5/14/2018 Cheap Healthy Good - Frugal Recipes, Food Tips, No Mayo

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T UESDA Y , MA Y 1 3, 201 4

Comfort Foods: A Free, Printable Cookbook

from Grandparents.com. (Also ... Hi.)

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Why , hello there, ev ery body . Week Ca n Sa v e Hu n dr eds of
Dolla r s on Food
It's been about 1 00 y ears since I last posted here, and one (baby ) or two
(house) things hav e happened since then. The third thing is this: I'v e become
Food Editor at a website called Grandparents.com. (Our motto: All Fun, No
Labels
Doilies.) (I'm kidding.) (OR AM I?) 15 Minutes or Less A bou t Ch ea p
Hea lt h y Good Ask the Internet
Any way , we just put out a pretty sweet Br ea ds Breakfast Buy ing Food Ch i l i
cookbook called Comfort Foods: 24 Reader Cit y Kit ch en Ch r on icles Cooking
Recipes for Casseroles, Soups, Cakes, and Desserts and Snacks Di n i n g Ou t Dips
More. It's completely free, printable, and a n d Sa u ces Do-Goodin g Dri n ks Eg g s
contains a recipe for Candy Bar Blondies that Frugality Gr een Kit ch en Health
haunts my dreams at night. (In a good way .)
Best of all: You can send it to y our grandma, Links Li v eb l ogs Mains Meat and

or keep it all to y ourself for endless nibbling. Fish Organization Pa st a Reader

(We won't tell.) Com m en ts Sides Soups and Stocks

Vegan Vegetarian Veggie

It's also av ailable on Kindle for $0.99 v ia Might
Amazon. (Go here for that.)

Beh ol d!
Blog Archive
And that's it. In the meantime, how are y 'all?
The internet's changed a bit since 201 2, hasn't Blog Archive
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WEDNESDA Y , MA R CH 21 , 201 2
Food Blog Sea r ch

Roommate Living: Your Food, Kitchen, and Get Rich Slow ly

Sanity Hea lt h y Ea t s
Hillbilly Hou sew ife
This was first published in April 2010.
I Hea r t Ka le
Since freshman y ear of college, I’v e had approximately 1 5,000 roommates. Ka ly n 's Kit ch en
Some are still my best friends, fav orite people, and life partners. Others
Mon ey Sa v in g Mom
smoked crazy things too late at night. One remains the only unrelated adult
I’v e ev er y elled at. (Surprise! It was ov er the dishes.) Post Pu n k Kit ch en

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Ser iou s Ea t s
Whether y ou’re fresh out of univ ersity or shacking up with y our significant Sla sh food
other for the first time, liv ing with other people has multitudinous benefits. It
can sav e ev ery one inv olv ed a ton of cash. It can be a social opportunity , Sm a r t Spen din g
cultural experience, and culinary education. It can keep y ou from being plain Th e Kit ch n
lonely .
Th e Sim ple Dolla r

But if y ou’re not careful, it can also be a terrify ing Wise Br ea d

descent into a cohabitational hell, in which anger Wor ds t o Ea t By
and discomfort become facts of ev ery day life. Liv ing
with the dishes guy ? Was kind of like that.
Friends, Family, and
The center of roommate karma is inev itably the Other Sweet Blogs
kitchen. Maintain a zen-like equilibrium there, and Bor n Un der Pu n ch es (n ea t st u ff)
y our time together will be peaceful and harmonious.
Ch ief Fa m ily Officer (per son a l
Forget to buy paper towels for the third week in a
fin a n ce)
row, and y ou could find a sev ered goldfish head on
y our pillow. Com edy Ner ds (com edy )
Gr a pes a n d Gr a in s NYC (w in e)
That’s why it’s important to discuss food, money , and galley -related issues up
Hu dson Gr ow n (food)
front. It puts y ou on the same page, sets a precedent for the future, and
prev ents misunderstanding down the line. So, be open with y our wants and I'v e Pa id for Th is Tw ice A lr ea dy
needs. Ask plenty of questions. And remember the two most important things (per son a l fin a n ce)
about liv ing with any one new: Like Mer ch a n t Sh ips (bu dg et
decor )
Don’t be afraid to speak up. If y our roommate isn’t doing her dishes
and/or owes y ou money for oliv e oil, tell her. You can assert y ourself Lou Rea ds t h e In t er n et (w eb
and still be considered a nice person. com edy )
Don’t be a jerk. You’re sharing this room with others, and should No Ex pir a t ion (m u sic)
alway s take their feelings into consideration. Play nice, do y our part,
Th e La u g h in g Moon (jew elr y )
and don’t make fun of Bob’s v egan macaroni and cheese.

With those ideas in the back of y our head, the ensuing discussion should be Disclaimer
easy . For reference, here are a few good areas to touch on, along with a ton of
We a r e n ot ch efs, n u t r it ion ist s, or
pertinent questions.
per son a l fin a n ce pr ofession a ls, a n d
n ot h in g w e w r it e sh ou ld be
1) FOOD
in t er pr et ed a s ex per t a dv ice. A lso,
pla g ia r ism su cks. Don 't do it .
First and foremost, y ou and y our roommate(s) hav e to feed y ourselv es using
actual food. Broaching the edibles topic could set the tone for the rest of y our
talk, not to mention the rest of y our lease. Tread carefully , be thorough and
kind, and ask:

Will y ou share food? Will y ou share ev ery thing or just staples? Which
staples?
Will y ou share cooking responsibilities? How will y ou split the job?
When will y ou cook? Should y ou set up a schedule? What meals will
y ou eat at home?
Does any one hav e dietary restrictions, allergies, or ethical issues?
Will any food be off limits? (ex: If there’s a peanut allergy in the house,
it could be best to av oid ‘em altogether.)

2) EQUIPMENT

Once y ou hav e food, y ou need way s to serv e it. Your requirements could v ary
wildly , based on y our diet and/or affinity for cooking. Plan ahead, use this
checklist for guidance, and ask:

What kitchen equipment do y ou already own? Is it in good shape?

What do y ou need to buy ? Where should y ou buy it?
Do y ou hav e any doubles (ex: two toasters)? Do y ou need the extra? If
not, what can y ou do with it?
Who will keep new purchases (microwav e, blender, etc.) if/when y ou
mov e out?
Is there room to fit ev ery thing? (See: Storage.)

3) MONEY

Here comes the hard part. Bey ond rent, y ou’ll probably spend most of y our
apartment-apportioned cash on food and kitchen supplies. Splitting the bills
can be tricky , and pay ment itself ev en harder. Stay positiv e and ask:

How will pay for the food y ou buy jointly ? Will y ou split the bills or
alternate months?
How will y ou pay for the kitchen necessities (tin foil, dish soap, paper
towels, etc.)? What falls under that umbrella term?
Who will do the actual buy ing? Will y ou take turns?
Will y ou join a bulk store or CSA? What supermarkets, ethnic markets,
and farmer’s markets will y ou shop at?
How will y ou handle coupons, sales, or memberships?
How will y ou handle restaurants and take out? Does that go in the
budget?

4) STORAGE

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Pots, pans, silv erware, dishes, and appliances do more than look pretty : they
take up space. And when square feet are at a minimum, hav ing a storage
strategy is v ital. Consider y our cabinets and ask:

Where will y ou store the food? How about the dishes? And cleaning
equipment?
Will y ou split storage? Who gets which refrigerator shelf? What about
the pantry and freezer?
Do y ou hav e enough room for bulk purchases?
Is there a way y ou can easily add extra shelv es, cabinets, or pot racks?
Are y ou allowed to throw things out without permission, if it looks like
it went bad? (Note: This comes up more than y ou think. It’s like a
science experiment in there sometimes.)

5) CLEANING

Though dishes are 90% of the issue, cleaning goes deeper than washing y our
coffee cup. In ev ery kitchen, there are counters to wipe, floors to mop, and
microwav es to liberate of caked spaghetti sauce. If this is left to one person - or
worse, not done at all – things will v ery messy , both dirt-wise and
relationship-wise.

How quickly will y ou hav e y our dishes done? Will y ou split the
responsibility ? How?
How often will y ou light clean (counters, sweeping, etc.) the kitchen?
Who will take care of this?
How often will y ou deep clean (ov en, refrigerator, etc.) the kitchen?
Who will take care of this?
Who will take out the garbage? How will y ou handle recy cling?
Who will take care of repair issues as they come up? Are y ou handy ?
Will y ou be the point person for the landlord?
Who will keep track of and replace cleaning tools (Ly sol, sponges, etc.)?
Should y ou create a cleaning schedule?

If y ou address all of these questions up front and periodically rev isit them
through the course of y our cohabitation, y ou and y our roommates/lov ed ones
can enjoy a sparkling, relativ ely stress-free household. What’s more, y ou can
apply the concepts to almost ev ery shared room in the house, whether it’s the
den or the shed y ou use to make illegal moonshine.

Readers, what about y ou? Do y ou hav e any roommate rules to follow,

especially in the kitchen? How about horror stories? You know we lov es us
some o’ those guy s.

(Excellent letter photo from Passiv e Aggressiv e Notes.)

~~~

If y ou like this article, y ou might also elicit pleasant feelings from:

Frugal Storage Solutions for the Small Kitchen

If I Had Known Then: Food and Financial Adv ice for the College Bound
(Also, a Story )
Weekly Menu Planning for Singles, Couples, and Working People

9 com m en t s

WEDNESDA Y , MA R CH 1 4, 201 2

Learning to Love Foods You Hate: A How-to

Guide for Frugal Eaters
This article first appeared in April 2009.

Up until a few y ears ago, the list of foods I loathed was a long one. It included,
but wasn’t limited to: spaghetti squash, broccoli, asparagus, red cabbage,
ginger ale, cauliflower, radishes, lentils, beans, Brussels sprouts, fennel,
eggplant, anise, scallops, figs, and of course, the dreaded may onnaise. The list
goes on (and on), but y ou get the idea: growing up, I wasn’t exactly a daring
eater.

I still hate may o. I will ALWAYS hate may o. George Clooney could serv e me
may o wrapped in chocolate bacon on a gold-plated re-issue of Who’s Next, and
I would throw it back in his face. But my opinion’s changed on most of those
other foods. These day s, I’ll gladly scarf a floret of cauliflower. Brussels sprouts
hold a special place on my dinner table. And eggplant? Well, eggplant is my
fav orite thing ev er, aside from the panda song from Sifl and Olly. (In fact, y ou
could say I’m drunk on eggplant my stery .)

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Granted, part of it is just me aging. At 31 -y ears-old,

my palate’s matured a little, and my tastes now lean
more toward sav ory than sweet. The other part,
though, can be directly attributed to recent changes
in my lifesty le.

See, a few y ears ago, I resolv ed to learn to cook, to eat

healthier, and to better manage my money . As it
turned out, v egetables and legumes were v ital to
making this work, since they ’re exponentially cheaper than meat and much
more nutritious than most starches. So, I had to confront my fears. I had to
expand my produce repertoire bey ond corn, carrots, corn, and carrots.

These strategies helped. I learned to tolerate, and ev en lov e, a lot of foods I had
longstanding issues with. Try ‘em for y ourself, and please add y our own
suggestions to the comment section.

Make it unrecognizable.
Case study: Eggplant
Seedy , mushy , and horrifically purple, eggplant appealed to me about as
much as a drug-free colonoscopy . Then, in 1 997 , my friend H hid it in her
homemade tomato sauce. And … rev elation. Soon, I was on to eggplant dips,
eggplant pastas, and finally , plain ol’ broiled eggplant. The trick was getting
the image of the v egetable out of my head, and forcing me to associate it with
otherwise good food. I suspect it would work beautifully with any v egetable
that could be pureed or furtiv ely included in a sauce (butternut squash, bell
peppers, etc.).

Use it in a recipe with foods you love.

Case study: Brussels sprouts
As far as I was concerned, Brussels sprouts were tiny , bitter cabbages that
masochists ate when they ran out of bigger bitter cabbages. Little did I know
that slathering them in Parmesan would prov ide a delicious gateway into
healthier, simpler preparations. See also: Red Cabbage (ew) with Honey
(nice), Apples (y ay !), and Bacon (king of cured meats). It's actually quite
scrumptious.

Try it in an ethnic dish.

Case study: Broccoli
Broccoli: looks like trees, tastes like butt, right? Yeah,
I used to think like that, too. But in high school, Ma
ordered Chicken and Broccoli from our local Chinese
joint, Da How. Suddenly , it was broccoli: looks like
trees, tastes like HEAVEN (with garlic and brown
sauce). Sometimes, a food is more appealing when its
paired with flav ors y ou’re not necessarily accustomed
to. Like bean sprouts on top of Pad Thai. Or peas
stuffed in a samosa. Or tomatillo sauce spread across
an enchilada. Pick a cuisine and start experimenting.

Cook the best-reviewed recipe you can find

featuring that food.
Case study: Cauliflower
Most aggregate recipe sites like Epicurious, Food Network, and All Recipes
hav e sophisticated rating sy stems with which home cooks can ev aluate any
dish. If y ou’re feeling ambitious, plug an ingredient into one of their search
engines. Then, prep the recipe with the best ov erall rev iews. For example, Ina
Garten has a Cauliflower Gratin that’s receiv ed an av erage of fiv e stars from
1 32 people (which is outstanding). I’v e tried it my self, and without
exaggeration, it changed the way I felt about cauliflower. I just … I just didn’t
know it could taste that good. Now, stuff like Roasted Garlic Cauliflower and
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Honey are making regular appearances in my
mouth.

Understand you don’t have to eat it the way your Ma (or Pa) prepared
it.
Case study: Spaghetti Squash
Across the country , millions of Irish-Americans loathe v egetables because
growing up, produce was boiled bey ond recognition and then forced by threat
of death into their reluctant maws. But take heart, my freckled brethren! It
doesn’t hav e to be this way . Did y ou know carrots can be roasted? And
broccoli rabe, sauteed? And spaghetti squash, combined with red sauce,
mozzarella, and pine nuts to create something COMPLETELY DELICIOUS? It’s
true. So, lov e y our Gaelic Ma. Embrace her. Call her often. Just … try to
forget her cooking. It’ll make this whole process much easier.

Try a dish with a subtler incarnation of that food.

Case study: Tarragon
This one’s a little difficult to explain, so here’s an example: I despise anise.
Ev en thinking about its black licorice flav or makes my tongue curl. Recently
though, I discov ered a White Bean and Tarragon Soup that I quite like.
Tarragon, like fennel, possesses traits similar to anise, but it’s much, much
subtler. In the soup, it was complemented so well by the other ingredients, I
didn’t ev en taste the hate. May be I'll feel the same way about anise someday .
Think of this principle like salsa: y ou start out mild, and work y our way up to

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medium and hot v arieties.

Give it just one more shot.

Case study: Beans
For some inexplicable reason, I alway s assumed
I hated beans. As a kid, they looked funny to
me. And in my six-y ear-old brain, funny -
looking food = bad food. It wasn’t until I grew
up, sacked up, ate one and didn’t throw up,
that they became a regular part of my diet.
(Okay , hummus helped.)

If you truly hate it, let it go.

Case studies: scallops, figs, radishes, mayo
Scallops will nev er be my thing, no matter how fresh they are, how well
they ’v e been prepared, and how many times I try them. Figs, radishes,
may onnaise – still disgusting, as well. (Which, did I mention I hate
may onnaise? I did? Oh, good.) Sometimes, a certain food just won’t do it for
y ou. And it’s okay . Just mov e on to the next one.

And that’s it. Readers? Suggestions?

~~~

If y ou like this article, y ou might also dig

Picky , Picky : Frugal, Healthy Menu Ideas for a Fussy Crowd

1 0 Foods You Should Alway s Splurge On
Touch of Class: 1 0 Thrifty , Healthy Ingredients to Improv e the Quality
of Your Meals

(All images courtesy of NatalieDee.com. Go there now.)

2 0 com m en t s

MONDA Y , MA RCH 1 2, 201 2

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Egg, and Parmesan:

a Mutant Freak of Deliciousness
This post first appeared in April 2009.

Though I’m cooking more often now, creating my own recipes continues to
scare the liv ing day lights out of me. My self-spawned dishes tend to be three-
out-of-fiv e star affairs, meaning they ’re serv able, but won’t necessarily knock
y our socks off. See, I’m still mastering certain techniques (read: all of them),
and find pairing flav ors tougher than Adv anced Calculus. (Hey , if
mathematicians had to eat their results, they ’d hav e nev er picked up
calculators in the first place.)

So, when I inv ent something that actually works, it’s like … it’s like … hm …
how to express this without resorting to hy perbole?

Oh! I hav e it. It’s like riding a golden unicorn ov er a rainbow while world
peace breaks out in the background. Or U2 play ing an acoustic gig in my
liv ing room as I’m hand-fed chocolate-cov ered strawberries by Raoul Bov a. Or
taking a permanent v acation from my job, but with eternal sev erance pay
and health benefits. (Dare to dream.)

Okay , may be I’m exaggerating. But it is pretty cool. And today ’s recipe,
Spaghetti with Asparagus, Egg, and Parmesan, is one of those rare triumphs.

Tuesday night, I was in a spaghetti mood, but had a use-it-or-lose-it pound of

asparagus whiling away in the crisper drawer. With no funghi av ailable,
Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms was out of the question. So was Roasted
Asparagus with Poached Egg and Parmesan, since I really really really wanted
some pasta. But both recipes fused together? That could work.

And did it EVER. It’s my new fav orite comfort food. Creamy and cheesy and
asparagus-y , I can see my self eating this ov er and ov er again until my death
in 2097 . (Yes, I’m shooting for 1 20. Believ e in the stars!) And? AND? I would
say I could eat 1 4 bowls of the stuff, but a single serv ing filled me to the brim.

Of course, should y ou decide to giv e it a shot:

1 ) To cut the fat ev en further, omit ½ tablespoon oliv e oil and a little
parmesan.

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2) Don’t throw out the pasta water. Lov e it. Be liberal with it. It’s v ital to
ev ery thing.

And that’s it, folks. Hav e a lov ely weekend, and experiment if y ou get the
chance. Occasionally , it’s worth it.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Egg, and Parmesan

Serv es 3

8 oz thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon oliv e oil
1 pound medium-thin asparagus, rough ends snapped off, cut into 1 -inch
pieces
Cooking spray
3 eggs
½ tablespoon tap water
Kosher salt and freshly -ground black pepper
2 dashes cay enne pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan

1 ) Cook pasta ‘til al dente and drain, reserving ¾ cup of cooking water.

2) Heat oliv e oil in a large skillet ov er medium heat. Add asparagus and saute
for 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally . Add ¼ cooking water and cook for
another 3 or 4 minutes, until asparagus is crisp-tender.

3) In the meantime, spray a small nonstick pan with cooking spray . Crack
three eggs into it, and add ½ tablespoon tap water. Cov er and cook ov er low
heat for a few minutes, until the top of the y olks cloud, but are still soft and
runny . Remov e from heat.

4) When the asparagus is done cooking, add drained pasta to the pan, stirring
to reheat if necessary . Off heat, add the remaining ½ cup of cooking water,
cay enne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

5) Ladle pasta into bowls along with 1 tablespoon water/sauce from bottom of
pan (or more, if y ou like). Place egg on top and sprinkle with about 1 -1 /2
tablespoons parmesan cheese. Break egg, mix ev ery thing together, and enjoy .

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving

446 calories, 1 3.4 g fat, $1 .24

Calculations
8 oz thin spaghetti: 800 calories, 4 g fat, $0.33
1 tablespoon oliv e oil: 1 1 9 calories, 1 3.5 g fat, $0.1 2
1 pound medium-thin asparagus: 91 calories, 0.5 g fat, $1 .99
Cooking spray : negligible calories and fat, $0.03
3 eggs: 221 calories, 1 4.9 g fat, $0.55
½ tablespoon tap water: negligible calories and fat, $0.00
Kosher salt and freshly -ground black pepper: negligible calories and fat,
$0.02
2 dashes cay enne pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
¼ cup grated parmesan:1 08 calories, 7 .2 g fat, $0.68
TOTAL: 1 339 calories, 40.1 g fat, $3.7 3
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): 446 calories, 1 3.4 g fat, $1 .24

7 com m en t s

WEDNESDA Y , MA R CH 7 , 201 2

Couponing for People Who Hate Couponing: A

Zero-Stress Guide to Clipping Big Bargains
This post first ran in April, 2010.

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WARNING: If you know what a Catalina deal is and/or have actually employed
one, this may not be the post for you. If you occasionally slice your pinky open
while using adult scissors, this is definitely the post for you.

When y ou think of couponing, what’s the first thing that pops into y our head?
Is it GoGurt? Is it a planet-sized binder and nev er-ending stack of circulars? Is
it a crazy cat lady , forev er in search of the single slip of paper that will net
her 1 4 free packets of McCormick fajita seasoning?

It’s understandable. Long stereoty ped as the fav orite

pastime of bargain-happy grandmas and moms of 47 ,
clipping coupons gets a pretty bad rap. Many believ e it
gets y ou minimal deals on junky food. I didn’t touch
coupons for y ears, figuring the time it took to collect them
was disproportionate to the amount of money they sav ed.

Now I know better. While I still buy groceries primarily

based on the circular, I’v e come to realize that a simple,
no-frills approach to couponing nets good money for little
time inv estment. I don’t freak out, I don’t buy rainbow-colored faux food, and
I sav e a couple hundred bucks each y ear. Not too shabby .

If y ou’re considering coupons, but don’t know where to start, read on. These
simple explanations and stress-free strategies could kick off a lifetime of half-
price egg noodles. If y ou do nothing else, make sure to scroll down to the
GOLDEN RULE OF COUPONING, wherein I explain the practice’s most
important tenet as well as the origin of the univ erse.

(Also? Readers? What am I missing? I’m sure it’s a lot. The comment section
awaits.)

OBTAINING ‘EM

There are a few way s to collect coupons. Some are intuitiv e, others not so
much.

Newspapers. Since the beginning of time, the Sunday paper has come
equipped with bazillions of coupon-stuffed circulars. If y ou can’t swing a
subscription, bum them off friends and family after they ’re done reading.
This is how I amass most of my deals. (Thanks, Dad.)

Store circulars and magazines. Occasionally , coupons will appear in

publications within a supermarket or drugstore, probably by the door or the
cashier. Though y ou’v e already made y our plan, leaf through these, since
they can offer good last-minute deals or bargains for next time.

Store shelves. You know those little ticket dispensers that line supermarket
aisles? If they ’re located by a food y ou enjoy , grab one. Hey , y ou nev er know.

Mailings. If y ou really like a particular company , y ou

can frequently sign up online to receiv e coupon packets
through the mail.

Online. Online coupon deals can be tremendous, but

also a giant headache if y ou spend too much time
looking for them. So, be judicious in y our search.
Speaking of which, there are three basic way s to collect
and sav e.

1 . Go to aggregate sites like Coupons.com and Mambo Sprouts (organic).

2. Visit indiv idual company pages like Betty Crocker.
3. Cruise popular forums and consumer sites like A Full Cup and Coupon
Mom.

Be warned: y ou might hav e to sign up for the serv ice and/or install a special
printing program, but it can be worth it. Also, not ev ery store accepts print-
outs, and many supermarkets often restrict what y ou can and can’t use. Giv e
y our local chain a call before planning any big shopping trip.

ORGANIZING ‘EM

My coupons currently sit in a small stack on my clock radio, v aguely

organized by general category . Sometimes, I weed through them and pick out
the expired ones (which can then be donated to the military ). Your preferred
method may v ary , but other folks seem to enjoy :

Accordion folders
Binders
File boxes
Anarchy

They ’re all small, cute, unobtrusiv e, and cheap (except the last one). Store
‘em in y our desk or among y our cookbooks.

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CLIPPING AND USING ‘EM

It’s Sunday afternoon. You’re sitting down at the kitchen table, coffee at y our
side, clippers in hand. In front of y ou rests 20 coupon circulars, waiting
patiently for y ou to begin slicing and dicing. How in the good name of Bea
Arthur do y ou approach this? By following these simple rules:

Forget brand loyalty. You’re looking for products (ex: cheese), not brand
names (ex: Sargento). If y ou find a coupon for a brand y ou like (Tropicana!),
that’s fantastic, but the better toothpaste deals come when y ou let go of y our
Crest fixation.

Clip only for products you need or use. When y ou don’t eat y ogurt, own a
dog, or hav e dentures, getting bargains on Activ ia, Alpo, and Polident is
senseless. A good rule of thumb: if y ou hav e to think about clipping a
particular coupon for more than a few seconds, skip it.

Avoid clipping if you can find a comparable generic product. Ev en

with coupons, store brand foods are almost alway s cheaper. In most cases,
people can’t tell the difference in flav or or texture, either.

Don’t clip for junk. It’s undeniable: most coupons are for processed, insanely
ov er-packaged crap, and hoarding them will only lead to blown cash and
rampant unhealthiness. (*cough* Hot Pockets *cough*) Howev er, y ou should
alway s …

Be on the lookout for pantry staples. Yay ! These

diamonds in the aspartame-blanketed rough are more
common than y ou might believ e. Currently
(4/1 4/1 0), in my alarm clock stack, I hav e coupons for
bread, oliv e oil, sour cream, butter, soy milk, mustard,
dried beans, chocolate chips, cooking spray , corn
starch, baking powder, rice, pasta, and egg noodles.
Not to mention tin foil, gum, deodorant, and the all-
important Zy rtec (a brand we will not forgo).

Be on special lookout for personal products. Coupons are fantastic for

cosmetics and body care items (shampoo, toothpaste, etc.). If y ou like L’Oreal
ey eliner, and see a bargain, don’t hesitate. You could consistently sav e 50% or
more without much effort.

Take advantage of double and triple coupon days. Nev er in my life

hav e I seen a Double Coupon Day in a New York City supermarket. But I’m
assured they exist in many other wonderful parts of the country , as does the
rare and hallowed Triple Coupon Day . Check y our grocer’s website for dates.

Beware hoarding. Odds are y ou’ll nev er end up in a terrify ing A&E series,
but there is such a thing as going ov erboard on coupons. If y ou don’t hav e
sufficient storage OR the product will go bad before y ou use it, av oid buy ing
multiples.

THE GOLDEN RULE OF COUPONING

If y ou take nothing else away from this post, remembering this single rule
will still help y ou bank mad cash ev ery y ear:

Wait for sales to use your coupons.

Sales alone can sav e y ou money . Coupons alone can sav e y ou money . But
they ’re at their most powerful when combined. This may mean waiting a few
weeks after y our initial clippage, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Let me giv e y ou an example: I buy Del Monte diced canned tomatoes all the
time. They ’re usually $1 .89 at my local supermarket. (Not a ty po. I double
checked.) Two weeks ago, they went on sale for $1 .00 each. That’s a good deal
by itself.

Howev er, I also had a coupon for $1 .00 off four cans, meaning each dropped to
$0.7 5. What would hav e been a $7 .56 spending spree became a $3.00
bargain. I sav ed 60% off the usual price.

Sweet, right?

In order to obtain these most excellent deals, leaf through y our supermarket
circular (at its own website or Money Sav ing Mom) before going shopping.
Food companies generally offer circular and coupon deals around the same
time, so matching them will be easier than y ou think.

And that’s our ballgame. Readers, what adv ice would y ou giv e a beginning
couponer? What do y ou think of the words offered here? Did I get any thing
wrong? (Seriously , please tell me.)

~~~

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[(Photos courtesy of Hearts and Home (coupon book), Ency clomedia (coupon
dispenser), and Strom Products (egg noodles).]

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