Ways to save when grocery shopping from Bankrate.com

1. Trim your food bill by as much as 19 percent simply by shopping at a couple of different stores.
2. Don't "crisis cook." Shopping after work for the day's dinner gets expensive. Plan a weekly menu before shopping and watch your grocery bill shrink.
3. Don't waste money on prepared foods. Instead, prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them, or double a recipe when cooking, and freeze the second for a hectic day coming up.
4. Don't be fooled by familiar products, such as cereal, that have decreased package sizes while keeping prices constant, the food industry's latest response to rising costs.
5. Take the farmer's market approach: Buy produce that's fresh, inexpensive and in season. With less middlemen involved, you get good buys and your family gets the freshest food.
6. The highest markup items on the shelves are at about chest level. Reach up or kneel down to select the cheaper house or generic brands.
7. A grocery store's main aisles, like the paths to milk and bread, are usually strewn with high-priced land mines. Avoiding those pricey areas will really help.
8. Try to shop when you're alone. Those little helpers can quickly boost your bill.
9. Shop early in the day. You get through the store faster with your list and spend less.
10. Avoid shopping for food when you're hungry; you'll buy more. Don't grocery shop when you're tired, you'll buy more sweets, more high-carbohydrates. When you're angry you go for crunch food, the junk food.
11. Buy on the markdowns and save as much as 20 percent.
12. Read your newspaper's weekly food section for local grocery sales and menu ideas.
13. Clip coupons. You'll also find coupons in women's and general-interest magazines.
    Scout coupon swap-boxes, generally found at (surprise!) supermarkets, but also at some public libraries.
14. Take advantage of in-store coupon displays and the machines that spew them. Log on to your supermarket's online home page for coupons.
15. Call the toll-free numbers on your favorite products' labels and tell the customer-service rep how much you enjoy them. Some reps will offer cents-off (or even free) coupons for the product itself; if not, ask.
16. Check out the wealth of national-brands coupon-offering services on the Web. They can save you money -- even the ones that charge nominal fees.
17. Seek out supermarkets that will double -- some super stores even triple -- the face value of manufacturers' coupons. Try for triple plays. That's when you use a manufacturer's coupon and a store's own coupon.
18. Avoid purchasing nongrocery items, such as painkillers, contact lens solution, etc., at a grocery store. You usually pay more.
19. Always get a rain check if a sale item is gone.
20. Know when your store marks down goods that expire, like meat and bread. The deal: Use them that night or freeze them.
21. Check your store for a small section where they discount products that aren't as popular as the manufacturer had hoped. This area can be a gold mine for bargains.
22. Shop with a calculator. That way, you can figure whether the unit price for a case lot is really cheaper than buying one of the same item.
23. Beware of "discount store syndrome." Just because you're in a bargain store doesn't mean you're getting the best price on every item.
24. Check your receipts. No matter how careful you or the store staff might be, mistakes happen.
25. Always send in for the rebate on a purchase whether it's $2 or $50. It all adds up.
26. Put your savings to work. Whether it's a trip, a car or a savings account, have some specific goals for the money you're not spending on food.

Check out the weekly planning menu here.