How many times have you gone to the grocery store and been shocked by the total, thinking, “Wow, how could I have spent that much?” as you look at the number of bags in the cart. Not too long ago $100 would buy 10 bags of groceries. Now the same amount will buy fewer than half that many.

How much do you spend on groceries each week or month? We have watched grocery prices surge over the past year. Nationally the range of grocery expenditures for a family of four is $125 to $1,000 per month, depending on a number of variables, including where you live, your income, where you shop, and the type of food you purchase. Organic foods tend to be more costly than nonorganic. A Boston Globe article in May 2008 reported food expenditures for several Boston households. In two cases family size was the same but incomes varied. The families shopped at different types of stores. An East Boston family with two professional income earners who shopped at Whole Foods Market, purchasing mostly organic food, spent as much as $400 per week, compared to a single mother with two children living in South Boston, who tried to get by on $140 per week.

Since prices have increased, one might reason that a larger percentage of our income is spent on food than a decade ago. However, according to the USDA, American expenditure on food consumed at home as a percent of disposable personal income has changed little since 2000. In 2000 Americans spent 5.8 percent of their disposable personal income, and in 2008 the percent had decreased slightly to 5.6 percent, while food expenditures outside the home remained unchanged at 4 percent during this same period.

How you shop is as much of a factor as what you buy in determining the amount of money spent. Some people swear that clipping coupons is the answer to saving money. In fact, the day after I began my research for this article, one of the morning news programs interviewed the “Coupon Mom” who has written a book about shopping with coupons. Perhaps you saw the feature on the TV. The reporter accompanied “Coupon Mom” to the grocery store and saw firsthand how to select $100 of groceries and spend only 25 cents. Yes, 25 cents. I am sure I was not the only viewer who was stunned.

Like others, I have clipped coupons, stashed them in my purse and months later retrieved them, only to find they had expired. On the rare occasion that I remembered that I had a coupon to use, I discovered that another or similar product was less expensive and wondered why I wasted time clipping coupons. Perhaps some are successful at this method, but I prefer to manage my grocery expenditures by taking stock of what I have on hand, knowing what my family will really eat, familiarizing myself with prices, and sticking to a budget.

Here are a few tips on organizing your food shopping that might save you time and money:

• Create a meal plan.
  Know what you are going to make before you go shopping. Going to the grocery store without an idea of what you are going to cook or what you might like to make will cost you extra, because you are likely to purchase items that will not be used.
   
• Make a list.
  Check what you have on hand before going to the store. Going to the grocery store without a list may result in purchasing items that you already have or won’t use. The end result is that you are sure to spend more than you would have if you had taken the time to make a list.
   
• Know the store and its prices.
  Grocery chains have different prices in different cities. For example, the same fish is sometimes less expensive at the Leominster Market Basket than the Westford store. Prices at one chain can be 50 cents more per item than at another.
   
• Check unit prices.
  The unit price is often listed below the item, along with the total price. Not all measurements of unit price are the same on similar items. Make sure that you are comparing ounces to ounces. Looking at the unit price will also indicate whether the larger quantity is really the better deal. Sometimes more is not less.
   
• Shop once a week.
  Going to the store every day or every other day will cost you more than if you go once or twice a week. Of course we all forget something on our list now and then, but try not to make an extra trip; incorporate your stops on your way home from work or out running other errands.
   
• Don’t go to the store when you're hungry.
  Shopping on an empty stomach is a guarantee that you will buy more than you otherwise would. That quick fix will add to your grocery budget.
   
• Don’t shop with kids or spouse.
  “Mommy can I have this?” While unpacking your groceries, have you found items in your bags that you know you didn’t pick up and wondered how they got there?
   
• Avoid going to the store on weekends or Mondays.
  When stores are crowded, all you want is to get in and out quickly. Needless to say, you may forget something. I have also discovered that after the weekend shoppers have ravaged the shelves, “pickings are slim” on Mondays. So I try to shop between Tuesday and Thursday or sometimes after dinner when there are few others shopping. Store fliers may be an indication of when shelves are stocked.

Another way to save on your food expenditures includes packing a lunch rather than buying. Make extra for dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Purchasing lunch every day can add up to $25 or more a week. Multiply that by the number of family members, and you can see that sending your children to school with a hot lunch in a thermos or a salad is less expensive, not to mention healthier.

While on the subject of “make it yourself,” home cooking is less expensive and healthier than prepared or prepackaged foods, which are loaded with preservatives and excessive amounts of sodium. Make it yourself and make it a family activity. Kids love to get involved in the kitchen; they enjoy watching and participating. It’s how America learned to cook, way back when!

Have you noticed the size of a plate at restaurants? The serving size has grown to accommodate the size of the plate, and Americans have grown with it. If you want to cut your food budget and your waistline, reduce the serving size; serve meals on smaller plates. The USDA defines a single serving of meat as two or three ounces. That is miniscule compared to the 12 or 16 ounces of steak on the menu at many restaurants. This is not to say you shouldn’t buy large portions of meat, especially when it is more economical. I often buy large packages of ground beef or chicken and divide them into smaller servings to freeze.

Unlike baby boomers, who grew up eating primarily canned or frozen vegetables, the younger generation has known the abundance of fresh produce year-round. Once upon a time tomatoes and many other kinds of produce could be found at the market only in season. It’s only in the last 20 or 25 years that we have grown accustomed to fresh produce and exotic fruits available all year. Of course, it all comes at a price. If you stopped to think about where the vegetables and fruits come from, you’d realize it is amazing that we don’t pay more. In-season produce not only tastes better, but it is also less expensive than buying out of season. There is nothing better than a garden-fresh tomato or fresh, crisp apples from your local farm stand. It may be a sacrifice, but buying produce when it is in season will save money. The alternative is frozen vegetables, which may not be as appealing, but the nutritional value is greater than “fresh” produce that was picked more than a month ago and traveled thousands of miles to reach you in time for your winter holiday meal. Hold out for the special flavor of a garden-ripe tomato and you will appreciate it even more.