The Frugal Way to Save at the Farmer’s Market

I love farmer’s markets, but I confess that there was a period of time when I avoided them. I always seemed to spend too much money when I shopped at them. For the sake of our budget, the best thing to do seemed to be to stop shopping at them, which was a shame, since we missed out on fresh items grown or crafted locally. The problem had to be solved. How could we still enjoy the farmer’s market while keeping on task with our budget? Here are the strategies that I started to employ. I saw a difference in … Continue reading

More Summer Cash Savers

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but you can certainly save some cash this summer by taking advantage of Mother Nature’s goodness. Don’t let soaring food prices put a damper on your seasonal fun; rather, consider growing your own fruits and vegetables in order to preserve your family’s household budget. You might be surprised by how a little farming can yield big savings for the average American family. According to the Wall Street Journal, for every $1 you spend on green bean seeds, you have the ability to grow an average of $75 worth of produce. In addition, for every $1 … Continue reading

Save Money, Buy Generic

One of the easiest ways to save money at the grocery store is to buy generic. Just about every item you buy has a store or generic brand and the quality has improved so much over the last several years that you may not be able to tell the difference between brand name and generic. I am not brand loyal, except for ketchup, so I will always try the store brand if it’s a good enough bargain. I did some searching online and found several things that financial experts say you should always buy generic. *Over the counter medications- the … Continue reading

10 Ways to Save on Your Next Trip to Hawaii

Last year, my then six-old daughter celebrated her 12th visit to Hawaii. However, to her, the Aloha State is more than just a top tourist destination, it’s also home to grandma, grandpa, and a huge network of aunts, uncles and cousins. I kid that she would have been marking trip number 20 if it weren’t so dang expensive to fly from Wisconsin to Hilo. Fortunately, once we land in the “Land of Aloha” we score free room and board. Bottom line: traveling to Hawaii is not cheap. However, there are ways you can save on your next vacation there provided … Continue reading

Ways to Save Money on Gluten-Free Foods

In my experience, having a gluten allergy means that you are likely to end up spending more money on your weekly grocery shopping trip than you have in the past (before you discovered that you had this allergy). There are some ways to cut down on this expense, and make eating gluten-free a little easier on your budget. If you, or a family member, needs to start eating a gluten-free diet, this is going to change how you plan meals and shop for groceries. In general, shopping for foods that you can be certain are gluten-free can be expensive. There … Continue reading

Save With Smart Snacking Strategies

Your family’s grocery budget seems to be getting tighter and tighter these days. The kids are growing, and so are their appetites. Food prices have been steadily creeping up for a while, too. You want to be able to feed your family plenty of good food, but you don’t want to break the bank either. If you look at grocery store receipts from past shopping trips, you may notice that snack foods make up a bigger portion of your grocery bill than you thought. The good thing about this is that you do not have to stop snacking, nor do … Continue reading

Strategies For Getting More Healthy Food For Less Money

If you have a tight grocery budget, food shopping is a challenge, to say the least. You want to feed your family the most healthful meals that you can, but it seems like the healthier a food is, the more it costs. There are a few ways that you can get fresh, healthy food for your family without breaking the bank. Try the following tips and see whether they can work for your family. If you live somewhere with room for a garden, or even a balcony with room for some potted plants, you may want to try your hand … Continue reading

Being Frugal Is A Way Of Life – New FL Blogger Intro

Finally, I’m writing my Frugal Living introduction post. Better late than never, I always say. I wanted to say hello to my fellow FL living blogger Mary Ann Romans, and all of Families.com new bloggers. Since starting with this website about a month ago I’ve been having a lot of fun writing in my various topics. Being able to share and learn is a wonderful thing. As the title of my blog today states, being frugal truly is a way of life, not just one area of it. Many times someone may start out counting pennies in the area of … Continue reading

Fad Diets, Crash Diets: Take Three (The Cottage Cheese and Fruit Diet)

Fad diets will not help you to learn how to eat healthy on a daily basis. Fad diets will help you to lose weight for a quick “fix”, but you should not stay on a fad diet for more than a few days. The Cottage Cheese and Fruit Diet is a good choice for fad dieters. Cottage cheese is a low-fat dairy product. Cottage cheese contains about 25 to 30 grams of protein. Fruit, of course, is rich in vitamins. The two combined are very healthy for you. The Cottage Cheese and Fruit Diet consists of: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner: … Continue reading

How to Save Money on Fruits and Vegetables

Most people don’t get the required five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Think about it. It is hard to get all of the nutritious food into our bodies, especially when produce can be so expensive. But we owe it to ourselves and or families to provide good, healthy fruits and vegetables without going into bankruptcy. Here are some tips you can use to help you save money on fruits and vegetables. Buy your produce in season. While cherries can be yummy and festive in winter, you will pay a premium for them. Take advantage of nature’s bounty to … Continue reading