Search Results for: blog saving money with meal planning

Saving Money on Your Next Vacation—Book Early

Timing is everything in life and that goes double when you are planning a vacation. I try to provide as many cost-saving travel tips as possible in this blog and regular readers know that high on the list of advice is to book early. Doing so almost always guarantees cheaper seats—whether by sea, air or land. To prove my point I found a great deal to the Greek Islands that allows you to skip the crowds and the sky-high prices. The catch: Book now travel later. The bargains are good now but you won’t be taking your trip until the … Continue reading →

Saving Money With Cookbooks

Cookbooks are a handy accessory in the kitchen, and they can make meal planning a much more pleasant experience. In addition, nobody in the family will get tired of eating the same old thing day after day. But how can cookbooks really save you money in the long run? Here are a few ideas. First of all, limit the number of cookbooks you purchase. It is ridiculous to own 10 different cookbooks if there is only one or two recipes in each cookbook that you actually use. Unless the cookbooks were hand me downs, there isn’t a cookbook worth its … Continue reading →

Spend More on Groceries to Save Money

A lot of us frugally-minded people can become obsessed with saving money, especially when it comes to buying groceries. Sometimes spending a little more money on groceries can actually save money. This came up a bit yesterday, when we went with some friends to a specialty shop in Lancaster, Pa. While we were shopping, I was obsessively checking prices and calculating unit prices on everything. My friend, who is a very good steward of her family’s money said that she doesn’t really check the prices, she just gets what they like or need. That is when the old mirror got … Continue reading →

Even More Ways to Save Money on Vacation

For the past few days I have been providing tips on how to save money while on a family vacation. Bottom line: It all comes down to planning. By anticipating certain scenarios you can successfully prepare in advance so your wallet doesn’t take such a major hit. MEALS Next to transportation and lodging, food is what families spend the most money on while on vacation. Think about it; the cost for a family of five to eat three meals a day at a restaurant during a 7-day trip can set you back hundreds of dollars. To soften the blow to … Continue reading →

Ways to Save Money on Vacation

Settling on a vacation spot everyone in the family can agree upon is only half the battle. Once you know where you are going there is the challenge of budgeting for transportation, meals, souvenirs and other incidentals. The following tips are ones I have compiled from my own family’s cross-country adventures. Some may seem a bit obvious, but the fact is they are effective and have served us well over the years. Hopefully they can do the same for your family as well. COUPON BOOKS. Never underestimate the power of a coupon. I used to completely ignore those kiosks loaded … Continue reading →

How I Saved Money By Meal Planning

As I mentioned in the previous article, I have spent the greater part of this year utilizing meal planning to help stay more organized and save some extra cash. I was able to show you yesterday, that I did indeed begin saving money after practicing meal planning. And here is how I did it each month, what it included and my own brief review of each month. Month 1: $543 (average out to about $18/day in food) This was when I realized we obviously had a huge problem with food spending. I knew we had a large family, but there … Continue reading →

Four Great Food Tips To Save Money

As I know I have mentioned before, saving money in the kitchen is almost a hobby of mine. I absolutely adore cooking and therefor, spend a great amount of time assuring that I am doing it for the least amount possible. Here are five great tips for food: Bacon: Do you ever purchase bacon on sale, stock up, pop it in the freezer and then forget about it? Obviously it takes a bit to thaw so if you want bacon for breakfast you’ve got a long wait. When you bring the bacon home, spend a little bit of time cooking … Continue reading →

A Meal Plan Review

This year I practiced meal planning on a pretty much regular basis. I even kept a notebook full of my meal plans and how much I spent approximately per meal. The reason I did this is that I wanted to see if it really would save a great deal of money for me to practice meal planning or if it was just an organizational method that people were using and trying to pass off as a money saving opportunity. For the first three months before I began the actual meal planning, I had been keeping track of how much money … Continue reading →

Year End Savings in January

Many people think once the year is over, and December is gone that the sales and savings stop. This is simply not true. Most stores are in a massive inventory reduction mode to get rid of all the old product. This is not exclusive to discount chains. Most stores in the mall, and retail chains are also getting rid of their 2007 merchandise. The New Year brings new orders, new inventory and a major store clearance event. It doesn’t take much to find them either. Often you will see a huge red or yellow banner hanging on the outside of … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Save Money on Holiday Parties

With the first of November comes the party planning craze. Festivities, food and fun are part of the wonderful holiday season. It is easy to through the budget out of the window at this time of year, especially when it comes to hosting a grand party. And even if you are the guest, you’ll want to arrive in style. The holiday season has a tendency inspire overspending and waste. But, let me share five strategies and tips that will help you avoid that waste and save money, all while maintaining the festivities and style. 1) Walk or carpool to the … Continue reading →