Rising food costs have made many of us think about how we can cut back on our food budgets. According to Shirley Camp, nutrition and wellness educator for University of Illinois Extension, planning menus and eating at home are two ways that you can save on food costs.

"It takes a little time, but you can plan menus for a week ahead and save money in the process," Camp says. While it is easier to pick up frozen entrees, pizzas, deli foods and other convenience packages, making many of the items yourself results in better-tasting foods that cost less and contain less fat, sugar and salt.

To make a plan, take out a piece of paper and make a grid that looks like a calendar. On the left hand side, label the days of the week. At the top, make categories for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Breakfast is probably the easiest to do—many families choose cereal, fruit, milk and similar foods for that meal. To save money, family-size boxes usually cost less than individual boxes of cereal. You can make oatmeal in the microwave oven using quick-cooking or old-fashioned oatmeal instead of the instant packets—another way to save.

Lunch can be fairly easy to plan, too. If you have children, school lunch is available for them (school breakfast may also be available) and is reasonably priced. If your child does not choose to eat school lunch, packing a lunch may be necessary. Sandwiches can be made on the weekend and frozen for the week. Fresh fruit, pudding, gelatin or fruit cups can be used. Add a juice box or purchase milk at school, and you have a fairly complete lunch.

For lunches, use whole-grain breads whenever possible to help increase the fiber in your family's meals. Other family members who may purchase fast-food lunches or eat out in restaurants can help on the food budget by taking their lunch, too. If a microwave is available in the workplace, planned leftovers can be taken in insulated containers and heated up at lunch.

Brown-bagging it can help family members control the calories, fat, sugar and salt in their meals. Instead of drinking soda, take along a cup and drink cold water from the fountain with your lunch.

Now that you have two of the meals out of the way, you are ready to begin the most difficult meal of the day. For many of us, the evening meal is the largest meal we eat. For planning the dinners on your written plan, start with the most expensive food you will be serving—usually the main dish.

Camp recommends that you go through the entire week, listing a variety of main dishes. Then fill in the rest of the foods for the menu, making sure that you have something from each of the food groups in the meal—protein, vegetables, fruit, milk and grains. If for example, you are having ground beef patties, you might want to serve them on whole-grain buns. Complete the meal with oven-fries (homemade of course), green beans, fresh fruit salad and milk. Plan the main meals for the entire week.

If your family eats after school or evening snacks, make sure to include those in your plans. Check your plan to make sure that every day you have about 5 to 6 ounces of grains (half of them whole-grains), 2 1/2 cups of vegetables, 2 cups fruit, 3 cups milk (more for teens) and 5 to 6 ounces of protein per person.

For more information about menu planning and shopping for food, contact your local University of Illinois Extension office.

Source: Shirley Camp, MS RD, Extension Educator, Nutrition and Wellness, scamp@uiuc.edu