1. Pay attention to your weekly grocery store circulars. Get to know the average prices on all your favorite meats or other higher ticket items. When prices dip (usually at a frequency of every 6 to 12 weeks), stock up. What usually goes on sale? Most frequently are things like whole fryer chickens, chicken leg quarters, ground beef, select cuts of beef (sirloin,ribeye) and assorted pork chops. Often times, meat will go on sale at 50% or more off the regular store price.
2. Plan meals according to what’s on sale for that week. If there is a great sale on country style ribs, plan a meal of ribs, beans and cornbread one night. Then buy an extra pack and freeze it for next time. See an sale on your favorite pasta dish? Buy one and have pasta night.
3. Have a vegatarian meal. Think of it as not only helping your wallet, but your waistline and the environment too! Less meat consumption will also lower our use of water, pesticides, grain…. http://www.chooseveg.com/environment.asp .
4. Compare not just overall price but price per unit. Sometimes, larger packages equal larger savings but not always. Pay attention to the shelving labels. Many stores like Safeway and Wal-Mart do the comparing for you and show price by unit (i.e., per oz, per lb, etc.).
5. Make your list and stick to it but not always. I make a list every time I go to the grocery store BUT I don’t always have a perfect memory. Sometimes I forget to add that essential item and only realize after getting to the store that I forgot it. So, I break the rule and stick it in my cart. OR, I see an amazing sale for something I use all the time. I stock up because I know I would buy it anyway. What I don’t do is buy a really cool looking cereal because it has girly swirly colors and says “promotes women’s health” on the front. Generally, I try to stay neutral to marketing snares whilst in the store.

There are so many ways you can help keep your budget in check. What’s your favorite tip? Leave it here or tweet it to me on twitter.  http://twitter.com/tjonsek

Google alerts is a tool that shoots out an email to you on any subject you want when new content is published online with those keywords. You can set an alert for ’saving money on groceries’, select the type of content you want (news, blogs, video, etc.) and choose how often you want an alert sent to you. Set it up and any time new content is found, you receive an email letting you know.

If you know you are in the market for a big ticket purchase soon, use Google alerts to track market news for the product, keep up with the latest product reviews or look for the latest coupons/rebates/sales.

This is a great way to find coupons or sales from your favorite store or product or finding even more creative ways to save some money while saving you time. No more spending hours researching something you want (I’m guilty of this). Let google do it for you.

When you have a list of regular staples you can stock them in one of two ways. 1) Keep an eye out for those items being loss leaders at your grocery store, buy a lot and save a ton on things you know you will use. A loss leader is a very low price designed to bring customers in the store. The grocer then hopes to keep you there and spend money on items that aren’t so cheap. Or, 2)Just keep tabs on all your staples and regardless of whether you plan monthly menus or not, you always have something you can whip up to eat because you always have basic ingredients on hand. (Your savings comes from those nights when you look and say, “I don’t have anything to eat at the house” and then head to McD’s  or another trip to the grocery store.) You’ll always be prepared and save time and money by eliminating wasteful trips to the store.

Here’s a sample list to get you started.

Do you have favorite tricks for saving a buck? Let us know!

To view the original list and read my ground rules, click here. I’ll split the list into two posts to avoid information overload. For part 1, click here.

1. Spaghetti with Salad- This is an easy recipe. Cost Analysis:
   1. One box of Spaghetti Noodles (We use Ronzoni Smart Taste or Barilla Plus) – $1.50
   2. Either, one can of spaghetti sauce at $1.25 or 1 can of crushed tomatoes and 1 can of tomato sauce at $2 for both
   3. Olive oil – don’t consider it because it is a pantry item
   4. Salt and other spices- also a pantry item
   5. 1/2 onion – 33 cents
   6. Salad is very basic mix of lettuce of your choice($1.49), 1 tomato and 1 cucumber. This salad will last us two meals so I divide the cost of the entire salad($3.28) by 2 to get the final price of $1.64 per meal. This brings the entire cost of the meal to $4.72. If you must add meat to this dish, find meat at less than $2 per lb and only use half! In most dishes where meat is ground up and browned, like spaghetti or casseroles, you can get by with only using 1/2 lb. Even then, the meal is only $5.72 in total
2. Red Beans and Rice with Cornbread 
   1. You can buy 1 bag of dry red kidney beans for less than $1 OR buy 2 cans of kidney beans at $1 per can
   2. One onion- 66 cents
   3. One bell pepper – $1
   4. 2 cloves of garlic – 50 cents
   5. Two celery stalks – If you estimate that one bunch of celery has six stalks (it usually has more, but for the sake of argument…) two stalks will run you 66 cents.
   6. Cajun Seasoning   – for me this is a staple. I use it in many dishes, however, for many people it might not be. Tony Chachares or Zatarains are great brands and will cost about $3. It’s a good investment. I didn’t include it in the price, but even with an extra $3 to buy it initially, you still have a cheap meal. Plus – you can use it to spice up tons of dishes. And cajun cooking, at it’s heart, is frugal cooking. View the recipe.
3. Chicken Pot Pie with Salad
   1. Frozen Pie Crust – $2.50
   2. 1/2 lb of Chicken at 2.50 per pound – $1.25
   3. 1 can Vegall – 77 cents
   4. 1 can Cream of Chicken- 77 cents
   5. Salad – see point #4 – $1.64 Total Cost for this meal – $6.93. View the recipe.
4. Curried Chicken with Rice
   1. 1 lb Chicken – $2.50
   2. 1/4 cup diced onion - 33 cents
   3. 1 clove of garlic – 33 cents
   4. Sour Cream  8 oz – 1.25
   5. Rice – 30 cents – I buy whole grain brown rice (not instant) at 1.13 for a 16 oz bag.
   6. Salad – $1.64 – Total cost to make – $6.35. View the recipe.
5. Pancakes
   1. Flour is the only serious ingredient you have. A 2 lb bag is $1.99.
   2. Bacon. I bought a medium priced package for $3.99 and estimate that I will used half of the package. – $2
   3. 1 egg – 23 cents
   4. The total cost for this meal is $4.23. View the recipe.

Just remember – have fun with being frugal! Consider it a game and spending less, they way to win. If you find any inconsistencies in my calculations, let me know. I’ve been writing this while 3 little boys were whirling around like Tazmanian Devils, laughing, yelling and fighting. Plus, I’m a little sleep-deprived.

Being frugal takes just a little planning and a little effort, but you’ll be proud of yourself when you spend less. If you enjoyed this, you might also appreciate 10 Meals for Under $10 and a post about how I shaved $200 off my grocery bill.

So – on to the stuff that WE can do to help save our families and our country; being frugal.

To view the original list and read my ground rules, click here. I’ll split the list into two posts to avoid information overload.

1. Gebratene Nudeln with Salad – This is a new family favorite my German husband convinced us to try. Super easy, super cheap. Basically, it is German for Fried Noodles (loosely translated). Because I have 4 male homosapiens in the house, I have to make more than your family might need. Adjust to suit your family’s appetites. View the recipe. Cost Analysis:
   1. Two boxes of Penne Noodles (We use Ronzoni Smart Taste or Barilla Plus) – $3
   2. 6 eggs. 1 dozen eggs is 2.79 at a cost of 23 cents per egg – $1.40
   3. Olive oil – don’t consider it because it is a pantry item
   4. Salt – also a pantry item
   5. Salad is very basic mix of lettuce of your choice($1.49), 1 tomato and 1 cucumber. This salad will last us two meals so I divide the cost of the entire salad($3.28) by 2 to get the final price of $1.64 per meal. This brings the entire cost of the meal to $6.04. We rarely have leftovers.
2. Potato, Bacon & Onion Hotpot with Broiled Chicken
   1. 2 large russet potatoes at about 60 cents each (estimated from my 5 lb bag I purchased for $2.99) – $1.20
   2. Bacon. I bought a medium priced package for $3.99 and estimate that I will used half of the package. – $2
   3. Half an onion I bought for 66 cents – 33 cents
   4. Chicken I bought in a frozen bag of chicken breasts for 2.50 a lb. I estimate that I will use 1 lb for this meal – $2.50. The total cost for this meal is $6.03. View the recipe.
3. French Toast
   1. I estimate I will use half a loaf of bread that cost $2.99, for a cost of $1.50
   2. Two eggs as 23 cents per egg – 46 cents
   3. I don’t count the milk, cinnamon, sugar, butter and/or syrup. You have to buy it, but they count as pantry items. Total cost to make: $1.96. Honestly, the syrup you use will not be consequential enough for one meal, however, $1.96 sounds super cheap. So, my syrup is sugar free and costs $4.99. I can get about 5 meals of waffles,pancakes or french toast out of it, so I estimate we use $1 of syrup at each meal. Ok, $2.96 – final total. Still very cheap. View the recipe.
4. Black Bean Quesadillas with Rice
   1. Bell Pepper – $1
   2. One onion – 66 cents
   3. Cheese – My block of cheese cost me 22 cents per ounce. I assume I will use 8 oz. – $1.76
   4. Fresh Cilantro – A splurge and sometimes I use dried cilantro, but this splurge is only $1.29
   5. Tortillas – 1 Package is 1.99 for a 20 count. I assume I will use 10, making the cost of tortillas for this meal $1.
   6. Black Beans, 1 can for $1
   7. Rice – I use brown rice. I do not use instant. One package costs $1.13 and I usually get 4 meals out of it. Cost of rice for this meal, 28 centsTotal Cost for this meal – $7.99 with fresh cilantro. Without fresh cilantro, it is $6.70. View the recipe.

 Come back later to see more meals for $7 or less! I’ll be posting it within the next few days.