Tips can lead to a fatter wallet

Chicago Tribune
Hold on to your wallets.
This winter is shaping up to be a perfect storm of bad weather, high prices and the need to pinch pennies.
Heating oil has seen double-digit increases in price, and gasoline prices are still above $2 a gallon. Natural gas prices have risen 9 percent, and colder-than-usual temperatures may mean bills of 17 percent more than last year for the average household, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused the loss of thousands of chickens on Southern poultry farms. Even if birds weren't killed, power losses and gasoline costs have driven up of the price of chicken.
But chicken may look like a bargain, compared to the price of beef. Here, too, high gasoline prices affect the price you pay.
A summer drought has pushed up the cost of the grains used to feed livestock, so dairy prices are liable to rise at the grocery store.
And with jet fuel prices rising alongside gasoline, imported fruits and vegetables will be more expensive, too.
But at least you'll have something good to eat. The Chicago Tribune's Good Eating staff offers some great tips on how to stretch your grocery bucks so you won't have to dig out that copy of Doyne Nickerson's 1960 classic, "365 Ways to Cook Hamburger."
BEYOND THE SUPERMARKET
Shop creatively: Sometimes drug or hardware stores offer terrific prices on kitchen items, especially shelf-stable foods, gadgets and storage/cleaning products.
Visit different stores when you can: Or at least skim the advertisements and circulars that come in the newspaper or mail. The more knowledgeable you are about prices and stores, the savvier you will be when it comes to knowing whether an advertised sale is really a deal.
Shop ethnic to buy ethnic: Prices for staples such as tortillas, rice, soy sauce and the like will be cheaper--but do consider the store's location. You don't want the money saved going toward gasoline.
MEATY ISSUES
Low profile, low price: Meats that are in less demand often cost less, so skip the beef steaks and pork chops and try the pot roasts and pork shoulders. Pass by the skinless, boneless chicken breasts and choose the whole bird. Buying larger packages of meats often can save dollars; at home, divide them, put into smaller storage bags and freeze.
Freshness counts: Fish is no bargain if it isn't fresh. Be flexible at the fish counter; choose only the freshest-looking (and sweetest-smelling) products. The sniff test is especially valuable: Anything that smells fishy is fishy. If you are suspicious, ask to smell the fish before buying or, if the staff refuse, open the package as soon as you purchase it and complain if the fish stinks.
IT'S ALL IN THE PACKAGING
Bean bargains: Use dried instead of canned. A 15-ounce can of black beans (which holds about 11/2 cups) will set you back only 79 cents or so, true. But a one-pound bag of dried black beans costs 99 cents (and yields 5 to 6 cups of cooked beans). If you eat a lot of beans (and you should; you're supposed to get 3 cups of beans and other legumes a week), you'll save money and you'll have better-tasting meals.
Cutting corners: So-called "baby" carrots or "mini" carrots are mostly nothing of the kind. They are regular carrots processed in a tumbler. You pay for the convenience of having them peeled and cut. Make carrot sticks yourself, saving money and keeping them fresh longer (and preserving their nutrition). Mini or baby carrots: $1.64 a pound. Regular carrots: 89 cents a pound.
Butter binge: When butter is on sale, seize the opportunity: Buy extra and freeze it.
Buy frozen concentrate orange juice, instead of orange juice by the carton, which costs twice as much. One leading brand in a 64-ounce carton recently cost 7 cents an ounce, compared to the 12-ounce frozen container, which makes a 3.5-cents-per-ounce drink.
Every day's a holiday: Post-holidays are a great time to cash in on products emblazoned with seasonal colors. The reductions can be as much as 75 percent. Don't know about you, but we don't mind using resealable bags in January that have elves or pumpkins on them.
STRATEGIC SHOPPING
Cruise the perimeter: The sidewalls of the typical supermarket carry the fresh foods: produce, dairy, seafood and meat. The middle aisles contain more processed foods, which by their very nature carry extra costs for production, packaging and advertising. Aim for "fresh" foods, not packaged foods.
Ounce for ounce: Use the unit-pricing labels found below each product on the shelf. Price is broken down by ounce; use that per-ounce price to compare two products to find the best value.
Think seasonally: Complement your meals with produce that's in season where you live, because the farther food has to travel, the more expensive it becomes. Skip the winter tomatoes and substitute shredded carrots in a salad.
Clearance cove: Markets often have a cart or shelving unit in an out-of-the-way corner for their last-ditch clearance products. (Smart shoppers know where they are.) Check the expiration dates when applicable.
LEFTOVER BONUS
Put "planned-overs" in your dinner rotation: There are two ways to do this. The first is to make a double batch, then freeze half for another night. We like to fill the pot or casserole we'll use to reheat the second batch, freeze it, then remove it from the container and put the frozen meal into a resealable bag. When it's time to reheat, it'll fit in the pot and we don't have to wait for the meal to thaw to find out.
The second part of planned-overs is to cook once to save time the second night. The rest of the roast chicken makes a great potpie the next night. Leftover roast beef turns into terrific hash. In fact, this planned-over plan is what makes roasts and larger cuts more economical than ground beef. Buy bone-in when you can for better flavor and a bones bonus for the stockpot.
Think you can't afford those roasts and larger cuts? Plan soup for dinner one night, and pasta another. You'll have even more in your meat budget if you make a third night a meatless menu, like cheese enchiladas, or eggs in some fashion, or vegetable stir-fry.