Grocery costs are skyrocketing and the two main reasons are fuel costs and the rising cost of grains.

What can you do? Everyone needs to eat, but there are some ways to eat a bit cheaper.

The biggest way: Buy store brands. Here at Brookshire's we've recently begun carrying the Food Club line of store brands. They're equal in quality to national brands (we have a money-back guarantee) but cost significantly less. If you can save 20% on every item, that's a great savings!!

What else? Here are some time-honored traditions that really work:

• Compare unit prices with price per item. It is cheaper to buy more if you can make more than one meal for it than buying a cheaper version that will only feed one.
• Flavored coffee. Before brewing put your favorite flavor (Vanilla, amaretto, chocolate mint, almond) about 1 tsp in the bottom of the pot then brew as normal. You have flavored coffee without the high priced dairy creamer and without the added calories.
• Is flavored oatmeal one of your family's favorites? Flavored brands cost more and usually have all sorts of preservatives and too much sugar. Buy a few boxes of (the flavored kind, on sale of course) and add it to the regular (generic) brand. Usually 2-3 packets added to 1/2 canister of the regular brand is plenty. It lasts lots longer and cuts the cost dramatically.
• Don't throw out the food. When bananas turn brown make banana bread or muffins, after Halloween make pumpkin pie, bread or muffins and use the seeds the next day.