How to Talk to Your Kids about the Economic Crisis

“How can I talk to my kids about the economic crisis?” It is a common question that most parents face today. As prices on consumable goods rise, from food and gas to the cable bill, and families feel themselves pinched, even the youngest children are starting to notice that things around them are changing. Neighbors and friends may be moving away, favorite stores and restaurants may be closing, and everyone seems to have to sacrifice something they enjoy just to get through this time. Parents should see this time in our history as a teaching moment, but the lessons should … Continue reading

Four Strategies that Will Reduce Car Costs

When you budget your auto-related and transportation costs, are you including everything? There is the cost of the car itself, the monthly loan or lease payment, plus insurance, maintenance costs, and gas of course. Here are four strategies that you can use, covering each of those areas, to lower these costs, from beginning to end. Saving on Car Payments If you are considering the purchase or lease of a new car, review your options carefully. This is where you can save the bulk of your money. Really think about saving up to purchase a car with cash, if you can. … Continue reading

How to Track Supermarket Prices

Keeping track of supermarket prices is a big way to save on your grocery bill. Knowing when to buy something as well as where to buy it will automatically save you at least 30 percent off of the price you are paying for your groceries without changing the amount or even the type of groceries you buy. It is simply a matter of always getting the best price. Keep reading. I’ll share some simple steps that you can do to keep track of supermarket prices, or in other words, create a price book. First start analyzing your grocery bill. Save … Continue reading

Coping with the Grocery Shrink Ray

Did you know that your groceries may be shrinking? Yesterday, in Beware of the Grocery Shrink Ray, I talked about how many manufacturers are shrinking the amount of product in their packages, making them more expensive. This shrinkage, as I mentioned earlier, can also cause problems with recipes and meal planning. Here are some of the practices I do to cope with the shrink ray. Many packages are shrinking just in time for back to school. These include items, such as peanut butter, frozen waffles, etc. Harried parents need to pick up these items quickly to prepare for the hectic … Continue reading

New Grocery Shopping Techniques (2)

I have definitely changed the way I do my grocery shopping. The rise in food and gas prices and the frequent changes of the prices of everything has made the old grocery shopping habits to save money just not work anymore. In the previous article I shared some of my new strategies. Here are the rest. (If you missed the first part of this article, click here: New Grocery Shopping Techniques. I skip the coupons. The newspaper recently raised their cost to $1.75 for the Sunday edition, and the coupons in it have been pretty skimpy. Because I am not … Continue reading

New Grocery Shopping Techniques

Have you changed the way you grocery shop lately? I know that I have. Rising food prices and gas prices have certainly caused me to make some adjustments. For example, grocery prices on many items are changing so fast that keeping a traditional price book that is based on cycles of sales is no longer useful. Instead, shopping can be more of a guessing game or like playing the stock market. Will $4.99 be the lowest price for flour? Should I stock up now or wait for it to go lower? Will it rise even more? You see what I … Continue reading

Adjusting Your Price Book with Escalating Grocery Costs

In the previous article, Our Changing Grocery Prices, I talked about how we’ve been having to adjust what we are willing to pay for some grocery items, in the wake of rising food prices. I shared some concrete examples of items from my mental price books and how I have had to adjust them, such as cereal, apples and eggs. Making these adjustments can be tough. Since prices aren’t steady, it is hard to know what the lowest price on something is or will be. Milk at $4 a gallon seems outrageous, until it rises to $4.50 on average. I … Continue reading

Our Changing Grocery Prices

Have you had to adjust to rising food prices? Of course we all have. One thing that has to be adjusted is those price books. Trends in higher prices can make your price book obsolete, since grocery food prices are rising across the board. So how can you adjust? I have a frugal confession to make. I don’t actively keep a price book. Yes, I know that they are a way of monitoring prices. So how do I even know that food prices are rising when I don’t have anything to compare them to? Okay, I have another confession. I … Continue reading

Kroger’s Coupon Policy

You can save some money on your grocery bill when you use coupons. Of course, that will only work if the store you shop at is willing to accept the coupons you have brought with you. It is always a good idea to check out the coupon policy of the store you want to shop at before you go. The coupon policy can change at any time, and without warning. Here is what you need to know about the coupon policy at Kroger. Digital Coupons * In order to use digital coupons at Kroger, you must have an active online … Continue reading

Baby on a Budget

Your new bundle of joy could make more than a significant dent in your finances. Establishing a solid budget for your baby can help you keep everything under control and leave you with enough money for your baby’s future. You might be interested to know that according to the US Department of Agriculture, it can cost up to a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child through age 17! This doesn’t take into account children living at home past age 17, college costs or significant medical expenses that could arise. That is why it is important to establish … Continue reading