Pages

Friday, May 8, 2009

Guest Blogger Betty Presents:

Betty’s Bargains!!! (Finally…)

I am sure that we are all glad that Wilma is back. Her adventures in Vegas with Bamm-Bamm have been exciting and entertaining. Given the title of this blog, I am sure that none of us were surprised a burger made it into the blog. But I am surprised there is little mention of gambling…..

But back to the blog business at hand: bargains.
In this segment, I hope you will learn how to shop on a budget, looks for deals, limit wasting food. In this first installment, I wanted to talk about what to do with produce that has been in your fridge for awhile.

One of the first things I do before I go to the grocery store (or "Market" as it is referred to in Philadelphia), farmer’s market, Reading Terminal, or etc, I make a list of what I need. This way I have a point of reference in which I can return when I get excited by the yummy foods in the aisle. With that being said, I always make sure to look at the weekly circulars if I am shopping at the grocery store. This helps you achieve two goals: one, you will get used to buying the majority of your food products on sale; two, you will learn price ranges and in turn you will know what is a good deal or not.

The next tip I would share with you is that make sure you have flexibility in your list. Whether you make a food list as time goes by or before a trip, make sure you save room for “fun” or something you forgot to write down. This way going grocery shopping does not become monotonous. Now don’t get too excited. This tip needs be used within reason. Remember, you do have a focus!

Lastly, create a weekly budget. It may take a couple of trips to the grocery to figure out what is reasonable. But your budget should include eating out and cooking at home. This should not include things like happy hours or eating at a nice restaurant. However, if you like to buy your lunch during the week, that would be a part of your budget. If you are single, you should be able to budget $200-250 a month for food. That breaks down to $50-62.50 a month.

Next time on Betty’s Bargains: Will Betty Break the Bank or Bank Some Bargains at a grocery store?

No comments:

Post a Comment