High Price Nutrition

Is dinnertime getting harder to afford; some of your staple ingredients could be to blame.

Prices are on the rise everywhere but it’s the grocery store that’s really taking a bite out of your budget. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation; fourteen of the sixteen supermarket chains they track increased prices between the first and second quarters of this year.

And to help you calculate where your money is going on they have cooked up a list of the fourteen most common items bought. The list shows how much the product has gone up and how you can save money if it’s still on your shopping list.

For example take bacon; breakfast’s favorite side dish has gone up $0.32 over the past few months. And the rise is expected to continue by at least another 6.5% by the end of the year. So the farm federation says buy in bulk and freeze the extra pork product. To see how much your other favorites are going to cost you keep reading. Who knew grocery shopping could leave such a sour taste in your mouth and a hole in your wallet?

Russet potatoes
Current average price: $3.07 for a 5-pound bag
Price change (from Q1): up 43 cents
Percent change: 16.3%
Projected change for 2011: 4.5%-5.5%
Savings tip: Make the most of a bargain 20-pound sack of spuds. Mashed, fried, baked or roasted, potatoes are filling and can stretch a meal budget. Store in a dark, cool place to keep fresh longer.

Sirloin tip roast
Current average price: $4.48 per pound
Price change (from Q1): up 52 cents
Percent change: 13.1%
Projected change for 2011: 7%-8%
Savings tip: Minimize your mealtime costs and make your cardiologist happy by going meatless twice a week. A family of four can save $624 annually.

Bacon
Current average price: $4.18 per pound
Price change (from Q1): up 32 cents
Percent change: 8.3%
Projected change for 2011: 6.5%-7.5%
Savings tip: Get a better deal by buying your bacon in bulk from a warehouse club. Put your extra slabs of pork in re-sealable plastic bags, and stash them in the freezer. Bacon defrosts rapidly.

Apples
Current average price: $1.56 per pound
Price change (from Q1): up 11 cents
Percent change: 7.6%
Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%
Savings tip: Buy apples by the bagful rather than individually to reap a lower unit cost. Stow your Granny Smiths and Red Deliciouses in the refrigerator to keep them crisp and juicy.

Sliced deli ham
Current average price: $5.26 per pound
Price change (from Q1): Up 35 cents
Percent change: 7.1%
Projected change for 2011: 6.5%-7.5%
Savings tip: Ask your local butcher for the lunchmeat ends that may otherwise go to waste. They're cheaper than a pound of deli meat and just as tasty in your brown-bag lunch.

Ground chuck
Current average price: $3.29 per pound
Price change (from Q1): up 19 cents
Percent change: 6.1%
Projected change for 2011: 7%-8%
Savings tip: Instead of buying ground beef, purchase a chuck roast on sale and grind it yourself. It'll taste the same -- or perhaps better, considering the money you'll save -- and allay your mystery-meat fears.

Whole milk
Current average price: $3.62 per gallon
Price change (from Q1): up 16 cents
Percent change: 4.6%
Projected change for 2011: 5%-6%
Savings tip: Reserve your regular milk for your morning bowl of cereal. For recipes that call for milk, use the less expensive powdered version instead. Just add water. You won't taste the difference.

Vegetable oil
Current average price: $3.01 for a 32-ounce bottle
Price change (from Q1): up 13 cents
Percent change: 4.5%
Projected change for 2011: 6%-7%
Savings tip: If you normally use expensive extra virgin olive oil for cooking, opt for a lower grade instead. Scan your supermarket shelves for bottles labeled simply "olive oil."

Toasted oat cereal
Current average price: $3.17 for a 9-ounce box
Price change (from Q1): up 12 cents
Percent change: 3.9%
Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%
Savings tip: Try your grocer's store-label equivalent or buy a generic version of your favorite morning munchies. If you can't live without name brands, look for coupons in the Sunday newspaper.

Eggs
Current average price: $1.65 per dozen
Price change (from Q1): up 3 cents
Percent change: 1.9%
Projected change for 2011: 4.5%-5.5%
Savings tip: Visit your farmers' market near closing time for a better deal on fresh, locally produced eggs. At day's end, vendors are more likely to slip something extra into your bag.

Orange juice
Current average price: $3.18 for a half-gallon
Price change (from Q1): up 4 cents
Percent change: 1.3%
Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%
Savings tip: Head to the frozen foods aisle for cheaper-per-ounce and just-as-refreshing orange juice concentrate. Add water, stir and enjoy the very same vitamin C rush.

Bread
Current average price: $1.86 for a 20-ounce loaf
Price change (from Q1): up 2 cents
Percent change: 1.1%
Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%
Savings tip: Pounce whenever your grocery store or bakery has a two-for-one sale. Eat one loaf immediately -- French toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and grilled cheese for dinner -- and freeze the other for later.

Bagged salad
Current average price: $2.67 per pound
Price change (from Q1): up 1 cent
Percent change: 0.4%
Projected change for 2011: 3%-4%
Savings tip: Go online to find discounts for popular brands of bagged salad. Check Facebook and Twitter pages for printable coupons, and subscribe to email alerts for special deals.

Flour
Current average price: $2.52 for a 5-pound bag
Price change (from Q1): up 1 cent
Percent change: 0.4%
Projected change for 2011: 3.5%-4.5%
Savings tip: Unless you're an avid baker, you probably don't use much flour. If that's the case, buy only what you need when you need it from a bulk bin. Don't let your money sit idle in the pantry.