How to save $ on food

By Gigi Lehman - McClatchy Newspapers

These days, it's almost as scary to fill your grocery cart as your gas tank. A gallon of unleaded costs as much as 20 percent more than it did a year ago. Food costs have zoomed up 6 percent in that time, with double-digit increases for staples like milk and bread.

Retail analyst Howard Davidowitz framed it this way in a recent National Public Radio interview: "Americans used to spend 10 cents (of every dollar) on food and energy; they're now spending 17 cents.''

The good news is that most people can find ways to save money.

Just ask Martha Kenyon of the Redland, Fla., a mother of six who has always fed her family on one income.

"I basically buy what's on sale, and I buy a lot of it. I have my prices in mind - I know what I'm willing to pay for grapes, for example - and if it's not for sale at that price, I wait. My kids eat a lot of fruit, but they eat what's on sale. That's the way I've always purchased.''

A nutrition-minded cook, Kenyon fits whole grains and organic produce into her budget by belonging to a buying co-op.

"You learn to be frugal,'' says Connie Kane of Margate, Fla., a single parent and now an empty nester. "I raised two children with a very simple lifestyle.

"There were no sugary cereals, no soda. Their treat was a half-gallon of ice cream a week, and when it was gone, there wasn't any more until I went to the store again, so they didn't gorge on it."

Kane remembers food rationing during her World War II childhood, when an after-school snack would be "bread and butter or Saltines and butter -- and I loved it.''

In 21st century America, a week without takeout meals would qualify as food rationing for many. Still, whether you're a free spender or a penny pincher, we've got tips to help you keep your food bill from gobbling up your paycheck.

TIPS FOR SAVING

You probably know how, but need motivation to get started. Here's one idea from "Cheap! Fast! Good!" author Beverly Mills:

_Decide on a food budget for the week, and put that much cash in an envelope. Pay only cash at the store, and put whatever's left at week's end in a jar so you can see how much you're saving. As it accumulates, use the extra cash to reward yourself or pay off bills.

_If you shop at warehouse stores, keep a small notebook of prices for items you use regularly so you can tell instantly if the "large economy size'' is a better buy. Beware of impulse buying, especially pricey prepared and frozen foods.

_Get better at planned shopping with TheGroceryGame.com. The site gives you a weekly list of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. In our trial run, we paid $101 for $146 worth of items - and that was entirely from in-store specials, not clipped coupons.

_ Suggested cookbook: "Don't Panic -- Dinner's in the Freezer" (Revell, $14.99). It gets you into the cook-ahead mode.