Money saving meal tip ...

I assume your town puts out local grocery store ads each week? Look in the sale ads and write down what's on sale that you would normally buy. Now look in your cupboards, pantry, freezer, fridge, etc. and see what's on hand. Plan your meals based on what's on sale and what's on hand. Go shopping. If it's an especially great deal, stock up.

Most people know this already, but it still surprises me how often people break this simple money saving tip. They have a craving for a specific thing, so they buy it and do not care about the jacked up price because "it's only one thing, what does it matter?" Well, a lot of 'one things' add up quick, and so does the money you waste!!

I have certain high-end prices in my mind for various items that I normally buy that I will NOT go over. For instance, I know that I can get grapes on sale for 99 cents a pound, however right now they are about $1.99 - $2.99 a pound. Guess what? I have not eaten grapes in about two months because I will not spend more than .99 a pound for them. I have all sorts of prices in my head, and having this information is handy because I know right away when I see a really good deal. Using grapes again as an example, one time at Aldi they were on sale for .75 a pound. I bought 30 pounds or so. We ate what we could fresh and then froze them before they went bad. The frozen ones work well in smoothies.

Carrots go for .50 a pound at Aldi ... I will go without carrots until I can make it to Aldis because Wal Mart is the next cheapest and they sell it for about .75 a pound. No thanks. When I do make it to Aldi, I stock up on carrots and try to get as many as I'll need to last me till the next time I go.

Well, this could turn in to a long post, so I'll just stop now and assume you know what I'm talking about. Please do not waste your money!!