Presentation on stretching your food dollars.

1. Stretching Your Food Dollars www.americandebtcounseling.org August 2009 Presenter: Barbara Stark

2. The cost of food is rising every day! Saving money on groceries has become more than a luxury… it’s become a must.

4. Are You a Savvy Shopper? For many of us, the amount that we spend on food every month has a direct link to how much money we have left to enjoy other areas of our life. Making a few basic changes to how we approach shopping for food can make a big difference in how much we spend. Let’s see if you are a savvy shopper!

5. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #1: You always save money when you buy the large economy-sized products instead of the smaller packaged products. Answer: False

6. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #2: The layouts of grocery stores are designed to enable customers to find their way around easily and find what they need quickly. Answer: False

7. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #3: Prices on products are based on a cost calculation which creates a consistent mark-up. This markup will fluctuate during promotional times, such as stuffing during Thanksgiving, when it may be less money than normal. Answer: False

8. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #4: Store brands are often made and packaged by national brand manufacturers. Answer: True.

9. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #5: Grocery stores can offer non-food items at a lesser cost than drugstores due to the volume of products they purchase. These items are generally very competitive in price to those found at other stores. Answer: False.

10. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #6: Food companies negotiate to have their products placed at eyelevel on the shelves and pay large stocking fees in order to win that spot on the shelf. Answer: True.

11. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #7: Items placed at the checkout counter cost the same no matter where you shop. Answer: False. These items have huge mark-ups! In fact, this area of the store sells almost 3 times as much per square foot as any other area!

12. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #8: Scanners often display the incorrect price for items that are on sale. Answer: True.

13. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #9: The amount of the discounts on food coupons has dropped over the years. Answer: False. It’s common to find $1.00+ coupons now!

14. Are You a Savvy Shopper? Answer True or False to these 10 questions: Question #10: Food manufacturers often decrease the size of products rather than raise the price. Answer: True. Have a keen eye! Packing, price stays the same – but check the weight!

15. Grocery Shop Like a Pro By following these 10 easy tips , savvy shoppers can save up to $300 a month off their grocery bills. Are you ready to start trimming the fat off your food bills?

16. #1 Do Your Homework. Plan before you head off to the supermarket. Take the time to do a quick inventory of your kitchen to check the food that you already have and determine what you need to buy.

17. #2 Plan your weekly menu. Plan your meals in advance on a weekly basis based upon what you already have in the house and what is on special at your local stores.

18. #3 Shop from a list. Make a list based upon your weekly menu plan. This will help you to avoid buying items you may already have in the house and keep you from buying on impulse.

19. #4 Choose the right store. Local grocery store? Super center? Warehouse club? Drugstore? Corner shore? Consider your needs, check circulars, on-line specials and match the store to your list.

20. #5 Eat first! Remember, everything looks good when our stomachs are screaming, “feed me!” Going to the grocery store hungry can increase your food bill by up to 15%! Avoid impulse buying by shopping when you are not hungry .

21. #6 Shop store brands. Be daring and try a store brand. You may be surprised that it tastes just as good as the name brand item, and saves you money as a bonus!

22. #7 Shop less. Go shopping as few times per week as possible. Fill in produce and dairy products only when needed and keep to a list. “ When on a budget, stay out of the grocery store!”

23. #8 Watch the scanner. Put down Us Weekly, and keep your eyes on the register screen. Items often scan twice or at the wrong price. Keep the store circular handy to dispute a wrong register ring.

24. #9 Ask for rain checks. You don’t have to pass up a sale price if the item is out of stock. Ask for a rain check (for more than 1) at Customer Service and use it the next time you visit the store.

25. #10 Become a coupon queen (or king). You really can save a lot of money using coupons. The best way to do this is to match items that you need that are on sale to coupons. If you only buy what you need and use, you can add significant savings to your grocery bill.

27. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 1: Stock up on regularly used items when they are on sale. You’ll save yourself a lot of money in the long run.

28. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 2: Clip coupons. Find coupons in your local paper and on-line. Print them for free on your printer and bring them to the store to use.

29. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 3: Shop only for what is on your list. This will avoid buying things you really didn’t need for the week.

30. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 4: Shop different stores to take advantage of the best weekly deals.

31. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 5: Use low-cost protein foods like eggs, peanut butter, ground beef, turkey, and chicken.

32. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 6: Buy less pre-cooked foods. If you aren’t the greatest chef that ever lived, you can still throw together some simple meals in under 20 minutes.

33. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 7: Stretch meals by making sauces, casseroles, and one-pan dinners.

34. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 8: Turn leftovers into “planned-overs”. Download free recipe ideas for food that will last more than one meal.

35. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 9: Take advantage of BOGO free and ½ price offers. Like freebies? Combine a BOGO free coupon with a BOGO free sale and you’ll get both items free!

36. How to Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half Step 10: Buy meat and dairy products in bulk or large sizes and freeze extras.

42. Warehouse Store Shopping Tips Maximize Your Shopping Experience! Proximity is important. Will you justify the annual fee? Come prepared. Stay focused. Snooze you may lose. Price compare. Couple-up savings with manufacturer incentives. Do they take credit cards? Know all the benefits. Small business owners save more.

43. Super-Couponing Food has increased in price more in the last 2 years than over the entire decade. You can trim 20% off your food bill by using coupons. This could mean more than $1,700 per year in savings!

45. Coupons Defined Coupons are a way to buy what you want but buy it a bit cheaper. The trick is to find coupons for the products that you use. Using coupons when an item is on sale sweetens the deal and the money you save. Sometimes, you can get an item for free!

46. Coupons Defined: Types of Coupons Manufacturer coupons: The manufacturer pays the face value of the coupon directly to the store. Retailer coupons: Retailers advertise these to draw customers to their store. On-line printable coupons: Both manufacturers and grocery stores list coupons on their websites which can be printed and used in stores.

50. Coupon Clipping for Bargain-Shopping Black Belts 4.Combine BOGO sales and BOGO coupons: The result could be 2 free items!

51. Coupon Clipping for Bargain-Shopping Black Belts 5.Coupon the clearance rack: Clearance prices are good, but they can get even better. Carry your coupons with you at all times, and you’ll be ready to match coupons on the fly.

52. Coupon Clipping for Bargain-Shopping Black Belts 6.Coupon in the trial section: Most coupons specify the size of the product, but when they don’t, it’s an invitation to get creative. Take your “any size” coupons to the trial size section of the store, and match them up to those pint-sized goodies. Load your cart with lots of free loot.

53. Coupon Clipping for Bargain-Shopping Black Belts 7.Triple your savings: Many grocery stores double coupons, but some will even triple them from time to time. Do a little research to see if such a store exists in your area. Then, keep those coupons neatly filed and ready to go.

55. How and Where to Get Coupons Go on-line! Look for free grocery coupon sites for lots of printable coupons. Boodle.com CoolSavings.com Smartsource.com PGeasaver.com Upons.com ValuePage.com Couponmom.com

59. Become a savvy shopper today! S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g your food dollars could mean the difference in the type of car we drive, how much we can save for our children’s future , or where we go on vacation .

60. For more information contact: American Debt Counseling, Inc. A 501(c )(3)non-profit Credit Counseling Organization 14051 NW 14 th Street Sunrise, FL 33323 www.americandebtcounseling.org 1.888.DEBT USA

61. Good luck! Thank you!