The supermarket is designed to get you to spend more than you need. Product location, packaging, quantities, and promotions are all part of the game. And if you aren’t aware that supermarket marketers are even playing a game, then you’re the easiest mark.
food
Survey: Restaurant Dessert Prices Up, App Prices Down, Oklahoma Has Cheapest Beer
A survey of national restaurant chains in 21 U.S. markets reveals that menu prices have gone up, by and large, though they haven’t risen as sharply as they have in the past.
Who Is Truly the Coupon Queen?
Several women have been anointed with the title of Coupon Queen. But whose coupon-clipping, money-saving skills are so impressive that we should bow in awe of their majesty?
Shout-Out: Len Penzo’s ‘Store-Brand vs. National-Brand Blind Taste-Test Experiment’
Personal finance blogger Len Penzo brought together a panel of very opinionated people—11 members of his family—to compare national brands of cookies, kielbasa, tortilla chips, and other foods with the equivalent products sold under the store brand of his local Albertsons supermarket. The blind taste-testers included Aunt Doris (how …
Does this Recession Make Me Look Fat?
In light of the economic downturn, consumers have been scaling back—on food that’s actually good for them. Sales of potato chips and other quick-payoff snacks are way up, and even though people are cooking at home rather than dining out to save money, what they’re preparing in the kitchen is more likely than ever to involve a microwave oven.
Ten Signs that the Economy Is Still in Awful Shape
News is out: The economy grew in the third quarter. But don’t start the celebratory parade just yet.
It’s a Deal: Free Black Jack Taco on Halloween
Taco Bell is giving out free Black Jack Tacos between 6 p.m. and midnight on Halloween. As the promotion says, it’s their treat. More details here.
Hey Joel Stein, Where Are My Trojkas?
Time columnist Joel Stein asked The Cheapskate Blog for tips on living cheaply for a week—and then fell victim to a classic blunder, right up there with being suckered into buying stuff online because of a free shipping promotion and getting involved in a land war in Asia.
Kicked Out of the Co-op
Food co-ops help you eat healthy, eat well, and eat inexpensively. One couple credits their local co-op, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, for making it possible to bring their weekly grocery bill down to a mere $15 per person.
It’s a Deal: Free Chicken at KFC on Monday, October 26
Stop by a KFC on Monday, October 26, for a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken. The promotion, curiously enough, has something to do with the United Nations. More details here.
Cheap Alternatives to Pricey Kitchen Gadgets
That $150 panini press looks really cool. But guess what? A $15 George Foreman grill will do the job just as well.
20 Money-Saving iPhone Apps
Cheapskate? There’s an app for that. Lots and lots of them, actually. There are iPhone apps that will plot a busy day of hitting yard sales, produce coupons for instant discounts at supermarkets, shops, and restaurants, do price comparisons and summon product reviews while you’re mulling the options inside a store, and even help you trim …