Cereal is popular because it is a quick and tasty breakfast food, but when I walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery, I wonder exactly how healthy and affordable cereal it is. Some boxes cost $5, and they last in the pantry for less than 24 hours! Below are some tips I’ve found for being a smart consumer in the cereal aisle.
How to Save
Families.com shares good ideas on how to save in the cereal aisle.
- Buy store brands. It often tastes the same as name brands and can be as much as half the price.
- Look for coupons and sales. Sunday’s paper, weekly circulars, and Food on the Table are all resources for weekly deals.
- Make your own cereal. The raw ingredients of granola – oats and raisins – can be purchased individually for less than buying a box premade.
- Look for cost per unit. Many food manufacturers have learned to adjust the box size, but not the price. Make sure you’re getting the best deal by comparing the cost per ounce versus the cost of boxes.
How to Choose
The buzz word in the cereal aisle is whole grain. If you want to examine the aisle further for the best cereal, Maryann Jacobsen, author of Raise Healthy Eaters and a Registered Dietician, has compiled a list of guidelines and recommended the 10 Best Cereals for Your Family. The flexible guidelines she followed were (per serving)
- whole grain as the first listed ingredient
- 10g or less of sugar
- 3g or more fiber
- no artificial colors and preservatives
When you’re in the cereal aisle the next time, arm yourself with these tips. You’ll fill your cart with the best choice for your health and the for your pocketbook.
Related posts:
- Frugal Friday: Save a Bunch on School Lunch The USDA recently announced historic reforms to make school lunches...
- Frugal Friday: Shucking Corn Prices It is undeniably a summer favorite and prices are rising! ...
- Frugal Friday: Tips for a Frugal Spring Picnic “Time-out” doesn’t have to be such a bad thing...
- Frugal Friday: 10 Tips To Save Money on Food in 2012 Casey Slide is a stay-at-home parent in Atlanta who constantly...
- Frugal Friday: 5 Ways to Go Green & Save Green in the Kitchen Green is the new, well, green. That’s the thing about...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
2 Comments until now
Thanks for the mention! I have found that Trader Joes has some of the best prices on cereals. Their Trader Joe O’s are almost identical to Cheerios.
Whenever there are leftover or stale cereal bits (depending on how much is left) I either toast in a big frypan with butter and parm cheese to make a snackmix or make a batch of chex mix like snack mix.
A good party idea: ask everyone to bring cereal etc (great way to use up leftovers from the pantry!) to add to the mix, use the chex mix seasoning recipe and make it during the party. Always a hit and the final mix is always different!
Add your Comment!