grocery

Best Money Tips: Steps to Grocery Savings Without Double Coupons

Ashley Jacobs — Mon, 18 Aug 2014 19:00:05 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some fantastic articles on grocery savings without double coupons, things that annoy hiring managers, and coming to grips with paying your rent on time.

Limes Are Crazy Expensive Right Now: 16 Ways to Replace Them

Amanda Meadows — Fri, 23 May 2014 09:00:18 +0000

If you haven't heard about it on the news, you've experienced it in the grocery store: The Great Lime Crisis of 2014. Limes are either crazily marked-up or the bin is completely empty. A confluence of factors is the blame: a widely spread tree disease, erratic weather patterns, and extortion in lime growing parts of the world are among the reasons.

If you're used to relying on the trusty lime to brighten up your spring and summer drinks, sauces, salads, and meat entrees, this might be a good time to diversify your acid game in the kitchen. Here are 16 fun ways to replace limes in your repertoire.

1. Bottled Lime Juice

While nothing beats the satisfying squeeze of a fresh lime, bottled lime juice is fine for cooking, especially now when the real thing costs an arm and a leg. Look for the bottled stuff, not the dreaded lime-shaped green plastic grenade.

2. Preserved Lemons

The especially bright, sweet acidity of preserved lemons adds loads of flavor to meat dishes, especially chicken and lamb. Step out of your comfort zone and make an exotic dinner entree! You can find these at middle eastern shops or even make them yourself.

3. Infused Vinegar

Vinegar is really one of the most versatile kitchen staples. Simply buy your favorite white, balsamic, apple cider, or other kind of vinegar, along with any herbs, spices, or seeds you want to use, and steep them overnight for a fresh and exciting base for salad dressings, sauces, and more.

4. White Wine

It's the season for white wine, and there are tons of grape selections available. Try using a chardonnay or pinot grigio in lieu of lime juice in your recipe and find that while it lends acidity, it also provides lots of subtle flavor notes along with it.

5. Grapefruit

The grapefruit is definitely not as handy and small as the trusty lime, I get it. But you get so much more juice per unit that it is so worth it. The tart and bitter personality of the grapefruit is a fun way to bring unexpected citrus flavor to punches, cocktails, salad dressings, and desserts.

6. Black Lime

Another staple in middle eastern dishes, the black lime (or loomi or limu Omani, or dried lime) is a lime that has been boiled with salt, then sun dried until it turns black. It is then ground and used like a spice in soups, sauces, and seasonings. Try it in lieu of your usual lime and seasoning mixture on fish and poultry.

7. Rhubarb

True, this would be a great time for key lime pie, but let's use the reliably tangy and tasty rhubarb instead for a treat that goes well with any other fruit. For your spring pie, try rhubarb-cherry, or rhubarb-strawberry, or rhubarb-apple… the list goes on!

8. Santol

A tropical fruit grown in southeast asia? You know it's going to be flavorful and interesting however you use it. Forget limes by having a Filipino or Thai night, using a santol bowl for a prawn curry, or making a spicy-sweet pork curry.

9. Radish

A root vegetable? How can that be useful in place of limes? Here's now: Use radishes for their stellar role in salads and alongside mexican dishes. The satisfying crunch and ensuing savory, peppery bite on the tongue will help you forget that your taco is missing a squeeze of lime.

10. Chili Salt

A winning combination: Salt and capsaicin (the hot stuff found in chilies and peppers) will add layers of acidity, heat, and summery flavor to whatever you're making –– even cocktails and candies! It's also easy to make at home.

11. Soursop

The seemingly magical soursop is native to Central America and parts of Southeast Asia and used to make nectar, candies, sorbets, and flavorings. Sound familiar to you? Get to a supermercado near you to try out this versatile sweet and sour fruit.

12. Buttermilk

The reason why buttermilk is so tart and sour is because of its high acidity. Try replacing the citric acid in limes with a creamy substitute. While too much citric acid can lead to heartburn, buttermilk is a natural probiotic that will help settle your stomach!

13. Sour Mix

A bartender's friend, sour mix is a great way to add a fun lime-like flavor to drinks and desserts without having to shell out for a bushel of limes (if you can even find them). Head to BevMo and stock up!

14. Loquat

The dependable loquat grows on evergreen shrubs or trees that may be growing right now on the street in front of your house (read: free!). It's sweet, tart, and highly acidic, which make it a great replacement for limes in candies, preserves, confections, and salads. Plus, loquats are high in vitamin A and potassium!

15. Lemongrass

Lemongrass has a really delicious citrus flavor that is used in all kinds of that can grow almost anywhere –– a full garden or a window sill. Use lemongrass as a cooking herb, a tea, or a garnish for any kind of dish for which you would normally use lime zest, and enjoy!

16. Fruit Shrubs

I couldn't finish without another cocktail suggestion! A shrub is a wonderful elixir of all the important aspects of a good drink: sugar, fruit, and acid. Replace margaritas by using your favorite seasonal fruit, sugar, and vinegar to make a shrub for delicious drinks that will seriously impress company.

Have you been bitten by the sharp cost of limes lately? What are you substituting with?

This article is from Amanda Meadows of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Best Money Tips: Overpriced Grocery Items to Skip

Ashley Jacobs — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 10:00:32 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on overpriced grocery items to skip, reasons to become a cheapskate, and a personal finance cheat sheet for new parents.

Best Money Tips: Tips for Grocery Shopping Online

Ashley Jacobs — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 10:00:39 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on tips for grocery shopping online, finding success with life and money, and how your busy lifestyle is costing you.

Best Money Tips: Easy Ways to Cut Your Food Bill

Ashley Jacobs — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:48:35 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on easy ways to cut your food bill, redecorating your home on the cheap, and side hustles to make extra money.

Best Money Tips: Non-Traditional Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill

Ashley Jacobs — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:48:23 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some fantastic articles on non-traditional ways to cut your grocery bill, creative ways to save money, and money issues that sabotage your relationship.

Best Money Tips: Slash Your Grocery Bill Without Clipping Coupons

Ashley Jacobs — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:48:14 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on slashing your grocery bill without clipping coupons, things you can cut from your budget now, and saving strategies that work.

Best Money Tips: Don't Let Your Baby Blow Your Grocery Budget

Ashley Jacobs — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 10:00:13 +0000

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some awesome articles on keeping your baby from blowing your grocery budget, credit card myths, and benefits of one car households.

Coupon Coups

Jabulani Leffall — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:09:09 +0000

Utility is always more important than usefulness. Let that marinate.

I’m not a fan of coupons as a way to save money because I’m a big opportunity cost type guy. Time spent clipping coupons and scouring the aisles of a store for products that may or may not be there just seems like another pastime that produces silver hairs in the curly black crop.

There is also the social stigma, which is mostly self-imposed. You know, the vision of the old lady taking all day, unfurling coupons for cat food as if she has a royal flush — the checker reads them and weeps — placing them down on the counter. Maybe the person will even ignite an argument that usually starts with “well the coupon says…..”

But it’s the archetypal old lady that got me to thinking. Coupons actually do have a purpose, after all. According to NCH “Coupon Facts,” each year on average, coupons that provide savings for consumer packaged goods generate nearly $3 billion in America alone. Self-consciousness aside, there is something to be said for the coupon, especially in this economic climate, but it’s important to understand, well, what the coupon says — to you.

So I came up with five things — five seems like a shopper’s number, either that or I’m lazy, or both. Okay so yeah, five things to look for or at least consider when integrating coupons into your purchasing experience.These are the top five coupon coups.

Not their/there type

Nothing vindicates a cynic by being proven right that coupons can often be used as a marketing tool for the old bait and switch. This became all too clear when I clipped a coupon for free Thomas the Tank Engine toys for my all-things-transportation-addict toddler son (he’s a good kid but he joneses for trains and buses, choppers and planes what’dya gonna do?). So I get to the store before the so-called sale is even scheduled to start and every Toys ‘R Us within 24 miles is conveniently out of the particular trains listed on the coupon. The rationale is that having made the trip, you’ll buy Bertie, Gordon, Mighty Mac or Harold anyway because you’re there. They didn’t get my dough though.

When it comes to coupons, read the fine print carefully, call ahead and/or perhaps hold out for storewide coupons rather than individual items. After all, a store coupon is not the same as a manufacturer's coupon, which is not the same as a brand coupon, which is not the same as special promotions coupon. Also I find that coupons for important services — auto, grooming etc. — actually work better and can be leveraged with more pen-point accuracy than products that could be purposely or coincidentally out of stock.

Necessity

The first thing to ponder is whether you need four Swiffers for $4 even if it seems like a good deal. If you’re gonna spend time actually clipping coupons, be meticulous. Cross reference them with your needs. Something along the order of a price log with your grocery or essentials list. Plus nothing is more confusing or infuriating than finding out you bought those four swiffers when you could have got eight frozen French Bread Pizzas for the same price. You might be on some: “My kitchen is clean as the dickens but damn I’m hungry.”

Stick to the Code

Coupon discounts themselves come and go and you could get caught doing the old-school thing with scissors when you can simply hunt for discount codes that either correspond with the paper coupons or offer even more savings.

Consider the source

If you’re brand conscious (read baptized by marketing, maniac colors and powers of suggestion — say it with me WySssse-Brrrr-eaaad) consider going directly to the website of the brand you want for a one-stop shop on items you’re looking for.

Wait it out

For the particularly anal retentive coupon craver, keep a record. Whether you like index cards, a binder, laminated compartments in a leather bound book or chaotic coupon wall paper like an obsessed money-saver with a beautiful mind, track your most common purchases.

Coupons have come a long way since C.W. Post tried to slang his cereal with little pieces of paper to draw consumers in but with so many ways to educate ourselves about our wants and needs, you can save time and money as well as develop a system. Once you’ve stacked enough mozzarella on your monetary pizza you can elevate your status from clipper to connoisseur.

So ummm Pizza. Now that you have something to think about, how ‘bout you pick a brotha up some French bread pizza at the store? I’ll hit you back next Tuesday. Come on, you know I’m good for it. It says right here on this blogger’s coupon, matter of fact, read this post again for and get two more for free.

This article is from Jabulani Leffall of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Make Grocery Budgeting A Game, The Price Is Right Style

Jason White — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:40:33 +0000

Growing up, I stayed with my grandparents during the day on summer breaks from school. Our mid-mornings were usually spent casually watching The Price is Right. This was back in the days when Bob Barker was still hosting the show, and the "guess the price of the car game" always started off with a "1" in the ten-thousands column. My, how times have changed! My favorite part of the show was the Showcase Showdown, where contestants would bid an amount "closest to the actual retail price without going over" on a host of prizes. Maybe those Showcase Showdowns ingrained something in my frugal memory bank, because my family now enjoys a grocery budgeting game with similar rules.

**Grocery Shopping: Price is Right Style**

Today when my family visits the grocery store I carry along a pen and a sheet of paper (usually just the back of our grocery list). I used to perform this exercise in my head, but as my brain has grown older and calculators have become cheaper, I now rely on technology for accuracy. This would be a good time to remind you that under my frugal shopping rules one should never enter a store without a list. Even a small mental list of just the few items you need will suffice in a crunch. Without being armed with a list there are just too many opportunities to pick up unnecessary items and blow your food budget .

Rules of the Game

With our food budget firmly established ahead of time and our list of weekly staples properly spelled out, we embark on our weekly grocery shopping journey. I usually follow along behind the wife and kids equipped with my paper, pen and calculator. As the kids toss boxes of Pop-Tarts into the shopping cart I write down the price (rounding up to the nearest $0.50) and keep a running total working down the sheet of paper. It isn't necessary to write the item description, but for example purposes I've included it below:

$1.50 Pop-Tarts: $1.50
$2.00 Mac and Cheese: $3.50
$2.50 Strawberries: $6.00
$9.00 Laundry Detergent: $15.00

You get the idea. The estimated item price is listed first, followed by a description, and then the running total. Again, it isn't necessary to list the item price and description on your list - we simply keep up with the running total column.

Now, Time to Calculate and Submit Your Bid

By rounding up to the nearest $0.50 we are intentionally inflating the cost of our goods a bit to prevent a budget overrun, much in the same way The Price is Right contestants undervalue the estimated price of their Showcase Showdown prizes to avoid over-estimating their packaged deal. When the shopping cart is full, or your list is complete, grab your calculator and multiply the final total by your tax rate to estimate sales tax owed. Add this amount to your running total for grocery purchases. If this amount is less than your food budget you've done well. If not, return to the aisles to look for cheaper alternatives, or move that steak dinner to next week's menu schedule.

This article is from Jason White of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

9 Ways to Snag a Bag (For Free!)

Linsey Knerl — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:25:34 +0000

Reusable shopping bags are growing in popularity, and while they are a super way to save on plastic, they can be pricey for those of us who lug home two full carts of groceries every other week. Here are the best ways to score free reusable shopping bags from your favorite retailers! (But hurry! Several end today.)

Home Depot – It’s not too late to get in on the free tote bags given away at participating Home Depot Stores nationwide. They are handing them out on Earth Day and until they are all gone. Call your local store to see if they have any left!

Earthbound Farm Organic – Put your thinking caps on, and take a quiz to see how well you know your conservation facts. If you score a 9 or better (easy to do if you check the site a bit), they will send you a free tote! Offer expires April 30th.

L.A. Neighborhood Grocers – Get in on this last opportunity to score a free bag from local grocers in the Los Angeles area. Participating stores are listed here, and it ends today!

H-E-B – This store chain will give you a coupon for a free reusable shopping bag when you drop at least 5 plastic bags into the recycling bin at participating stores. This offer is for today only, until 7 p.m.!

Wescoe Beach, Kansas – OK, so I’m not headed there anytime soon, but check out the cool promotion going on this Thursday and Friday at Wescoe Beach! Four companies got together and decided to hand out 755 free tote bags as part of an initiative to cut back on plastics. The best part? Bringing the bag to any of the four participating retailers entitles you to special discounts and promotions. See all the details HERE.

SoCal Honda Dealers – Car dealers are hoping to get your green business by offering free bags and even planting a tree in your name, from now until the end of April. All the details can be found at SoCalHonda.com and AutoBlogGreen.

An old t-shirt – That’s right. No Impact Man’s no-frills instructions for making your own tote bag from that Hard Rock Café shirt you’ve been saving since High School is relevant to anyone with a sewing machine or a simple whip stitch.

Garage Sales – It’s not uncommon to find all kinds of canvas totes and reusable shopping bags stuffed into the FREE bins or boxes at local yard sales. If you see some that are unmarked, offer to take them off of the seller’s hands for free when you purchase something else you need!

Local Food Events – We recently attended some local organic grower events, food fairs, and green events where the free reusable bags were flowing like honey. Check out local events coming up in your area, and don’t forget to bring a reusable bag to stash all those NEW reusable bags in for the trip home!

Any other ideas for free bags? Let us know. We love free stuff!

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

My groceries are killing me: easier ways to shop

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:07:45 +0000

I don't know about you, but I hate grocery shopping. I hate it even when I get to shop at fun places, like Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. It takes so much time, and I never know if I'm getting a good deal or not, because I'm not organized enough to write down prices. Also, I don't have enough hands to do it while I'm in the store. Lately, I've been investigating some different ways to shop. My requirements are that i still get to do some cooking, that I get to eat relatively fresh ingredients, that I can eat as healthily as I want, and that I don't have to spend very much more than I am now. Here are some grocery shopping alternatives that just might give you the break you need!

Playing The Grocery Game

Where: www.thegrocerygame.com

What: The basic gist of The Grocery Game is that busy shoppers can clip coupons from the Sunday paper, then pay $5 a month to have Teri find out when the best time is to use those coupons to get the best deals. If you buy from Teri's list for 12 weeks, you should have a stockpiled kitchen. Then, you can rebuy things as you use them or as their best price comes around again.

The good: People do save money doing this (Google "grocery game reviews" if you want more details). Many of them save quite a lot. You'll be able to be confident that you are getting the very best prices that you possibly can. In the end, you will save time as well because you'll know where things are in your grocery store and which things you're going after. Eventually, you may even get good enough at the game to play it yourself, without the website to help. Also, a 4-week trial is only $1, so you can jump in and try it.

The bad: The process is time-intensive for the first 12 weekswith all that coupon cutting. Also, you will need storage for all the food you're stockpiling, and you won't get to eat whatever you want until the stockpiling is complete (because you won't necessarily have purchased everything you need for a meal). Specialty items may or may not get listed, and there may not be stores available in some areas.

In the end: I don't think it's for me, at least, not yet. I like too many specialty items, and my main grocery store is not available on their website. It sounds like a good idea, and if I get desperate enough I may try it, but it doesn't seem like the best thing for me right now.

Dream Dinners

Where: www.dreamdinners.com (There are a good number of services like this, but this seems to be the main one in my area. If you want to find a different one in your area, look at the Wikipedia page for Dream Dinners.)

What: You go to their store at a certain time, choose which meals you want and how many servings of each, and assemble all the ingredients for the meal in a tin tray or a plastic bag. You pay based on which meal you selected and how many servings you got. Then, you take the meals home and freeze them until you're ready to eat them. They come with detailed cooking instructions, so you follow those and TA-DA!, impressive meal for family or friends.

The good: At between $2.75 and $3.33 a serving, the meals are definitely reasonable for what you get. You do all the prep work, so it feels like cooking, and you have a relatively healthy, tasty meal at the end of it. The company and people I know who have used it claim that you get quality ingredients for your money and that the meals keep for quite a while in the freezer. If you want to take a meal to someone who needs one or share with friends, the food is right there in your freezer, waiting to be prepared. Also, if you buy more than a certain amount each month, you get a discount.

The bad: You don't get any food to be eaten at other times, so shopping for breakfasts and lunches will still have to be done outside of you Dream Dinners time and money. You have to sign up for a session at the Dream Dinners store, and can be charged to reschedule. While I've read some complaints about how long some of the dinners take to prepare and the quality of ingredients, those seem few and far between (and the people I know who use the service have never made those complaints. Finally, Dream Dinners seems family-oriented so singles or even couples may find that it doesn't work as well for them.

In the end: This is tempting. I always have trouble pulling together meal plans, so the thought of having someone do it for me is awesome! However, the cost of these meals plus the cost of other food for other meals is more than I want to spend on groceries right now, so I'll see if there's another plan.

Getting Groceries Delivered

Where: Many places

What: You choose which items you want from the store's website, schedule a delivery time and place, and by online by credit card. The store delivers your groceries to your home for a (usually) small fee.

The good: You don't have to go to the store. You don't have to spend your time there, and you don't have to try to find out where everything is. You get the same items you would otherwise buy, and so you can eat as you're accustomed. You can also use any coupons, discount cards, etc., that you have for that store.

The bad: You have to pay a fee for the delivery. Usually, you can find coupons online, but that does vary some by store or delivery service. You don't get any special deals, and you still don't always know if you're getting a good deal or not (though you might come to find that out, over time, because you'll always be ordering from the same store).

In the end: This is the option I'm most likely to try. My favorite grocery store doesn't offer this, and that's still disappointing. The fees aren't too bad, though, given the fact that they are running around the store for you and driving the food to your house. People I know who do this love it!

Let me know if you've used any of these options and if they've worked for you, or if you have other ideas. I'd love to hear them!

This article is from Sarah Winfrey of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

grocery

Best Money Tips: Steps to Grocery Savings Without Double Coupons

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Limes Are Crazy Expensive Right Now: 16 Ways to Replace Them

1. Bottled Lime Juice

2. Preserved Lemons

3. Infused Vinegar

4. White Wine

5. Grapefruit

6. Black Lime

7. Rhubarb

8. Santol

9. Radish

10. Chili Salt

11. Soursop

12. Buttermilk

13. Sour Mix

14. Loquat

15. Lemongrass

16. Fruit Shrubs

Best Money Tips: Overpriced Grocery Items to Skip

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Best Money Tips: Tips for Grocery Shopping Online

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Best Money Tips: Easy Ways to Cut Your Food Bill

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Best Money Tips: Non-Traditional Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Best Money Tips: Slash Your Grocery Bill Without Clipping Coupons

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Best Money Tips: Don't Let Your Baby Blow Your Grocery Budget

Top 5 Articles

Other Essential Reading

Coupon Coups

Not their/there type

Necessity

Stick to the Code

Consider the source

Wait it out

Make Grocery Budgeting A Game, The Price Is Right Style

Grocery Shopping: Price is Right Style

Rules of the Game

Now, Time to Calculate and Submit Your Bid

9 Ways to Snag a Bag (For Free!)

My groceries are killing me: easier ways to shop

**Grocery Shopping: Price is Right Style**