Shop Around To Get Best Cereal Values

Cereals are a mainstay of breakfast. And as manufacturers continue to raise prices, shoppers need to increase their use of coupons and experiment with different brands.

Cereal is more expensive than ever, despite the relatively low cost of its ingredients, because of extremely high advertising and marketing budgets.

Let’s look at what it actually costs. The standard serving size for a bowl of cereal is 1.1 ounces. Let’s say you use 2 ounces of cereal. For a 20-ounce box of cereal that costs $4.50, that’s still only 45 cents a serving before adding milk.

Breakfast cereals consistently offer the highest-value coupons of any food products, according to Nielsen Coupon Clearing House. It’s common to see 75-cent or even $1 coupons. The reason is that this category of foods has among the lowest brand loyalty - shoppers are constantly switching.

Look for cereal coupons in newspaper and magazine ads. Be willing to try new brands. Many consumers have a favorite type, but there often are similar brands with minor differences. Try a competing brand if the price is better.

The best way to compare cereals is by reading the ingredient statement and nutrition facts labels. Ingredients are by law listed in descending order by volume: If raisins appear as the second ingredient on one package, but fourth on another - it’s not the same product.

Another way to save money is to buy the store brand, often sold for far less. A national comparison of four kinds of cereal from four retailers showed an average savings of more than 25 percent. Compare ingredients, but also taste. Some leading brands have a distinctive flavor or texture. See if the difference is worth the cost.