Skip to content

We ask you, urgently: don’t scroll past this

Dear readers, Catholic Online was de-platformed by Shopify for our pro-life beliefs. They shut down our Catholic Online, Catholic Online School, Prayer Candles, and Catholic Online Learning Resources—essential faith tools serving over 1.4 million students and millions of families worldwide. Our founders, now in their 70's, just gave their entire life savings to protect this mission. But fewer than 2% of readers donate. If everyone gave just $5, the cost of a coffee, we could rebuild stronger and keep Catholic education free for all. Stand with us in faith. Thank you.

Help Now >

Take bite from food bill

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) - Put your grocery budget on a diet and still eat well _ it can be done.

Highlights

By Linda Florea
McClatchy Newspapers (www.mctdirect.com)
2/16/2009 (1 decade ago)

Published in Business & Economics

"On Wednesday, I look for the ads and plan my weekend shopping and clip coupons," said Tara Gidus, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Planning meals around sales, she said, saves money.

While U.S. shoppers increasingly pay more for the convenience of prepared foods, it sometimes takes only five or 10 minutes to do the prep work for something like a salad, as opposed to buying it pre-chopped and mixed in a bag. Ready-made, one-serving drinks are another product you can avoid to cut costs, she said, with the added benefit of reducing the amount of plastic headed for the landfill.

Her top choice among foods that deliver the most bang for the buck: beans, either dry or canned. Beans are full of nutritional benefits, such as fiber and protein, she noted, and they're inexpensive. Oatmeal is second on her list of nutritious, bargain foods, at a cost of about 11 cents a bowl _ if you cook it yourself (the instant variety costs more). Sound bland? Add fresh fruit or other toppings to liven it up.

Rounding out her top picks of good-for-less: seasonal fruit, frozen spinach, peanut butter, eggs and brown rice.

"The biggest food cost is food waste," Gidus said. "Only buy what you will eat, and things that you will eat _ people have the intention of eating things, like carrots, and they rot in the drawer."

Glinder Stephens, director of the Orange County (Fla.) Extension Service, says grocery stores tend to put the most-expensive foods at eye level, so look for bargains above and below. Also, don't go to the supermarket hungry; plan ahead and show up with a list, but be flexible enough to substitute items if you find things on sale. Generic brands are a bargain, she said, only if the family will eat them.

And "the more you can shop the perimeters, the healthier the meals you plan will be," she said of most stores. "The inner aisles are where they have the processed foods."

Dining out is one of the first things to cut when money is tight, Stephens said. But if eating out is high on your list of priorities, you ought to consider eating at restaurants close to home and where tips are not expected. Consider going out for lunch instead of dinner, or taking advantage of early-bird specials. Order water as your beverage, and bring a money-saving coupon with you.

Edmund Thralls, an urban-horticulture extension agent in Orange County, has seen an increase in the number of people attending gardening classes recently.

"If you don't have experience, you need to start small," Thralls said. "I'd recommend a small, raised-bed garden 4 feet by 8 feet. You can grow a large amount of vegetables in a small area."

He estimates that such a garden can save you about $600 a year in grocery costs. And as a bonus, he said, new gardeners discover how much better fresh, homegrown vegetables can taste compared with those sold in stores.

___

© 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Advent / Christmas 2024

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.