We all have noticed the increase in food prices (and everything else for that matter), so it’s becoming more and more essential to pay attention to bargains at the grocery store. Here are a few I’ve found in the past few weeks:

Raid the bargain fruit bin.

The Super Fresh where I do most of my grocery shopping has a stand of baskets filled with the last week’s fruit. It’s always ripe but never spoiled and sells for much less than fresher fruit. Sunday I bought a pack of 10 or 12 bananas for $.71. And three weeks ago I bought a large bunch of grapes for around $1.50. Grapes are usually expensive (around $3.49 a pound) so I rarely splurge on them, but this was a nice treat. You have to get there early in the week to snag the best fruit, but it’s worth the effort. Even if you can’t eat 12 ripe bananas before they get too brown, make banana bread or morning glory muffins.

Read the weekly newspaper inserts.

Checking these before you go shopping can help you plan your trip and plan your weekly menu. I find that when I use these to make my grocery list, I spend less money not only because I’m buying sale items, but also because I have a set list and am less tempted to make impulse buys. Cooking Light put out a great book called Super Fast Suppers that offers great menu-planning advice. I bought mine at a thrift store for $10.

Buy a few sale items in bulk. You can freeze foods like chicken in individual freezer bags, and store staples like canned beans and soups in your pantry for the week you just don’t have time to make a decent dinner much less make it to the grocery store. Soup was my best friend this week when I had an insanely packed schedule (hence no recipes this week; sorry!).

Visit Money Saving Mom and Cheap Healthy Good. These are my two favorite money-saving blogs.

I promise more recipes and pictures next week. I’m getting a new camera this weekend so will be posting lots more food photos in the future.