Grocery Shopping Tips : GroceryGuide.com

Do Your Grocery Bags Feel Lighter and Your Wallet Too?

2008-07-19T21:55:29Z

It’s not an illusion – it’s really happening! As Manager of the grocery sales data at Grocery Guide, I see product shrinkage all the time, but not like I’ve seen it in the past 2-3 months. I’ve known that as gas prices keep jumping that the production and transportation costs for our food would also be increasing.

So what will the manufacturers do to compensate for this? Hmmm? Is it going to be easier to get the consumer to pay more because they understand the dynamics of the economy or will it be easier to keep the price the same but make smaller packages? Unfortunately for consumers many products are now coming in smaller packages for the same or greater prices.

Some products that have reduced their sizes are:

Skippy Peanut Butter

Kingsford Charcoal

Dreyer’s Ice Cream

Edy’s Ice Cream

Aussie Shampoo

Kellogg’s Cereals

General Mills Cereals

The store ads are also trying to fool us by clumping products together to disguise the exact size of a product. For example, Aussie Shampoo that used to be 16 oz is now clumped with other hair products that range from 5.1-14 oz. or they don’t put a size at all.

Savvy grocery shoppers are not being fooled but are starting to make changes in their shopping habits.

Here’s some tips from the savvy shopper:

1. Use a coupon anywhere you can. Grocery Guide’s shopping strategy is to use a coupon on the smallest size available of the product. The coupons haven’t down-sized, in fact there’s more of them available, so this strategy is stronger than ever.

2. Switch to store-brand products wherever you can. Our local grocery store-brand yogurt is still 8 oz compared to Yoplait and Dannon 6 oz.

3. Buy at and support your local farmers markets. You can find good buys on produce, herbs, etc. If you go towards the end of market hours, you may find some sellers reducing the prices to clear out. Plan meals around these purchases.

4. Make a shopping list. It is too easy to be distracted by nice displays and kids. Make a shopping list and plan your meals around the sale items. GroceryGuide.com is the perfect place to make a list of products on sale and match recipes to sales.

5. Whenever possible, make your own meals and freeze them. If the trend continues in product shrinkage, and it most likely will, you’ll continue to get less for your money! Take a few hours a week, plan a few daily menus, make a shopping list, prepare the food, and freeze it!

With a little savvy and planning, your grocery bag doesn’t need to feel lighter. That’s good news!

Pampers Underjams

2008-06-23T14:01:14Z

Mom’s, here’s some help with bedwetting, UnderJams Absorbent Night Wear.

"Bedwetting is a common problem that shouldn't stop kids from essentially being kids and partaking in their favorite activities, like sleepovers and overnight summer camps," said Kirk Perry, North American vice president and general manager for Pampers and a father of four. "We created UnderJams with the belief that all kids have a right to privacy. The product is designed with the same quality parents expect from Pampers and is discreet, so kids will have the confidence to experience a routine, active life."

Pampers UnderJams offers all-night protection, but are designed to fit more like underwear than Huggies Goodnites(R) Underpants, to help give children the privacy they deserve.

UnderJams offers several features that provide excellent protection with a discreet look and feel including:

  

    -- Nightlock(TM): The product's core absorbs and helps lock away fluids to

       help prevent leaks

    -- LowWaist: The design allows the product to fit more like underwear than

       the leading national brand

    -- ComfortWear: Materials are quiet and cloth-like for comfort and

       breathability

    -- Varied Designs: Product offers different designs for boys and girls

Parents can learn more about the product and bedwetting in general by visiting www.UnderJams.com plus register and get one FREE!

To find them on sale in your area simply go to GroceryGuide.com and type Pampers in the search to find them on sale in your area! You can also go to the Pampers UnderJams website and while the offer lasts, order a free sample.

Thanks Pampers!

Pick the fruits and veggies that pack the most powerful antioxidant punch, the super foods!

2008-01-24T16:04:09Z

Researchers have discovered that by measuring various fruits and vegetables for their ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), they could determine the antioxidant power of specific foods.

The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value of foods is a method of measuring antioxidant capacities of different foods. The higher the ORAC Value, the more antioxidants a food has. So far they have measured the antioxidant capacities of 277 selected foods for their antioxidant power.

Antioxidants are natural substances found in plants, which are known to aid in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and stroke. In addition to boosting the immune system, these valuable compounds are also known to slow the effects of aging by improving things such as memory, balance, coordination and motor skills.

A wide variety of foods have been tested using this methodology, with certain berries and legumes rated very highly here is a list of some of the top performers. Correlation between the high antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, and the positive impact of diets high in fruits and vegetables, is believed to play an important role in the Free-radical theory of aging.

The USDA has recommended we try to consume a variety of foods with high ORAC for optimum health.

Here are some of the top performers:

Fruits
1. Prunes
2. Raisins
3. Blueberries
4. Blackberries
5. Strawberries
6. Raspberries
7. Plums
8. Oranges
9. Red grapes
10. Cherries

Vegetables
1. Kale
2. Spinach
3. Brussels sprouts
4. Alfalfa sprouts
5. Broccoli flowers
6. Beets
7. Red bell peppers
8. Onions
9. Russet potato
10. Eggplant

Read more:
United States Department of Agriculture - Human Nutrition Research Center
Wikipedia

The Higher Costs of Eating

2008-01-20T22:13:47Z

We have mentioned several times over the last few months our concerns regarding the rising cost of food. GroceryGuide.com not only tracks the grocery prices at over 30,000 stores across the U.S. but track food prices at the wholesale and producer levels. Our research tells us that something significant is developing. Consumers are starting to notice and we will see more purposeful thought in grocery purchases and meal planning as one of the effects.

In this article found in the New York Times they also speak of the scope of this world wide problem. Supplying the nutritional needs of the world and this nation is getting harder.

"In the last few years, world demand for crops and meat has been rising sharply. It remains an open question how and when the supply will catch up. For the foreseeable future, that probably means higher prices at the grocery store and fatter paychecks for farmers of major crops like corn, wheat and soybeans."

Read more:

A New, Global Oil Quandary: Costly Fuel Means Costly Calories - The New York Times

The price of grain is now tied to the price of oil

2008-01-16T16:46:08Z

Almost a third of the U.S. grain crop next year may be diverted from the family dinner table to the family car as fuel, putting upward pressure on food prices.

Recently corn rose to the highest prices seen in over 12 years on speculation that global demand for feed and biofuel will exceed production for the seventh time in the past eight years. World inventories of corn have fallen to the lowest since 1984 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Grain prices make up about 40 percent of the cost of poultry alone. Wheat prices that hit record highs in recent weeks and rapidly rising prices of other grains have left businesses from bakeries to breweries scrambling to find ingredients at prices they can afford.

So what does all of this mean to the U.S. Consumer? Higher food prices now with projections for higher prices over the next 12 months and beyond. Retail milk prices are up 30% over the same period last year, and eggs were up a whopping 40% compared with the same period. Meat, bread, cereals and beer are being hit. Even non-grain related products are seeing increases; with iceberg lettuce up 17%, over year ago levels. Consumers will continue to see larger grocery bills as the cost of energy continues to drive pricing in so many food industry channels.

According to GroceryGuide.com, "consumers may start to look at their food purchases as they do in their heating and transportation choices." While many families have chosen to downsize the family automobile in order to cut costs so now many may be looking for money saving alternatives in their grocery shopping. Paying attention to sales, using coupons, making a shopping list and planning meals around "what's on sale" may become as fashionable driving a hybrid fuel vehicle.

Read more:
The Associated Press
Bloomberg
GroceryGuide - The source for consumers
USDA