Money In Your Pocket

This afternoon I was listening to the guy on the radio bitch about gas prices and food prices and how he made some beans this weekend (because its cheap) and it cost him $20. That's not cheap.

So... it made me think and I googled some info. A few ways to cut your grocery bill!

Stop eating out -- This one is a no-brainer and doesn't really need an explanation.

Don't buy frozen meals -- Do you realize you are paying $300 a pound for that tiny bit of veggies on the side?

Don't buy pre-cut meats -- Doing the cutting yourself will save you about $1 per pound or $223 per year for the average family of four.

Compare supermarkets --

Buy generic -- Generic and store-brand products are often processed at the same plants as name brand products, but they are much cheaper because they aren't advertised.

Buy day-old bread -- The bread at the day-old bakery is almost as good as the bread in the supermarket, yet it is half the price of fresh.

Buy in season -- There are times when the supermarket is practically giving away fruits and vegetables and other times when they cost a fortune.

Use more nonfat dry milk -- Nonfat dry milk is cheaper than regular milk.

Pick your own fruits and vegetables -- Find out if there is a food co-op in your area at www.localharvest.org and pick your own fruits and vegetables, which can be purchased at a fraction of what you pay at the supermarket.

Don't eat meat every night -- Fixing vegetarian casseroles and such several times a week can save the typical family of four about $3.00 per meal or $15.00 per week or about $800 a year.

Brown bag it at work -- This is one of the easiest ways to save money, as brown bagging it is about one-third the cost of eating lunch at an inexpensive restaurant.

Don't buy what you don't really need -- There are many products we buy because we love them, but don't really need them. Good examples are soft drinks, sugary snacks and other sweets. Giving them up will improve your health, reduce your medical and dental-related expenses and fatten your wallet.

Avoid vending machines and bring your own snacks/drinks to work: You pay significantly less for the candy bars and soda pop you buy at the grocery store than from a vending machine.

Use coupons -- Coupons can save you money, but too many people buy products they don't really need or use just because they have a coupon. Good coupon websites: CoolSavings.com -- Coupons.com -- StartSampling.com.

Leave the kids at home -- Caving in to pressure from crying children begging for certain cereals, snacks and toys adds, on average $6 to $20 to the weekly grocery bill. Leave them at home and buy only what your family needs.