Everyone knows I am a frugal hack. If it can be done cheaper, I want to know how to do it myself. So obviously, you know I'd enjoy reading Cut You Grocery Bill In Half.
This book was full of tips and suggestions to find strategic ways to cut costs in your home. No matter what your family size, or how you shop, there were savvy ideas and information for every income.
From ways to store food, to cheaper shopping without coupons, to food storage and meal planning, the Economides showed how it worked for them, and how it can work for you.
I really found this book to be helpful. Although most of it was common sense, I can see lots of tips that can help novice frugals find their place and cut their costs. Alot of it....ok, most of it, I already knew, but it is nice to have a helpful guide to turn to for quick ideas. And the meals for pennies recipes at the end was a nice bonus.
This is a good book for families who want to save their hard earned money, but don't know where to start. Even if you only apply a little of the advice, Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half will help you save $$$. And those few dollars will add up!
(This book was provided for me to review by Thomas Nelson Publishers.) Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family: Includes So Many Innovative Strategies You Won't Have to Cut Coupons
The title alone does a great job of explaining the purpose of this particular book. The Economide family of 7 shares tips they have learned and perfected over the past 25 years as they have earned the right to be named as "America's Cheapest Family." Filled with tips for every level of bargain shopper, from beginning to expert, every family can benefit in some way from this book. This family has perfected their technique to the point that they only shop once a month,so they demonstrate how to save money by planning ahead and going to the store less often. Start by going weekly, then every couple of weeks, gradually taking control of impulse spending and buying whatever is placed in front of you.
What Dave Ramsey does for finances, Steve and Annette Economides do for the grocery bill. By removing common excuses of too little time, not knowing how to cook, bad location with few store choices, or the lack of coupons and sales ads, they encourage their readers to take charge of their grocery purchasing experience, once and for all. Sharing a keen awareness on how stores market to each consumer, the reader will better understand how to form a plan and shopping timetable that works specifically for them. This book will show how to shop on your own terms, rather than on theirs. Know prices, so that you can recognize a great deal when you find one. Ask questions. Understand the system, so you can use it to your benefit.
My personal favorite tips were how to take advantage of the "price match" guarantee for superstores, such as Wal-mart and Target, the use of rain checks to capture a great deal even when a targeted item is sold out, and on how to save money when you do choose to dine out. With minimal effort, each reader should be able to make an immediate dent in their grocery budget, freeing that money to be better used elsewhere.
I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
There is some good advice in this book, like grocery shop with a list or to take an inventory of what you already have on hand before you shop for example, but neither of these tips are something anyone doesn't already know they should be doing (not necessarily doing, but should be doing). Other advice in the book goes too far with recommendations like buying enough milk to last a month and freezing it. I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer my milk and coffee creamer to be fresh; this isn't a viable solution. I can come up with my own nonsensical advice without the help of a $10 book.
There was probably 5% of this book I found useful, meaning it wasn't reiterated nomenclature for the masses and frankly I feel the masses are by far smarter than this. Most of this information we already know, like I already said, or can be found on the internet. My advice, save the $10 you would have spent on this book and look up the same information on the internet for free.
This is yet another great book by Steve and Annette Economides! I couldn't put it down once I got it. Basically it's a book that seems to have "springboarded" from a chapter in their last book. The buying groceries chapter in the last book was good but left the reader wanting more advice and tips. This book definitely fits that bill! I have been a frugal person for at least 16 years, so I did already know a lot of what was in the book. But there was still enough info to make it worth the read. Lots! I love how the tips for saving money were very specific to each item. You could tailor much of their advice to fit your needs. The best part is you won't feel deprived and you'll save money and time --and use both of them for what's really important!
As for the stuff in the book that I already knew - well it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my frugal quest! Normally I wait until the library gets a book and then I order it - but after I scanned it at the bookstore - I knew it was a keeper! I also had a B&N coupon, had a membership (I homeschool and buy books from them) discount. Not convinced yet? There's also a rebate for $3.50 that you can send in for.. Get and nost important --USE IT!
I have always used coupons and shopped sales so I was anxious to learn new stategies to help save even more $$. I was disappointed because the advice in this book is basically "shop sales and use coupons". I agree with the reviewer who said the numbers do not add up. The prices they quote - both regular and sale prices - are far below what things sell for in my community. Only one store in my town doubles coupons and it is the store where regular items are already the highest priced in town. So even with a doubled coupon, there is no way I can get products for pennies as they describe. Additionally, frequently the stores put a limit on the number of sale items you can purchase in one order so it is impossible to buy a lot to stock up on.
I found other chapters to be somewhat insulting. For example, the chapter on organizing and storage suggested that we keep potholders next to the stove. Imagine that! Are people really so stupid that they need that kind of advice? Other suggestions such as freezing milk just don't seem practical since when I tried it the milk after thawing was very unappetizing and had separated into a watery substance. Yes, I shook the milk before trying to use and it just did not re-constitute. The suggestion to buy items in bulk ignores the fact that the expiration date is there for a reason; such as, yeast beyond the expiration date does not work and soda with expiration dates does go flat even if unopened.
Overall, the advice was so basic, I found it somewhat insulting to think that I needed advice from them to do what I already do.'
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