Food prices are skyrocketing -- as much as 6 percent year over year. Most of us aren't getting pay raises every year to keep up. For quite a while, we had been in a golden era of supermarket purchasing power. Prices were actually going down. That was partly because Wal-Mart entered the grocery biz and cut prices by about 20 percent vs. the traditional chains. Then there's also been more efficiency on the farms, plus the availability of imported produce. But now we're in for a rude awakening with inflation at the source and the cost of transportation (price per barrel of oil) going up. So what can you do? Try carefully planning your shopping. For example, Stephanie Nelson (aka Coupon Mom) tells people to stock up on non-perishables only when they're on sale. Don't buy them when they're at full price. As the name of Nelson's website suggests, she also offers a ton of coupons. Clark has a sister-in-law who is also a noteworthy shopper. She can take care of food needs for a month with a week's worth of money. But if all the planning sounds like too much work, Clark just tells people to do their grocery shopping at Wal-Mart or Aldi. Here's another tip: Practice product/brand substitution. For example, buy the store brand instead of the name brand, or buy grapes if they're on sale instead of strawberries at full price.