Book Review: Be Thrifty (Not Cheap!)

Be Thrifty (Not Cheap!): How to Live Better with Less by Pia Catton and Califia Suntree (c) 2010 by Workman Publishing.


Awhile ago I was watching (well trying to watch) the Today Show on NBC while trying to get my kids up and ready for their day. I was half listening to a segment about money, household tips, or something of that nature when I heard the title of this book. I shook my head, giggled, and served up breakfast.

Later that week during one of my rare down times when both kids were napping at the same time, I tried to find the segment on the Today Show's web site. I didn't have much luck, but I did find the book on Amazon.com which had their Look Inside feature to see some of the book. Even after "seeing" the book on the Web, I still wanted to hold it in my hand to look through before purchasing. After a week or so of searching I couldn't find it in any book stores, second hand book stores, or big box stores. I took a big gamble and just bought it (used) through Amazon and tried to wait patiently for it to arrive by mail.

I always get nervous when purchasing books blindly on the Internet, but I'm glad I bought this one!

The format of the book makes it very reader friend, especially for this mom who is constantly getting interrupted and can hardly ever finish reading a page in one sitting. I liken the page format to that of a newspaper or new magazine; short blurbs or articles, stand out boxes for quick information, etc.

I am only on the third chapter, but already I've jotted down page numbers for some really useful information. I'm sure that with lots of searching, filtering, and time I could have found these tips, hints, and useful information somewhere on the world wide web, but I don't have that kind of time and for the most part I never thought about most of these things.

A lot of the information that I've read so far has been somewhat new to me or a refresher course to those lessons that my Depression-era grandmother tried to teach me when I was a little girl. There's also a bit of a refresher course of things that I'm sure my Home Economics teacher taught, but this brain of mine lost a long time ago.

I just finished the page about making bread and all of it's terminology. I've always wanted to bake all of the bread that my family eats, which is at least a loaf or two a week. I don't know if I'm up to snuff, but this book makes me at least want to try my hand at it!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who's looking to save money and wants to stop outsourcing a lot of tasks that can be easily done yourself.

Article Submission: Updated Envelope Method

I was reading an article on http://www.moms-living-debt-free.com/ and posted a comment to one of their articles on budgeting (Budgeting Percentages; Recommendations for Each Major Household Budget Category). My post hasn't been accepted yet, but I still wanted to share the information with you as well as the original article. Enjoy!

I'm always looking for free money (I'm constantly looking for coins on the ground!) and for ways to make my money work for me, yet be quickly (within 3-5 days) accessible as well.

I opened/created accounts at three online banking institutions which are FDIC insured, their interest rates are much better than the brick and mortar banks in town. I named each account and then set up automatic deposit so that every paycheck a chunk of money goes into the different accounts and accrues interest. I just happened to use three online institutions mainly due to already having an account with them or even getting free money deposited into my account after making a minimum years worth of deposits.

I created accounts for Property Taxes, Insurance Bills (Life, Home, & Vehicle), Clothing Fund, Vacation Fund, Home Projects/Fix-Ups, and most importantly an Emergency Fund. For those accounts that I know I won't (or shouldn't) be dipping into very often I make sure that the money is in a higher yielding interest account. For those accounts that I know I'll dip into 3+ times a year I don't really worry myself about the interest rates since I know I'm getting a better one than at the stand alone banks in town.

So now instead of wondering how I'm going to pay the property taxes on our house I can go into that account and have the money transfered into my main banking account (for free). If the kids need new clothes I can transfer money from the clothing fund and pay off the credit card (that has rewards) that I used to purchase the clothes with.

Before doing single accounts per category, I tried to lump all the money into one account, hoping to take advantage of making even more interest on the large balance in the account. However I found it much too difficult to keep track of what monies were for what, even with my spreadsheet to help me keep track.

It's really just personal preference on the number of accounts and I choose to keep the hair on my head by not pulling it out trying to figure out how much money I had left in my vacation fund!

E-Article - 7 Radical Ways To Save Money

7 Radical Ways To Save Money by Jennifer Mulrean on MSN.com

I have no idea which Facebook post directed me to this article, but I at least wanted to share the article with you. I found the contents a bit of common sense and had a few "duh" moments when reading it. Of course I myself just reevaluated my family's budget this past week which caused me to bang my head against the wall a few times and quietly scolded myself about our recent run-a-way spending habit. I'm a firm believer that you need to reevaluate your budget every quarter just to make sure you're still on the track that you set yourself on in the first place...it's far to easy to jump track and live in the moment, forgetting about your goals.

So back to the article, Jennifer Mulrean quickly goes through seven steps to make money and/or keep money in your pocket. They are...

1. Hold the mother of all garage sales - get rid of all that stuff in your house the you don't need, haven't used in ages, and just plain don't want anymore. In my case since I can't stand hosting a typical garage sale it's to the baby/kid consignment stores and craigslist!
2. Quit smoking.
3. Tame your driving addiction - take public transportation, unfortunately in my case that wouldn't work too well. It takes hubby an hour to get home, to take the bus would add at least another 40-minutes to that the last time we took a look at the bus schedule. I'll take the expense rather than the missed family time. Metro Phoenix is getting on the bandwagon of more ways to get around the city, but until the metro-rail comes up the Glendale way, the hubby will be driving himself.
4. Buy used - the article mainly focuses on clothing, but buying gently used appliances (we love B&B Appliances!), baby items (Kid-to-Kid or Other Mothers), cars, etc. will save you a lot of money. Now for those of you who wrinkle your nose at buying used clothing, get over it and hit the local consignment shops and donation stores like Savers and Goodwill. I'd much rather pay no more than $4 for a pair of nice looking shorts or pants for my rapidly growing children than the $12+ retail.
5. Become a homebody - stop going out for your entertainment. Rent movies rather than going to the theater, eat at home rather than going out for dinner or calling in for take out, borrow books and audio from the library rather than purchasing them, etc.
6. Cut your housing expenses - physically moving to a cheaper part of town may work for some, but for others it's impractical. Instead they focus on renting a portion of your home to create income. Of course there are other ways to cut housing expenses too like doing your own landscape maintenance rather than having landscapers come out or find ways to lower your utility bills.
7. Cut up your credit cards - yeah, I don't think so. I can understand the reasoning behind this idea, but I myself feel much more comfortable knowing that I have a large amount of credit in my pocket for a just in case (like we need a new AC unit). However most families out there do carry a large chunk of credit card debt month to month and so I can see how cutting up the cards, or locking them up, would help those people stop blindly charging and whittling those balances down.

To read the full article yourself click on the link in the title of this page.

Grocery Savings 101 - Part Three

Where to look for coupons before going grocery shopping!

• Local Newspapers
• Online
• Other Print Materials
• Coupon Clubs

Coupons in Local Newspapers

It is said the majority of all coupons can be found in your local newspaper; tucked in the middle of the Sunday edition between the funny papers and the weekly store advertisements. Each week you will discover either a bumper crop of coupons or one little booklet (or none at all). Just as with everything else in the consumer world, coupons too have cycles.

Proctor and Gamble (P&G) comes out with a coupon booklet once a month, usually at the first of the month depending on what day Sunday falls on. There you can find coupons for your basic cleaning supplies and paper products. I find that these coupons are usually low value, but great when you redeem them at a retailer that is doubling or tripling their coupons, making that $0.25 coupon worth $0.50 to $0.75 off! The downside is that they expire within 3 -4 weeks, of course you'll find most of them again the next month.

There are also certain times of the year where coupons are more abundant in your local paper; upcoming holidays and major events like Back to School produce a higher number of coupons in your paper. When this happens it is almost always worth going out to get a few more newspapers just for the coupons. There have been weeks where I can clip $10 - $15 (or more) worth of coupons per paper knowing that I'll be using them relatively soon; that is where purchasing another Sunday edition is worth the additional $2 because I will still be saving so much money using the coupons in it.

Coupons can also be found within the pages of the newspaper itself. If you're not a paper reader normally, take a quick scan of each page just to make sure that you aren't missing any valuable coupons that are hiding amongst the pages. Same goes for all the weekly advertisements and magazines that are found in the center of the paper.

If you only look for coupons in your local paper, you can save quite a bit of money each month on your grocery bill. However you can double or triple your monthly savings by looking for coupons online as well.

Online Coupons

These days everything is online and coupons are no exceptions. There are three types of online coupons; printable coupons, e-coupons that get stored on your loyalty card, and coupon codes.

There are many places to find printable coupons on the Internet.

Web-sites like SmartSource.com, Coupons.com, and Shortcuts.com only require you to download their printing application before you can print off any of their coupons. The plus side here is that all you need to do is add yourself to their mailing list and then they send you an email every time there is a new batch of coupons on their site, usually every Tuesday.

Most grocery store web-sites also have a section on their web page devoted to coupons that you can print out (or load onto your loyalty card). They too tend to send you an email every time that they have new coupons on their web-site.

Manufacturer web-sites may also have a coupon page. For example BettyCrocker.com comes out with new coupons at the beginning of every month. The down side of looking for particular brand name or manufacturer coupons is that they can be hard to find on their websites or non-existent. Sometimes you need to sign up for their weekly/monthly newsletter in order to get access to coupons.

Don't despair if you can't find coupons for products that you usually use. In most cases you can go to the products web page and request coupons. Requests like these tend to be hit or miss, but if you are persistent and tell the manufacturer how much you enjoy their product, but need some assistance in the form of coupons to purchase their product - most times you'll get mailed a few. I've even gotten free trial sized products this way too!

Other Print Coupons

Coupons are printed everywhere, but most of them are missed because we are too involved with looking at the actual print material to realize that there is a money saving coupon that we can use. Money saving coupons can be found in magazines, junk mail inserts, and on the back of your grocery receipt. They can also be found on the product packaging materials (i.e. cereal boxes) either on the visible outer part of the packaging, inside the packaging, or as an additional insert within the packaging.

There are also coupon stands that can be found at some retailers (i.e. the car wash) that might have discounted coupons for not only the service industry but at grocery stores as well. In the past I have found coupons for our discounted bread store and our discounted grocery store.

Grocery stores also have coupon kiosks in nearly every aisle for coupons on a particular product. Even if you aren't going to purchase the product that has a coupon kiosk under it, grab a few coupons to use the next time you need to purchase it.

Some retailers mail their loyal customers coupon books every few months with store coupons. These coupons are fantastic because they usually are all store coupons which means that if you have (or can find) a manufacturer coupon for that same product, you can stack the coupons on a single product. Getting on their mailing list can be as easy as setting up a loyalty card with the retailer, signing up for a registry (i.e. by signing up for the baby registry at Target you will get not only their store coupon booklet, but their baby coupon booklet as well), or asking at customer service.

Coupon Clubs

Coupon clubs consist of people just like you who want to save as many pennies as they can on their grocery bill. You can start a coupon club at your office, amongst your friends or social group, or join an existing one. You don't necessarily have to stick with clubs in your area either, join a club in another state or across country and you'll get a whole new variety of coupons.

There are many ways you can set up your own coupon club, the main thing now is that you clip every coupon that you find in the Sunday paper and other resources so that you can share those with your fellow club members. For instance say that you don't color your hair, but other club members do. Rather than throwing out those coupons every month you can pass them along to the members who do use the product.

There are also coupon club web-sites out there that want you to pay a monthly or yearly fee. Some even let you purchase coupons (which is illegal) like CentsOff.com. I just let these pass by my radar. The most I'll pay for any coupon is the cost of a stamp to mail it.

For more information about starting your own coupon club read an article I found on about.com, Starting a Small Coupon Exchange Club.

* * *

So now that you know where to look for coupons, you just now have to start looking, clipping, and organizing them! It may sound like a daunting task to set up, but it really isn't and once you get in the habit of looking for and clipping coupons it'll just become second nature to you.

Magazine Article: 42 Ways To Cut Everyday Costs

42 Ways To Cut Everyday Costs by Celia Shatzman

Family Circle - August 2010

In this months Family Circle Magazine there is an article that I thought you might be interested in taking a look at. It gives you ideas and resource information for ways to save on buying online, couponing, gym memberships, insurance, home improvements, and more. To access the entire article online use the title link above.

Of course I immediately read the Coupons section of the article and here's what I found that's useful at the grocery store.

Commonkindness.com- a coupon website that makes donations to the charity of your choice (I started with St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance) each time you print off a coupon, up to three coupons.

• Perks: You are donating to worthy charities of your choice by printing off coupons that you would still be printing out on a different website. You can have as many charities as you want and choose which charities you're printing the coupon for, giving them the donation through Commonkindness.com. There are also coupons for local businesses, discount codes, magazine subscriptions, etc.
• Downside: You have to sign up and give some personal information like your name, birth date, and zip code.

Edeals.com - a coupon site for local businesses and much more. Think of it as your electronic junk mail coupon holder and more. (Note: I'm just looking at the printable coupon section of edeals.com; they have other coupon and savings options available.)

• Perks: You can search for coupons via zip code, finding coupons that you wouldn't normally get in the junk mail on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They also have a map option that you can drag and drop to any area in the Valley.
• Downside: I haven't seen one yet.
  

I just focused on the two sites above because they have the potential of lowering my grocery bill, which is what I always look for. However the entire article is a good read and give a lot of advice and website sources that you wouldn't otherwise think of. It's worth the few minutes to read it and who knows, you may find a valuable tidbit that will save you and your family money!

I love my...Gemini Range/Oven!

I've always wanted double-ovens in my kitchen and when we starting looking for a new home that was on the top of the priority list, double-ovens or space to add double-ovens. Then we found our house, it didn't currently have nor have space for double-ovens; however it already had a Gemini range which I never thought about before.

Now I would have never purchased the appliances that were in our house, they are just too space-aged for me with all the bells and whistles that I would never use or figure out how to use. The stove top on our range is ridiculous with just one big burner and three smaller ones. Two of those burners do connect together to make a big oval burner and until I got an oval pan, it was very annoying - now, not so much. However it's the ovens that after a year of using that I'm starting to have the warm, cozy feelings about about.

For those of you who do not know, a Gemini Range/Oven is a stand alone range with two ovens, the top oven being significantly smaller with only one rack and the bottom a full sized oven with two to three racks. I'm sure that most of the Gemini Range/Ovens out there have (or can have) a convection oven option like mine do (mine is for the bottom oven) that cooks food quicker using a circulation fan.

Now as I've said in previous posts and for those of you who know my idiosyncrasies, I have always put my oven on strike once it hits a 100-degrees outside and I don't consider using it until it is below 100-degrees for at least a few days in a row. This is why if I have had to have an oven on for some reason during the summer (and the NESCO wouldn't cut it), I would use our toaster oven since it is so much smaller, won't heat up the kitchen as much, and will cool off that much quicker. Now that I have a Gemini Range/Oven I've actually turned on the smaller oven a few times this summer (Gasp!). It may take a bit longer to cool off after using, but it's does the trick when you need a full cookie sheet of say....chicken pieces to cook. I no longer feel the need to split the chicken pieces into two cooking batches to use the toaster oven just to stay cooler at night.

I know that this will sound crazy to most of you, but I'm an Arizona native and I refuse to line the coffers of APS anymore than I have to. Also having to live on one income makes you come up with all sorts of creative ways to save money and not having an oven on during the summer makes a significant dent in our electric bill (I'm talking hundreds of dollars over the entire summer). I will still prescribe to my old way of thinking by not having the oven on during the summer, but I will also occasionally break that rule just because I now can have a small, full sized oven on without killing the AC unit (or my bill) that night!

Warehouse Clubs - Buyer Beware!

Warehouse Clubs like Costco and Sam's Club can save a family a lot of money each year and the membership pays for itself in most cases. However there are perils to navigate when shopping at these big warehouse clubs and if you are the type of person to give into temptation, well these clubs are looking for you!


The cold, unpersonable approach of warehouse clubs have become suburban fodder that most families these days crave. Buying in bulk is seen as a way to save lots of money and the smart thing to do. Yet this is usually not always the case. Does a single guy really need 4-dozen rolls of toilet paper? Do a retired couple with no kids at home really need 6 jars of pasta sauce? Sure it seems like you're saving money, but you have to think within the scope of your usage and family lifestyle.


Let's focus only on the food portion of these stores for a moment. Large portions, big packaging, and huge carts to put it all in. It's no wonder we as a society have issues with understanding what a portion looks like, we've been mega-sized!


Looking past the packaging and doing the math; most processed, canned, jarred, and dry goods can be found for a cheaper unit price elsewhere. Another negative is that these stores do not accept manufacturer coupons, thereby limiting your ability to knock down that unit price.


The bargains in the produce or meat aisles are also limited. I usually find cheaper and a better quality of produce at Sprouts and on the up side most of the produce is local, whereas that is not the case at the warehouse clubs. The meat department does carry a variety of items, but for the everyday meats that my family uses, I don't bother purchasing them there at their premium price.


Moving over a few aisles into the paper goods and cleaning aisles the same concept can be said for these. Most of the paper, plastic, and cleaning products can be found cheaper (per unit) at a big box store (i.e. Target, Walmart, etc.) on sale, with or without a coupon. With that said I confess that I usually shop at Costco for a lot of our paper product and cleaning supply needs. We prefer the Kirkland brand of toilet paper and paper towels, finding that Costco hasn't skimped in their quality even after this latest recession like other brands have. I also buy our laundry detergent and fabric softener there as well with the Costco coupons. Sure I may be able to get my name brand laundry detergent and fabric softener cheaper (per unit) at a big box store, but I do so much laundry that this is just more convenient and practical for me.


I'm not saying that bargains can't be had in the grocery and sundry part of these warehouse clubs, but buyer beware and look at the unit price, you'd be surprised how much you're actually spending on that container of peanut butter.


The second part of the shopping at the warehouse club is all the flashy electronics, DVD's, books, clothes, household items, and more. The stock goes quickly and the adage of "here today, gone tomorrow" is prevalent.


If you are in the market for a new electronic, the warehouse store is someplace you need to consider when doing your research. Need a new appliance, check out what they have and you can usually find that high end brand name option at a lower price than at the department or housewares stores. My family has done many trips to the warehouse store to see what options are available to us when researching a medium to big ticket item, it's good sense to do so.


However the impulse buy thrives in the entertainment section. Do you just have to have that new blockbuster movie that just came out on DVD? Skip the warehouse club and look at one of the big box stores or electronic store advertisement, they usually have terrific prices on these movies the week it is released. Need new reading material, try your local second hand book seller first. Even check out the stock on Amazon.com, good deals can be found just as long as you also calculate the shipping costs into that deal. I'm not saying bargains can't be found, after all if you want a 6-CD bundle of Elvis's greatest hits your warehouse club is probably the best place to look for that kind of thing.


The warehouse clubs are also a great place to purchase your movie tickets, theme park tickets and even postage stamps. The savings that once were available to only auto and vacation clubs can now be had at the warehouse clubs. Even if the savings is only a few buck, think of the warehouse club as your coupon on otherwise un-couponable for that item.

Impulse buying is a fact of life for us Americans no matter how many times we tell ourselves we will stick to that list! Although I don't usually shop impulsively, there have been times where items have magically appeared in my cart. My last impulse buy at Costco was a 3-pack of cask strength bourbon that was deeply discounted after their Christmas sale a few years ago. We actually bought that product a few weeks earlier and loved it. So since we know bourbon doesn't go bad, we bought another at the sale price and kept it in our overstock until we used up the first batch. At Sam's Club my last impulse buy was a package of their pork spare ribs that they were selling at their bulk price (a discounted price beyond the everyday club price) earlier this year. I ended up splitting each rack in half and froze them separately into portions that work well for my family.

As long as you stick to a list, comparison shop, calculate the price per unit, and try to let those impulses pass you by; you can save quite a bit of money every year by shopping at a warehouse club. Just don't go broke by shopping there, which is always a very easy thing to do!

I love my...Food Saver!

One of the things that I just can't live without in my kitchen is my Food Saver vacuum system. Yes I agree that the start up costs are a bit high, but it pays for itself in the first year of use! There's no throwing away money in my house...no freezer burn!

I buy meat only on stock up sales, clearance, or at really good sale prices at the warehouse club stores. It use to be that I wouldn't pay over $3.00 a pound of any meat, however in today's economy that is not always the case. When meat does go on sale I stock up enough to last me until the next stock up sale, which can be a six months to a year away in some cases.

Some of my bargains that are currently sitting in my freezer are...

• 2# chubs of 97% grade ground beef - $1.89/# from Fry's
• Pork spare ribs, mostly de-boned - $1.68/# from Sam's Club
• NY Strip Steaks - $3.97/# whole in bag from Fry's
• whole chickens - $0.49/# from Fry's
• chicken wingettes (organic) - $1.99/# from Sprouts
• chicken breasts & tenders - $1.99/# from both Sprouts and Fry's
• spiral ham - $0.99/# from Fry's

I Food Saver not only raw meat, but so much more!

• If I cook a chicken for dinner, I usually cook two and freeze the meat of one. This goes for pretty much any meal; chili (freeze first then food saver), pulled pork, steak, etc.
• Too much rice from your take out, freeze it for a later use.
• Love the seasonal veggie of your choice, blanch it and Food Saver it and have it off season. Same can be said for seasonal berries, just freeze them first before Food Savering them so that they don't get crushed.
• During the holiday season when I'm making pies, I freeze a few before they're baked so that I all I have to do is bake it later without making the mess.

So as you can see, I'm totally obsessed with my Food Saver!

Grocery Savings 101 - Part Two

Here are three additional things that you should know or consider before you go grocery shopping.

1. What is unit pricing?
2. Coupon-Haze
3. Taking advantage of the sales.

What is unit pricing?

I find it amazing that so many people don't understand unit pricing. When shopping I'm constantly whipping out my cell phone to calculate the unit price on an item. Sure I get funny looks, but after I do my little happy dance for finding the best price of a certain product that I want to purchase I simply don't care about those looks anymore.

So for those of you who are lost about the definition of a unit price here's the skinny. A unit price is the cost of part (i.e. ounce, gram, count, etc.) of a product. So you would take the price of a product and divide by the number of parts (usually ounces) to get the unit price. Pretty darn simple.

Let's put it into practical use then. Lets say a jar of Best Foods Mayo is on sale for $2.99 for the 30-ounce jar and $2.50 for the 22-ounce jar and you're wondering which is the best deal for the money. Well looking right at the figures you will see that the 30-ounce jar is the best deal, but let's do that dreaded math!

• 30-ounce: $2.99/30 = $0.0996 per ounce
• 22-ounce: $2.50/22 = $0.1136 per ounce

From this you would obviously purchase the 30-ounce jar. Now say down at the end cap you notice that the store is selling the 15-ounce Easy Out Best Foods Mayo for 2 for $3.00 (or $1.50 each) and you know you have a coupon for $0.50 off of any two Best Foods items. Let's do the math...

• 15-ounce: $1.50/15 = $0.1 per ounce without coupon
• 15-ounce: $1.25/15 = $0.083 per ounce with coupon

Unless you really dislike the Easy Out bottles, put that 30-ounce jar away and grab two of the 15-ounce Easy Out bottles! Sure looking at the unit price there is only $0.016 difference between the 30-ounce jar and the 15-ounce jar, it hardly seems worth the time to crunch the numbers. However by utilizing the sale on the 15-ounce jars and using that $0.50 coupon off two, the 30-ounces of mayo that you wanted to buy (it's just now in two jars) just saved you $0.51 off your bill, a 17-percent savings.

Now if you shop at a store that doubles coupons up to a dollar no matter what the face value of that coupon is then your savings would be $1.01 or a 34-percent savings bringing the total cost of those two 15-ounce jars down to $1.99, a dollar less than the 30-ounce jar you originally were going to purchase!

So now you see the benefit of knowing a products unit price. But wait, you're going shopping for more than one item and you really don't want to be calculating every single item that you want to buy - that could double the time you are spending in the grocery store to begin with. Don't worry, just look at the store labels.

Most stores out there already have the unit price calculated for you on the pricing label on the shelves, usually in the bottom left-hand corner. These same stores also usually calculate the unit price on their sale stickers too, however don't always trust them. Unlike the everyday price stickers on the shelves; which usually aren't changed unless a permanent price change is made, sale stickers are quickly printed up and the unit price calculation can be off depending on the software that the retailer uses. I usually verify a unit price of a few sale items as I go along with my shopping trip and if I don't' see any discrepancies then I don't worry about miscalculations.

Shopping by unit price rather than actual price will help you maximize your savings. It especially comes in handy when you are comparing two different brands.

Coupon Haze

So you've clipped every coupon in the Sunday paper. You've gone on-line and printed out coupons. You've even loaded your store loyalty card up with their coupons. Now you're ready to hit the store!

Hold it!

Buying something just because you have a coupon for it doesn't help you cut down your grocery bill. This is what I call being in a coupon haze and it's a great marketing tool that is used against us consumers. We are programmed to think that by buying a product that is on sale with a coupon is a great deal. Yet most of the times it isn't unless it's a product that you already use.

Usually when a new product goes to market the manufacture does a big marketing program for that product. They advertise on television, radio, newsprint, and magazines. They give retailers incentive to mark this new product at a price lower than the actual retailer price that has already been fixed to that product. They issue print and online coupons for this product for the consumer to clip. Before you even see the product in person you have most likely been bombarded by all of these marketing schemes before stepping in the store.

So now you're at the store and surprise here's the new product that you've been hearing about. Wait a minute, didn't you clip a $0.25 coupon for this product on Sunday? - why yes you did. Oh and look the store has it on sale at $1.99, that's $0.50 off it's normal retail price of $2.49. It must be a great buy because look, I save $0.75 just by buying it today. WRONG!

Put it down, step away from the display and take a deep breath. Clear your mind of the savings high that you were experiencing and realize that sometimes junk is just junk. It could be a super sugary breakfast cereal that will put your kids in a hyper state of energy after consuming. It could be the latest cleaning product that claims to help rid you of that problem area in bathroom. The product could very well be a great deal, but only IF it fits within your use and IF it's something you need. Do you really need to let your kids get even more hyper then they already are in the morning by introducing a new high sugar cereal? Do you need a new cleaning product even though you've got several mostly full bottles sitting under the bathroom sink?

Everyone falls into the coupon haze at one time or another. I myself have stopped clipping potato chip coupons unless it's for my hubby's favorite gourmet brand. I love potato chips, but I don't' need them sitting in the house, regardless of how great a deal I was able to purchase them for. They are a junk food and I have no will power so I don't tempt myself by bringing any potato chips into the house. As for the gourmet chips that I buy for my husband, well they're usually only on a great sale once a year (in the summer) when using a coupon is actually worth purchasing the chips. When I do I get flavors that only he adores; jalapeno cheese, salt & pepper, chili cheese, etc. This way I'm appalled at the flavor of chip that he's eating and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.

In order for me to stay out of the dreaded coupon haze I only clip coupons for products that we use or wouldn't mind trying (at a certain price). I further this by only allowing myself to buy certain products only when they are at their lowest price possible. For instance I would never buy a box of crackers for more than $2.00. So when they go on sale I stock up. When we run out we do without. That way I'm not spending the ridiculous almost $4.00 retail price tag for a lousy 9 to 14-ounce box of snack crackers. Same thing goes for my husband's lunch choices. He loves his Hot Pockets or frozen lunch bowls, but if it's more than $2.00 for his lunch serving then we wait until the price comes down. This way we are only spending a maximum of $10.00 a week for his lunches if he chooses not to take any leftovers to work with him all week.

The basic reason to use coupons is to save money on products that you already buy or might buy before the expiration date. From all the coupons that I clip and collect I throw out about half of them. You don't need to buy an item just because your coupon is about to expire. Maximize your savings by using that coupon on a sale price - unless of course you really need that product immediately.

Taking advantage of the sales.

As I mentioned above, I don't buy certain items unless I can get them for the least amount of money, otherwise we do without. You might think we give up a lot of our food wants and desires, but don't - in fact we usually have any food product that we want already in the house. How? One word - OVERSTOCK.

From our days of unemployment to living high on the hog, I've always had a pantry overstock and a freezer overstock of food items. Usually when at capacity I've had anywhere from 1-month of food in the house (with the exception of fresh fruits, veggies, and diary) to 6-months; dependent on the size and capacity of my overstock areas.

Now what do I mean about overstock? My definition of overstock is anything that I buy extra of that doesn't go on the pantry shelves or in the freezer in the kitchen. It's a space (or stand alone freezer) that is dedicated to holding food product that I get on extreme sale. It can be anything from space under your bed, an old bookcase in an used portion of a closet or an entire bedroom closet.

Today my pantry overstock takes the entire hanging space of my den closet. I have two 36-inch wide bookcase racks that hold all my pantry items as well as a little bit of space on the above shelf in the closet itself. A sample of products that I have are 5 boxes of spaghetti that I've gotten for free, 13-huge boxes of Cheerios that I paid only $1.49 each for (and that's only half of the cereal that is in the closet), jars of spaghetti sauce that were put on clearance because the manufacture was change the size of their product, a case of diced tomatoes that I paid maybe $0.40 each for, 6 bags of those gourmet potato chips my hubby loves that I paid only $0.88 each.

There are boxes of rice, pasta, potatoes, and stuffing mixes that I go to for a quick meal or side dish. A package of smoked salmon, 12+ cans of tuna, and cans of chicken. I have at least a dozen boxes of crackers that will last us well past the next sale during the Back to School sales. There is peanut butter, jelly/jam, soups, soup stocks, jars of gravy, condiments, sauces, juices, soda, and a whole lot more.

All this is only half of the closet's capacity for food. By the end of the Back to School sales the closet will be two-thirds full and by the end of the Holiday sales it will be 100-percent full. I will have donated a minimum of 2 paper boxes worth of food to the shelters and food pantries as well.

Then there is my stand alone freezer, which we just upgraded to a larger size this past spring. There sits all those wonderful frozen meals that my hubby loves to take to work for lunch as well as the cheapest (cost not quality) meats that you can find. I don't think I paid more than $3.00 a pound for any meat that is in the freezer currently, that includes the NY and rib-eye steaks. I also have cooked meals and meats in there for my go to quick meals when I just don't feel like cooking (i.e. cook two chickens and freeze the meat of one, you already have the oven on so it's an additional energy savings there too!).

Sounds too extreme for you? Take this in consideration, I get out of the grocery store every week for under $50 a week for a family of four. That includes me adding to my overstock through the sales, take that out of the equation and on most weeks we can eat out of our pantry and freezer and only spend $20-30 for the fresh foods that we need for the week.

You don't have to have such a big overstock either, just a little bit here or there helps you out in the long run. If you use a particular item religiously every week then when it's on a really great sale get a case. No room for a case? Grab enough to last you for a month or more. If I had to only save one item for overstock then that would be cereal. My kids go through at least a box a week and they are only 2.5 and 4.5 years old! I don't let myself imagine how it'll be when they are teenagers!

For me having a full pantry and freezer let's me sleep better at night. I don't worry about meals or meal preparation, I know I can always pull something together.

However don't just blindly collect food and never use it. You have to be diligent with rotating your stock, keeping the earliest expiration date to the front and the latest towards the back. If you find that you're not using a particular product as fast as you thought you would then stop buying any new product until you've made a dent in your old one.

As for those products getting close to their expiration dates you have a few options. You can either ignore that expiration date for up to a year depending on the product just as long as the packaging hasn't been open, tampered with, or leaking. Or you can donate to your local shelters and food pantry. I do both.

I'm a big believer of making as many donations to charities as we can possibly afford to make because I have in the past need the use of those services and we might need those services in the future. Look at today's economy with so many of us out of work and needing more assistance than ever. We may not be able to donate money, but I can afford to donate so much food to these causes because of my overstock system. When you can make donations for a weeks worth of meals for only $5-10 you're not breaking your bank and you're helping out someone in need. It's a win-win and your kids learn the importance of sharing and taking care of others when they're in need.

Look around your house and see if there is any unused space or space that can be reorganized to allow you to have an overstock area. My first overstock space was two drawers in my bedroom dresser, it wasn't much, but at the time it was more than adequate for my needs.

Just one word of advice and caution, don't use your garage for overstock space. The temperature in your garage fluctuates greatly and most foods are not happy being stored in such extremes. Look at the packaging on many foods and there is a recommended temperature range on most of them. So don't invest money in stocking up an overstock pantry if you're just going to store it in the garage, the money would be better spend elsewhere.

As for those of you who are still leery about my advice on ignoring expiration dates on your food products. Check out http://www.stilltasty.com, a website that lets you know exactly how long past an expiration date you can safely go before having to toss the food out. For example did you know you can go over a month past the expiration date on a carton of eggs? Well you can!

Staying Cool in the Summer & Still Save Money

This is the second consecutive day where I have felt truly uncomfortable in my house once the sun hits it's westward decent. It's in the 110's outside and the air conditioner is working over time earlier and earlier each day. Yep, it's summer in the sunny city of Phoenix!

So how do you stay cool, sane, and pleasant to be around each day without having to dread opening up the utility bill every month? It's easy, not necessarily fun, but easy.

It doesn't matter if you are on a rate plan with your utility company or not. These simple reminders and tips will help no matter if you are on normal service or on a demand service.

1. Be aware of your electric usage throughout the day. In the summers the biggest usage is mainly your air conditioning, however I'm sure you find smaller drains on your power around the house.

• Are you the type of person who leaves the computer on all day every day regardless of its use? If you are then your not only paying premium rates during the day time keeping it on, but the heat that a computer puts out makes your room hotter and the a/c running more. I myself shut my computer off by noon every day and do not turn it on until at least 5 or 6pm once the sun has started to go down. I also keep my computer and all it's components on two different power strips, one that always remains on (i.e. Internet, wireless, router, etc.) and one that I use as a kill strip. The kills strip has my computer, monitors, printer, and much more plugged into it and when I'm done using the computer I shut off power to that power strip which is located conveniently on my desk. No only is all the heat producing equipment off, but it's not using any phantom energy either.

• Still using conventional light bulbs? STOP! Sure they are cheap to buy but they cost so much money to cool - that's right cool. If you stand close to a standard light bulb in any particular lamp you'll notice the extreme heat that radiates from them. You're not only paying to light that bulb, but you're paying to cool the room that that bulb is in. For example when we bought our new house last year the only room that had a CFL light bulb in it was the garage. It took us a few weeks to get around changing out most of the standard bulbs to CFL's, but after we did and got our electric bill it was a shock, it was over $400 that month! Sure it was summer and we are now cooling more square footage, but it's not like we're out of control with our electric usage. The next bill that came went down about $100 and it was the hottest month of the season too! I know that changing out the light bulbs was the biggest contributing factor for the decrease in our bill.

2. Set your AC and forget it!

• If you don't have a programmable thermostat call your favorite handyman ("Oh Honey!") to install one. Not only will you get a better read on the actual temperature in the house, but you'll be able to set it at different times of the day depending on your needs. If you work you can set it to where it's a few degrees warmer while you're gone, but is cooled down before you get home. If you stay at home during the day you can still benefit by working with your utility rate plans and setting the temperatures accordingly.

• I'm home all day practically every day, therefore I don't want to feel overly hot just to save money. I get crabby, the kids get crabby, it just makes for a happier family if we're comfortable - for the most part. I have 4 zones on my thermostat and I subscribe to the noon - 7pm demand rate from my utility company. So at noon I have that thermostat set at 83-degrees, it goes down to 80-degrees at 7pm when the rates are cheaper. At 9pm, when I'm hoping to be off to bed I have it set for 79-degrees just to cool it off a bit more for sleeping. At 5am, before we all get up it resets itself to 81-degrees because it's early in the day and the sun isn't beating down on our roof. Sound horrid? It's not really, we have ceiling fans going in every room and we recently purchased a skinny stand fan for the kitchen. I don't need goose-bumps to be comfortable and the only time where we are a bit crabby is around 3pm when the sun is coming around to our living side of the house. It lasts only a few hours, but the fans are a big help and I know not to expect much activity from me or the kiddos at that time of the day.

3. Don't Cook!

• Well, don't cook indoors really. We all have to eat right and dinner is usually the worst for us all in the summer because of the heat all those appliances kick out. So once it hits 100-degrees outside, I don't cook much inside and the oven is on strike until it's back in the 90's. How do I do it? I cook outside as much as possible. Now I don't know how to use our BBQ-grill, but I have other appliances that I don't mind taking outside to the patio or to the garage.

• Pull out that crock-pot! It's not just for soups, stews, and chili's anymore. If you don't have one already, get a crock-pot cookbook. My favorites are from Sandra Lee from the Food Network channel and the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook.

• Get yourself a NESCO roaster! A NESCO roaster is a basically a cross between a crockpot and an oven. You can cook a whole chicken and have the skin crispy (whereas you can't get crispy skin in a crockpot). You can cook casseroles, meatloafs, even bread and deserts in one. Anything you can do in an oven you can basically do in a roaster just as long as it fits in the cooking well.

• If you find that you just have to turn your oven on, don't turn the big one on! Get a toaster oven/convection oven. Sure it'll still produce heat in the kitchen, but because it's a smaller oven it doesn't take that long (if at all) to preheat and the heat dissipates quicker because again, it's smaller than that big box oven you have! The toaster oven combos today have all the bells and whistles as regular sized range/ovens have. I can broil, bake, and fan bake (convection cooking that cooks your foods faster). I can even fit a frozen pizza in mine which is a must with my kiddos!

• It's considered a kitchen appliance but you mostly will find them in the garage. I'm talking about those freezers (or second fridge/freezers). I applaud anyone who is willing to spend the money to run a freezer in an Phoenix garage during the summer. Sure they'll still keep your food frozen, but they'll run all the time and I believe that causes many freezers to die well before their time. I know people who clean out their freezers before each summer and turn them off until September/October when it starts cooling off. If that's an option for you then great, however it's not for me. I have a huge chest freezer and it's sitting in my living room behind my couch. Sure it isn't the most pretty thing to look at, but it's conveniently located near the kitchen and it hardly cycles on at all.

4. Cover those windows!

• I'm a native Arizonian and I know that the first thing you do when you buy a new home is to have dark sun screens put on all the windows. Today's sunscreens repel even more UV sunlight (we just have 90% put on our house) and you'll be able to walk past your windows without being toppled over by the heat that radiates through them.

• The biggest lost of energy that any home has (considering you don't keep your doors and windows open all day in the summer) is through open blinds and shades so pull the shades and draw the blinds. Sure you want to see your newly landscaped yard, but not if it means that you can cook an egg on the glass. If you're home and must have the blinds open then at least be aware enough of the sun as it travels over your house. I have some blinds open for light on the west side of my house for most of the day, but once that sun starts coming coming over the roof then I make sure they are completely tilted closed.

5. Don't work up a sweat!

• Do all your "hard labor chores" (as I like to call them) during the morning or late evening hours. This means running your washer and dryer, dishwasher, vacuum, ironing, anything that produces heat. If it can wait don't do it during the heat of the day.

• I know that the television is another one of those big energy draws in the house, but hey you've got to have a vice right? Even though I don't have cable I do like to be able to watch a movie in the afternoon with the kiddos or maybe catch the news. However when I'm done the TV, DVD player, and digital converter box all get turned off. (Household Hint: If you ever drop an electronic gadget in water immediately dry it off, remove batteries and memory cards and place it all on your cable/converter box for a few days. There is so much heat radiating off those boxes that it'll dry off your gadget and you'll most likely save it - - - just don't turn it on before it's completely dry!)

So there are my 5 tips for being comfortable in the summer and not having to spend an arm and a leg to pay the utility company. Sure there are more ways to save on energy costs, but most of these are no to low cost solutions that you can put in effect today.

If you want more ideas go to your utility company's website, most have sections devoted to saving energy. Also if you want to see your utility usage each month go to your utility company's website and/or give them a call to get a break down. Most meters in Arizona have been converted or will be converted to meters that automatically report your energy usage. So rather than a meter reader coming out to your home each month, the information is sent to the utility company instead.

Grocery Savings 101 - Part One

There are a few things that you need to know and do before you head out to the grocery store of your choosing.


1. Know the seasonal sales in your area/region.

2. Understand your loyalty discount cards, grocery stores sales and ads.

3. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!


Knowing the seasonal sales in your area/region


Every region and every store has a particular sale pattern. You crack that pattern and you can save lots of money on your weekly grocery bill.


For example in Phoenix, AZ the following pattern is pretty predictable for all our grocery chain stores.


Late February/Early March: Fish products tend to be on sale more due to Lent.

• My kids love frozen fish fillets and I can usually find great coupons and sales at the start of Lent.

March/April: Pick up your half/whole hams for Easter.

• I personally prefer spiral hams and am willing to pay a bit more for them. This year I was able to put an 11-pound half ham in my freezer for 69-cents a pound. This one ham will provide at least 4 different individual meals after the traditional ham dinner has taken place.

Early May: Cinco De Mayo.

• I love pulled-pork sandwiches and whole, bone-in pork shoulders are usually on sale because they are also used to fix carnitas for the Cinco De Mayo celebrations that go on here in Phoenix. In the past I've been able to get them for 69-cents a pound plus something free (like a box of crackers or a case of soda). However this year they were going for around 99-cents a pound, still an excellent price considering how many meals that can come from one pork shoulder.

Late May thru July 4th: Picnic and condiment items.

• BBQ season has started (it never really ends here in Phoenix) and now is the time to pick up your condiments. Everything from ketchup to usually expensive marinades can be bought for less than a buck. Mayo prices are slashed usually by half if not more too.


• Memorial Day & July 4th weekend celebration ads give you a wide choice of BBQ meats to choose from. This is where you stock up on hot dogs, hamburger meat, steaks, and sometimes the more expensive roasts.


• If you use paper goods then this is also a good time to find cheap paper goods such as paper plates, napkins, and sometimes bags, plastic wrap, and foil.

August/September: It's Labor Day and Back To School Sales!

• Last chance to stock up on the picnic supplies! Labor Day sales aren't usually as good as they are for Memorial or July 4th, but deals still can be had.


• It's TGSIS time! That's Thank Goodness School Is Starting for those of you without kids. This is when breakfast cereal is ridiculously cheap (I got a 18oz box of Cheerios for 75-cents last year) as well as those cereal and granola bars. Lunch fixings are a bargain too; that includes peanut butter, jelly, lunch meat, bread, chips/crackers, cookies, and other snack items.


• Plastic wraps, plastic and paper bags, and other storables are slashed during the back to school sales. How else will all those goodies get into lunchboxes?

November: Thanksgiving

• Starting mid-November you'll start seeing lots of sale items for every day foods. Not only does Thanksgiving Day begin the 6-8 weeks of over indulgence and over eating, but food pantries and shelters are trying to rack up donations as well. I usually donate to our local food pantries every time there is a food drive going on, but my biggest donation is at this time of year just due to the cheap prices of food.


• Turkey. Get them while their cheap and always stick one in the freezer for later (if you have room).


• Canned and boxed side dishes are ridiculously cheap too. Canned veggies going for 25 to 30-cents a can, boxed potatoes going for 75-cents to a dollar, stuffing mixes are at bargain discount prices as well.


• Baking season usually starts at Thanksgiving as well; sugar, flour, spices, etc. are on sale. Foil pans, non-stick sprays, and bake ware to discounted too. However I have found that the closer you get to Christmas the better the prices get on these items.

December: Holiday pig out!

• Didn't get that turkey at Thanksgiving? Well get one now, you'll pay a bit more but overall it's still a great bargain. Half and Whole Hams as well as your roasts are on sale too.


• The closer you get to Christmas the better the seafood sales will be. Fresh shrimp and shellfish are a bargain.


• You'll still find great baking ingredient sales.


• Canned and boxed food items will still be a bargain. Usually every week I walk out of the grocery store with a case of canned veggies, tomatoes, or boxed side dishes.


• Anything gourmet can be had at a bargain. Now is the time to stock up on those special occasion items like one of our favorites baked Brie.

Understanding your loyalty discount cards, grocery store sales and ads

Most grocery store out there have some sort of discount card that will get you even more savings as well as coupons at the register and the mail. Some think it's a nuisance to have to use these loyalty discount cards, but it pays off big time if you use them.

For example in this weeks grocery ad for Fry's they had Foster Farms whole chickens on sale for 49-cents a pound when you use your Fry's loyalty discount card. The price per pound without the card, $1.49. Just by using that little thin piece of plastic you saved a dollar per pound. So I got 4 whole chickens (4 was the limit per transaction) that weight approximately 5.5-pounds each for $2.69. Without that card it would have cost me $8.20 per chicken, that's the cost of 3 sale chickens! I put two in my freezer and two will be cooked on Saturday; one for dinner and one for the freezer for cooked roasted meat for a future dinner. My motto: why make/cook one when you can make/cook two and freeze one?

Next you need to pay attention to your grocery store sales and ads. Each chain has certain items that they rotate every few weeks for sale prices. For example your grocery store might have chubs of hamburger on sale every 6-weeks or every third week they'll have super cheap milk and dairy products. Over time you'll discover a pattern and be able to plan your meals and stock your pantry and fridge/freezer accordingly.

Pay close attention to those grocery ads too! If you have competing chain grocery stores they have the tendency to 'fight' each other in their ads during certain times of the year just to get your business. The grocery stores also usually tend to emphasize brand name items on sale rather than the store brand. For instance say Wheat Thins are on sale in the ad, you hit the store you'll discover (most of the times) that the store's version of Wheat Thins are cheaper than the name brand.

Lastly learn your stores schedule for marking down foods. Typically you can get great meat bargains late each night after the butcher has closed or early in the morning just as the butcher is opening and re-stocking the meat cases. Keep an eye out for dates but remember that you can stick anything in the freezer to prolong it's shelf life until you're ready to use it.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

You hate to clip, you hate to search, you hate to organize, but more importantly you'll hate yourself if you don't clip, search, and organize! Not clipping coupons is throwing money away. If you're fine with that concept then every week I challenge you to take a nice crisp $10 bill, wad it up, and chuck it into the dumpster. No? Well not using those coupons is just like throwing that $10 bill away.

Finding coupons these days are easy. Some are hidden in the junk mail that you get every Tuesday and Wednesday, you can clip online, but most are found in the Sunday edition of your local newspaper. Most grocers even give you coupons at the checkout register and mail you coupon books to your house occasionally.

The key to couponing is to only clip those coupons that you'll use, wouldn't mind trying (for the right price), or might use (i.e. cold and flu seasonal over the counter items). Using a coupon just because you have a coupon is a wasted effort and wasted money. It's okay to throw out coupons and it's okay to let coupons expire. I personally usually use only half of the coupons that I clip.

There are two types of coupons; store coupons and manufacturer coupons. You can stack a store coupon and a manufacturer coupon on top of each other for one product item, but you can not stack store coupons or manufacturer coupons onto of one product item.

For example I get a coupon book for Target and they have a store coupon for $1 off Bounty paper towels. I also clip a manufacturer coupon for $0.75 off Bounty paper towels. When I go to the store Bounty paper towels are on sale for $10.99 (or $0.92 cents per roll) for a 12-pack. I stack my $1 store coupon with my $0.75 manufacturer coupon and that brings the price of the Bounty paper towels down to $9.24, or $0.77 per roll. That's a 16% savings!

I will expand on coupons more at a later date, however you can see how quickly the savings can add up when you clip and use those coupons.

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So there you go folks, your first sneak peak into my world of savings. Next time I'll talk about unit pricing, more coupon talk, and taking advantage of an over stocked pantry/freezer.

Welcome to Pinching Your Pennies in AZ!

Pinching Your Pennies in AZ is being started in part to some enthusiastic comments to a post that I made on Facebook after announcing that I saved 66-percent (saving over $80) on my grocery bill for one particular shopping expedition.

The other 'reason' that I'm starting this blog is to share everything I've learned about saving money over the years in order to be a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) on a very meager salary.

A history of my knowledge:

I spent most of my summers and after school time with a wonderful neighbor who lived across the street from me growing up. She herself was a SAHM and at the time had three small children and of course had to work diligently to stay within budget. I remember going through all the grocery ads with her every Wednesday morning on the floor of her living room, writing down the items on sale and then referencing any coupons she may have for that item. To many the exercise of coupons and finding sale items is a chore, but to me (and my mentor) it was fun and a challenge that we enjoyed. It's been over fifteen years since I last sat on her living room floor, but I still go through the process every Wednesday at my own kitchen table or computer desk.

Then of course there's the experience of both my husband and I being laid off at the same time back in 2002. Up til the lay off we had both been putting close to 50-percent of our paychecks into savings, which we lived off of for over a year before we had to go to our families for assistance. Knowing you have only a certain amount of money in your pocket and wanting to make it last as long as possible makes you either panic or look at it as a challenge to see how long it can last without drastic measures like going hungry or not having electricity.

After a year and a half of very part time work and unemployment my husband found a job and we got back on our feet. I had just finished up my AA-degree, something that I had wanted to do for a few years and took the opportunity to do so while unemployed, when we found out that we were expecting our first child. As you fellow parents know once that baby comes forget about having any money at all! I learned how to juggle our everyday expenses and our new baby expenses and still keep our bank books in the black - for the most part.

Now I didn't share with you with all these stories just to bore you. In today's economy and social structures individuals and families are dealing with many similar (or worse) scenarios. I know people who make a very good wage yet are frustrated by not having two pennies to rub together at the end of the month. I also know people who've been out of work for over 2-years and are having to make very difficult decisions. It's unfortunate that we find ourselves in this economic situation, but today you've got to adapt quickly just to stay afloat.

In my next post I'll explain how I did in fact save 66-percent on my grocery bill and how, with a little work, you can too!