Food Price Shock!

By Virginia Huie

Been to the supermarket lately? Then you've probably experienced food price shock. From milk, eggs, pasta, and meat, food prices are expected to jump about 5 % this year. None of this is good news for your wallet. But experts at an Affordable Food Summit say you don't have to fork over extra dough to feed your family. The bottomline -- plan ahead. It helps you concentrate your limited dollars on what you actually need rather than just buying a lot of different things that you may not need.

The Nassau County County Office of the Cornell Cooperative Extension offers these cost-cutting tips:

- Keep a grocery list. It helps you stay organized and minimize extra trips to the grocery store. That'll help save a lot gas money!

- Use coupons only for foods you normally would eat. If possible, shop on double or triple coupon days when a supermarket increases the value of coupons.

- Cut costly convenience foods. Pre-cut veggies and fruits usually cost more and won't keep as long.

- Buy in bulk. For example, buying several packages of meat when it's on sale and freezing it may save big bucks.

- Cut back on take-out. Eating lunch out can add up. If you spend $8 on lunch every day, that's $40 a week, $160 a month. Making your own lunch will likely cut that cost in half.Click here for food pantry information.Click here for cool summer savings tips.

Click here to find out how to save big bucks while food shopping!