Avoiding food waste is among the best practices during times of soaring prices, but there is a limit on being frugal: Be careful not to keep food so long that it spoils.
Iowa State University Extension has lots of tips on this.
In times of inflation, weigh the benefits of cost and convenience. The larger the container of milk, the less expensive per serving. Buy the largest size you will use before it goes bad.
And did you know that milk freezes well?
Pre-bagged salad mixes are more expensive and spoil faster than whole lettuce heads.
Large bags of frozen vegetables are cheaper, and you can use the amount you need and reseal the bag.
A box of crackers, a block of cheese and a whole sausage cost much less per serving than individual snack packages.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides grocery shopping plans to maximize your money. These ideas include signing up for store discounts, watching for sales and using coupons.
Make a list — on paper or on your phone — to remember what you need for the meals and snacks you’re planning.
Never grocery shop on an empty stomach, because everything looks delicious. It’s easier to avoid impulse buying if you’re not hungry.
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
My helpful “hints” are to buy two packs of whole fryers ($1.12/lb. @Walmart), and I cut them up myself (or spit and bar-b-cue them whole), and while there I buy the pork half-loins @1.94/lb. (no water added unlike most) and trim off then grind the fattier parts to make breakfast sausage (way leaner and less costly than the stuff in the tubes).