(ARA) – In these tough economic times, every little bit counts when making household budgets stretch. Though money may be tight, there are many simple ways to save by trimming your grocery bill.
Kim Danger, value expert and creator of www.mommysavers.com, offers some tips for how to get the most out of every dollar without sacrificing quality. You may be surprised to learn that saving big is not just about looking for the cheapest items on the shelf — it’s about shopping smart.

Bad weather and a crippling economy were largely to blame for sky rocketing food prices. So how has that affected what we eat?
“People have more of a shopping list than ever before. They are using more coupons, and I am also seeing people being inventive,” said Phil Lempert, market analyst.
Lempert says we will continue to worry about our bottom line, but taste, nutrition, and convenience top the trends.
“We’re seeing more people buying micro-waveable foods and bringing them to work with them,” said Lempert.
According to one survey, 50 percent of us …

According to a poll conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center for ShopSmart magazine, the average female grocery shopper spends approximately $116 a week, or over $6,000 per year (ConsumerReports.org March).
To counteract the effects of higher food prices, trim your grocery bill by clipping coupons:
* Take a risk. Instead of buying the same thing every week, use a coupon to try a new product at a lower price. Store-brand items can be half the price and just as good as name-brand products. But if the coupon is for a …

Couponing, it turns out, goes beyond those colorful strips in the Sunday newspaper – although those are key. There are also blinkies, the blinking machines in the supermarket aisles that spit out coupons. Peelies can be pulled off the side of a product for redemption at the register. Catalinas, named after the company that manufactures them, are the coupons that are handed over with your receipt.
And a BOGO … well, a BOGO means you had best get down to the supermarket to take advantage of that “buy one get one …

Here are 10 tips from Foster Farms, the poultry company, on how to reduce your grocery bill.  Some of the tips are obvious, others require discipline, and all are in line with what outside consumer experts suggest. And no one will force you to purchase chicken with your savings.

Make a list: Making a list and avoiding impulse purchases adds up to hundreds of dollars in savings annually.
Don’t take the kids: Some moms report saving $15 per shopping trip by going solo, Foster Farms says. The chicken purveyor suggests timing shopping …