Column: How consumers can cut their grocery bills

-Clip coupons. Shoppers should look through circulars for special deals, but Marks warns them not to assume that all items in a supermarket's weekly flyer are on sale. He noted that manufacturers could have paid to have the item featured.

-Obtain a store card. These loyalty cards allow shoppers to get extra discounts on items without having to clip coupons.

-Consider frozen foods. Frozen peas, fish and other items are cheaper than fresh because they have a longer shelf life.

"Anything that is perishable, shoppers are going to have to pay higher prices because stores have to build it into their (profit) margins," said Challagalla.

-Ignore precut fruit or vegetables or other prepped items. While it's nice to have that pineapple cut up in chunks, that extra convenience costs money.

-Avoid items displayed at the checkout counter. Stores feature single serving pies, cans of soda and other items at the checkout that are often more expensive, but can be tempting to shoppers, particularly hungry ones, Marks said.

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