(ARA) – What’s a shopper to do when the prices of grocery staples are going through the roof? Erin Gifford, grocery savings expert with Shortcuts.com, offers five ways to save serious money at the supermarket this week.
1. Keep Your Eyes Peeled for Coupons: There are many more places to find coupons today than the Sunday paper. Online coupon Web sites let you select the coupons you want to print and cut out to use at your grocery store. Also, frequent the Web sites of your favorite brands for printable coupons …

Steve Bolden stood in the aisle of Wally’s Supermarket in Marysville holding a print out showing the items at the grocery store on sale.
Bolden, with two boxes of Spartan brand cereal in his cart alongside packages of ramen noodles, said when he shops, “I’m looking for the deals” — and skipping local eateries.
“Eating out is not in the budget plan anymore,” the 31-year-old Marysville resident said.
Bolden isn’t alone.
Grocery store sales across the country increased 6.1% in the first 10 months of this year, compared with the same period in 2007, …

Falling food costs and a prolonged recession may tempt restaurant chains into a wave of discounts next year, leaving potential profits on the table.
With prices for many food items and fuel hitting record highs this summer, restaurants were forced to raise the prices of their dishes beyond historical norms, producing a bitter proposition for customers watching the values of their homes and investment portfolios shrink.
Now, with food inflation expected to ease next year and the price of oil already in freefall, analysts will be watching whether restaurants can hold onto …

Gas prices in the Tampa Bay area are down a stunning 60 percent over the past five months.
So where’s the trickle down?
As gas prices peaked in the summer, the nearly $150 tab for a barrel of oil was the prime suspect in everything from spiking airfares and surging food costs to announcements of much higher electric bills in 2009.
As oil prices have receded, however, the impact has been decidedly muted. Airfares have ticked down only slightly, and most local electric bills will still climb steeply in January.
The most glaring disconnect …

Shirley Mitchell, 55, picked up a few groceries this week to bake Christmas cookies as gifts. But rather than go to a traditional supermarket, she picked up some of the ingredients at Dollar General, a discount store with more “consumables” on its shelves.
“It’s horrible,” Mitchell said of the economy as she placed a $1.85 package of a dozen eggs into her cart. “I think it’s going to cause everyone to pull tight.”
Economic uncertainty has persuaded more consumers like Mitchell to leave behind traditional grocery stores in search of bargains on …