Feeding your family healthy foods and saving money may seem like a difficult task. But with a little planning, it can be done, says Shirley Camp, University of Illinois Extension nutrition and wellness educator.

Menu planning, shopping, food preparation and portion size all affect your food budget.

Sometimes, though, you come across a good food buy. It is not in your budget, but it's too good to pass up. What do you do? If you have the funds to purchase the item, you can add it to your pantry if it is something that your family will eat and if you can use it within a reasonable amount of time. Also consider your storage space.

Grocery stores often have sales on meat bundles. Prices are good, and they may be cuts your family likes. If you have the freezer space, if you have the time to repackage the meat into recipe-size portions, and if you will use them within the next few months, they may be a bargain for your family.

The same is true for staples like flour, sugar, cereals and other foods you frequently use, says Camp. Again, if you have the space to store the food items where they will stay dry and free of insects, these foods may be a bargain for you. If you have freezer space, store cereals and flour there to reduce the chance of insect infestations.

Sometimes you'll see foods on special when a manufacturer is introducing a new product. If you know your family will eat the food, it may be a good choice. But until you are sure it will get eaten, do not buy large quantities.

"Fresh produce is always tricky," says Camp. "Sometimes fresh produce is a great buy. But remember that fresh produce is perishable and that vitamins and minerals decrease in value with storage. Unless you have a root cellar or plan to preserve fresh produce, the general rule of thumb is to buy only what you can use within a week or so."

Stocking up on groceries can be a good idea if you have storage space and if you can use the food in a reasonable amount of time. But if the food spoils, gets moldy, gets buggy or is otherwise inedible, it just becomes expensive garbage. Keep these guidelines in mind to get the most from your food dollars.

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