Category: Food

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

Budgeting, Cars, Food, Home

3 Things You Can Learn From Early Retirees

Your retirement is something you think about with a smile and some pleasant thoughts even though it might seem like it’s light-years away. But if you get to your golden years with insufficient funds, it’s guaranteed to be a nightmare and very unpleasant! You don’t want to live through that scenario, I promise you.

If you're having difficulty saving enough money for retirement, take a lesson from those who have been there. Here's what you can learn from early retirees.

Saving up enough money over a 45-year career to maintain your lifestyle in retirement is pretty challenging. But there’s a lot to be learned from the people who have managed to hit their savings goals well before that point, people who then retire early. You can learn a lot even if you haven’t been bitten by the early-retirement bug. That’s why it’s important to concentrate and learn about these three things you can learn from early retirees when you think that your retirement is at hand. But before you find out the answers…

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Food

Five Cheap Meals That Cost Under $2.50 Per Serving

Let’s get right to the point here. Is there anything that you spend more on every week than food? It’s the number one thing that we all spend money on every week and it involves a lot of thought and care if you want to have money left over for other things you must take care of. That’s why cheap meals are such a good idea no matter your budget. There’s no avoiding food forever, skipping it entirely for a while, or thinking of it as the very “last thing” you need to concern yourself about. If you do that and it works for you, write to me and let me learn something new please. Having said that…

One of the great ways to save on your food budget is cheap meals. Today I'm sharing five cheap meals you can make for under $2.50 per person.

Today I’d like to talk about some great meals that you (and even I) can plan and prepare that don’t break the bank or budget. Yes, these are meals you can plan, cook, and enjoy on the cheap. I have tried them all and although I don’t want to eat all of them over and over every week, they can be mixed in with other food choices and help really cut your food bills. So let’s get right to it and begin: my top five money-saving meals that cost under $2.50 each!

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Cars, Food, Health

10 Must Buy Generics (And 5 Branded Items Worth the Price)

There is a challenge I go through every time I shop and it’s one that I am betting you think about, too. It’s the brand names versus the generics thing that is kind of the “Ali versus Frazier” matchup that we all go through regularly!

When it comes to saving, generics are a great way to reduce spending. Here are 10 generics you should buy, plus 5 branded items I believe are worth it.

There is often some fear in people when it comes to shopping and buying an item they may never have heard about or seen before, and that’s even truer when it comes to generics. Those are the items that are not national brands, but swear that they can still do the job to satisfy your needs and wants!

Loyalty usually is a great quality, but it can be costly when you shop. Sticking to just one brand rarely makes sense when the only meaningful difference between a national brand product and its generic version is the price.

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Food

The Incredible Shrinking Foods…Why Size Really Matters

Size matters when it comes to food and money—and sometimes smaller is better. But sometimes…it just isn’t. Especially when it comes to food package size.

Manufacturers have reduced the food package size while keeping pricing the same to create an almost invisible unit cost increase. Don't be fooled.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have reported higher than expected profits and one reason has been that for both companies, the smaller mini can has been a part of their revenue-boosting strategies. That came at a time when the sales of carbonated soft drinks were beginning to fizzle out.

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Food

How to Save Money When You Dine Out

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

While shopping at the supermarket and cooking at home is the best way to keep your food costs low, we all know there are times when we just want (or need) to dine out. Whether it’s at a fast food joint or a nice restaurant (or someplace in between), the saving money while dining out part can be a real challenge. But it is possible. Here are some easy ways you can save money and yet still enjoy a good time out and away from your kitchen. When that need arises, think about these ways to save money when you dine out.

While cooking at home saves the most money, there are still times when you want or need to dine out. Check out these 12 ways to save money at a restaurant.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!

I always use a coupon whenever I want to dine out. This can be at a simple fast food spot like McDonalds or Wendy’s for a free drink or BOGO (buy one get one) on a burger which is perfect for sharing with my wife, or a discounted meal or item at even nicer restaurants.

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Food

Revealing My Food Budget & Why You Need a Plan!

Budgeting is nobody’s idea of a really good time. But, it is the best way to get your family’s finances under control and—dare I say it—it is actually an absolute necessity to do so! Making a budget is making the decisions as to what you can spend in each category of your household expenses. Besides trying to figure out how you’re going to make your income spread out and cover all your bases, you might wonder where you stack up compared to other folks in the U.S. Today, I am going to provide you with the numbers of what Americans spend on their food budget, and then reveal what my wife Suzanne and I have been spending on average every month on food…for the past nine years!

Your food budget comes in right under your housing and transportation as one of the biggest costs. Make sure you are saving what you can on food.

The number one thing that we all have to spend money on is…food. Since I’m a retiree, I am on the proverbial “fixed income” so it’s become even more important to my wife and I than ever. So let’s take a look at that and run some of the numbers.

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Food

How Your Supermarket Tricks You Every Time You Shop

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

The astute super saving shopper is very savvy—or at least that’s what they will tell you if you ask. I have to admit that at one time I thought that I knew it all when it came to bargain hunting my way through the grocery store. After all, I had spent decades working in retail so I did have a leg up on the shopping experience and thought I knew every trick there was to get people to buy, buy, and buy more! But then a new reality set in and I started to have my eyes opened when I began working for supermarket chains as a consultant about 15 years ago. That’s when I learned exactly how supermarkets try to trick you into buying more every week when you make the time to shop!

When you do your grocery shopping, can you believe your supermarket tricks you into spending more? Be aware of these tricks so you can be a savvier shopper.

I wrote last year about the many “tricks” that in 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!

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Food

Free Coffee: How I’m Getting It Free for Nine Months

They say that a good day starts with a good cup of coffee. Well, at least I’m saying so today because for me it’s part of my morning ritual, every day. I am not alone here. When I used to commute to work for years and years, I’d always have a cup at home before I left for the office and then of course just had to have another one when I arrived and settled into my routine each morning at the office, too.

Most of us like our coffee to start us off on a productive day. But it doesn't have to be expensive. I'm getting free coffee for 9 months and here's how.

There are a lot of “golden rules” when it comes to saving money that tipsters often cite in personal finance blogs. I am guilty here too of stressing that skipping your morning coffee and bagel as you drive into work every day will save you some big bucks. It does. Simply said, if you don’t make your coffee at home, you are probably wasting a lot of hard earned money that you can easily save and put toward a far better use. Like maybe buying that small island in the Caribbean you sometimes dream about? OK, it’s good to dream anyway. But free coffee…it tastes so much better, I promise you.

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