(ARA) – It’s no secret that Americans are busy, and getting together for dinner often seems like an extraordinary task. As food prices continue to increase, families are not only taking hits to their household budgets, they are experiencing long work hours, conflicting schedules and not finding enough time to cook a meal and have dinner together.
A June 2008 survey of more than 1,000 Americans conducted by eNation found that those responsible for planning meals usually spend an average of 30 minutes per day shopping for and preparing those meals, …

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 …

As gas prices plummet, retailers are discounting everything from clothes to shoes to lure shoppers in stores. So, why aren’t grocery prices headed south, too?
In the most recent report by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices in the Boston area in November were up 7 percent from a year earlier. During the same period, gas prices, which had a huge run-up, declined 28 percent.
The reason? High fuel prices – which factor in at every level from farmers growing food to trucks transporting it – was but one component …

Corn prices have plummeted by more than 50 percent over the past six months, while food prices are up 6 percent for the year, according to data released recently by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
At the same time, energy costs fell 17 percent and transportation expenses dropped 10 percent in November.
“The truth is corn prices have almost no effect on grocery store prices, and apparently even the impact of fuel costs is minimal,” said Randy Woodruff, president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, in a press release.