A blogger and his wife recently took on a seemingly straightforward challenge: No eating out for a month. The experiment may sound simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. No lunches out at work, or even sandwiches from a deli. No fast food. No pizza deliveries. No food or drink from vending machines. Basically everything you consume …
grocery store
Supermarket Scene: Shopping Baskets (Not Carts) Filled with Cheap Store Brands
According to a recent survey, 93% of grocery store shoppers say their habits have changed due to the recession. For the most part, the changes involve people choosing cheaper brands for necessities like shampoo and cereal (often generic store-brand products). Many shoppers are also simply buying less period, and to force themselves to do …
Two Sides to the ‘New Normal’: Spending (and Earning) Less
Consumers didn’t come to their senses out of the blue, realizing all of a sudden that they’ve been wasting enormous sums of money on “mindless accumulation,” as a new book puts it. Instead, the Great Recession, with its destruction of investment portfolios, home values, and many people’s careers, has forced folks to come to an undeniable …
261 Bits of Advice for Saving Money, Avoiding Financial Problems, and Picking Liquor That’s Cheap But Not Cheap-Tasting
This humungous roundup includes healthy foods that cost under $1 a pound, retirement myths, websites for free TV viewing, most annoying things about grocery stores, stuff marketed to kids that kids simply don’t need, bargain booze picks from bar experts, and wedding dresses that you’ll wear more than once—and not only if you get …
Big Expansion for Grocery Outlet, a Favorite among Frugal Foodies in the West
The store’s nickname may be “Gross Out,” but fans swear by the chain for its great values and decent selection of fresh produce, meats, and dairy products. Like other discount supermarkets, the tradeoff at Grocery Outlet is cheaper prices but less selection—”like a blend of a dollar store and Trader Joe’s,” in one observer’s opinion.
Round-up: 82 Money Saving Tips
Strategies for saving at the supermarket and the warehouse membership store, for cutting expenses in retirement and returning items that aren’t up to snuff—and also for snooping on your spendthrift spouse.
Cut Your Grocery Bill Right Now
A little effort and planning can yield a bigger-than-expected payoff when you’re trying to trim your food budget.
A Rant Against Self Check-out at the Supermarket
“Now, instead of hiring real people, the stores are expecting me to do the work – and for no pay.”
Scams to Avoid, Stuff Not to Buy, and a Bunch of Ways to Save
The list of tips starts by doing nothing.
Boo Berry Is No Substitute for Franken Berry
To save money, create a more simplified shopping experience, and potentially even increase sales, Walgreens, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and other stores are whittling down the options on their shelves. It’s a move that most consumers appreciate, at least in theory: Now they only have to consider 187 varieties of shampoo, rather than 248. But if …
Getting Literally Nickeled and Dimed at the Grocery Store
Go reusable or pay up: The movement to charge shoppers for plastic bags at supermarkets, convenience stores, liquor stores, and anywhere else you’ve been asked “paper or plastic?” is gaining momentum.
Is the New Frugality Here to Stay?
In 2009, cutting back was cool. Whether thriftiness proves to be short-lived fad or an enduring trend remains to be seen.
