

Use coupons

They’ve become trendy again! Clip them from the mail flyer or download them from coupons.com.  Shop on the day your grocery doubles coupons. Use the coupons when the item is on sale for an even greater return. Don’t forget that it’s money wasted if you use coupons for items you don’t eat.

Avoid certain aisles

The foods in the snack, candy and soda aisles have a low ratio of nutrients to calories. They also are fairly expensive—use the money instead for fresh fruits for your dessert or snack.

Try meat alternatives

Beans are a very cheap substitute for meat. They are considered both a protein and a vegetable—two for the price of one! They are cheapest when bought in the dried form. But if you want the convenience of the canned version, it will still be considerably cheaper than meat.

Avoid waste

According to a study at the University of Arizona, the average American family throws out almost $600 in food each year. If you find you are throwing out fresh produce because it’s going bad before you eat it, buy frozen or canned forms of it. Frozen vegetables and fruit have a great advantage. You can prepare the amount you need and throw the rest of it back in the freezer. Or buy smaller amounts of fresh produce that you know you will eat before it spoils.

Trim the cupboard shelves

How many different kinds of cookies, snack foods, and other sweets do you have in the cupboards? Studies have shown that having more varieties of a food leads to overeating. If you need to have these on hand, limit them to one type. It will decrease your grocery bill and maybe your weight.

Cook from scratch

Convenience foods are more expensive. Prepare the items yourself. This might be a good time to take a cooking class on making easy, cheap and healthy foods. If cooking is something you don’t enjoy, find items that you could switch to in a less convenient form. Compare the cost of buying quick-cooking oatmeal to the instant form. Do the same for other items you now buy in a more convenient version.

Have a shopping list

After learning what is on sale, plan your meals for the week. Then check what you need and write it on your list. Stick to your list—unless you come across an unadvertised bargain. If a week seems overwhelming do it for 2 to 3 days.

Shop after dinner

As well as shopping on double-coupon day, do your shopping after you have eaten. It makes it much easier to avoid impulse shopping which can quickly increase the amount on your receipt.

Check unit prices

Sometimes it’s a better deal to buy an item in a smaller container. You may also find a similar item sold in different areas of the store for different prices. There is an advantage to becoming familiar with the layout of a store.

Compare prices

Some items may be cheaper at drugstores, superstores, discount grocers, warehouse clubs or online.