Category: Food

Save money on groceries and dining out, as well as find new recipes to cook at home

Food, Shopping

Check Your Receipts to Save Money When You’re Checking Out

It’s so important to check your receipts every time you check out. Why? It’s shopping day and you’ve diligently planned your meals, scanned the weekly ads, carefully checked prices, crafted your shopping list, clipped and printed coupons or loaded them to your card, and checked your budget. You arrive at the store (not hungry, of course), efficiently navigate the aisles, avoid impulse buys, and check out. But when you get home and unpack, you look over the receipt and wham! all your diligence is undone by an error on your receipt. It’s so aggravating. Who wants to bother wasting the gas and time to go back to the store?

A grocery shopping receipt because you should always check your receipts

Mistakes on receipts are so very common. In fact, I find at least one mistake on almost every shopping trip! By catching them at the store, you have the opportunity to get it fixed quickly and easily without wasting your savings.

Continue reading“Check Your Receipts to Save Money When You’re Checking Out”
Food

18 Sneaky Supermarket Tricks They Use to Get Your Money

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Did you know that when you’re grocery shopping, they use some cunning supermarket tricks to make you spend more money? With inflation running at a 39 year high right now, that is definitely hitting you below the belt when you think about groceries (sorry for the pun).

Woman food shopping who is tired of supermarket tricks

I’m afraid to say that inflation is not likely to disappear soon. Be alert and look for these supermarket tricks when you are shopping.

I wrote in the past about the many “tricks” that general retailers use in your favorite shops, especially around the holidays to get you to dig deep and spend more. (If you’re interested, here’s part 1 and part 2.) But you actually are more influenced each week at the grocery store than anyplace else you shop! Don’t think that’s true? Take a look at this!

Continue reading“18 Sneaky Supermarket Tricks They Use to Get Your Money”
Food

The Complete List of Best Ways to Save on Groceries

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

With the inflation rate hitting a 39-year high this week (now at 6.8% on an annual basis), finding ways to save on groceries has become priority number one on steroids! According to the Consumer Expenditure Survey, a typical American household will spend at least $400 every month (conservatively speaking) on groceries. That can represent over 10% of a typical family’s total income in many cases. Just think about it for a second. That’s a lot of money for groceries, no matter how big or small your family is.

A grocery store aisle representing the best ways to save on groceries

But with some minor and clever changes, and yes, even insane tactics, you can actually spend a whole lot less. Because unlike some expenses, food spending is one of the few things that you can make major adjustments to. So here it is, my all-encompassing, super-duper, cleverly “insane” complete list of ways to save on your groceries.

Continue reading“The Complete List of Best Ways to Save on Groceries”
Food

Save 40% on Food Costs: Lunch and Dinner Savings – Part III

If you are shooting to save 40% off your food bill in 2022, then targeting about $4.00 a day for breakfast for a family of four is a really good start. That’s just $ 0.98 cents a person as I showed you in the last post. But saving more money on lunch and dinner for a family of four is right in front of you and can be accomplished if you try. Saving more right now on this important staple (food costs) can set your budget right and take off lots of the inflation pressures you may be feeling these days.

A sliced turkey sandwich representing money-saving lunch and dinner ideas

Numbers Spent on Food in the U.S.

If you spend on average as American families do now for four about $1,000 a month (spending averages between $890 and $1,062 per month according to the USDA for a moderate budget), then spending just $4.00 a day for breakfast (or $120 a month) is only about 12% of your monthly food bill! Even if you spend a total food budget of $600 a month (40% less than the average), you are only spending 20% on breakfast if you make some changes.

Continue reading“Save 40% on Food Costs: Lunch and Dinner Savings – Part III”
Food

Save 40% on Food Costs Starting with Money-Saving Breakfast Ideas – Part II

Food is a big expense (along with housing and transportation). That’s why now in this inflationary cycle more than ever saving on food costs is super important! I promised you that I can save you money and today I am going to show you how to start your day and eat healthy and fight inflation too with savings that can surpass 40% of your bill. Catch up with Part I here and now on to Part II with money-saving breakfast ideas.

Family preparing to eat a money-saving breakfast

Today is the day to learn about breakfast…“the most important meal of the day!”

Continue reading“Save 40% on Food Costs Starting with Money-Saving Breakfast Ideas – Part II”
Food

Can You Save 40% on Annual Food Costs in 2022? Part I

Inflation, it’s the word that you are hearing every day and you can’t seem to escape it. That’s because every day when you fill your gas tank or do your shopping, you are paying more than you were last week for food costs and the things you and your family need. Is there an answer to it?

Woman shopping at the supermarket trying to keep food costs down

Can you put the brakes on it or are you just bound to fall into the hole that it is creating in your budget? There are ways to fight back, but it takes an effort. It’s my view that you can save and save a lot if you know what to do. In fact, you can save money, eat healthy, and still save as much as 40% off your food bill in 2022. And I’m going to tell you just how to do it!

Continue reading“Can You Save 40% on Annual Food Costs in 2022? Part I”
Food

Big Grocery Shopping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

It’s really easy these days to go over your budget on grocery shopping. And it’s not like you really meant to do it. Right now it’s worse than ever because prices are climbing, inventories are stressed and you still have to get out there and shop! Your money buying power is shrinking because of the inflation factor, package size changes, and even “profiteering” by some companies trying to take advantage of you, the consumer.

Supermarket aisle where you need to avoid grocery shopping mistakes

You’re fighting it, but you can do better and you know it. You see, the grocery store plans for you to spend more than you intended. That’s their game and they are pros at it. But you can learn how to save money on groceries when you try.

Continue reading“Big Grocery Shopping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them”
Food

Pandemic Profiteering Raising Meat Prices? You Better Believe It!

Have you been confused about the rising inflation rate and wondering when this cycle is going to end and “normalcy” will return to your world? Have you just been wondering about it? Or did you figure that inflation comes and goes? And given the way things have been affected with COVID-19 it’s just no wonder that inflation came along now due to high demand and the difficulties in both getting workers and the supply chain issues? Did you just figure that is the way it is and resign yourself to it? Well there is also that other thing that is affecting you and your wallet too. It’s pandemic profiteering and it’s raising your meat prices!

Man looking at high meat prices in butcher case as a result of pandemic profiteering

Don’t Be Naïve About the Profit Motive

Profiteering is a tough subject for me personally to deal with. That’s because I spent so many years in the retail world and I’d like to think that what I always did and the companies I worked for did was to do the right thing for themselves and the consumer. I’d like to think that, but I know it’s not the truth.

Continue reading“Pandemic Profiteering Raising Meat Prices? You Better Believe It!”