'GMA' Viewers Share Food-Shopping Tips

May 27, 2008 — -- Rising food prices have forced consumers to get creative and savvier with their food purchases. For many, like Anika Bozeman, paying full price for food is not an option.

The Coupon Queen

The stay-at-home, Smyrna, Ga., mother has made savvy shopping her full-time job, using coupons to pay for everything.

"We pay pennies for everything. If it costs more than 50 percent, we won't buy it," Bozeman said.

Bozeman only buys an item if it's on sale and she has a coupon. She loads up on kitchen staples — buying big and saving big.

"[I save] at least $125 a week. Sometimes more," she said. This week she saved $156.85, she said.

"It's exciting," Bozeman said.

Bozeman is just one of the many "Good Morning America" viewers who sent in tips on how to save at the grocery store. Below, check out how some of them are saving big on tight budgets.

Make Dough To Save Dough

One viewer didn't just find a way to save dough. She began baking it.

Linda Drake of Plainview, Texas, began baking her own bread.

"I've learned how to mill my own wheat berries into flour. The cost of wheat berries is about half as much as a five-pound bag of flour in the store. I also learned how to easily make bread," she said. "It's healthier and it's cheaper."

It adds up to a total of $140 of savings annually.

Becoming a Part-time Vegetarian

Many viewers said they were searching for ways to make individual meals cheaper.

"We plan on making at least two meals a week vegetarian," said Middletown, Del., viewer Angie in an email she wrote to "GMA." "Meat is expensive. Lentils and beans are cheaper."

But one expert said replacing beef with beans has more than simple cost-cutting benefits.

"I think that's terrific. First of all they're going to save money, but also beans are also one of the most nutritious foods you can eat," said dietician Thomas Ayoob. "[They are] less expensive, more nutritious. It's a win-win."

Consumers could save an upwards of $200 monthly this way.

Viewers' Most Common Tip

The most common tip viewers told "GMA" about was how they've begun growing their own food to slice food costs. They have decided to replace store-bought produce with items from their back yards.

"[We] are now trying to live off the land since we live off of Social Security. We raise sheep and have five pigs: two for ourselves and [we] sell three to pay for butchering and feed. We also have chickens for eggs and a huge garden. Now we rarely go to the store," said retiree Toni Ward of Branch, Texas.

But some, who don't have room for a garden, have relied on creativity to cut rising food budgets.

Baldwin, Ga. viewer Atha Dalton and her husband filled their swimming pool with dirt this spring.

"We felt like by growing our own food we'll cut down a lot on our grocery bill, a lot of trips to the grocery store," she said. Though she admits, "it does look a little weird when you walk or drive by and see it."

Tips to Save Big

Here are some additional tips to save money on your grocery bill.

Use the food you have. If you've got a stinky old banana in the kitchen, don't pitch it. Use it in a smoothie, bread or pancakes.

Shop in your pantry. Chances are there is stuff in there gathering dust and there are Web sites like recipematcher.com, where you can go enter in what you have. It will tell you what you can make from it.