A variety of factors have combined to elevate grocery prices. Data from the USDA shows that a family of four can expect to spend anywhere from $567 to $1,296 per month on groceries – or about $130 to $300 per week. The recommendation is to spend no more than 15% of your take-home pay on food and groceries. So, what can we do to stretch our food budget? For the March Living Well Wednesday webinar series, K-State Research and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Specialist for the Northwest Area, Ashley Svaty, and SNAP-Ed Regional Specialist for the Northwest Area, Janelle VanKooten, provided some simple, cost-effective strategies to help reduce food expenses.

Sound Living is a weekly public affairs program addressing issues related to families and consumers. It is hosted by Jeff Wichman. Each episode shares the expertise of K-State specialists in fields such as child nutrition, food safety, adult development and aging, youth development, family resource management, physical fitness and more.

Send comments, questions or requests for copies of past programs to ksrenews@ksu.edu.

K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.