Cut Living Costs » budget shopping

How to Grocery Shop on a Budget (Part 2)

Deal Finder — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:31:29 +0000

On average, households spend about 15 percent of their total income on food and drinks. Aside from clipping coupons, there are other ways to save. See the tips below to see how you can keep more green in your pocket instead of in a grocery store register.

Here are some tips to save money at the grocery store:

1. Because the cutlets are all white and deboned, they are actually more expensive than rotisserie chicken.
2. For all the meat lovers out there, bacon is less expensive than sausage!
4. Think about switching to skim milk… it’s cheaper than 2 percent milk.
5. Buy white eggs, they are cheaper than brown eggs.
6. Save money on fruits and vegetables is to buy what is in season.

To Buy or Not to Buy Video Games – Gamers’ Woe During a Recession

Deal Finder — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 19:13:27 +0000

For gamers, a smaller budget doesn’t mean that you have to cut back on the number of video games you play – just re-think how you get them.

Stores like GameStop specialize in selling used video games in its stores at a lower price than the new video games. Or bid on games through auctions on eBay, where you can get the latest used games for less. eBay also offers new video games at “buy it now” options. The price may be a little higher than a used video game, but you sometimes get shipping for free or at a reduced price.

If you prefer to play titles, you can either rent video games from traditional Blockbuster stores or you can rent video games games online from GameFly.com (think of them as the Netflix of games). Another option for you to find some cheap used video games is Recycle Video Games Network. They sell and trade new and used video games and accessories.

Even if you want to keep buying new video games, you can avoid buyer’s remorse by taking advantage of the fact that many companies make short demos of their games available for free. Game demos for consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 can be downloaded directly to those systems’ hard drives.

How to Grocery Shop on a Budget (Part 1)

Deal Finder — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:58:17 +0000

Think the only way you can save is by becoming a coupon addict? That is so not the case! Cut your grocery bill in half by simply combining the use of grocery discount coupons, store promotions and the sales prices of your favorite items.

Plan ahead:

1) Keep your eyes on grocery promotions & local grocery sales

Use the stores’ latest flyer to pinpoint deals and plans your meals for that week around the sale items. Also, buy extra for the freezer so you won’t have to pay full price they next time you make a trip.

2) Create a grocery list

Have a complete list of everything you’ll need before you got to the store. This will help you avoid costly and unplanned trips to the store. As an added bonus, this will save you time. With a grocery list, you can breeze through the store and use that time to spend with the family or have time for yourself.

3) Be flexible with what stores you frequent

Just because you’ve always shopped at the local grocers down the street or you favor one chain of stores doesn’t mean there aren’t great deals out there. While you’re reviewing the flyers to pinpoint the latest deals, keep an eye out for grocery promotions and sales in other local stores. You never know, sometimes your favorite chain may not have the better prices.