Easy Eats for Hard Times
- Shop only once a week. Make do if you run out during the week.
- Give preference to supermarket brands.
- Buy produce in season (when it’s freshest and cheapest).
- Clip coupons only if they are for products you would ordinarily buy. Coupons are not the magic answer.
- Make a list and stick to it.
- Don’t shop when you’re hungry.
- Read the ads for the specials and build your meal plans for the week around them before you leave the house.
- Buy spices in plastic envelopes, not in jars.
- Buy everything as close to its natural state as possible. (Exceptions: frozen peas, salted nuts.)
- Start your daily meal plans by checking what needs to be used up right away, then get creative around that ingredient.
—Patty C. of Fallbrook, Calif.
