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| Reducie
Cost of Living
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will be connecting to our affiliated sites
within the
SayPlanning / SayLending network
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Your
family food budget is one of the easiest
expenses to reduce |
- Set your food budget
for the week.
Your goal will be to reduce your food
bill by 5% each week until you reach a
level that fits your family health needs
and budget.
- Start your own personal
price book.
Note and compare prices among brands and
stores as you shop. The book will be helpful
when planning your weekly list.
More
information about the price book
- Plan to shop food
and groceries weekly.
Be sure to list the groceries you need
as set by your weekly food budget.
Never shop on a empty stomach. Those "expensive"
goodies are too tempting to resist.
- Always go shopping
with a hand calculator.
Begin with your weekly budget and count
down as you place items in the basket.
- Eliminate the snacks.
Replace them with more healthy selections
such as vegetable and fruits (less expensive
and more healthy).
- Review online guides:
Next, review a brief online guide on stretching
your food dollars:
Strategy 1: food
budget planning at the home
Strategy 2: stretch
your food dollar
- Buy in bulk:
If storage allows, shop in bulk quantities
for non-food items such as paper products,
cleansers, bathroom supplies and the like.
Many member warehouses offer significant
reductions for these items.
Find a member warehouse
near you:
SamsClub
CostCo
BJs
Note that member warehouses don't necessarily
have the best prices. Be sure to shop
around.
- Shop multiple stores
with your price book handy.
Find the store that offers the overall
best price and incentive bargains such
as double coupons, bulk sales, and the
like.
- Consider joining
a food co-op —
member based co-op where an aggregate
number buys from wholesalers directly.
More
information about co-ops
- Shop wisely with
coupons,
especially on days when coupons will be
doubled. Use coupons for items that you
need. Compare the coupon-reduced price
with store brand prices. The store brand
may be cheaper.
Find coupons online:
www.coolsavings.com
www.couponclearing
Select coupons from your local store —
enter zip code:
valupage.com
- Check out this sites
for additional ideas on reducing food
costs:
- Thrifty
meals for two: making food dollars
count
- Cheap
Cooking Tips
- Save
money on groceries
- 30
ways to stretch your food bill
- 36
butcher suggestions for cutting meat
bills
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Paper
products include disposal bags, bathroom
tissue, paper towels, paper dinnerware,
and more. |
- Paper products can makeup a sizeable
portion of the family food budget. Your
best savings is to buy in bulk from discount
warehouses and online delivery shop:
Click
now to save on paper products.
Discount Warehouses:
SamsClub
CostCo
BJs
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Buying
out-of-season can save clothing costs by
1/2 or more |
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Convenience
is an expensive baby-cost component. Up-front
planning can reduce baby costs. |
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$1 spent daily
for lotteries, coffee, smoking and a soda
equals $1460 a year |
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State
Lotteries:
- Lotteries depend most on those least
able to afford them
- The average player spends $313 per year
on the lottery
- Those with incomes of less than $10,000
spend $597
- African-Americans spend $998 compared
to $210 for whites
- High school dropouts spend four times
as much on the lottery as do college graduates
- More than half of all lottery tickets
are bought by just 5 percent of those
who play,
- The National Opinion Research Center
estimates that problem gamblers (those
addicted to gambling and whose families
often suffer as a result) account for
14 percent of total lottery revenues.
Gambling:
- It is estimated by the National Academy
of Science that there are 15.4 million
addicted gamblers in the U.S.
- Gambling threatens youth, just like
smoking, and too many elderly loose all
or part of their savings.
- The American Psychiatric Association
describes pathological gambling as a compulsive
disorder. Addicts even sell gold
teeth. Addiction can come on quickly and
does not go away.
- Gambling has hidden negative economic
impacts. These include bankruptcies, treatment
for addiction, and penal system
costs.
- Over 6 billion dollars is already spent
to cover costs of addictive gambling.
Are
you a compulsive gambler: 10 questions
Seek help:
Compulsive
Gambling
Smoking:
Alcohol Consumption:
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