Perhaps you’ve noticed the cost of nearly everything is going up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index, the agency that calculates the U.S. inflation rate, is predicting a very high inflation rate for 2021. Our annual inflation rate at the end of May was running at 5 percent. That is the highest rate since 1981, when the average for that year was 10.3 percent. Here’s the deal: We can either stick our heads in the sand and pretend that nothing has changed, or we can get smart and fight back. Which brings me to the point of this column: to revisit the most effective ways to cut the cost of groceries and then make sure we are practicing them with determination and vengeance. Shop the Sales Check grocery ads for specials, then base your week’s meals on what’s on sale. The closer you can stick to buying only …