Life on $7 a Day

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Sorry I can beat this for our income could not be on $7 a day; less then $20 entire month after pay bills, one month we got very lucky at 4 cents for more then 2 weeks. There are 2 of us and I make sure she gets all the food first. No,we don't recieve any assistance for was told we make $1 too much. There is more month then money. Life is coupons and cheap sales. Refuse to by markdowns for could be bad or dog food (no label). Can't afford Sam's or Costco. I did buy a steak once for under $5 and made it last for entire week. Have not had meat in years.

claudine bartell of CO 4:46PM March 28, 2011

Buy food when it is on sale, not when you need it (except for dairy products and such...this idea is good for meats and non perishables). Invest in a food vacuum sealer and you will be amazed how much you can save. Freeze quantities in logical amounts. I feed a family of five, so a medium casserole will feed us with possible leftovers for lunch the next day. But for a smaller family, a medium casserole may get halfway eaten, then the rest chucked in the trash. The vacuum sealer will save you on the more expensive pre wrapped chicken breasts and fish fillets and such. Buy bulk then individually seal yourself. If you have the time, buy produce every other day, and make sure all of it has been consumed before buying more. This will hopefully force you to eat more fruits and veggies, and will also hopefully prevent the broccoli from rotting in the fridge again...

Sarah of CA 12:19PM January 16, 2011

IF you buy foods in bulk make sure they are going to be used before the expiration date. Another place to check is Amazon. They have many multiple bulk items that can be cheaper than Sams or Costo. If you sign up for the auto ship function ou can get an additional discount. For more ideas see our book at www.stopwastingmoneybook.com and our blog.

Carol of IN 3:21PM September 23, 2010

use coupons! many stores double coupons and let you use 2 on buy one get one free items. Be careful that you don't buy things you never use just because it's cheap, but it is a great way to try new things! We save over $100.00 dollars every other week!

Anne of GA 1:21PM June 19, 2010

Is it really all that good for you ? Probably not. chemicals, sugar, and fat. look around and see what we are becoming. If you want your coffee everyday, First buy organically grow beans ; brew it at night, refrigerate and add ice in the morning with organic half and half. Pay yourself in the kitchen and add it up at the end of the month. A small ice coffee is $2.04 with tax where I live; that spent times 30 is $61.20 a month. What does that mean to your wallet?

Laura of RI 11:02AM June 19, 2010

I've shopped at SAVALOT which is cheaper than Krogers or local markets.Big Lots is cheap. Meijers is Cheap generally Trader Joes is cheaper and you get easy to prepare food cheap.

Jon The Bon of MI 7:26AM June 19, 2010

WHAT MANY PEOPLE DO NOT REALIZE IS THAT MANY STORE BRANDS ARE MADE BY LIBBYS, DEL MONTE,ETC. SO DO YOUR RESEARCH AND BY FOR LESS

DONNA of TX 1:24AM June 19, 2010

I make it a point to read the ad papers that come in the mail each week. I like to shop the local stores. Often the same products are on sale during the same week-the price depends on what store you shop.

I plan out the shopping so that I'm not running here and there. I start from home and shop in an imaginary circle to include the stores I want to go to ending back at home, shopping complete.

Also I'm not brand loyal on most things-I read and compare the labels. Surprisingly, many times the store brand is comparable to the name brand at a lesser price.

In store coupons are great too!

De of CA 11:37AM April 08, 2010

Trader Joe's - as long as you shop carefully, everything in my title is there. Some frozen foods - say,fruit - trumps fresh, but no one store ever has it all. Get a sample at traderjoes.com/

Louise of IL 6:52PM April 05, 2010

For the longest time we held on to this old piece of junk refrigerator, because "it still worked". We finally bought one the end of last year, during a friends and family discount night at Sears, which saved us an additional 30% off the orignal price. Within a month we realized how much money we saved on fruits and veggies, because they didn't last very long in the old fridge. Now, we spend about 50% less on fruits and veggies, which for us is a large part of our grocery bill. Sometimes it pays to fork out a little more money for something to save in the long run.

Brie of AK 4:00PM April 05, 2010

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Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about making smarter financial decisions. She’s the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional's Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back.

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