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Ways to FightRising Food Prices

Food, clothing and shelter generally top the list of basic human needs. While shopping at a discount store instead of the mall generally takes care of the clothing issue, and living in a small apartment instead of a McMansion can address your housing situation, rising world food prices can lead to some significant challenges in the food department. Everything from rising transportation costs to the development of biofuels pushes up the cost of food and put a pinch on consumers’ wallets.
While the need to eat isn’t something you can avoid, you can take steps to keep the costs in check.
Eat at home
Dining out is expensive. Just about any nutritious meal that you buy in a formal restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of tile price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make if you do it yourself. Fast food is excluded from the category, as high-calorie, low-quality food can be a bargain price, but the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.
Shop with a plan
If you stumble around the grocery store and fill your cart with everything that catches your eye, chances are you will spend a lot more money than you need to. To minimize your cash outlay (支出), prepare a shopping list before you leave home. Plan your meals for the week ahead, and make careful note of what you need to buy in order to prepare those meals. Once the list is made, purchase only the items on the list, and avoid impulse buys.
Eat before you shop
When you are hungry and you walk into a building full of food, you’re likely to fill your cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases that appeal to your taste buds. To keep your costs down, eat first and shop on a full stomach.
Put on blinders
Grocery stores are designed to make you go through a maze to get to the most basic items in the hope that you will make a few impulse buys along the way. If you keep to your planned list, you won’t be tempted when you get forced down the junk food aisle to get at the milk. Because most necessities and basic cooking items are found along the outside edge of the store, start there and work your way around the perimeter and step into the maze only to grab any leftover items on your list.
Avoid prepared foods
Our fast-paced society encourages convenience, and grocery stores have capitalized on this trend. Ready-made meals are easy to buy, but they come with a premium price tag. Instead of putting that rotisserie chicken and macaroni salad in your cart, buy the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself. The same concept applies to frozen entrées, baked goods and any other foods that have been prepared in some way for added convenience.
Buy in bulk
Bulk buying can save you a significant amount of money. Pay attention to the prices and pick up the family-size package if the per-unit cost is lower and you have a place to store it. Shopping at big-box bulk retailers like Sam’s Club and Costco can also save on your bill if you shop there frequently enough to cover the cost of membership, but pay careful attention to your spending habits. The big boxes are often no bargain compared with sale prices and coupon savings at other stores. In addition, they may encourage you to buy more than you need, driving up your grocery bill.
Use store reward cards
If the store you visit most frequently has a reward card, be sure to sign up. In some cases, stores raise their prices when they offer reward cards, and without the card your bill will certainly be higher. If the reward card offers other benefits, such as a ham for the holidays or a discount on gasoline, be sure to maximize your benefits by paying attention to the cutoffdates on such offers and cashing in your points before they expire.
Use coupons
Coupons provide an easy way to save money. Clip them and cash them in, paying particular attention to stores that double the value of manufacturers’ coupons. A number of websites also offer coupons exclusively, and they are a great place to search for discounts on the items you have on your list. If you frequent the websites of your favorite brands, they will often offer discounts to their faithful customers. A few minutes of surfing online can make a big difference at the register.
Buy locally
Locally grown or produced food is often available at a lower price because you don’t pay for long transportation costs. Farmers markets, fairs and the local aisle at your grocery store are all game for deals on tasty and fresh food.
Look down
Stores often place the most-expensive items at eye level. To find less-expensive items, look down. Also, by searching the area around brand-name foods, you can often find a cheaper generic (没有商标的) alternative. Generic label products are often nearly identical to name-brand goods (in fact, they’re often produced in the same factory), so don’t pay for packaging when what you really want is the food inside.
Compare prices and stores
Some consumers often have trouble calculating the perunit cost in their heads, but it’s something that gets a lot easier with practice. You can even carry a calculator. Looking at the brands and comparing prices is an easy way to shave a few cents off most purchases.
The store that features the lowest average prices in your area is often the best place for routine shopping, but the higher-priced competitor may run sales on specific items that beat the cost at your most frequented venue. Watch for these sales and take advantage of them when possible. Watch ’best before’ and ’sell by’ dates
As the sell-by or best-before date approaches, you are virtually guaranteed a discount. For example, grocery stores lower prices as meat ages. Ask the butcher when the meats get marked down. Most stores have a fairly regular schedule that you can learn and follow. When you get a good deal, stock your freezer so you can avoid buying when the price is high. And if you plan on freezing the food, "best before" dates shouldn’t worry you; the product will stay fine until you thaw and cook it.
Substitute recipe items
If you have a higher-priced item that recurs in your favorite recipes, it may be time to shake up your taste buds. Often a lower-priced alternative can be found. For instance, if you consistently bake with olive oil and you see that the price has skyrocketed, a simple switch to applesauce can make for a cheap and low-fat substitute in many recipes.
Check your bill
Electronic scanners make checkout faster and more convenient, but scanners aren’t perfect. Get in the habit of taking a look at the receipt to make sure your coupons and discounts were taken into account.
Pay in cash
When you put groceries on your credit card and don’t pay off the card in full each month, you pay interest on the balance. To avoid this extra cost, pay in cash when you shop and keep necessities off your credit cards.

What is said about the cost of food in the passage（）

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