I came home the other day with a gallon of milk versus a half gallon. My husband was like "Why did you bring this big old gallon of milk home for? I like the half gallon." I explained to him that the gallon was on sale for almost the price of the half gallon option. Plus, I was able to grab a jug that had a 2 1/2 week expiration date on it giving us plenty of time to plow through it without it going bad.

Does this sound familiar in your household? Probably not. The typical family goes through about 2 gallons of milk per week. In the past several years, I've seen the price of a gallon of milk range anywhere from $1.99 to just over $4. The price of cheese has had it share increases too.

Rather than cutting down on your dairy or taking those items off your grocery list altogether, consider the following for saving:

Look for loss leaders - We all get Schnucks, Shop 'n Save's and Dierberg's color advo mailed to our homes weekly. The products featured on the cover page of that mailer are sometimes know as "loss leaders." The retailer knows he is selling the items at cost or at a loss in order to lure you in hoping you will potentially pick up additional items he is making a decent margin on. Loss leaders tend to be perishable items such as chicken, beef, or seasonal produce like sweet yellow corn or strawberries. Don't discount him using hot prices on canned vegetables, cases of soda or cereal to get you through his doors.

I know an executive at a large grocery chain and got her thoughts on how to best save money on milk. She told me that milk was on sale at her stores about every other week. Since milk is perishable, it is best to really watch your dates and purchase gallons with the longest sell-by dates on the label. You can also stock up by freezing milk, but the thought of that doesn't sit well with me.

Also, remember to try the store brand. In most cases, a local dairy such as Prairie Farms probably packaged it. At the end of the day, branded dairy items and store brand milk, cheese, or butter all have to meet USDA requirements. Why spend extra money for a branded product's marketing and advertising when you can buy the store brand which is equal in quality but costs significantly less?