BY DEB GRUVER
The Wichita Eagle
Jun. 08, 2008
Lisa Friesen walks into the Dillons store at Central and Maize Road and starts off with three general tips that she comes back to during each twist and turn down the aisle.
- 1. Have a plan.
- 2. Follow a list.
- 3. Remember that nearly any meal you make at home will be less expensive than going out to eat.
The Sedgwick County Extension Service food and nutrition agent heads to the produce section.
Her first rule for this part of the store: shop in season. That's when you'll get your best deals on fruits and vegetables.
"Usually you can go by what's on sale," she said. "What's in season right now are berries, peaches and melons. Corn is coming into season."
She passes by the salad bar, filled with a variety of colorful vegetables all chopped up. A salad bar, where convenience is king, might not seem like a place to save money.
But, Friesen said, if you need one-fourth to one-half cup of an item you don't have on hand, and it's a lightweight item, such as sprouts, buying off the salad bar can make sense. Salad bars generally charge by the pound. So if the ingredient you need is heavy, the salad bar might not be a money-saver. But often, she said, the salad bar can save her money.
She passes other vegetables and fruits packaged for convenience, such as small carrots in snack-size bags.
Convenience costs, she says. Sometimes your time may be more valuable and the cost is warranted, but generally, if you take a do-it-yourself attitude about preparing food, you'll save money.
She points to items in the produce section that are good to buy in bulk: potatoes and onions, for example. But buying in bulk -- no matter what the food -- doesn't save you money if you let it go to waste.
It's on to the bread aisle. If you have time -- and the talent --"of course you'll save money if you make your own," she says.
She said she tries to look for healthy baked goods with whole grains. The more processing, she said, the more you'll pay.
In the meat aisle, she notes that if you plan to freeze the meat anyway, why not buy it frozen to begin with and save money. Bags of frozen chicken breasts, for example, will be cheaper than fresh.
A whole chicken will be less expensive than chicken already cut up for you and give you extras you won't find by buying chicken breasts, such as bones and drippings to use for stocks and broth.
"They're nice to put in a crock-pot," she says of whole chickens.
At the seafood section, she notes that Dillons will cook seafood for you for free while you shop, which can save you time and money.
She passes cases of frozen juices and concentrates. They'll be generally less expensive than jugs or cartons of juice and only require you to mix in water.
Friesen is an advocate of checking the per-unit price, but make sure "you're comparing apples to apples," such as an ounce to an ounce.
She said the quality of store-brand cheese has increased.
"I'm a big advocate of trying every store brand," she says.
The frozen-food aisles, she said, are the place to save money on fruits and vegetables that are out of season.
"I think frozen veggies are a great investment, and veggie medleys are good for variety," she says.
Friesen doesn't turn up her nose at ready-made meals in the frozen aisle.
"It's still less expensive than going out," she says. "But it's more expensive than making it yourself."
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