Shopping coaches are becoming more popular as people try to find ways to save at the grocery stores while still buying nutritious foods.
You may see them cruising the aisles of grocery stores with their clients in tow as they search out bargains with the zeal of drug-sniffing police dogs. Their aim is to teach people how to save money on food bills while still buying nutritious foods.
While they may charge as much as $60 for a three-hour consultation, they could save you hundreds of dollars a month.
What is being taught is common sense at the grocery store but some of us may need a few hints on how to keep our shopping budget under control.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Cold, fresh juice is a waste of money. Besides being expensive, they have a shelf life which means they go down the drain if they are not drunk in time. Buy Tetra Paks or frozen concentrates of juices instead. They are way less expensive.
- Buy frozen meats instead of fresh. Contrary to some beliefs, you do not lose nutrients in any frozen meats. They are cheaper and in some cases when meat is frozen it comes out more tender when thawed. Learn more about frozen foods.
- This next idea is a bit trickier as it requires transportation and organization but if you insist on fresh, get together with a group of friends and phone around to local farms. See if you can make a deal for meats and produce as some farmers would be happy to sell at a discount if the order is large enough.
- Bread is expensive right now thanks in part to the high price of flour. Look for alternatives like tortilla wraps that come in packs of 12 for a lot less than a loaf of bread. And make wraps instead of sandwiches.
- Bake with margarine instead of butter. Sure, some chefs might put you down but with the steep price of butter why waste the money. Who can tell if a cookie has been baked with butter or margarine? Oh yeah, that's another point. Bake rather than buy an expensive bag of cookies.
- Never buy real lemons for cooking. Use bottled lemon juice.
If you want more ways to save on your groceries, I'm afraid you'll have to hire a coach.
[Photographs copyright by Linda Dunbar. Reproduction prohibited]
