Coupon Clipping

Written Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 by April Boland

People laugh at me because I like coupons.  I have been accused of being a "Marketer's Dream," which is ironic because I work in Marketing.  The fact is, however, that if you are savvy, coupons can save you some money.  No, maybe not $50 a trip, but if you save even $5 a week, that adds up to $20 a month, or $240 a year.  Not sounding so silly anymore, is it?

Today I was grocery shopping and decided to look at the coupon rack.  Most of them were useless to me, but then something caught my eye: "Buy four Lean Cuisine meals and get 4 free items!"  I always buy at least four Lean Cuisines anyway, so this was a steal for me - I got free bottled water, yogurt, candy and salad, just for buying something I always buy.

You shouldn't let a coupon or sale steer you towards buying something you won't use "just because it's on sale," but if you keep an eye out, they should be able to help you with the important stuff!

Supermarket Shortcuts- From the Freezer Part 2

Written Sunday, July 27th, 2008 by Penny Hawkins

Here are some more of my favorite shortcuts from the freezer aisle of the supermarket:

Jimmy Dean Breakfast Scrambles- When you're in the mood for "breakfast supper" these are a super fast and easy meal. All you have to do is add fresh egg and in 10 minutes you're done! They come with the meat already in them, and I found there was plenty of it and it did not taste like rubber. We like the sausage best, but the bacon was also very good. I often make these for breakfast when we have had overnight company. With fresh fruit and toast, muffins or biscuits, they make an easy and satisfying breakfast.

Frozen Stir-Fry Veggies- Add your own beef or chicken and a bottle of teriyaki sauce or a package of stir-fry seasoning and you have dinner in about 15 minutes. Serve over Minute rice, or my new favorite, Ready Rice by Uncle Ben's that you microwave for 90 seconds.

Frozen Cakes, Pies and Cream Puffs- These are great for emergency desserts when you get last-minute company and have no time to bake. I love the Pepperidge Farm cakes because they taste fresh and they are just the right size (no too big, not too small). I am not a huge fan of bake-and-serve pies because most of them aren't as good as my homemade, but I do love the lemon meringue pies from Edwards (their pecan pies are also very good). Frozen cream puffs are also great because all you have to do is set them out to thaw on a serving plate an hour or so before dinner, drizzle some jarred fudge sauce over them and serve (for a really elegant look, scatter some fresh berries around them too). Yum!!

No Frills Grocery Shopping

Written Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by April Boland

Was anyone else a child of the 'No Frills' era? Perhaps they still sell these products today, but I haven't seen them. Sure, they have cheaper products at the supermarket with interesting brand names that no one has ever heard of, but I am talking about the days of the plain white box with the big black letters: NO FRILLS _____. My parents were working middle-class people on a budget, and I recall my mother taking me to the 'No Frills' section of the supermarket to pick out some of our groceries. (I used to get really excited when we bought a box of NO FRILLS BROWNIE MIX and made it at home together.)

Anyway, I bring this up because I was thinking about how people can possibly save money on groceries today. One of my best suggestions is to be open-minded enough to take a look at 'No Frills' products. They will likely have a different name, such as 'Hill Country Fare' or even the name of the supermarket you're shopping at. While some of these items are of lower quality than the name brands, many of them actually work quite well. For example, there is nothing wrong with buying 'No Frills' plastic wrap, cake mix or seasonings. Such items are generally similar across the board.

You won't always get it right, and sometimes you will wind up with a 'No Frills' item you wouldn't want to buy again. More often than not, however, you will have saved some money and your dinner guests or picky eaters won't even notice.

Supermarket Shortcuts- 1. Salads and Slaws

Written Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by Penny Hawkins

I thought I would do a series of posts about some of my favorite Supermarket Shortcuts. These are not necessarily items that you have to keep on-hand all the time, but they will bail you out of a jam when you need to put a meal together on-the-fly and you have no clue what to make! Instead of heading for the nearest drive-thru, try some of the ideas from this list. You may be surprised at the money you save, and you can feel good about serving your family a meal that was prepared at home. Keep a copy of this list in your purse or in your car so it’s handy when you need it. If your life is like mine, those dinner emergencies always seem to pop up when I am in the car or in the store and nowhere near my cookbooks!

Salads and Slaws- When you don’t have time to make your own from scratch, deli potato or macaroni salads and slaws are a big help. For a more homemade taste, you can “doctor� them up with some sour cream, horseradish, diced onion, fresh herbs, etc. and nobody will be the wiser! Served alongside burgers or hot dogs, they make another easy meal.