How to Reduce Your Food Bill: part 3

Mainly talking about coupons (see previous week’s about saving money on your groceries and by eating in season food). I also some non-food related ways that you can earn money/get free stuff.

Once you leave the store with your receipt that says, “You saved $12.56 today,” don’t ya feel good? It gives you a sneaky feeling, as if you know something thatsomeone else doesn’t. And who hates that feeling?!?!

Keep in mind that using coupons is not an excuse to purchase an item that you don’t need/would never use! That mindset is how companies get you to spend money. Prime example: the “movie dump cart” BUY 5 FOR $25. Back up: was that a planned purchase? If not, you just lost money.

Make sure you check the expiration dates of your coupons. Nothing is more disappointing than finding an excellent save and then having to recycle it (note, not trashing it).

Where will you find these coupons? See below:

1. Go to company websites. Morningstar Farms, Kashi, Healthy Choice…these companies all have coupons online, if you know where to look.
2. Don’t see a coupon on their website? Subscribe to their email list. Some companies will produce a monthly newsletter (Kashi’s here) where coupons lurk.
3. Look at weekly ads online. Look for items that you would NORMALLY BUY. Remember: buy more ≠ save more. Especially if under normal circumstances you would not have purchased it (without the coupon).
4. Always check the back of your receipts. Coupons lurk here.
5. Become a member of the rewards club for your store. Note: some grocery stores may not have this.
6. Look for restaurant coupons, especially monthly specials.
7. Watch out for tricky coupons! Aka, “buy item A, get item B half off.” If you have never used/will never use item B, power-walk away (do not run, this is how people get hurt). They want you to purchase item B. If you cave, you eliminate the savings of item A by purchasing item B. Don’t be pressured into it. Walk away!
8. Become a fan on Facebook/follow on Twitter. Finally, your experience in Facebook stalking pays off. Look up your favorite band, sometimes they have free music…Wait, music that is free AND legal? Especially crucial for iTunes users. Also check out Noisetrade.com for more free AND legal music.
9. Read magazines. Coupons all over the place! Get rewarded for reading the latest gossip magazine.
10. Look for websites that offer online surveys AND pay you for it. Youdata does this. Fill out some surveys, get some free cash.

Next week: Go Green, Save Green. Small lifestyle choices that will save you money.

Christine is a Nutrition Science student at Baylor University. She loves black beans, the elliptical machine, and a little kick of caffeine.

How to Reduce Your Food Bill: part 2

Grocery Store Tricks & How You Can Fight Back

The grocery store has several tricks to get you, the consumer, to buy more things and stay in the store longer. But you don’t want to spend more money than you have to, so what’s a girl to do? Here I have a list of gimmicks/tricks the store uses. By learning about these tricks, you can become an informed consumer and make better choices.

Many of the tricks involve one concept: convenience vs. cash. Are you willing to pay more for that special basil pasta sauce, or can you make it at home and save money? You could buy that Lean Cuisine for $2.50 or you could make an equal (or better!) meal at home by purchasing the raw ingredients. Is the time that it takes to prepare a meal worth the added cost for the convenience item? Your call!

1. List. List. Did I say list?!?! Stick to it, don’t fall astray! If you derail from it, you will have unnecessary spending and impulse buying.
2. Notice how they place certain items at the checkout? This is when you are more susceptible to an impulse buy because you have to wait your turn at the checkout. Don’t succumb. Have patience, young super saver. Fight the urge.
3. Look at the unit price. Might need to yank out your reading glasses, because the unit price is the itty bitty tiny writing on the price label. It is the cost per ounce of the product. The heavier the volume/weight of the container, the lower the unit price*. But please see #4 below to clarify the asterisk…
4. Buying in bulk ≠ always saving money. Didn’t your mother ever tell you to not use qualifiers (always, never)? You will not save money by buying bulk. Check the unit price on the small and large container. Sometimes the small containers cost as much as the larg container in terms of unit price. Personally, I am tempted to eat more if I have a gi-normous container versus a smaller one, so I would rather purchase the smaller one, finish it, and then come back to the store to purchase a second.
5. Buy things that are not pre-prepared. Raw items are usually cheaper than the pre-prepared ones. This means you purchase all ingredients: the spices, the oil, the chicken. Think rotisserie chicken vs. raw chicken or sushi at H-E-B versus making it yourself. Think of all the knowledge you will gain by cutting that pineapple yourself instead of buying it pre-cut. Now think dollar signs and money saving. Cha-ching!
6. Don’t purchase something until you run out of it. A “no duh” statement, but true.
7. A little hint for next week’s blog: COUPONS. Stick it to the (grocery store) man by saving money!
8. Stores put the most popular items at eye level. This means that the cheaper items are above or way below eye level. Notice how bright and colorful they are, then see #9…
9. Store brands. Store brand quality is comparable to some name brands. Especially true for canned products (but make sure to wash off the sodium before eating!).
10. Watch for “dump carts.” These are “sale” items all thrown into a basket and give the false appearance of a sale. Truth: the items may be regular price.
11. Watch for “end of aisle” sales. Same Truth: the items may be regular price. The flashy colors are to grab your attention and your money.
12. Get a smaller basket. Not only will you purchase less, but also you can people-weave to get out of the store faster.
13. Shop no more than once a week. More shopping = more spending.
14. Don’t rush, but don’t linger either. The longer you are in there, the higher the probability of buying extra stuff.
15. Arrange your list in the flow of the store. You will get in/out faster. It takes less than 5 minutes to do this and you will eventually get in the habit of doing it.
16. Watch out for the “discontinued” gimmick. Yeah, your favorite deodorant may be discontinued, but you don’t have to buy 5 sticks at the “discounted” price.
17. The aromatic smells. Yes, it’s true! Most stores will put the bakery very close to the entrance of the store. Why? To reel you in with the wholesome smell of baked bread, slow you down, and keep you in the store.
18. Organic items are more expensive. Up to TWO TIMES more expensive as regular products. If you’re on a budget, normal produce will do just fine.
19. Watch out for FIFO. No, that’s not fee fi foo fum. It means First In First Out. Grocery stores put items with sooner expiration dates closer to the front of the display. So check your yogurt, meat, bread, etc. to see if what you are purchasing expires in a few days. If it does, then you will throw it away, which means that you will come back to the store and buy even more. See the trend? This happened to me once…but never again!

It is completely ok to buy convenience items, don’t get me wrong. For example, if frozen broccoli is the only way you will ever eat broccoli, then by all means, eat it! But, if you are on a budget, think how long it takes to wash raw broccoli, then chop it, then cook it…we are probably talking about less than 10 minutes. Betcha it takes that long to defrost/cook it in the microwave! You will also get more nutrients out of fresh broccoli than frozen (less sodium, more Vitamin C, etc).

Tune in next week for part 3: COUPONS!

Christine is a Nutrition Science student at Baylor University. She loves black beans, the elliptical machine, and a little kick of caffeine.