Senior News Line: Keep an eye on grocery prices

If you’ve done your grocery shopping at the same store for a long time, believing that they have the best prices in town, it might be time to revisit that thought.

I just discovered that the big-box store where I’ve shopped isn’t the lower cost choice I thought it was.

I discovered this when looking at the website of the store to check availability of an item and then looked at the websites for the two other stores in town.

I was shocked to see that my store was much higher in price on several of the items on my regular list. I don’t know when this happened, but now that I know.

It looks like we’re going to have to keep a constant eye on pricing to keep as many of our dollars as we can.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Compare the websites for all the stores near you. Make a little chart of the items you normally buy and see which really is the cheapest. Check your list every month.

• When you do go, shop from a list. Don’t let yourself be tempted to impulsively buy extra items unless you spot a great deal on an end-of-aisle display and can stock up a bit.

• Try the store brands. In many cases store brands are actually made in brand-name facilities.

• Sign up for loyalty cards. The rewards from those can add up. Sometimes you’ll get coupons sent via email.

• Buy in bulk, if it makes financial sense to do that. And, if it makes sense, make large batches of meals you can freeze. Do the math.

• And, although many of us don’t like to do it, use the food bank. Let them give you what they will and fill in the blanks with your own shopping.