That pretty much sums up how I feel about the grocery store. There’s guaranteed to be at least one argument a week between me and Chris due to something we need because I’ve been abducted by aliens put off going to the store.

In an attempt to stave off that argument during the upcoming week I bit the bullet and not only went to the grocery store, but went with Jonah. While these trips are not enjoyable to me, there is one thing I DO love: saving money. During today’s excursion, I saved…

…$48.00 off of my total grocery bill! Seriously. At checkout, my total was originally 171.54 and by the time I was done, it was 123.36. My mom would be so proud!

While it’s not really rocket science, saving money weekly at the grocery store does take some planning, and a little effort. Here’s how I do it:

A menu and a list. ((Planning your menu a week in advance also has the advantage of keeping you organized, and in my case, sane.)) Armed with your menu, go through your fridge, freezer, and cupboards to see what you already have. Then you can write down what you need. I never enter the grocery store (except for an emergency trip) without my list.

I also recommend sticking to the list. For the most part, if I didn’t write it down at home I don’t need it. This helps me avoid buying impromptu, unnecessary things that the stores are trying to ram down my throat.

Coupons. D’uh! I know you’re thinking this one’s pretty obvious, however, you’d be amazed to know how many people don’t use coupons when they shop. For some it’s the worry of appearing ‘cheap’ or ‘poor’; for others it’s the time needed to clip and organize coupons; and some people just don’t think of it. IMHO, there is no reason good enough to shop without coupons.

1. I know I’m not cheap, ((I may be easy, but I’m never cheap 😉 )) and I know I’m not poor. I could care less what the person behind me thinks. I’m laughing all the way to the bank.
2. I spend maybe 45 minutes a week—and that’s a high estimate#&8212;clipping and organizing my coupons. The way I see it, this week I earned $48 in 45 minutes. Not bad.
3. If you haven’t thought of it before, maybe you will after reading this post. 🙂

It really doesn’t/shouldn’t take that long to clip coupons. Set aside an hour armed with the Sunday paper, the scissors, and a coupon organizer ((I bought my coupon organizer at the dollar store—for a dollar!)) Clip your coupons and place them in the organizer. And while you’re doing this, remove any coupons you have that are expired. They won’t be honored.

Two final tips about coupon-clipping:

1. Don’t clip coupons for items like BBQ-frosted flakes, or anything else you know you will never buy.
2. Along those lines, however, be flexible. If you see a coupon for a product made by a brand you don’t normally buy, try it.

Store cards. If your store requires a card (like Winn-Dixie and Albertsons) to get store specials, just do it.

Store specials. Once you’re a “card member” take advantage of store specials! The two major grocery chains in my neighborhood both offer weekly buy-1-get-1-free specials and I take full advantage. As with coupons, don’t buy things you know you won’t use even if it is BOGO.

Take advantage of store coupons. I dislike going to Winn-Dixie, however, since it is much closer than Publix, I am forced to shop there at times. What I do like is their coupon machine. Every visit I’m sure to get some coupons with my receipt and one of these coupons is always a $10 off coupon (with an expiration date). I hoard these! There have even been times when I’ve had more than one and have shared the wealth with an unsuspecting shopper.

ATTENTION PUBLIX SHOPPERS: If you shop at Publix, you should know that they take competitor’s coupons. More often than not I will take my Winn-Dixie $10 off coupons and redeem them at Publix. ((Check out your local Publix just in case, however, before presenting them with a competitor’s coupon.))

By following the steps above I average a savings of approximately $40/week. Unfortunately, this month those savings will be going to our energy bill.

This post was generously brought to you by small business opportunity. There are some businesses for sale. In this economy? Who knew?

Being the wonderful, loving wife that I am, I made corned beef and cabbage for Chris the other night. It’s one meal I know he loves, and it’s actually pretty easy since the slow cooker basically does all of the work. 🙂

I mentioned I was making this dish to my pleeps on Plurk and one friend requested the recipe. Being the obliging pleep that I am, @cfavreau, here is my recipe for corned beef and cabbage:

Web-Betty’s Corned Beef and Cabbage

Before getting started, learn from me: the one thing I always forget is how long it takes in the slow cooker. ((This is the main reason it doesn’t get made as often.)) Be sure you start early enough—this dish takes about 9 hours.

• 3-4 lb corned beef ((I like to rinse the corned beef off when I take it out of the package.))
• 4 carrots, cleaned and cut into pieces ((The size of the carrot pieces is up to you—the larger the carrots, the less squishy they get. I like ’em really squishy so I cut them into about 1″.))
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 6-8 medium-ish potatoes, peeled and quartered ((I use red or yukon gold potatoes, depending on what I have on hand.))
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 head of cabbage, cut in wedges

Beginning

1. Place all veggies—EXCEPT the cabbage— in the slow cooker. The order doesn’t matter.

2. Pour the water over the veggies.

3. Place the corned beef on top of the veggies. Most corned beef comes with a little package of seasoning. Spread the seasoning over the top of the corned beef.

4. Cover and cook on High for 6 hours.

Middle

1. After 6 hours, carefully remove the lid. Take the corned beef out (this is temporary 🙂 ).

2. Add the cabbage wedges and be sure to push them down into the “juice.”

3. Put the corned beef back into the slow cooker.

4. Cover and cook on High for an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

End

Take the corned beef and veggies out of the slow cooker and serve hot. Bon Appétit!

I hope @cfavreau, and anyone else who is interested, enjoys this recipe. Let me know if you make it, and how it turned out!

This post was generously brought to you by healthy cooking, even though I’m not sure exactly how healthy corned beef is. 😛

I’m pissed. I thought monopolies were illegal in the United States. That’s obviously not true since no matter where you live, you can only use the energy company in your neighborhood. Since there is no competition, energy companies can charge whatever they damn well please and you have to pay or else a) freeze to death, or b) roast to death—it just depends on what season it is.

Here in central Florida, our monopolistic energy company is Progress Energy. Every summer/fall they fleece me for an average of $350 dollars a month (May-November). The other months I’m usually able to squeak by with a bill around $250. That was before the 25% rate increase. Want to know what my energy bill in December was?

$426.

Let me say it again.

$426

For ONE MONTH’S WORTH OF NON-SUMMER-NO-AIR-CONDITIONING energy. That’s what a 25% rate increase adds up to. Have I mentioned that I’m pissed? Unfortunately, being pissed won’t pay my energy bill. Nor will it help bring the charges down in the months to come. Since PE probably won’t be scaling their rates back any time soon, I have to do what I can to give them less of my money.

So I’ve done a little research and found some easy and inexpensive ways to cut back. (And BTW, these are all good for the environment, too 😛 )

1. TURN EVERYTHING (EVERYTHING) OFF. If it glows when the lights are off, it’s using energy. Electronics chargers, AV receivers, cable boxes, even a toaster with a digital clock. They are all energy suckers. Anywhere between 6-30% of your electric bill can be blamed on these types of electronics. I’m guessing we’re in upwards of the 30% range—3 iPods, 1 Nintendo DS, 2 laptops, 1 desktop, a gazillion computer peripherals, 2 cell phones, etc., etc., etc. And remember, if it’s not plugged in and being charged, unplug the charger. If you’re not using it. Turn it off. Simple, yes?
2. SWITCH TO CFLs. Did you know that of the $1 dollar a month it costs to light a regular lightbulb, .10 of that goes to actually light the bulb. The other .90 goes to the heat that bulb produces. The Department of Energy estimates that by changing even 25% of your lights to CFLs, you can cut your lighting bill in half. Oh, and when you’re not using it, turn it off.
3. LOWER YOUR HOT WATER HEATER’S THERMOSTAT. Do you really need your hot water to be 150° F? Wouldn’t 120° F be hot enough? For every 10 degrees your lower that thermostat, you’ll save 3%-5% off your energy bill.
   
4. AIR-DRY YOUR DISHES. I know your dishwasher has that option, and I know you run your dishwasher before you go to bed. So why not cut your dishwasher’s energy by 15%-50%? Want to save even more?
   • Scrape, don’t rinse. ((I’ll be posting on this soon!))
   • Only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

Following the tips above won’t make you rich, however, they will help to lower your energy bill and help the environment.

Looking for more?

Skip the hot water heater altogether and invest in a tankless water heater. These heat only the water you need, when you need it, and costs about 40% less to operate than an average hot water heater. (And they take up a lot less space.)

Can’t justify the expense of a tankless water heater? Insulate the one you have . You’ll cut your standby heat losses by 25%-45%.

I’ve employed most of the options above, especially since that last damn bill. Let’s see if January’s bill looks better.