Bag A Bargain

If you feel your grocery budget is hopelessly derailed, don't panic. Here are three easy steps from Consumer Reports magazine to get things back on track:

 1  Buy bagged produce. Some produce is cheaper by the bag than by the pound. A 5-pound bag of potatoes can cost $2.99, compared with 99 cents per pound for loose ones in a bin.

 2  Look at the location. The same food might be sold in several places throughout the store. A store-brand Swiss cheese costs as much as $6.99 per pound in the deli. In the refrigerated case, the same sliced Swiss costs about $5.58 per pound.

 3  Buy at the bakery. Store-made baked goods are often less than the commercial alternatives. Six bakery rolls cost about $2 while a packaged half-dozen rolls run about $3.20.