Deal Finder: Save $$$ on groceries amid rising food costs
By LaTINA EMERSON, Special to The Coweta Shopper
As the prices of various food items continue to soar, many shoppers are experiencing sticker shock at the grocery store. On average, families’ grocery budgets are being stretched thin as they spend more on food but get less in return.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Price Outlook for 2025, prices for all food are predicted to increase 2.2 percent this year. Food-at-home prices are predicted to increase 1.3 percent, and food-away-from-home prices are predicted to increase 3.6 percent.
In addition, the Food Price Outlook has predicted the following increases and decreases for specific food items in 2025:
- Beef and veal prices are predicted to increase 1.5 percent
- Pork prices are predicted to decrease 0.8 percent
- Egg prices are predicted to increase 20.3 percent
- Dairy product prices are predicted to increase 1.3 percent
- Prices for fresh fruits are predicted to increase by 0.7 percent
- Prices for fats and oils are predicted to decrease by 1.6 percent
- Prices for nonalcoholic beverages are predicted to increase by 1.5 percent
To keep healthy, nutritious meals on the table and stay within their budget, consumers will need to be savvy at the grocery store. Here are some tips to stretch your dollars and save on rising food costs:
Look for deals. To find deals and determine which items are on sale, review the weekly sales ads for your local grocery stores. Many retail and grocery stores post their weekly sales ads on their websites, making it possible for shoppers to find the best deals from home. These deals can help guide and inspire the meals that customers decide to prepare that week.
Plan a weekly menu. Before heading to the grocery store, plan your weekly meals in advance. Make a shopping list to ensure that you’re buying the necessary ingredients and staying on track with your spending. This also helps to avoid wasting food and ending up with miscellaneous items that don’t make a complete meal.
When possible, prioritize items that are on sale that week. Also, consider choosing recipes with ingredients that can be used for multiple meals.
Use coupons. With coupons, shoppers can save money on many items, such as food, beverages, cleaning and household items, and beauty and personal care items. Grocery stores, such as Kroger and Publix, have digital coupons available on their websites.
Kroger customers can log into their Kroger.com account and clip digital coupons, which are loaded onto the customer’s Kroger Shopper’s Card and scanned at checkout.
Publix shoppers can go to Publix.com to create a Club Publix account and then enter their 10-digit phone number at checkout to receive the coupon savings. Publix also accepts manufacturer and competitor coupons. To learn more about Publix’s coupon policy, visit https://www.publix.com/faq/savings/coupon-policy. In addition, Publix offers buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) offers, with at least 30 deals featured every week.
Shoppers looking for deals can also clip printed coupons from newspaper and sales ads.
Shop at discount stores. On ALDI’s website, the discount grocery store reports that it offers the lowest prices of any national grocery store. An ALDI press release said that based on the 2025 ALDI Price Leadership Report, the store’s customers can save up to 36 percent on an average shopping trip and nearly $4,000 on their annual grocery bills if they buy ALDI-exclusive brands.
Buy in bulk. If you’re shopping for a family or need large quantities of items, buy in bulk from wholesale clubs, such as BJs Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club or Costco, to get the most for your money. It’s important to note that wholesale clubs typically charge an annual membership fee. Also, while buying in bulk works well for nonperishable foods and other items, shoppers shouldn’t buy large quantities of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, etc., if they’ll end up going to waste.
Get a rain check. If a featured sale item is sold out, shoppers can go to the store’s customer service counter to request a rain check, which allows the customer to purchase the item at the advertised sale price at another time. Rain checks often have an expiration date, so shoppers must take advantage of these savings before the deadline. For instance, Publix issues rain checks good for 30 days for up to eight units of the item at the sale price.
Purchase store brands. Most grocery stores offer a wide variety of store brands, which are often cheaper than brand name items and have a similar taste. Buying store brands is an excellent way to trim your grocery expenses.
Freeze food items. If shoppers find bargains on certain items, such as meat, eggs, fruit or vegetables, and have room in their freezer, they should consider freezing the items until later. For eggs, consumers need to remove the egg from the shell, stir, place in a freezer bag/container and store.
Shop at farmers markets and family farms. Consumers can shop at farmers markets and family farms to find affordable and locally grown produce. The Coweta County Farmers Market will be open June 7, 2025 to Sept. 27, 2025 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Asa Powell Center, 197 Temple Ave. in Newnan. For more information, call 770-254-2620 or email [email protected], according to the Coweta County UGA Extension Office.
Also, Windy Hill Family Farms offers locally grown beef products including steaks, roasts, sausage and more. Customers can visit the Farm Stand on Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Farm Stand is located at 1300 Rockhouse Road in Senoia.
Grow a garden. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a great way to save money on fresh produce. If you want to give gardening a try but need some guidance or have questions about best practices, contact the Coweta County UGA Extension Office at 770-254-2620 to ask experts your home and gardening questions or visit https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/coweta.html.
