Do Your Grocery Bags Feel Lighter and Your Wallet Too?

It’s not an illusion – it’s really happening! As Manager of the grocery sales data at Grocery Guide, I see product shrinkage all the time, but not like I’ve seen it in the past 2-3 months. I’ve known that as gas prices keep jumping that the production and transportation costs for our food would also be increasing.

So what will the manufacturers do to compensate for this? Hmmm? Is it going to be easier to get the consumer to pay more because they understand the dynamics of the economy or will it be easier to keep the price the same but make smaller packages? Unfortunately for consumers many products are now coming in smaller packages for the same or greater prices.

Some products that have reduced their sizes are:
Boxes.jpg 
Skippy Peanut Butter

Kingsford Charcoal

Dreyer’s Ice Cream

Edy’s Ice Cream

Aussie Shampoo

Kellogg’s Cereals

General Mills Cereals


The store ads are also trying to fool us by clumping products together to disguise the exact size of a product. For example, Aussie Shampoo that used to be 16 oz is now clumped with other hair products that range from 5.1-14 oz. or they don’t put a size at all.

Savvy grocery shoppers are not being fooled but are starting to make changes in their shopping habits.
 
Here’s some tips from the savvy shopper:

1. Use a coupon anywhere you can. Grocery Guide’s shopping strategy is to use a coupon on the smallest size available of the product. The coupons haven’t down-sized, in fact there’s more of them available, so this strategy is stronger than ever.

2. Switch to store-brand products wherever you can. Our local grocery store-brand yogurt is still 8 oz compared to Yoplait and Dannon 6 oz.

3. Buy at and support your local farmers markets. You can find good buys on produce, herbs, etc. If you go towards the end of market hours, you may find some sellers reducing the prices to clear out. Plan meals around these purchases.

4. Make a shopping list. It is too easy to be distracted by nice displays and kids. Make a shopping list and plan your meals around the sale items.  GroceryGuide.com is the perfect place to make a list of products on sale and match recipes to sales.

5. Whenever possible, make your own meals and freeze them. If the trend continues in product shrinkage, and it most likely will, you’ll continue to get less for your money! Take a few hours a week, plan a few daily menus, make a shopping list, prepare the food, and freeze it!

With a little savvy and planning, your grocery bag doesn’t need to feel lighter. That’s good news!

Pampers Underjams

Pampers_UnderJams.jpg

Mom’s, here’s some help with bedwetting, UnderJams Absorbent Night Wear.

"Bedwetting is a common problem that shouldn't stop kids from essentially being kids and partaking in their favorite activities, like sleepovers and overnight summer camps," said Kirk Perry, North American vice president and general manager for Pampers and a father of four. "We created UnderJams with the belief that all kids have a right to privacy. The product is designed with the same quality parents expect from Pampers and is discreet, so kids will have the confidence to experience a routine, active life."

Pampers UnderJams offers all-night protection, but are designed to fit more like underwear than Huggies Goodnites(R) Underpants, to help give children the privacy they deserve.

 UnderJams offers several features that provide excellent protection with a discreet look and feel including: 

  

    -- Nightlock(TM): The product's core absorbs and helps lock away fluids to
       help prevent leaks
    -- LowWaist: The design allows the product to fit more like underwear than
       the leading national brand
    -- ComfortWear: Materials are quiet and cloth-like for comfort and
       breathability
    -- Varied Designs: Product offers different designs for boys and girls
 

Parents can learn more about the product and bedwetting in general by visiting www.UnderJams.com plus register and get one FREE!

To find them on sale in your area simply go to GroceryGuide.com and type Pampers in the search to find them on sale in your area! You can also go to the Pampers UnderJams website and while the offer lasts, order a free sample.

Thanks Pampers!




Pick the fruits and veggies that pack the most powerful antioxidant punch, the super foods!

Researchers have discovered that by measuring various fruits and vegetables for their ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), they could determine the antioxidant power of specific foods.

The Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value of foods is a method of measuring antioxidant capacities of different foods. The higher the ORAC Value, the more antioxidants a food has. So far they have measured the antioxidant capacities of 277 selected foods for their antioxidant power.ORAC_foods.jpg


Antioxidants are natural substances found in plants, which are known to aid in the prevention of heart disease, cancer and stroke.  In addition to boosting the immune system, these valuable compounds are also known to slow the effects of aging by improving things such as memory, balance, coordination and motor skills.

A wide variety of foods have been tested using this methodology, with certain berries and legumes rated very highly here is a list of some of the top performers. Correlation between the high antioxidant capacity of fruits and vegetables, and the positive impact of diets high in fruits and vegetables, is believed to play an important role in the Free-radical theory of aging.

The USDA has recommended we try to consume a variety of foods with high ORAC for optimum health.

Here are some of the top performers:

Fruits
  1. Prunes
  2. Raisins
  3. Blueberries
  4. Blackberries
  5. Strawberries
  6. Raspberries
  7. Plums
  8. Oranges
  9. Red grapes
10. Cherries

Vegetables
  1. Kale
  2. Spinach
  3. Brussels sprouts
  4. Alfalfa sprouts
  5. Broccoli flowers
  6. Beets
  7. Red bell peppers
  8. Onions
  9. Russet potato
10. Eggplant

Read more:
United States Department of Agriculture - Human Nutrition Research Center
Wikipedia



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