You hate the Internet. You don’t own a computer and furthermore, you’d never use a computer. The old way is the best way. OK, with that said, even if you have no interest in the computer or the Internet, you are reading this column. That’s good, because in this column we hope you’ll find some interesting and useful information.

Consumer Reports magazine is a well-known authority on price and quality of nearly everything from cars to cat food. It also has a good Internet Web site and a lot of free e-mail newsletters, to which I subscribe. (If you do have Internet access, just Google Consumer Reports). From the Web site we obtain some good ideas on saving.

With the rising fuel prices and ever-increasing cost of health care, many senior citizens are searching for ways to meet these expenses.

We spend, on average, about 30 percent of our income on food and other items at the grocery store. How on earth can we save money when the cost of basics is rising at such a rate? We can shop around. The latest figures show that groceries – basic food items – have risen at least 20 percent this year, so we need to take a hard look at saving in an area where we do have some control. We just need to shop smarter.

One of the ways to save money at the grocery store is to purchase generic products. Just like the drugstore, generic is the magic word. Sugar is sugar and cinnamon is cinnamon, whether it’s packaged in a bright, name-brand container or on the lower shelf with other store brands.

Household cleaners (dish detergent, laundry soap, etc.) are all tested by the experts on a regular basis. To save money on these expensive products, the smart shopping experts advise us to check the dollar stores in our area. One of my sisters tells me that the dollar store near her now has a frozen food section, and it carries eggs and other dairy products.

These stores purchase large quantities of mostly name-brand items, when sizes and labels are being changed. We all know that M&Ms taste the same whether they’re colored orange for Halloween or red and green for Christmas.

When companies redesign logos or containers, they mark up the price to cover the cost of this redesign and the old packages are picked up by the dollar store people. This is helpful to those of us looking for a bargain. A monthly stop at the local dollar store, where you can stock up on cleaning supplies and shampoo, soap, toothpaste and other personal products, is a real money saver. And you can also buy greeting cards, really a good selection and quality, at two for a dollar. Compare that with the $3.99 and more for cards elsewhere.

Watch the store shelves and learn which day they mark down the meat. Look for those Manager Special stickers and be sure to check the per pound price. A less expensive cut of beef will cook up tender in a crock pot or oven. Check the labels on the store shelves under a product. This tells the per ounce price. Sometimes when tuna fish is on sale in the little cans, it is less expensive per pound than the large “bargain” cans.

Often we will buy a family pack size of chicken when it’s on sale, and repackage it and freeze it for the future. A good purchase at the dollar store are those locking freezer bags. They come in handy to freeze leftovers as well as repackaging larger meat purchases.

If you’re in a town that has a discount bread store, be sure to pay it a visit. Sometimes the stores have special discount days for senior citizens. Always check the “best if purchased by” date on the wrapper. These stores often have other products at a bargain price including condiments, cookies and pasta products.

If you have some good shopping ideas and ways to save money, contact me at kso48@aol.com or drop a note to Kay Soldier in care of this newspaper.