If someone said you could save up to 25 percent on groceries, you’d jump at the opportunity, right? Well it’s easier than you think, but it takes planning and common sense.

Food and household disposables are the largest line item of most family budgets. Try to limit grocery shopping to once a week. Organize your menus for the next week. Keep a list on your refrigerator (next to the school art). Add items as you run low.

Read newspaper ads and circulars before you shop. Determine when sales or special prices are in effect. Familiarize yourself with regular prices in your favorite markets so that you knew when “specials” are really special. Stock up on items when sale prices are in effect, but don’t buy more than you can use before it spoils.

Consider generic or supermarket brand products; in many cases they will suit your tastes and your needs as well as the more expensive name brands.

Use cents-off coupons only for products you need and want. Remember that generic items may still be cheaper than name brands with cents-off coupons. Shop at stores that double coupon values. Snip store coupons out of the newspaper to receive double coupon offers.

Know your products and look for your product of choice even if more expensive products are strategically located at eye level. Supermarkets do not usually place sale items at eye level or in special displays. More expensive items (especially those which appeal to children) are usually placed in displays at eye level or at the ends of aisles. Store owners apply psychology when arranging stock so the shopper will buy more expensive items and they can generate higher profit.

Be just as budget-conscious when you dine out. In one night out you could spend a full third of your food budget.

Save money while feeding your family well: Buy larger cuts of meat or whole poultry. Cut them up yourself into meal-size portions.

Compare true cost per serving as well as price per pound. For example: Spare ribs appear to be cheaper than hamburger but you get fewer servings per pound.

Substitute less expensive cuts of meat for more expensive ones by making casseroles, soups and stews instead of meat and potato meals.

Buy medium eggs especially when they are at least 10 cents a dozen cheaper than large. Buy Grade A eggs instead of Grade AA. You can buy flats of small eggs holding two-and-one-half dozen eggs for the price of approximately what a dozen jumbo eggs cost. Buy either brown-shelled or white-shelled eggs, whichever is less expensive, because both are equally nutritious and tasty.

Buy fresh fruits and vegetables when in season, and canned and frozen varieties when they are not. When you buy canned or frozen fruit and vegetables, skip those with sauces. You’ll save money by buying mixed pieces of various sizes and shapes and adding any desired extra ingredients at home.

You can serve nutritious and appetizing meals at a lower cost by following these suggestions and save lots of money in the process.

And when you get ready to shop, the old warning, “don’t shop hungry” applies. Shop only after you’ve eaten (even a snack), then follow your list as you shop so you will be less likely to buy on impulse. And if it’s possible, leave the kids home.

Consumer Forum is a collaborative effort of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT. Send questions to Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, Maine 04402-1329. COMBAT is a nonprofit organization with annual dues of $10. For membership information, write to the above address.