Pasta Refrigerated pastas can cost
$3.99 for nine ounces. Go for dried
Italian pasta. Any brands using durum-wheat semolina are probably good—
even ones you’ve never heard of—and
should cost about $1.29 a pound.
Go back to white eggs
Although brown eggs are otherwise identical, they can cost 50
cents more per dozen than white.
Select Select beef The
USDA has three quality categories for cuts of beef: Prime (the
highest grade and most expensive),
Choice (the middle grade), and Select
(the least expensive, and the least
fatty). To save, buy Select beef and
tenderize it with a marinade.
Try store brands These are
always going to save you 20 to
30 percent. If you’re afraid the
ingredients aren’t up to snuff, know
that every private-label brand I’ve
encountered—including Ann Page at
A&P, and the ShopRite, Albertson’s,
and Safeway brands—is backed by a
money-back guarantee. See the store
manager if you aren’t satisfied.
Customize your cereal To
avoid paying $4 or more for a
box of brand-name cereal, buy
a basic high-fiber store brand for 20
percent less and add your own selection of sweeteners, fruits, and nuts.
Also, note that generic cereals packed
in plastic bags typically cost around a
dollar less than boxed varieties.
Skip fake convenience Do
you really need to purchase
your oatmeal in single-serving
packets that cost as much as $3.99 a
dozen? Buy oatmeal (either regular
or quick-cooking) in those familiar
cardboard cylinders instead and
you’ll trim up to 75 percent from the
cost of breakfast.
Prewashed mixed greens, on the
other hand, may be a worthwhile alternative to keeping three or four different
heads of lettuce in the crisper. Factoring in how fast those heads can spoil,
that “fancy” bag of assorted leaves
could be an unexpected bargain. ;
Phil Lempert, also known as the
Supermarket Guru, appears regularly
on the Today show and The View.
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DON’T BUY EVERY BUZZWORD
Supermarkets and food manufacturers slap all kinds
of words on their products to suggest they’re better—
and thereby justify a higher price. But sometimes
those terms mean less than you would think.
Hormone-free eggs The label may as well
read “Hype”! The use of hormones in poultry
has been banned since the 1960s. Also be cautious before paying more for eggs labeled free
range. The outdoor area for these hens could be
a concrete slab. For real assurance of a barnyard lifestyle, look for certified humane.
Synthetic-growth-hormone-free milk
Today most store
brands are free of
added hormones,
and on average cost
about half as much
as organic brands.
USDA-certified
organic beef Though
high standards earn
this beef a premium
price, the term doesn’t
tell you whether the
cattle were fed grain
or grass. For better
beef that’s sometimes
cheaper, look for
grass-fed beef, which
(whether certified organic or not) contains
about half as much
fat, twice as much
omega- 3 fatty acids,
and a higher level of
vitamin E.
Organic fish This label
has no fixed meaning,
since the USDA has not
declared a standard
for organic seafood
(though other nations
have). If you see this,
ask the vendor what it
means. It may not be
worth paying extra.
