http://www.insidebayarea.com/food-and-wine/ci_12191438I need to disagree with one of the items: freezers are not cost-effective. Sorry. They are convenience items, and they allow the purchase of relatively high-quality frozen items year-round. They are luxuries. The overhead cost of the freezer itself and the electricity to run it are one expense, and so is buying frozen convenience foods, which are very expensive, and which are the real thing that freezers get used for--it's not for stocking up on fresh fruit during peak harvests, etc.
Eat more dry food that naturally keeps a long time, and grow fresh vegetables yourself if you can. Eat vegetables that store easily, like carrots and squashes, for the winter, just like your great-grandparents did. Sorry I don't have a better solution.
# Ten ways to cut food spending Buy only what's on sale. Instead of shopping for the week, stock up on sale items only. Put fresh sale items on the menu for the week, plus pantry items you have on hand.
# Shop ethnic stores. Spices, condiments, dried goods, noodles and even vegetables are often fresher and can be had for a fraction of the cost. Health food stores that sell bulk goods are also a good bet.
# Keep track of cost. You may think that you will remember from week to week, but with hundreds of items, and continually shrinking package sizes, you will forget. If you write it down, you won't get tricked.
# Stock your pantry. Buy up sale items in bulk; when you find a bargain, buy six months' worth if it will store that long. Don't have space? Find space -- store it under your bed if you need to.
# Freeze it. When you find fresh foods on sale, bag, label and freeze. Caution: If freezer space is tight, be sure to prioritize your space so that you can devote it to expensive items such as meat. If you have a large family, an extra freezer is well worth the investment.
# Network with friends. Share produce, divide bulk items and call one another when you find a great deal. Networking saves gas and time, and slashes the food budget.
# Pay attention to circulars. Find items you need at bargain prices and shop at those stores that week.
# Use coupons cautiously. Coupons are often for expensive convenience foods that you can make easily and cheaper yourself.
# Plant a vegetable garden. Here in the Bay Area, you can grow vegetables year-round, which means it's never too early or too late to put some stuff in the ground.
# Eat every single bite of food that you buy. Enough said.
-- Adapted from Elise Cooke's "Simpleton Solutions."
