Six Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Next Grocery Bill
Bethany Kosten is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online colleges for the Guide to Online Schools.
According to the USDA, a family of four on a low-cost monthly food plan spent as much as $758.90 per month in 2010. On a more liberal food budget, the same family could have also spent $1052.10 per month. Either way, these figures are excessive and easily represent sufficient funds for a mortgage or car payment. Whether revamping your grocery budget out of necessity or simply deciding it is time to put excessive spending on food to a stop, you should know that the grocery bill is one of the easiest areas to cut down on living costs.
1. Consider Generic Brands over Top Name Brands.
All food manufacturers are required to follow certain procedures to provide healthy and safe food products for consumers. Compare labels to see that there is little or no difference between the ingredients of a name brand product and a generic product. However, the difference in cost is often significant.
2. Create a Weekly Menu for Your Family.
Planning ahead is one of the easiest ways to save money on a grocery bill. Take the time to plan a menu for your family and make a specific list of foods needed to fulfill the menu. Sticking with a meal plan will help reduce unnecessary purchases and more frequent trips to the store. Those who have a hard time getting motivated should try using other resources for inspiration. For instance, Dinner Spinner is an iPhone app that can help you find menu ideas based on a specific ingredient.
3. Eat Before You Shop.
Many impulse buys are a result of a rumbling tummy. Those who walk in the store before dinner usually end up spending much more than originally planned. Avoid this scenerio by planning your grocery trips around meal times.
4. Stock Up on an Item at Rock Bottom Price.
Start taking note of prices on certain food items that you consider staples in your household. Most people simply make a list of food items that they need and head to the store. However, smart shoppers realize that all grocery items go on sale at some time. Most stores generally follow a six week cycle. This means that you need to buy enough of an item at its lowest price to last for six weeks when it will go on sale again.
5. Use Coupons on Sale Items for Maximum Savings.
Everyone knows you can save a few dollars on your groceries by clipping coupons. However, the way to truly benefit from coupons is to use them on sale items. If you know the rock bottom price for an item at your store, wait until the item is at this low price before you use your coupon. In many cases, using a coupon at the right time could mean getting a product for free or very close to free.
6. Use Technology to Make Saving Money on your Grocery Bill More Efficient.
Anyone with a Smartphone should know about a number of apps that were created to help individuals plan their shopping trips even while on the go. There is the Shopping List Free app for iPhone and the Grocery List for Android. You can also go online to find and print coupons, search for new recipes, and browse weekly shopping ads.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
12/18/10
Financial Education for Your Kids Through the Four Jar Method
Author Bio : This is a Guest Post by the Webmaster of We Redefine. He provides valuable tips on many topics, such as money savings, investment & debt relief.
We can never underestimate the importance of money management. An individual who understands how to use money wisely is unlikely to get into debt. Most people learn money management at the cost of heart-wrenching experiences. They could have avoided monetary loses and debt if they had exposure to financial lessons at an early age. So how about teaching your children some money management skills? They would thank you profusely for this when they become grow up.
A smart way to teach your children money management is through the four jar allowance method. But what exactly is the four jar affair? Alright, let’s discuss in detail.
The four jar method is a very popular way to teach children how to get wise with their money. Here you teach your kids to keep their allowance in four see through glass jars and spend their money in an organized manner.
The money that you give to the kids is to be kept in four jars. Make sure that they “earn” the money. This will increase their attachment with their hard earned money. Assign a relatively easy task to the youngest kid and allot harder tasks for the older ones. Remember that the money is to be paid at a specific time every week. These small things are important because they have an impact on the young mind.
Ideally the four jars should be on the alms-giving, the spend-as-you-wish, small time savings and big time savings. Check out the details:
The alms-giving jar: Children catch the concept of charity quite easily. So you won’t have any problem to make them understand that a part of their allowance should go to charity. Approximately 10% of the money should be used for the benefit of the poor and the needy. However, you need to supervise the disbursal of charity funds for the first few days because the young children may not understand the importance of helping others. This is not the age for someone to understand that they are luckier than most other people.
The spend-as-you-wish jar: Let your kid feel free to use the money kept in this jar to his heart’s content. Of course there are some family rules. If comic books are not allowed for kids in your house, then he cannot buy them. If junk food is too bad for your child’s health then he must not have them. However, give the kid some freedom. Let him choose what he wants if it’s not anything objectionable.
Small time savings jar: Your kid wants a toy from the local shop. But he hasn’t got the money. Let him save the money for a couple of weeks and then buy it. Instant gratification is a major problem with the current generation. It has pushed millions of people into debt. With small time savings jar, you are teaching your kid the value of patience. Once he develops this habit, he would know that there is a right time to buy everything.
Big time savings jar: Let your child have a taste of investment. He should not spend the money in this jar at least for a year. Initially, this will frustrate him but eventually he will be happy. This will become a habit with him and the glass jar will turn into a bank account one day and soon enough the bank account will turn to bigger investment schemes.
Some habits are needed to be developed from a young age. Financial discipline is one of them. This can be successfully done by introducing the four jar method to your kids. So think about it this Christmas.
We can never underestimate the importance of money management. An individual who understands how to use money wisely is unlikely to get into debt. Most people learn money management at the cost of heart-wrenching experiences. They could have avoided monetary loses and debt if they had exposure to financial lessons at an early age. So how about teaching your children some money management skills? They would thank you profusely for this when they become grow up.
A smart way to teach your children money management is through the four jar allowance method. But what exactly is the four jar affair? Alright, let’s discuss in detail.
The four jar method is a very popular way to teach children how to get wise with their money. Here you teach your kids to keep their allowance in four see through glass jars and spend their money in an organized manner.
The money that you give to the kids is to be kept in four jars. Make sure that they “earn” the money. This will increase their attachment with their hard earned money. Assign a relatively easy task to the youngest kid and allot harder tasks for the older ones. Remember that the money is to be paid at a specific time every week. These small things are important because they have an impact on the young mind.
Ideally the four jars should be on the alms-giving, the spend-as-you-wish, small time savings and big time savings. Check out the details:
The alms-giving jar: Children catch the concept of charity quite easily. So you won’t have any problem to make them understand that a part of their allowance should go to charity. Approximately 10% of the money should be used for the benefit of the poor and the needy. However, you need to supervise the disbursal of charity funds for the first few days because the young children may not understand the importance of helping others. This is not the age for someone to understand that they are luckier than most other people.
The spend-as-you-wish jar: Let your kid feel free to use the money kept in this jar to his heart’s content. Of course there are some family rules. If comic books are not allowed for kids in your house, then he cannot buy them. If junk food is too bad for your child’s health then he must not have them. However, give the kid some freedom. Let him choose what he wants if it’s not anything objectionable.
Small time savings jar: Your kid wants a toy from the local shop. But he hasn’t got the money. Let him save the money for a couple of weeks and then buy it. Instant gratification is a major problem with the current generation. It has pushed millions of people into debt. With small time savings jar, you are teaching your kid the value of patience. Once he develops this habit, he would know that there is a right time to buy everything.
Big time savings jar: Let your child have a taste of investment. He should not spend the money in this jar at least for a year. Initially, this will frustrate him but eventually he will be happy. This will become a habit with him and the glass jar will turn into a bank account one day and soon enough the bank account will turn to bigger investment schemes.
Some habits are needed to be developed from a young age. Financial discipline is one of them. This can be successfully done by introducing the four jar method to your kids. So think about it this Christmas.
1/20/10
FREE money from Kohl's
Select Kohl’s locations are being remodeled and the stores will remain open during the construction. Because of the "inconvenience", the store is offering FREE $10 Kohl's gift cards that can be redeemed during the model on ANY purchase!
According to Because More is More she knows someone who purchased a Tommy Hilfiger shirt for $3.60 on clearance & received the $10 Kohl’s card. That's FREE MONEY the way I look at it!
The participating locations that were on the back of her receipt are:
Spring Hill, IL
Sterling, VA
Gaithersburg, Bel Air, MD
Garland, East Plano, McKinney, TX
Battleground, NC
Knoxville-East, TN
Acworth, Woodstock, GA
Oak Creek, WI
Massapequa, NY
Huntington, WV
Wichita E., KS
SE Tulsa, Owasso, OK
Lee’s Summit, MO
Call your local store first to make sure they are participating. The gift cards are valid to use in-store only from 1/31/10-2/9/10.
If you cash in on this deal, be sure to let me know in comments what you bought!
9/22/09
SwagBucks Codes
I wanted to take a couple minutes and tell you if you have been thinking about joining SwagBucks now is the time to do it!
It's fast and easy to sign up and TSG (The Swagbucks Guy) is in a very giving mood this month.
Also be sure to download the toolbar. There is daily codes on there all month! The toolbar makes it very easy to get the codes and to start racking up those Swagbucks!
With Christmas right around the corner these swagbucks can be spent on Christmas gifts.
Who doesnt love FREE MONEY?
If anyone has any questions, please ask me. If I dont know the answer I will help you get one.
Now what are you waiting for? Get your FREE MONEY HERE!
7/13/09
I Just Won 3 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com
I Just Won 3 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com!
If you are using a search engine such as Google, MSN, or Yahoo instead of Swagbucks.com then you are throwing money out the window. Swagbucks.com PAYS you for searching and is powered by Google!
It's simple. You search. They reward you with Swag Bucks. You cash the Swag Bucks in for different "prizes".
The list of prizes is a wide variety from music downloads, gift cards, books to flat panel tv's. My favorite is the Amazon.com gift card. These will be used to buy Christmas presents. Yep, there's that dreaded word so many don't like to think about in July! lol
Swagbucks.com also pays you in other ways too. They have a Trade In program for old cell phones, video games and video consoles.
Turn those old cell phones into cash! The amount depends upon the type of phone and condition. It's a short and easy questionnaire that you fill out, it tells you how many bucks they will give you and then sends you a postage paid envelope to send in your phone. Once they receive your phone they credit your Swagbucks account. What could be easier?
So what are you waiting for? Get signed up today and you will get $3 Swag Bucks just for signing up. Just click the banner here:
Shared via AddThis
If you are using a search engine such as Google, MSN, or Yahoo instead of Swagbucks.com then you are throwing money out the window. Swagbucks.com PAYS you for searching and is powered by Google!
It's simple. You search. They reward you with Swag Bucks. You cash the Swag Bucks in for different "prizes".
The list of prizes is a wide variety from music downloads, gift cards, books to flat panel tv's. My favorite is the Amazon.com gift card. These will be used to buy Christmas presents. Yep, there's that dreaded word so many don't like to think about in July! lol
Swagbucks.com also pays you in other ways too. They have a Trade In program for old cell phones, video games and video consoles.
Turn those old cell phones into cash! The amount depends upon the type of phone and condition. It's a short and easy questionnaire that you fill out, it tells you how many bucks they will give you and then sends you a postage paid envelope to send in your phone. Once they receive your phone they credit your Swagbucks account. What could be easier?
So what are you waiting for? Get signed up today and you will get $3 Swag Bucks just for signing up. Just click the banner here:
Shared via AddThis
2/11/09
19 Survey Sites That REALLY Pay by HotCouponWorld
Want to make some extra money by completing surveys but don't know which companies are legit and actually pay you?
Hotcouponworld has done all the research for us and compiled a list of 19 survey sites that are : FREE, legit, pay out, little or no spam, and a good way to earn extra money.
Check it out: Hotcouponworld's 19 Survey Sites That Pay
If you are worried about spam, here's a tip... Make a new email address just for doing surveys. (Although it's been reported that these legit sites have very little spam.) Use one of the free email providers such as yahoo, gmail, or hotmail. For example: LisaBsurveys@gmail.com Use this email when signing up on the survey sites.
10/27/08
4/2/08
More Cash In Your Pocket
Several people have emailed me asking questions about the Wellness 360 and putting their personal information out there. Any information I dont feel comfortable with giving to them, then I dont. You still will receive cash for the other areas you use such as the nutrition diary.
So go ahead and sign up today!
HAVE YOU JOINED WELLNESS 360 YET?
Wellness 360 is the only website that provides great wellness tools such as: - Diet and fitness tracking,- Personal health record,- Emergency medical record,- Medical and wellness library,- Free Genetic Testing, and- CASH! CASH! CASH!
Thats right: Wellness 360 pays its members CASH just for using it!
There's nothing to buy, no catch or gimmicks! Absolutely no tricks, just cash for its members.
Its easy to begin enjoying wellness360s services and start earning cash.
Lets begin enjoying today and putting more money in our pockets.
Click here to join: Wellness 360
4/1/08
March 2008 Grocery Totals
TOTAL $613.43
-COUPONS $261.23
ACTUAL OOP $349.86
66 FREE ITEMS
$199.70 VALUE OF FREE ITEMS
-COUPONS $261.23
ACTUAL OOP $349.86
66 FREE ITEMS
$199.70 VALUE OF FREE ITEMS
3/25/08
Have You Joined Wellness 360?
HAVE YOU JOINED WELLNESS 360 YET?
Wellness 360 is the only website that provides great wellness tools such as: - Diet and fitness tracking,- Personal health record,- Emergency medical record,- Medical and wellness library,- Free Genetic Testing, and- CASH! CASH! CASH!
Thats right: Wellness 360 pays its members CASH just for using it!
There's nothing to buy, no catch or gimmicks! Absolutely no tricks, just cash for its members.
The best question you can ask is easy: How much money can I earn?
To answer this question, follow these four simple steps:
Step 1: Lets assume you invite 10 friends to become members.
Step 2: In turn, your friends each invite 10 of their friends to become members.
Step 3: Lets assume 3 more levels of friends each invite 10 new members.
Step 4: Assuming each member earns $25 per month, Wellness 360 will pay you:
$4,052 Every Month!!!
Thats $48,628 annually for simply inviting your friends and family to Wellness 360.
Its easy to begin enjoying wellness360s services and start earning cash.
Lets begin enjoying today and putting more money in our pockets.
Click here to join: Wellness 360
Wellness 360 is the only website that provides great wellness tools such as: - Diet and fitness tracking,- Personal health record,- Emergency medical record,- Medical and wellness library,- Free Genetic Testing, and- CASH! CASH! CASH!
Thats right: Wellness 360 pays its members CASH just for using it!
There's nothing to buy, no catch or gimmicks! Absolutely no tricks, just cash for its members.
The best question you can ask is easy: How much money can I earn?
To answer this question, follow these four simple steps:
Step 1: Lets assume you invite 10 friends to become members.
Step 2: In turn, your friends each invite 10 of their friends to become members.
Step 3: Lets assume 3 more levels of friends each invite 10 new members.
Step 4: Assuming each member earns $25 per month, Wellness 360 will pay you:
$4,052 Every Month!!!
Thats $48,628 annually for simply inviting your friends and family to Wellness 360.
Its easy to begin enjoying wellness360s services and start earning cash.
Lets begin enjoying today and putting more money in our pockets.
Click here to join: Wellness 360
3/1/08
February 2008 Grocery Total
I was short on time so I didnt figure up my coupons, savings, etc.
My total OOP for the month of February was $455.57. I used tons of coupons though!
My total OOP for the month of February was $455.57. I used tons of coupons though!
2/1/08
January 2008 Grocery Totals
I added up my January grocery receipts. Here’s how it went:I buy for a family of 3. Try to keep to $100 per week. January had 4 paydays for us, so it was a $400 month on budget.
I shopped 6 stores, purchasing 194 items that retailed for $522.40. By purchasing items on sale I saved 116.01 off retail total. Then I used 80 coupons for another $130.76 savings, bringing my out of pocket to $275.63. That’s a 47% savings overall. WHAHOOOOO!
Using the coupons, I recvd approximately 30 items for FREE. My free item count could be higher if you added in cvs free stuff but I figure I had to spend money to get that free and it's truly not FREE.
CVS $205.55 retail-62.74 (sale discount)-78.15(coupons)=64.66oop
Country Mart $12.07 retail-2.62 (sale discount)-0(coupons)=9.45oop
Dollar General $23.57 retail-NONE (sale discount)-1.10(coupons)=22.47oop
Apple Market $58.16 retail-15.36 (sale discount)-3.20(coupons)=39.60oop
Price Chopper $102.18 retail-35.29 (sale discount)-8.36(coupons)=58.53oop
Wal - Mart $120.87 retail-NONE (sale discount)-39.95(coupons)=80.92oop
I will be concentrating on how to use more coupons at Wally World and Price Chopper to get my out of pocket down.
Do you have any suggestions on this?
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