I don't have many qualifications for the presidency, but I can tell you the price of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. Bill Clinton was grilled about them when he ran for president in 1992. And, being Bill Clinton, he rattled off the correct prices and wowed some voters.

    I might give Bill a run for his money when it comes to grocery-store prices. That's because I do the shopping in our family.

    This week's column is a cheapskate's guide to grocery shopping. Consider it an early Christmas present. (Notice how it's not costing me anything.)

    First, the bad news. Food prices have soared and aren't likely to get cheaper anytime soon. Soaring commodity prices were the culprit the past couple of years. But now that prices have dropped for everything from wheat and orange juice to beef, food makers aren't lowering prices much in turn. They know Americans aren't going to stop eating in a recession. Indeed, we may shop more at supermarkets as we cut back on restaurant meals to save money.

    Even in this tough terrain, it's possible to cut your food bill. But you have to approach shopping strategically. Where you shop depends on what you eat. I employ the following multipronged approach, which could work for many households:

    Focus on the basics. It's key to have one store that has reasonable prices for most everything. That's going to be your first stop most weeks, and if you're pressed, it may be your only stop. Wal-Mart Stores, of course, is hard to beat on price, and it has a surprisingly good selection these days.

    But it doesn't have to be Wal-Mart. When I lived in Dallas from 2004 until earlier this year, I did the bulk of my shopping at Fiesta Mart, a chain that targets Hispanic shoppers. Its prices are low, it carries Mexican sauces my wife uses in her cooking, and it has a large assortment of non-ethnic grocery items.

    Buy one, get one free. Supermarkets can run some astounding specials that can make Wal-Mart look expensive. In my new home state, New Jersey, my local supermarket will sell strip steak for $3.99 a pound or grapes for 99 cents a pound or chicken breasts for $1.29 a pound.

    If you're flexible with what you eat, you can simply consume whatever's on special and eat pretty cheaply. My five-person family consumes three or four half-gallon cartons of orange juice a week that cost roughly $3.99 apiece at full price. The good news is that our local store usually has one brand on sale every week at a price between $2.50 and $2.99. So that's what we drink that week.

    Think ethnic. I'm a big produce hound, and in most of the places I've lived, the best buys can be found at ethnic grocery stores. They serve customers who eat lots of produce and aren't willing to pay an arm and a leg for it. Good chance there's such a store in your area.

    In Dallas, the above-mentioned Fiesta Mart has good produce deals. In an earlier stint in New Jersey, we bought our fruits and vegetables at a neighborhood store owned by Korean-Americans. The prices were probably a third below a normal grocery store's.

    Has anyone seen the arugula? Whole Foods Market isn't called 'Whole Paycheck' for nothing. Doing all your shopping there would be a good way to eat yourself out of house and home.

    But there some good values in its 365 Everyday Value house brand on everything from olive oil to whole-wheat pasta. You can also do OK buying things like cereals or nuts out of the bulk bins.

    Read the labels. I usually do, and I'm often surprised what I find. Stores generally give you a volume discount -- but not always. Sometimes smaller boxes actually have a lower per-ounce price.

    Another thing to look out for: Instead of lowering prices, some food companies are cutting back on sizes. A few years ago, ice-cream makers quietly downsized the age-old two-quart container to 1.75 quarts. I bought ice cream the other day and noticed several major brands had downsized the standard carton yet again -- this time to 1.5 quarts. Talk about being cold-hearted.

    I did discover one exception. Whole Foods still sells its house-brand ice cream in two-quart containers.

    我没有资格去竞选总统，不过我可以说出一加仑牛奶或一个面包价格几何。比尔•克林顿1992年竞选总统时，就有人拿这个问题来考他。贵为比尔•克林顿, 这位仁兄飞快答出了正确的价格，引来选民一片赞叹。

    在食杂品价格这个问题上，我还是可以跟比尔争个高下的，因为在我们家我负责采购。

    是有办法的本周的专栏文章是食杂品采购省钱指南，就当是提前送的圣诞节礼物吧。（请注意我可是分文未花哦。）

    首先说坏消息。食品价格一路飙升，而且看来近期也不会回落。过去几年，食品价格的突飞猛进是因为农产品价格飞涨。可如今从面粉到橙汁到牛肉所有东西的价格都跌了，为什么食品厂商却没怎么相应地降价呢？因为他们知道，经济虽然不景气，但美国人还是得吃饭。事实上，为了省钱，我们不但少上馆子了，而且也多去超市买东西了。

    即便形势如此严峻，要降低食品开销还是有办法的。不过你必须在购物时采取一些策略。不同的东西要去不同的地方买。以下就是我的全方位省钱术，可供很多家庭借鉴：

    抓住主项。找到一家绝大多数商品价格都很公道的店是很重要的。多数时候这家店就是你购物的第一站，手头吃紧时可能也就是唯一一站了。要论价格的竞争力，沃尔玛当然是鲜有对手的，而且如今在那里也能买到非常好的商品。

    不过也不一定非得是沃尔玛。从2004年到今年年初，我都住在达拉斯。我大部分的东西都是在Fiesta Mart购买的，这家连锁店以拉美裔人为目标顾客，价格低廉，并且经销我妻子烧菜时要用到的墨西哥调味汁，同时也有各种非民族风味的食杂。

    抓住促销的机会。有些超市会搞一些让人大跌眼镜的促销，其优惠价格令沃尔玛也自叹不如。我现在住在新泽西，我们的社区超市里有时候会有3.99美元一磅的长条牛排、99美分一磅的葡萄或1.29美元一磅的鸡胸肉。

    如果你对所吃的东西不挑剔，那么很简单，认准促销品来买，那你花在吃上头的开销就会很省了。我们一家五口每周消耗三到四纸盒半加仑装的橙汁，如果不是搞特价的话，每盒大概得花3.99美元。好在我们社区商店里每周都会有一个品牌的橙汁搞促销，价格从2.50到2.99美元不等。 我们就喝当周促销的牌子。

    光顾少数族裔人士开的店。我到了哪儿都喜欢四处寻找好的农产品。在我住过的多数地方，少数族裔人士开的食品店通常价格都是最划算的。他们的服务对像是那些吃得很杂却不愿意花很多钱的人。通常，你住的地方都会有这么一家店。

    我前面提到过的达拉斯Fiesta Mart就非常地物美价廉。之前在新泽西住的时候，我们在一家韩裔美国人开的社区商店里买水果和蔬菜，价格比一般的店要低三分之一。

    有人关注过芝麻菜的价格吗？全食有机食品连锁店（Whole Foods Market）被称为“月光店“确是名副其实。要想把自己吃到倾家荡产，所有的东西都上这里买就对了。

    不过他们店的365 Everyday Value自营品牌商品──从橄榄油到全麦意面，应有尽有──有很多还是很划算的。盛在硕大储藏箱里那些散卖的麦片和坚果也是不错的选择。

    记得看标签。我通常都会看一看，结果常常令我很吃惊。一般说来，大包装的东西有折价──但也并非绝对。有时候小包装的东西单价却更便宜。

    还有一件事敬请留意：有些食品厂商非但价格没降，可在份量上却下了工夫。几年前，霜淇淋厂商就悄无声息地把历史悠久的两夸脱包装缩水成了1.75夸脱。前两天我买过霜淇淋，发现有几个大牌子把标准纸盒子又改小了一些──这一次是改成了1.5夸脱。真是太狠了。

    不过我还是发现了一个例外，全食连锁店的自营品牌霜淇淋还是两夸脱装的。