Evening Edge

Feeding the family is getting costlier than ever, with the price of a fill-up on milk rivaling a fill-up on gasoline, and eggs so expensive we can't afford to throw them at our political rivals.

But many Atlanta Journal-Constitution readers know how to save money at the grocery store. We asked for their cost-cutting ideas, and they gave us a shopping-cart full — in e-mails and on our blog. We've winnowed them down to 31 — one for every day in the month of August.

Photo courtesy Marcia Rafig (ENLARGE)

Marcia Rafig grows her own vegetables, which saves her a lot of green.

Saving Dough • PLUS: 10 money-saving tips from Stephanie Nelson, aka CouponMom • 31 ways to save: More ideas from your metro Atlanta neighbors • Saving Dough: Resources for stretching your food dollar • What's your best money-saving tip?

Tips 1-6, plus your recipes.

Here's the rest of the list:

7. GO DIRECT

Buy chicken directly from the Tyson plant in downtown Cumming, says Cumming resident Heather Herbert. Make one trip and freeze it.

8. LEARN TO BAKE

Make your own bread. It's cheaper than buying the "good" bread at a bakery. (Heather Herbert, Cumming)

9. BUY IN BULK

John McGeachy of Senoia (husband, father of three girls, two cats and a dog) makes a once-a-year trip to a big box store like BJ's Wholesale Club and spends about $1,500 on goods such as cases of soup, paper towels and toilet paper. His basement has walls of shelving to hold the inventory. The initial expense is steep, but he saves money on gas by eliminating trips, not to mention avoiding the hassle of going more often. "It looks like a store down there," he says of his basement.

10. BRING LUNCH

If you take your lunch to work, make and refrigerate several days' worth of lunches all at once. Claudia Nawrot of Austell, a legal secretary, spent $45 a week eating lunch out until she began bringing her own insulated lunch bags to work. Her meals, she says, were tastier, healthier and cheaper. "I'm usually eating a better meal than I can buy, 'cause I'm the cook!"

11. USE YOUR BEAN

Stick with legumes instead of meat. When Terri Haugen of Sandy Springs brings her bean soup to lunch at the Weber School (where she teaches drama), she gets many requests to share. "People really like it, but they're too lazy to cook it." So cook a lot and freeze small portions.

12. ASK AN ANGEL

For $30, Angel Food Ministries offers a box of food, including chicken, eggs, cheese, milk and vegetables, that can feed a family of four for a week. Distributed through local churches, the Monroe-based program has no income requirements and no limits on purchases. Go to www.angelfoodministries.org, or call 770-267-7015.

13. JUGGLE BRANDS

Change your brand to the one that offers coupons. Said Beth Adams of Dacula: "If I can get it for almost free, I will use it, no matter what the brand is."

14. BUILD A SOUP

Keep a plastic storage container in the freezer just for leftover cooked veggies and save them, no matter how small the amount, said Becky Adams of Fayetteville. Keep adding until you have enough for vegetable soup. Presto: cheap eats. Soup is the easiest thing. "A cat can make soup."

15. PLAN LEFTOVERS

Christine Bell of Kennesaw grew up in London, and loves shepherd's pie. She suggests you mince some of Sunday's leftover roast, add vegetables, potatoes, and mashed potatoes on top, run it under the broiler, and "It makes a tasty second-day meal." Cook more on purpose.

16. CHECK THE DATE (THEN BUY IT)

Buy on impulse when the price is good. Meredith Rubel of Marietta strolls through a warehouse store near her gym, and when fish or chicken are near their expiration date, they sometimes go for 75 percent off. "Some people are predisposed to think if you see it for half price, it's spoiled," she said. "I've never had a problem with that. Never."

17. SHOP YOUR AGE

If you're of a certain age, shop on Wednesday to get the senior discount at Kroger and Publix, said Jim Miskimen of East Atlanta.

18. BUY AND FREEZE

Get a chest freezer. Amy Campbell of Kennesaw cut her bills from $800 a month to $525 a month by buying and freezing. "I worked for one of those meal assembly places, and I found out you can pretty much freeze almost anything."

19. DRY OUT

Switch from fresh herbs to dried herbs, said Jackie Lauby of Roswell.

20. ASK FOR HELP

Get help from the butcher at the grocery store. If you buy a fresh turkey after Thanksgiving (when they're cheap), get the butcher to cut it into easily freezable sections, said Maria Gomez Eshman of Roswell.

21. GO HALFSIES

Cut paper napkins in half.

22. CLIP COUPONS

Combine double coupons, rebates and house brands to get especially low prices. Stephanie Nelson of Atlanta manages the Web site www.couponmom.com that lists special deals by store.

23. GROW YOUR OWN

Vegetables, that is. A self-described city girl from Philadelphia, Marcia Rafig of Riverdale is growing peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, squash, eggplant and watermelons in a sunny 8-by-10 plot behind her house. Though she's retired from the food industry, it's her first experience raising edibles, and she loves it — both saving money and eating fresh.

24. SUCK IT UP

Buy a vacuum sealer. It makes frozen food last longer.

25. USE YOUR BEAN II

Have a bean party, said Doris Goodwin of Oconee County. Cook a pot of beans, a pan of corn bread and invite the grandkids. "I grew up during the Depression," she said. "We didn't have meat except on weekends."

26. PAY CASH

Nancy Edwards of Marietta budgets $200 a week for groceries, always pays cash and stops buying when the money is gone. If there's any left over, that becomes mad money. She avoids coupons. "Coupons tempt you to buy stuff you would never buy."

27. TRY TAP WATER

Feeling thrifty, the thirsty reach for tap water. Need it portable? Reuse other plastic bottles.

28. USE IT ALL

Don't waste. Use everything you buy. If you've got black bananas, make banana bread or banana smoothies or banana sorbet, said Chrissy Weeks of Decatur.

29. TALK TO THE MANAGER

Blogger participant FCM found that grocery store managers will often match prices offered by another store if you show them the ads. "That can save on gas and build customer loyalty."

30. DINE OUT CREATIVELY

"Back when I was in college, I would go to this steak and salad buffet restaurant. I would order the cheapest entree and then fill up at the salad bar taking the entree home for a later meal." — blog participant Lovelyliz

31. STOP SHOPPING

As our last tip, here's one from the staff: Think about what you already have in the freezer and in the pantry. Try to avoid grocery shopping as long as possible. Use up what's in your kitchen. Buy milk and bread and other essentials at a convenience store or drugstore on your way home from other errands. You'll pay more for the milk but you won't be tempted to impulse shop and you'll save money on gas. And when you're done, you can clean out the fridge and dust out the pantry.