POTTSTOWN PA – Almost all of us shop, whether daily or infrequently, for groceries. But how many of us know – really know – how to work the supermarket?
Giant Food Stores, and the Division of Education at Pottstown Medical Specialists Inc. (PMSI), are offering a chance to show you how to shop like those who practically live in their kitchens. The good news? It’s free. The unfortunate news? Spaces are limited.
Their special supermarket tour, on becoming a knowledgeable consumer of most things edible, is scheduled for Nov. 14 (2024; Thursday), starting at 6:30 p.m. in Giant’s Upland Square shopping center location, 180 Upland Square Dr., Stowe. Advance registration is required. Call PMSI at 484-224-9655 to sign up.
The tour, led by a Giant Supermarket nutritionist, is intended to teach participants good shopping habits. They include:
- Learning how to shop for healthy groceries;
- Developing a successful shopping plan; and
- Insider tips for getting the best ingredient deals for your meals.
The value of savvy grocery shopping
Smart shopping can lead to better overall health, which leads the talking points of the coming tour.
The right foods in the right amounts, and a physician-approved exercise plan, can help people feel better and stay healthier. That may result in avoiding the risks of diabetes, heart diseases, digestion issues, and a host of other problems.
Then there’s the cost of food itself.
“Food ranks among the average American’s top five monthly expenditures,” according to a Rocket Money guide to grocery spending. Amounts spent vary, because eating tastes and choices are personal and individualized, it noted.
On average, though, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a four-person household spent slightly more than $8,000 a year on groceries; a three-person household, about $6,800; and a two-person household, about $5,600. Be aware, however, that those numbers are based on the bureau’s last survey, done in 2022.
Of course, prices have risen since then. The next survey, Rocket Money reports, won’t be conducted until this September.
In the interim, the U.S. Department of Agriculture produces a monthly “cost of food” report. It covers four different levels of grocery spending – from “thrifty,” the least expensive, to “liberal,” the most expensive – on its website. The February 2024 report is available now.
Photo by Artur Verkhovetskiy on Deposit Photos, used by Travels With The Post under license