I subscribe to a variety of homemaking newsletters, many of which have reader feedback and questions printed.  Recently I have noticed many readers asking about how they can cut their grocery bills.  I sent this response in to one of these newsletters and thought some of you might benefit from it to...

I wanted to submit a reply to the question on keeping grocery costs down. I have a family of 4 as well and our average shopping total (this includes house wares and groceries) is about $100 each week, and we rarely have hot dogs. (c: My best tip is to find a store that has an "ad-match" program. This means that that store will honor competitors ads all the time. Most Wal-Mart Super Centers and Safe-Way stores do this, though its not always readily advertised (be sure to check, though, we drive an extra 10 miles to a Super Center that will ad-match since the local one won't).

What I do is make a list (always!) by taking a look around our pantry. There are several items that I like to keep on hand because they are versatile. For instance, I use canned spaghetti sauce (much cheaper than jarred) in spaghetti, parmesan chicken, meat loaf and in buttered pasta as a side dish so we always keep a few cans on hand. Next I gather ads from the local newspapers and those arriving in the mail (I spend about $1.00 on papers, but save well over $30 a week with this system, yes it’s worth it.) The ads help me determine the fresh meat and produce for the week. I don’t only buy what is on sale, but it makes a big part of the list. I also clip coupons - but only for items I would normally buy.  If you use a "name brand" coupon and save a quarter, but the "store brand" is forty cents cheaper you aren't really saving any money.  I get coupons in the mail and through the newspaper.  You can also find coupon sharing groups online.

Now you’re ready to shop. Eat something before you go, a small snack is fine, so that you don’t buy extra junk that you don’t need. Once you’re at the store, stick to your list. This is very important, if you don’t you will find you don’t have everything you needed and a bunch of things you didn’t. When you buy meat, always buy in family packs and freeze (in zip top freezer bags) enough for one meal for your family. If you cook more than you need chances are it will end up in garbage. Watch what you throw out too. If you buy 6 oranges every week and throw out 2 of the 6, only buy 4 next week.

Another great tip is to find some double-duty recipes.  For instance, when I make a pot of chili we can have several meals from it - chili (with crackers, cheese, sour cream, etc.), coneys (chili dogs), taco salad (bed of lettuce, chili, cheese, tomatoes, sour cream, tortilla chips) and beef and veggie soup (mix canned veggies - green beans, corn, diced tomatoes, peas, carrots, and potatoes - with leftover chili and heat; serve with corn bread).  The original pot of chili is made with a 5 pound roll of ground beef, a couple of cans of diced tomatoes and a packet of chili seasoning; all of this is less than $10!  Don't feel like you have to have this all in one week, once your cooked chili has cooled you can easily divide it into freezer zip top bags and freeze your extras for a quick week night dinner.

I quit working with the birth of our second daughter and had to cut costs - that was nearly 8 years ago!  A big part of my part time pay was wasted in the checkout line. Using these tips we have cut food costs from about $200 each week to about $100 over the years. I hope this system works as well for you as it has for me.