More Bargains

Are you on a budget? Who isn't?

Need a quick refresher course on ways to save money on food? You may already be familiar with some of these tips, but refocusing on them in today's tougher economy makes a lot of sense.

(1) Learn to Cook ~ Eating out is a huge budget buster. Cooking your own meals can save you money.

(2) Break the Restaurant Routine ~ Dine out once a week instead of three times a week -- at $20.00 per meal, you could trim expenses by $160.00 per month.

(3) Bring Your Lunch to Work ~ Compare a homemade lunch to the $6.00 per day spent at the sandwich shop or fast food restaurant -- you'd be surprised how much you can save in a month. Bring your leftovers for lunch from last night's dinner.

(4) Make Your Own Latte ~ Invest in a good-quality machine and make your own brew at home - That $4.00+ cup at the coffee shop costs you at least $120.00 per month and more than $1,400.00 per year.

(5) Plan Ahead ~ Get out your recipes; plan your menu for two weeks at a time; use coupons; by generic where you can; and plan your shopping trip -- all these things can save you money. Did you know that almost half of all shoppers go to the store three or four times per week? (Seems I always find something else to buy without a plan and a list).

The above items were adapted from the original article located in the archives section for February 2008 at http://www.kiplinger.com