You might be surprised to know that there was a time when we had to send our kids off to their grandparent’s due to lack of food and money.  It was hard and I never want to revisit that time again but it did teach me something.  It taught me to stock up on the most important & most eaten things and everything else comes after.  It also taught me that you don’t have to go without flavor just because you’re rationing or because you are trying to be frugal.

I’ve compiled a list of tips to help you cut costs on your grocery bill, stock up and still be able to add some flavor to the menu!

Pantry items to have on hand for flavor!  I buy a lot of this at Sam’s Club in bulk and supersized to save money.  Just be cautious and make sure you’re getting a good deal.

• Ground Pepper  (MUCH cheaper at Sam’s than at the grocery store.)
• Garlic Powder
• Ground Cinnamon
• Chili Powder
• Sugar
• Minced Garlic in a jar.  I know, I know..fresh is the best but this lasts longer and has just as much flavor!
• Oil (Olive & Canola)
• Onions (They last a long time and they are inexpensive)

Tips to help you cut the costs on your grocery bill.

• *Cut the beef out. Fortunately, our beef is supplied as part of our income here on the ranch so we don’t have that expense, but if you want to save some money, buy chicken or even go meatless.  Eat more rice, beans, and pastas.  They are more filling anyhow and and easy on the pocketbook even in their super-size, which I recommend.
• *Buy big and in bulk. Like I mentioned above, a regular size can of pepper runs me around $3.50.  At Sam’s Club, I pay $4.00 for almost 3 times the amount!!!  HUGE savings.  This applies to so many things.  Cereal, milk (I freeze gallons of milk all the time), eggs, rice, and pasta.  I know those Quaker Oats Instant packets are handy but try buying a big container of oatmeal and add your own flavors, using fresh or frozen fruit.  It’s just as easy and you can make as little or as much oatmeal for more than half the cost as buying one of those box of packets!
• MAKE A LIST! Something that has reduced my grocery bill is my handy dandy notebook Smartshopper.  Yes you can use a notebook, and that is perfectly fine but I have to say, I LOVE my Smartshopper.  When I need something, I just record it in and print it out.  Having  a list reduces the chances of you buying items you don’t need or not sure if you’re out of or not.  This  can be a huge money saver.  I find that most people lose their list or forget to write it down because you don’t have a pen or paper handy but with the smartshopper, I walk over immediately and add it to the list.

Finally, COUPONS!!! I can’t say it enough people.  Even if you only have a coupon for $.55 off, it adds up over the month/year and can reduce your grocery bills by quite a bit.  I always check out Alyssa for updates on the upcoming inserts in your Sunday paper.  She knows the scoop ahead of the time and can help you determine if it’s worth getting a paper at all or getting 3 or 4!  You can always print coupons, just be sure to check back regularly because they are always adding new ones.

Check out womansday.com for more ideas on cutting costs and recipes to help you save money by not buying premade!

Something I have decided to implement this New Year is a more frugal way of living. And in my journey to become frugal, I plan to share my tips that I’ve learned and try,  on to you!

I think with the economy like it is right now, it would be in ALL of our best interest to find ways to save money. With that said……..

Coupons and Comparisons

• 1.  Use Coupons! A big ol’ duh but you really should!  I have even added a cool widget to my sidebar and each post so that you can print right from there!  SO COOL and I’ve printed a whopping 12 today!
• 2.  Watch for rebates or freebies with minimum store purchases.  Two great places to find out more about this stuff are Deal Seeking Mom & Kingdom First Mom, two friends of mine who know how to SAVE YOU MONEY!
• 3.  Check your newspapers and flyers for additional coupons.
• 4.  Only use coupons for items you would buy anyway!!  Just because there’s a coupon for it, doesn’t mean you should buy it.
• 6.  Stock up on sale products when you can.
• 7.  Be on the lookout for unadvertised specials and trust me, they are there!
• 8.  Get a rain check if the sale item is out of stock.  I’m sure you think of this when buying a product like a stereo or something but you should apply it towards grocery items as well!
• 9.  Buy the smallest size/quantity that the coupon allows.
• 10.  Check comparable brands to be sure you are getting a bargain.
• 11.  Want to try a new product? Search for a coupon first.  There are endless coupons and no sense in paying full price if you aren’t sure about it.
• 12.  Match store sales/coupons with manufacturer’s coupons for the same item.  Walmart is awesome at matching sale ads!!!

Shopping Tips

• * Don’t shop hungry obviously. There have been studies showing you’ll spend 17% more on your groceries.
• * Don’t shop on paydays or just before the holidays.
• *Shop for items before you run out of them.  Waiting until you run out means you’ll end up having to pay whatever the store is charging at the moment.
• * Study the sales and how they run.   Know when to expect certain items to go on sale like condiments in early summer and baking supplies just before Christmas.
• * Buy foods in season. They’ll be top quality and likely less expensive than imported foods.
• * Do one bulk  trip a month for staples. I’m a monthly shopper, always have been and I truly believe in this.
• * Frequent trips will be necessary if you shop for “soon-to- expire” items. Don’t buy on impulse.

In the Store

• Shop alone!!!  DON’T take the kids or even your spouse!..LOL  They will be a huge distraction and will either A) throw things in the basket that you don’t need B) break your concentration C) throw tantrums and embarrass you.
• Become a regular to the bakery, meat and produce departments.  Get to know the staff and you’ll get dibs on recently marked down groceries that are “day old”.
• Use a cash back credit card to gain cash back from your purchases.  JUST REMEMBER TO DEDUCT the amount from your budget!
• Be sure to check out both top and bottom shelves.  More expensive products will be at eye level.  It’s a fact.

Extras

• **USE reuseable shopping bags.  I recently seen the ones my mom uses that are from Sam’s and they are awesome! Not only that, she can actually carry those things FULL and without the strain on the arms.
• **Clean your fridge before you go shopping.  It will make it so much easier to put things away!
• **Put away frozen then refrigerated…..freeze bulk items in smaller meal packages.  We buy huge packs of ground beef and split it up into smaller portions.  You can do this with so many items and a vacuum sealer becomes VERY handy so I recommend you get one.
• **Watch the scanner for errors!  This does happen so keep your eyes wide open during checkout.
• **Keep a list!  I’m in LOVE with my SmartShopper Grocery List Organizer but regular pen and paper works well too.  If you are interested in the list organizer, I did a review of it.
• **Keep a price record.  Say Walmart has Tide at $6.99 for so many ounces and Albertson’s has it at regular price for $7.99.  You might have a coupon for $1.00 off…by having the record, you would know that even though it’s at Albertson’s for a dollar more than Walmart, you would also know that Albertson’s doubles coupons making it $5.99!    Cool huh:)

I love gadgets, I really love gadgets that reduce my time in the grocery store so when I had the chance to review the SmartShopper (something I’ve wanted for a long time now), I jumped on it!

First thing I noticed was the simplicity of this clever machine.  Nice clear buttons make easy for reading and understanding it.

It takes 4 double A batteries and comes with 3 rolls of printing paper and mounting hardware if you want it somewhere other than your refrigerator.  Otherwise, it’s magnetic and sticks to the frig perfectly!

To see this in action, watch the video but in a nutshell, this is how it works:

Simply hit record and say your item.  The machine finds the closes 3 matches and allows you to choose which one you want to select.  Using your arrow keys, highlight your choice and click select and it’s added!  If you have a coupon, you can also tell it that so that you’ll have a little icon reminding you that you have a coupon for that item.

There were several items that I said that it didn’t recognize like bread.  Not sure if it’s my voice since I’m still sick or what but would love to see more items added to it.  Of course, you can program your own items into the machine so that’s a great feature.

Overall, this is a very cool gadget and the separation of food groups when printed out is what rocks my boat!

SEE IT

Update: Giveaway is over.

Have you seen the Mario Batali Lunchbags line? OMG, they are THE most stylish, functional lunch bags ever! I recently received the Mario Batali Lunch Bag (The Crew Tote) in this expresso color and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!  Not only is it THE most stylish lunch bag I’ve had, it’s also the most functional one. Some quick features about this one that you’re gonna love.

• * Two compartments – insulated and non insulated
• * Insulated lining has an insulated lining and keeps food and drinks warm or cool.
• * Easy to wipe lining
• * Back sleeve slides over rolling luggage handle for easy travel
• * Top compartment is non-insulated and secures all carry on items

So I tested this out first when I sent my little man to his wello’s house for a stay.  I was able to pack his pajamas, diapers, baby wipes, toys in the top compartment and his milk, bananas, jello, and other snacks in the bottom insulated part.  It was AWESOME!  I looked cool to…..heehee.

Everyone is trying to save money, become more healthy and more eco-friendly these days & these lunch bags are a simple way to help you go forward on that path.  You can not only save yourself the dough from eating non-stop at fastfood but you can also give yourself more healthier options by choosing healthy foods from your grocery store and packing those in our lunch bag.  And how is eco-friendly?  Well heeeellllloooo, you are reusing your bag of course and you are bringing your own food in hopefully reuseable storage containers.

I give these bags 2 thumbs….4 if I had the extra ones and I think you will love them too.  So with all that said, I’ve got a nice surprise for you! Today, I’ve got a chance for 3 winners today to receive a Mario Batali Lunch bag but the 1st place winner will also get more goodies!  Here’s how it will go down:

1st place will get the following:
We will add to the book and the lunch bag for your first prize winner, the items in the attached – a Mario Batali salt cellar for storage of salt, pinch bowls, a measuring bowl set and 2 MB silicone pot holders.  This is a fabulous package that anyone would love so remember you can enter to win and keep for yourself or give it away as a gift!!  I’m so jealous of the winner here!

2nd place winner will get to choose one bag from the following bags in my cool little widget below!!  So many great lunch bags for men and women!  There are several styles in several colors and no matter which one you pick, you’re going to turn heads and be the “cool” one!

3rd place winner will get to choose one bag from these..including one that is in floral not shown!

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HOW TO WIN PEOPLE

Simply leave a comment on this post telling me your creative ideas for meals to pack in your lunch bag. This earns you 1 entry and can be done daily as long as you have a different lunch bag meal idea each time….and I will check;)

Additional ways to enter. Each extra entry must be in a separate comment please.

• **Twitter the giveaway and include @ACowboysWife in your tweet please. If you can fit it, include the hashtag #lunchbags (1 entry) can be done per day.

• **Blogging about the giveaway, including a link back to this post or my homepage. (10 entries)

This giveaway ends on Dec. 14th at midnight CST. Please know that the winners will need to claim their prize within 48hrs. If not claimed, prize is forfeited and a new winner will be drawn..FIRM. Please allow up to 2 weeks for delivery.

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