Always read your labels!

I think any more it is pretty common practice for people to read product labels. We are so much more aware these days about what we are putting in our bodies and this is a great way to keep track of that. As a mama who likes to save money, I also spend much time reading price tags and checking unit prices. I have to admit that sometimes a good price trumps the healthier choice. I try to find both but it isn't always possible. But one thing that really irks (yes, irks!) me is when I think I have made a healthy choice that is also a great deal only to realize later I didn't.

This week I purchased some Trop50 orange juice at Albertson's. I don't normally purchase this brand but it was on sale plus I had a coupon so I was able to get 54 oz for $1.50. We go through juice pretty fast so I also picked up our regular gallon of Safeway brand orange juice which was $3.50. Happy with my purchases, I have been serving the Trop50 to my kids all week. We finished it off this morning and I was rinsing out the jug to be recycled when I finally glanced at the label. Now the whole advertisement of Trop50 is that it is 50% fewer calories and 50% less sugar than regular orange juices. Sounds good, right? Not when you read the back of the bottle where they inform you that the bottle only "contains 42% juice". That's right, the number one ingredient is water. Now this orange juice that is typically $2.96 for 54 oz is mostly water....ripoff! I hate when I let something like this get by me, I am usually good at checking such things out before buying them. If I wanted to water down my orange juice (which I used to do to make it stretch) I would by my bigger cheaper gallon of 100% orange juice and fill half the glass with water first.

Buyer Beware...read your labels. You never know when you are throwing hard earned money down the drain for things like water. **steps off cheap soapbox**

For those of you who don't know how to read your food labels, here is a handy guide: http://www.fda.gov/food/labelingnutrition/consumerinformation/ucm078889.htm