Be Prepared for Anything

I went grocery shopping the other night and each time I go, the prices have risen a bit more.

I’ve noticed that things have increased by as much as 20-30 cents per item. That doesn’t seem like much, but when you’re on a tight budget and you buy, say 100 items, every little bit adds up.

Even the cheapo stores where I like to shop have gone up. When I first started shopping at my local Save-a-Lot store, 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce were about 27 cents each. Then they jumped to 30 cents. Then to 33 cents (3 for 99 cents the tags declared!), now they’ve went up to 39 cents each.

I can remember a few years ago I could really stock up on groceries - have my cart completely packed full (and almost overflowing) with enough stuff to last my family of five for a whole month and it would cost between $150-200. Now, I can fill the cart half full, picking and choosing what we really, really need to get through the next two weeks (like I did Saturday) and it came to $107!

What are you favorite tips for combatting those high grocery prices? What are you doing to save money on the food your family eats?