Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. Retrieved March 2013 from www.ers.usda.gov/data/meatpricespreads/

To save money, watch for sales on meat and poultry. Consider buying “family-sized” or “bulk” packages of meat and poultry. Often, whole chickens cost less per pound than cut-up chickens. You can repackage the meat in recipe-sized amounts and freeze at home. Be sure to label with the purchase date. To learn more about freezing foods, see the “Food Freezing Guide” (FN403) available at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn403.pdf.

Stretch your protein foods with other ingredients, such as pasta, rice, beans and vegetables, in casseroles, soups and stews. Make chili with a combination of ground or cubed beef and kidney beans. Try omelets with vegetables, cheese and cubed ham. As you can see from the chart, dry beans are very economical. Learn more about using them in the “Steps to Economical Meals” cookbook at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1595.pdf

Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

■ Do you set a holiday budget and keep track of what you spend?
Don’t forget to include costs for holiday cards and postage, food, etc.

■ Do you set a spending limit for each person?
Consider writing the name of the person on an envelope, write the total on the envelope and subtract the cost of the purchase. Put the gift receipts in the envelope.

■ Do you draw names for gifts instead of buying for everyone?
Along with drawing names, set a limit on the amount to be spent.

■ Do you give gifts of time or talent?
Consider giving homemade gift mixes, or “coupons” for baby-sitting, cleaning, help with cooking, repairs or painting.
– For food mix ideas, see www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1494.pdf
– For beverage mix ideas, see www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1625.pdf

■ For holiday gatherings, do you have a potluck where everyone brings food to share?
This spreads the work and the costs among people, and allows everyone to have fun.
Be the person who promotes health, too, by bringing a healthful salad or fruit platter.

Or try swapping lower-calorie for higher-calorie ingredients in your recipes. See “Now Serving: Recipe Makeovers” at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn1447.pdf for some tips.

■ Do you comparison shop for grocery prices and gift items?
Be sure to read the sales fliers, but also consider the cost for mileage when you shop in many stores.

Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

❑ Make a shopping list. This helps you stick to your budget.
❑ Plan your meals. Planning helps put leftovers to good use.
❑ Look for coupons, sales and store specials.
❑ For added savings, sign up for the store discount card.
❑ Don’t shop when you are hungry. That helps you stick to your shopping list.
❑ Try store brands. They usually cost less.
❑ Compare products for the best deal.
❑ Check “sell by” dates. Buy the freshest food possible. It lasts longer.
❑ Store perishable food in the refrigerator right away to preserve freshness.
❑ Freeze food in meal-size portions to prevent spoiling.
❑ Divide foods into small portions for children and elderly to prevent waste.
❑ Use foods with the earliest “use by” dates first.

Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist, NDSU Extension Service

Featured in Food Wise December 2012 (PDF)

• Grains: Look for bargains on day-old bread. It costs less but is still nutritious. Instead of instant products, buy regular rice and oatmeal to save money, too.
• Vegetables: Consider growing some of your own veggies in a traditional garden or container garden. Buy fresh veggies in season when they are usually at their lowest price and best quality. Buy large bags of frozen vegetables, use what you need and seal the bag tightly between uses.
• Fruits: Buy fresh fruits in season. Compare the prices of frozen and canned (in juice) fruits.
• Low-fat dairy products: Compare prices. Consider using reconstituted nonfat dry milk in recipes to stretch your milk budget.
• Protein foods: Look for specials, buy on sale and freeze in meal-size portions. Consider lower-cost cuts such as chuck or bottom round for stew or soup. Stretch your food dollar by using more protein- and fiber-rich dry edible beans, lentils and dried peas.

To make an effective shopping list, consumers should:

1. Plan a weekly menu, taking into account how many meals will be eaten outside the home and if you are expecting company.
2. Take stock of foods on-hand.
3. Check store ads (both print and online) for sale items.
4. Make a grocery list and organize the list according to the store layout.

Consider MyPlate when planning your menu.  Divide your plate in half and fill half your plate with nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables.  Make the other half whole grains and lean protein and round out each meal with a serving of low-fat dairy.  Sample menus are available at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.

Try to shop no more than once a week, avoid shopping when the store is crowded, check the unit-price to compare similar items and consider ways to store and preserve food to maximize shelf life and reduce food waste.

Watch these videos to learn about calculating the cost of produce and using the unit price.

Be sure to choose instant nonfat dry milk fortified with vitamins A and D. Nutritionally, 1 cup of reconstituted dry milk has about the same calories and other nutrients as 1 cup of nonfat fluid milk.

Buy the amount you will use within a reasonable amount of time. Store nonfat dry milk in a cool, dry place, and use it within the “best if used by” date on the package. Prepare only as much as you need by adding water to reconstitute it so it takes up less refrigerator space and stays  fresher. Nonfat dry milk and water can be substituted for fluid milk as a beverage, or it can be used in place of milk in recipes.

How to Reconstitute Instant Nonfat Dry Milk (NDM)

When preparing NDM, remember these safety tips:

• Use a container, measuring cup and spoon that have been washed with hot, soapy water.
• Mix well and store in the refrigerator. 
• Use within two days for best flavor.

Tips to Use NDM
These are some ways to use reconstituted NDM in place of fluid milk:

• Casseroles, cream soups and stews
• Cocoa
• Pudding*
• Scrambled eggs
• Smoothies
• Homemade breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles*
• Mashed potatoes
  

* Add the NDM to the dry ingredients, then add the appropriate amount of water.

• A recipe box or shoe box is a good way to organize coupons.

• If you leave your coupons at home, you won’t save any money.

• Check to see if the store offers double- or triple-value coupon days.
• Find out if they honor coupons printed from couponing websites.

• Compare prices of store brands vs. name brands with coupons.
• Sometimes store brand foods are still less expensive.

• Be cautious about the temptation to buy high-sodium convenience foods even if you are saving money in the  process.

• Resist the urge to buy a food just because you have a coupon.

• Some stores offer coupons on the back of receipts, and some sales registers automatically print coupons for your next visit based on what you bought.
  

• For best quality, select foods with the longest “shelf life."

• Organize your pantry in “first in, first out” order.

• Rotate your food supply for best quality.

First, though, remember these food safety tips. Safe leftovers result from safe food preparation. Be sure you have an accurate food thermometer to measure temperatures. These are available in grocery stores and other places.

• You can stuff the bird loosely right before you put it in the oven. Be sure the stuffing reaches a temperature of 165 F.

• Roast a turkey to an internal temperature of at least 165 F. Use a food thermometer to measure the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh muscle, being sure the thermometer does not touch the bone. The juices should run clear, too.

• Remove the stuffing and debone the turkey before chilling.

• Store leftovers in shallow containers. Refrigerate the turkey immediately after the meal and within two hours of cooking.

• Serve refrigerated leftover turkey within four days. Serve leftover stuffing and gravy within two days.

• Freeze cooked turkey in recipe-sized amounts at 0 F or below. For best quality, use within four months of freezing.

You can learn more about safely cooking and serving a turkey in this publication: www.ext.nodak.edu/food/fightbac.pdf.

Here’s how to freeze apples without added sugar:
Select firm, crisp apples. Prepare a steamer before you begin slicing apples. (You can use a metal strainer and large pot of boiling water.)  Wash, peel and core the apples. Slice medium apples into 12 slices or large apples into 16 slices.

Dissolve ½ teaspoon of ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons of water (per 4 cups of fruit). Sprinkle this liquid mixture over the fruit. To slow down darkening,  place the apple slices in a single layer in the steamer; steam 1½ to two minutes, depending on the thickness of the slices.

Cool in cold water and drain. Pack apples into freezer containers or freezer bags. Press the fruit down. Leave some “head space” (room between the fruit and the container lid) to allow for expansion during freezing. Seal the container and freeze.

You can learn more about freezing fruit by downloading the publication at this website:
www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn182.pdf