DEWITT -- With food prices on the rise, it's costing more to fill up the cart at the grocery store. One man who is no stranger to grocery shopping is Don Dutkowsky. He always come in with a list of what he's going to buy and compares prices.
"Grocery stores are familiar for me," Dutkowsky said. "I worked in a grocery store for much of college and graduate school."
Dutkowsky is an economics professor at Syracuse University and knows a lot of about shopping wisely. He says there are important steps people can take to save money.
"This might be an unusual one, I bring the kids with me so we can plan meals together," he said. Dutkowsky said giving them some ownership of the shopping, makes them responsible for when it's time to eat the meals.
One thing you want to do when you come to the grocery store, you don't just want to look at items that are eye level, check high and low. Dutkowsky says sometimes less expensive items aren't in direct view.
Dutkowsky says it's important to stick to the plan and think about alternatives like farmers markets for fresh fruit and vegetables. Also, consider shopping in more than one location. Impulse shopping can drive up the bill so can buying food that's already prepared. Dutkowsky says your time is worth money so that too has to factor in.
When the cart is filled and you are checking out, you should still keep a close eye of what you are buying.
"They will keep track of your total, it doesn't hurt to watch that," Dutkowsky said.
Then if you see the bill is going too high, you can always put something back.
