Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Cut calories and spending
Whew! You survived the holidays. As you look ahead in 2009, those holiday bills are looming. These bills and the recession have caused many consumers to rethink how they spend their money.
It is often assumed that it costs more money to eat healthy. Truth be told, it can actually be affordable with a little menu planning and basic cooking skills. What we often pay for at the register is convenience. The more processing that has taken place, the more costly the item in most cases. The following list of suggestions will help you save money on your weekly groceries:
1. Plan ahead. Spend 15 minutes each week to plan three to four dinners. Use the weekly sales flyer to guide your menu. Make a list and stick to it.
2. Cut those coupons. Coupons can save you $10-20 on your grocery bill. Only cut the coupons for foods you normally buy.
3. Check unit pricing. The unit price tells you how much you spend per unit (such as per ounce or pound).
4. Buy only what you need or can store. This helps you to avoid throwing unused food away.
5. Never shop when hungry, you will be tempted to buy more food.
6. Cut back on the empty calorie foods, such as chips, sodas, cakes, cookies and candy. A large bag of potato chips is the same price as a bag of baby carrots. A gallon of skim milk is often cheaper than a 12-pack of soda. This is where you can save money and your waistline.
7. Use your leftovers. Plan a leftover night each week. You get a night off from cooking and you save a few dollars.
8. Avoid the individually packed snack foods (ie. the 100 calorie packs). While these are convenient, they are costly. Buy a big box of crackers and bag them individually. Plan ahead if you need snacks on the run, use travel cups for drinks and put snacks in plastic baggies.
9. Go vegetarian once or twice a week. Meat can be expensive, so periodically use beans or eggs for your protein at dinner. Think beans and rice, vegetarian fajitas or breakfast for dinner. Homemade soups are also a wonderful way to create an inexpensive meal.
10. Cut your own vegetables, buy frozen or low sodium canned, especially during the winter months when local produce is not available.
Wendy Kane is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes education in the Backus Hospital Diabetes Management Center. This advice should not replace the advice from your physician. Email Ms. Kane and all the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog here.
It is often assumed that it costs more money to eat healthy. Truth be told, it can actually be affordable with a little menu planning and basic cooking skills. What we often pay for at the register is convenience. The more processing that has taken place, the more costly the item in most cases. The following list of suggestions will help you save money on your weekly groceries:
1. Plan ahead. Spend 15 minutes each week to plan three to four dinners. Use the weekly sales flyer to guide your menu. Make a list and stick to it.
2. Cut those coupons. Coupons can save you $10-20 on your grocery bill. Only cut the coupons for foods you normally buy.
3. Check unit pricing. The unit price tells you how much you spend per unit (such as per ounce or pound).
4. Buy only what you need or can store. This helps you to avoid throwing unused food away.
5. Never shop when hungry, you will be tempted to buy more food.
6. Cut back on the empty calorie foods, such as chips, sodas, cakes, cookies and candy. A large bag of potato chips is the same price as a bag of baby carrots. A gallon of skim milk is often cheaper than a 12-pack of soda. This is where you can save money and your waistline.
7. Use your leftovers. Plan a leftover night each week. You get a night off from cooking and you save a few dollars.
8. Avoid the individually packed snack foods (ie. the 100 calorie packs). While these are convenient, they are costly. Buy a big box of crackers and bag them individually. Plan ahead if you need snacks on the run, use travel cups for drinks and put snacks in plastic baggies.
9. Go vegetarian once or twice a week. Meat can be expensive, so periodically use beans or eggs for your protein at dinner. Think beans and rice, vegetarian fajitas or breakfast for dinner. Homemade soups are also a wonderful way to create an inexpensive meal.
10. Cut your own vegetables, buy frozen or low sodium canned, especially during the winter months when local produce is not available.
Wendy Kane is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes education in the Backus Hospital Diabetes Management Center. This advice should not replace the advice from your physician. Email Ms. Kane and all the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog here.
# posted by ----------------- @ 12:06 PM 
