With food prices on the rise, many Americans are wondering how they can fill their grocery carts without emptying their wallets.

To stretch your food dollars, try some of these time-tested strategies.

Planning Makes Perfect

• Add up how much you spend every month on food. It can be eyeopening to add up grocery store receipts and restaurant bills. Start by writing down your daily food costs for a month or add them up using computer-based spreadsheet software. Consider ways to save money, such as eating out less often.
• Plan a week’s worth of meals and go grocery shopping just once a week. This may help you save time and gas. Check your Sunday paper to see what healthy foods will be on sale that week, and add those items to your grocery list.
• Prepare a few meatless meals every week. Meals built around beans or eggs can cost less than meat-based meals and still provide excellent nutrition. Look through a cookbook or go online for recipe ideas. The Paramount Web site is a great place to start. (See the end of this article.)

Shop Smart

• Never shop while hungry. Have a piece of fruit or your favorite healthy cereal to snack on while you shop. This can help you avoid the impulse to buy expensive or unhealthy items, such as fatty snacks.
• Buy fresh produce that’s in season. Compare prices—sometimes smaller fruits and vegetables cost less than larger ones. And don’t forget your local farmer’s market, which may offer cheaper and fresher fruits and veggies.
• Shop for less processed items. These are often less expensive. For example, buy a head of lettuce instead of a bag of prewashed lettuce. Cook extra poultry or meat for sandwiches instead of buying luncheon meat from the deli, which can be costly.

Be a Clever Cook

• Cook from scratch whenever possible. This can help save money—and it doesn’t have to take up too much time. For example, quick-cooking oatmeal is ready in minutes and costs less than ready-to-eat cereals. Add your own spices to rice instead of buying packaged flavored rice. Cooking from scratch is healthier, too—you can control the salt and fat.
• When you eat meat, combine it with vegetables, grains, or pasta. For example, you could make a stir-fry, curry, or casserole. This can add a healthy variety to your diet and help you save money by stretching out your meat portions.
• Keep leftover vegetables or meat. Add them to a container in the freezer. When it’s full, you can make soup.

Find Delicious Recipes Online
Jazz up mealtime with tasty and nutritious recipes at www.paramounthealthcare.com. Click on “Better Health for Life,” “Library,” and then “Healthy Recipes.” Bon appétit!