Community Magazine September 2009

ELUL 5769 SEPTEMBER 2009 75 perishable items. And if all that wasn’t enough, consider the studies presented by Cornell University that have shown that people who buy in bulk end up consuming more, effectively wiping out any potential savings. Supermarket Savings When shopping at your regular grocery venue, you can trim • some excess fat from your bill by following these basic suggestions: Make a list before you go. It pays (literally) to shop by going • directly to the items you need as opposed to walking up and down each aisle. This will help limit impulse buying, which is usually junk food anyway. Take your mother’s advice: don’t ever shop when you’re • hungry. Also try to steer clear of the areas that will inevitably tempt you. (I’m sure I’m not the only one with a weakness for sushi and muffins.) Know your prices. Especially in the produce department, • where prices rise and fall almost daily. If string beans have jumped to three dollars a pound, buy frozen (which by the way, are packaged at the peak of freshness) or change your menu. Be a smart shopper. Being aware of general prices helps you • know when an item on sale is actually a good deal or not. Don’t be fooled by huge displays at the end of the aisle; many of those items are not actually on sale. Do the math, even if you need to use a calculator. If it’s a real deal, and the item is something you always use, then stocking up is a good idea. If not, then pass. The Convenient Store There are plenty of prepared foods at the local supermarket that make meal preparation more convenient. But remember, convenience has a price, and it ain’t cheap. Of course, time is money, but if you have a little more of the former to spare, and not much of the latter, a smart move would be to assess the worth of the conveniences you have become accustomed to. Decide whether you’d like to incon- venience yourself or your wallet, whether a little more prep time in the kitchen slicing your own fruit, making your own dough (which costs pennies homemade) or rolling your own yebra is preferable to spending significantly more for the premade variety. Branded for Life Forget brand loyalty. The new rule in food shopping is: there is always a cheaper brand (which is just as good). Habit declares we must buy the same brands we have always bought because we have always bought them. But smart budgeting dictates otherwise. Just because you’ve used Barilla pasta for the last ten years doesn’t mean the store or kosher brand is not up to your standards. From cereal to cheese to tomato paste, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Most of the time, you will be pleasantly surprised. In fact, many brand name factories do private labeling for generic brands, so it’s often the same product with different packaging. And, while it may taste identical, the prices have little in common. Go out of your comfort zone the next time you shop, and instead of grabbing the same familiar pack- aging, add some variety into your life. Morris Antebi P h o t o g r a p h y Expert Lighting, Traditional & Modern Poses, Reasonable Rates, Stress-Free & Fun Guaranteed Extreme Portraits On Location Reserve Now, Spaces Limited Over 20 Years of Experience TEL: 732-207-0000 For More Info Check Out: MorrisAntebi.com RECESSION BUSTER! Now You Don’t Have To Sacrifice Quality & Experience For Price! $2250 . gets you a professionally photographed wedding with no overtime charges, high resolution photos loaded on a free iPod shipped within 48 hours! You use the print house of your choice! call for more details! $999. gets you a professionally photographed Bar Mitzva, high resolution photos loaded on a free iPod shipped within 48 hours! You use the print house of your choice! $600.* gets you a professionally photographed Brit Milah , 3 albums loaded with 200 proofs each. *Weekdays only Not happy with your photos from your wedding or Bar Mitzvah that another photographer took? We can fix them or take professional photos for you