Save Money

There are many ways to save money through a number of lifestyle modifications. Some of these changes can save you hundreds of dollars every month if they are followed carefully. Let's start with grocery shopping.

Many things affect family spending on groceries. Not only family size, but the age of the family members, how often they eat out, where they live, dietary restrictions and even whether they grow a garden. We are going to offer you some ideas and tips for deciding whether there is room for improvement in your grocery bills. If you find that you're spending is much higher than average, you may be leaving too much money at the grocery store. We have some figures from the U.S. National Food Expenditures on how much people are spending on average.

• Clip newspaper, magazine and other print coupons for necessary items you would normally purchase-but not for items you don't really need.
• Eat before you go grocery shopping so you won't be tempted to make impulse purchases.
• Buy store-brand cereal instead of national brands. If your household goes through a box or more per week, you can save over $100 per year by purchasing store brands. The key to grocery savings is not to be brand loyal. Always watch the grocery store circulars and use coupons in conjunction with a store sale price or better yet find a buy one-get-one-free sale.
• The weeks when the sales are not so good could be light buying weeks. If you have some food in reserve, on these light weeks the extra food is like money in the bank. If you ever hit a rough patch you might have enough to carry you through that time.
• A good way to save money is to shop with just as much cash as you feel you will need. This is one way to ensure you do not go over your budget.
• Check out the price per ounce/pound/piece. Just because it is a big box, doesn't mean it's cheaper! Sometimes two smaller packages are cheaper than the big box. Compare prices ounce per ounce.
• You can buy in bulk and cook from scratch. Cook more than you need so you can have ready-made meals and snacks in the freezer. The crock-pot is a great way to cook while you are at work.