Category: Food

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

Food, Health, More

The Battle of Your Bulges: Weight Loss Programs

Whether you’re truly overweight like me, or you just think you need to lose a couple of pounds, you’ve probably been sucked into the diet phenomenon at some point in your life. After all, you’ve seen the TV commercials, maybe read some reviews, or even known people who’ve lost a bunch of weight with one of the many weight loss programs. Or maybe, like me, you’ve tried one, two…or ten of them in an attempt to improve your health and your look. So what’s wrong, if anything, that a not-so-small percentage of customers complain about failing with them? Can you actually succeed long term with any of them?

Losing weight can be difficult, but weight loss programs aim to make it easier, at a cost. I review 3 popular programs, and what it takes to lose long term.

Hey Mr. and Mrs. America, You’re Fat!

As a country, America seems to have a real weight problem, greater now than ever before. You may be or may not be actually fat, but you are still often feeling the pressure of losing a few pounds because of health or the ever-present social pressure we all live with to be thin and look “good”. As if you can’t really look good with a little meat on your bones!Continue reading“The Battle of Your Bulges: Weight Loss Programs”

Food

National Ice Cream Month: Here’s the Scoop!

President Ronald Reagan proclaimed July as National Ice Cream Month back in 1984. Since then, it’s been our patriotic duty to indulge in cones, cups, and sundaes, whether for dessert or as an anytime treat to cool down in the summer heat. There is still time to indulge and you know what that means? Free ice cream…yum!

It's National Ice Cream Month, and I've got the scoop on where to go for your free ice cream treats and other deals all month long.

National Ice Cream Month is observed every year in July (National Ice Cream Day was on July 15, 2018). This fun celebration is enjoyed with a bowl, cup, or cone filled with your favorite flavor of ice cream. Seriously, does anyone out there not love ice cream?Continue reading“National Ice Cream Month: Here’s the Scoop!”

Food

Do You Know the “Best” Grocery Prices When You See Them?

Find out why you need to know the best grocery prices—then take the quiz to see where you stand

No matter how many times I write about saving money at the supermarket, I am always quite amazed at how little the average shopper really knows about prices and what they should be looking for to find the very best deals when they shop.

To be a savvy supermarket shopper, you need to know the "best" grocery prices so you know when to stock up. In this post, I'll explain why and then test you on some common grocery prices to determine if you know the best price when you see it.

Most of us are very familiar with coupons, loyalty cards, weekly specials, and all the gimmicks and tricks the typical supermarket uses to get you to stock up and buy! You know what I am talking about here: the high traffic end cap displays with the huge saving signs, the BOGO promotions, and the “must buy 10” to save, etc. But, the biggest savings you can get is buying items at their very lowest and best price, and having a coupon is really icing on the cake. But how do you know when what you see is the very best price when you see them?Continue reading“Do You Know the “Best” Grocery Prices When You See Them?”

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Food, More, Personal Finance, Travel

Tipping Guidelines – Are There Really Any Rules?

There’s a tricky subject out there that many people fear to talk about with their friends and family. No, I’m not talking about the usual controversial stuff like sex, politics, or religion here. I’m talking about the subject of tips and tipping! Believe me when I tell you it’s a subject that you deal with pretty often and it involves so many different angles for you, your family, and of course to the people with whom you are interacting, the “tippees”. So today I’m going to cover my tipping guidelines.

Tipping can be a very confusing and even controversial subject, so here, along with some tipping history, are my tipping guidelines for all sorts of situations.

I can honestly say that this is a subject that can cause friction and even arguments for some and lots of second guessing and confusion for others. I have to be honest; it has been on more than one occasion for me. If you think about it, tipping adds a chunk of expense to your experience and you want to get the most for your money when you tip. That’s why today, I’m asking out loud this question: “Are there really any rules for tipping?”Continue reading“Tipping Guidelines – Are There Really Any Rules?”

Cars, Debt, Food, Home, Personal Finance

Concentrate on the Big Three Expenses of Your Budget

Have you ever gotten through the month and breathed a sigh of relief because there was still a little bit of money left in your bank account? It’s a great feeling but sometimes it almost feels like a mystery. How did I do that? Why was this month such a good one compared to most others? Most of us are used to feeling stressed out because most of the time our money is tight.

When you're trying to get free from debt, little things matter, but concentrating on the big three expenses of your budget is the way to go. Here are the steps to take to eliminate debt from your life.

As ridiculous as this might sound, when I look at my monthly scorecard of what I spend and what my income was compared to my budget, I think about it like it is my NFL season record. You know, when I come in under my expense budget I feel like that’s a win and when I don’t it’s like a loss. I’d really love to have a 12-0 season, but frankly that hasn’t happened…yet.Continue reading“Concentrate on the Big Three Expenses of Your Budget”

Family & Relationships, Food, Shopping, Travel

18 Money Saving Ideas for St. Frugaltine’s Day

I definitely love being in love! I am so fortunate that I have found true love on my second time around when I met and fell for Suzanne, my beautiful wife, back in 2005! Not only is she all that and a bag of chips (am I dating myself with that phrase?), but we share a mindset about personal finances and that crosses off the list any arguments we might have about money. That is a problem that many couples endure and it can really damage a relationship.

You know it's coming on February 14th, and now you need some Valentine's Day ideas that won't break the bank. We've got you covered with some money saving ways to show your love.

Having said that, we both enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day each year but we do it on our own terms. So it’s kind of a challenge to come up with some new ways to have fun, share our love, and still remain fiscally solvent. Here’s a not so short list of money saving ideas that can make your Valentine’s a “St. Frugaltine’s Day” of fun and frolic!Continue reading“18 Money Saving Ideas for St. Frugaltine’s Day”

Food

5 Easy Steps to Save Up to 50% on Your Grocery Budget

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News flash—food is expensive! But I bet you already knew that. Suzanne and I are pretty proud that somehow we manage to keep our food expenses under control and since I track it all to the penny for the past 10 years, I actually have the evidence that we have done a great job of saving (and patting ourselves on the back!).

Your grocery budget is one of the most important places to save money. Use these five tips to tame your spending and save big.

According to the USDA, the typical family of four spends about 10% of their household budget on buying groceries for their family and that’s well over $7,500 on the low side to an unbelievable $16,000 on the high side each year depending on income. For our family of two, our grocery budget lies somewhere between the thrifty and low-cost food plans. All these numbers don’t include the money a family spends dining out which is about one third of total food expenditure itself.Continue reading“5 Easy Steps to Save Up to 50% on Your Grocery Budget”

Food, Health

5 Ways to Make “Healthy” Easier and More Convenient

You’ve heard me say it before: staying healthy is an important way to save money. But how do you get or stay healthy when you’re busy and stressed? I’m sure we all start each day thinking that today is the day when we will try really hard to cultivate some of those healthy habits into our lives. Unfortunately, way too often, convenience wins out over our good intentions. I have to plead guilty as charged right here!

When you're busy it can be difficult to stay healthy, but there are new services and technology that will help you cultivate those healthy habits.

While we all realize that shopping for fresh ingredients at the supermarket to make a meal at home is far healthier than stopping at the drive-thru at McDonald’s, it’s so much damned easier, quicker, and convenient! But guess what, there is some good news on this subject. New business services and technology are making it easier than ever to incorporate healthy habits even into the busiest lives!Continue reading“5 Ways to Make “Healthy” Easier and More Convenient”