40 Cents a Day

This post is dedicated to Nadine in Lyon, France, who opened my eyes to healthy, simple snacks when her 9-year-old walked into her living room after school one day, asking for a snack while we visited. She told him he could have a piece of cheese, a yogurt, or an apple. Pre-made snack foods are expensive,…

Most people will compare the price per pound of meat. We’ll eat chicken instead of beef because it costs less. We’ll compare the price for meat on sale. In my family, we eat a lot more turkey and ham bought on sale during the holidays because these are the lowest priced meats per pound. I…

I’ve had several emails lately asking me about potatoes. Readers have written in to say that they are not seeing potatoes for .10 a pound; they are seeing them for .40 -.50 a pound, and they are wondering how I get them for so little. The answer is simple: I buy them for that price in season….

Gleaning is the ancient way of providing for the poor. After the workers had picked the fields, the poor could go in and pick after them. The workers were also to let anything that fell stay where it fell, which the poor could then pick up. How do you glean today? Look and Ask: Look…

If you have a garden space, are you using it to the best advantage possible? I have a .24 acre lot. Most of my garden is behind the house. In that space, up until January of this year, I had 35 fruit trees, most of which are semi-dwarf varieties, and 40% of which are espaliered…

It’s July now, which means back to school sales are starting on school supplies in the United States. While most people know that they have a once a year shot to get the best prices on school supplies and now is the time to stock up on those items, what many of us aren’t willing…

  Cooking from scratch, rather than using a box mix or pre-prepared ingredients is an obvious money saver. Taking it one extra step further by making the ingredients for those meals shaves a considerable amount from the grocery bill. What can you make at home that will save you money (and also taste better) in the…

Buying in bulk saves me a lot of money. On most items, it saves me more than I can save on an item with coupons–plus I end up with a whole lot more of it. It’s one of the fastest and least expensive ways to build your pantry. There are lots of ways to buy…

1. Eat more meatless meals “But my husband won’t eat meatless meals!” you say. If he isn’t bringing home the bacon, you can’t cook it. I know that sounds harsh, and it isn’t meant to be. I’ve talked with a lot of women who say that they drastically have to cut their food budget, and…

During 2011 and 2012, I needed to keep our grocery budget down to $100 a month for our family of eight (which became nine in 2012). Some months I had nothing at all to spend, some months I only had $10 to spend, and other months I could spend $200, but when averaged throughout the…