Once you've arrived home from your weekly grocery expedition, you can continue your campaign of cost savings using a few very easy strategies.

When you're flipping through a cookbook that calls for pricey items -- expensive cuts of meat, exotic produce or spices, for example -- consider using alterative ingredients. You might discover a new twist on a recipe and find yourself a new favorite dish. A top-of-the-line cut of beef could be replaced with chicken or turkey, or you could even go meatless (use tofu if you're a little more open-minded). A risotto created with Chinese snow pea pods (a very expensive produce item) could be made with mushrooms and water chestnuts instead -- a cheaper and more flavorful alternative. Corn flakes, wheat germ or bread crumbs are sometimes cheaper substitutes for cracker crumbs. Consider making your own salad dressings out of vinegar and olive oil.

Spices are notorious for being expensive. Consider just how important that spice is to the dish you're cooking. If you must have it, purchase it in bulk. If you can do without it, use a substitute -- whatever you already have in your cabinet, or a reasonably priced alternative. Some ingredients are listed merely for presentation and add little flavor. Unless you're entertaining or it's a special occasion, do away with those; they'll just add to your bill. Extracts also can be expensive, and chances are good that you'll use them only once or twice. Vanilla is often a good substitute. While the flavor of your baked item might change, it's going to be a pleasant change for your palette and your wallet.

Savvy shoppers know that buying bulk costs less. So you'll want to have some large containers on hand for storing your bulk staples: flour, sugar, pasta, cereal, etc. Be realistic, however. Avoid buying any item in bulk if you don't think you'll use it often enough to justify the purchase. But if you eat pasta at least a couple of times each week, by all means purchase your pasta from the bulk bins and store it on your countertop. This is much, much cheaper than buying various imported pastas, colored pastas and fancy-shaped pastas, which for the most part taste no different than the less expensive bulk variety.

Divide loaves of bread into usable portions. Place one on your counter or in your refrigerator, and place the rest in your freezer for use as needed. This is a particularly good idea if you're single; few of us single folks make it through a loaf of bread before it turns stale and ends up in the garbage. You might consider purchasing a bread machine. These machines have decreased dramatically in price since their initial inception. Many models will run you as little as $95. You can either follow a recipe book (most loaves require little more than a little bread flour, yeast, water and or egg) or buy bread mixes at your local grocery store (open, empty, and turn on your machine). If you freeze portions of these loaves -- which you make up to 1 1/2-pound sizes, depending upon your preferences and the size of bread machine you purchase -- you'll get a lot of mileage from them. The loaves are easy to make and smell wonderful as they bake. If you don't plan to freeze them, however, note that because they don't have preservatives, these loaves become stale more quickly than most pre-packaged breads you purchase at the grocery store.

When you're using the oven, bake multiple items at once to conserve electricity (and reduce the time during which your kitchen will be heated to excessive levels during the hot summer months). Use the microwave if possible. When cooking pasta on the stove, heat the water to a boil, pour in your pasta, then turn the burner off and cover the pot. Turn on your timer for approximately 12 minutes. Perfect pasta ... and less electricity.

If you've never been in the habit of baking, start now. For starters, it's fun. You can spend a couple of rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoons each month baking cookies, muffins, breads, etc., and freeze them to last throughout the month. This saves you both money and time. You and your family have an easy breakfast solution during your harried weekday mornings, and you save money when you avoid purchasing pre-packaged baked goodies that often don't taste half as wonderful as your own creations. Baking is also fun for children, and it helps them develop basic kitchen skills they'll need in the near future. Seize the opportunity to teach them about kitchen safety, as well.

If you're baking for a crowd -- muffins or cookies, for example -- stretch your dollars by bending the rules a bit. Make smaller, bite-sized cookies from the same amount of dough (enabling you to make more cookies). Bake smaller muffins or even mini muffins. Purchase some small loaf tins, and pour the batter into those to make multiple loaves. When you're cooking dinner, you can stretch the recipe by adding more vegetables (and a touch of water to avoid a thick consistency). This works well for soups and stews. Add rice or pasta to the recipe. Store and freeze extra portions. This cuts out the guess work when you arrive home at the end of the day and have to face the decision of what to make for dinner.

Shop farmers' markets if they're available in your community. You'll find fantastic deals on seasonal produce. When you're in your grocery store, select produce that's in season and on special. That will require some flexibility on your part, as you try new produce items. But it will also broaden your culinary horizons. If canned versions of your favorite produce items are less expensive, buy those instead. They'll save you time as well as money.

Make sure you store your produce properly (ask the the produce manager at your local market if you're not sure). If frozen vegetables and/or fruits go on sale, buy them (although they're typically more expensive than fresh produce). If you notice that your fruit is starting to reach past its prime, slice it and freeze it. Frozen bananas and strawberries, in particular, are excellent ingredients for homemade smoothies. Frozen grapes are a good choice for a cool snack. Other frozen fruit may be used in baking. You can dice it and empty it into your bowl for mixing, or dump it into your blender to create a puree, which you can use as a substitute for vegetable oil in many recipes.

Food bills represent a significant portion of household expenditures, regardless of the size of your family. These cost-saving measures are easy to take, and best of all, they require little if any sacrifice. At the same time, you're exploring new interpretations of cooking while putting your own less expensive and perhaps more flavorful spin on your favorite recipes.

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Published: July 28, 1999

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Courtney Ronan only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.