Now that youve read part 1 of this article, lets continue! To help with family food budget concerns, clip coupons from newspapers, weekend inserts, and any place you can find them. Download coupons from the Internet to save money. Youll find great discounts at CoolSavings.com and CouponCart.com. RefundingMakesCents offers an affordable subscription to a neat print magazine for coupon deals, trades and lots more, with a secret code to their website for Internet coupon-codes for lots of online companies like Amazon.com (cookware) and Barnes and Noble (cookbooks). Use seasonal food selections for extra savings. Create menus and meals based upon whats on special for that week or month. Hint: stock up and store or freeze special-priced items and family favorites when possible. But dont over do it. With convenience stores and supermarkets for food shopping in practically every neighborhood anymore, there is no need to hoard. An old saying, Haste makes waste might apply if you see a great buy, purchase multiple items, then let them become outdated and have to toss them out. One fun way to save is by trading coupons and working out food deals with friends, family, neighbors, your church group and anyone else whod like to join in. Food cooperatives and farm markets available in your area may offer special pricing to groups or large purchases. So team up for better purchasing power and split everything up between group members. If youre not into that much organization, go one-on-one with a neighbor, other friend or relative. Buy a huge bag of potatoes, onions, oats, and / or other foods, then share. Here is one special item to note with regards to dietary planning. Its unfortunate, but fast foods, especially those that are high in fat content (fried, greasy foods), are often cheaper than good, healthy food choices. For example, lean beef costs more than high-fat beef; cereals high in nutritional value are often priced much higher than the low-cost, sugary brand names. And low income and homeless people are particularly victims of this situation, many times needing to turn to the less healthier food choices for survival. So whenever possible, your plans might want to include donating a portion to homeless shelters and churches who would probably be more than willing to take extras off your hands. |