Frugal Grocery Shopping and Healthy Families

An important part of the financial behavior of the average family is frugal grocery shopping. Some families save with an eye towards the future (college costs or retirement). Others are concerned with the present; less money spent means less time consumed by work, allowing that time to be invested in raising children and strengthening the family. Most are influenced by a combination of these factors. The family food budget is one area in which planning and attention to detail will provide both financial savings and contribute to the overall health and well-being of family members.

Planning is the first step.

Taking a bit of time before the grocery shopping trip, preferably with the weekly sales and specials circular at hand, make a menu plan. This is important on two levels.

In the monetary realm, planning meals leads to accurate list-making. Using the sales pages as a base from which to build the menu allows the shopper to take the greatest advantage of lower prices.

Developing the menu-making habit also helps the shopper to be able to plan further ahead and to stock up on items that are at especially low prices.

Often grocery stores have annual or semiannual canned goods sales at which the wise shopper is able to buy a good supply, even months' worth, of regularly used products, such as coffee or tomato sauce, at deeply discounted prices. Combine these sale prices with coupons, and the savings are well worth the lump investment. It is a good idea, when possible, to set aside a percentage of the grocery budget specifically for stocking up on nonperishable sale items.

In regard to perishable sale items, such as the seasonal sales on blueberries and strawberries, knowledge about food storage allows a shopper to take advantage of these savings. Berries are very easy to freeze, just rinse, bag and pop in the freezer. They can then be added to pancakes, muffins and hot cereals. Thawed, they can be served with whipped cream over sweet biscuits or poundcake or as a topping for yogurt. Cheeses that are planned for use in cooking can also be frozen, as can bread of all sorts. There are many books and Web sites that provide information about food preservation and storage.

In terms of the health and overall well-being of family members, which affects family finances directly and indirectly, menu planning and wise shopping are also valuable tools. Leaving aside for a moment the more obvious benefits of saving money, it is worth pointing out that health is the foundation of an enjoyable and productive life.

Menu planning takes on a real importance in assuring the physical health of the family. And, fortunately for those of us operating by choice or by circumstance on a limited budget, eating well has more to do with planning than with money spent.

The prepackaged convenience foods found in the grocery store tend to be of two general types. One type is expensive and tends to be nutritionally negligible, while the other is cheap and of little nutritional value. Both categories tend to be, in general, high in sodium.

Does this mean that the convenience of quick meals is something to be sacrificed by the nutrition-wise shopper? Not at all. Planning will provide healthy and inexpensive convenience foods. In fact, some foods reheat perfectly in the microwave. Healthy, inexpensive and endlessly versatile, beans and rice dishes are a perfect example. Through the Internet and the library, wonderful recipes from the American South, Latin America, Mexico, India and the Middle East are easily accessible.

Planning menus allows the shopper to be more aware of the foods that the family is consuming, in the same way that recording each expenditure is a useful tool in curbing excess spending by focusing attention on the details that so often escape us as we hurry though busy lives. Menu planning allows the attention to be drawn to empty calories--a waste of money and nutritional opportunity--as well as to what is actually consumed, demonstrating where the diet can be improved.

The key to healthy eating lies in understanding food, its qualities and nutritional potential. There are simple guidelines that anyone can use to improve both their diet and to get the most value from their food dollar.

In general, the more processes that a food goes through, the less nutritional value it is left with. This applies to all sorts of foods. Even without the professional knowledge of a registered dietician or nutritionist, a quick glance at vegetables can tell the shopper about nutrient content in general. A well-rounded meal will include both a green vegetable and an orange or yellow vegetable. Each group is strong in complementary but different vitamins and minerals. A general rule is that the deeper the color, the greater the concentration of nutrients. In other words, the deep orange of butternut squash demonstrates a much greater nutritional value than the pale yellow of corn or summer squash. Spinach, or greens of basically any sort, are much more powerful than the comparatively lighter green string beans. Reading food labels and comparing nutritional information provides a wealth of information.

For the wise shopper bringing together concepts of frugality and healthy food, the food dollar is better spent on high-nutrition foods, rather than on those that provide little for the investment. The result, better financial and physical family health, is certainly worth the effort.