HEALTHY LIVING TIPS

Businesses are facing shrinking consumer markets with less money to spend. Traditional advertising is not enough to increase sales and customer loyalty. Cost-efficient solutions are not readily available.

BUSINESS OWNERS NEED S-O-L-U-T-I-O-N-S!

American and Canadian consumers are feeling great pain at the grocery store and gasoline pump, with rising prices and less money to spend in a struggling economy. CONSUMERS NEED R-E-L-I-E-F!!!

Traditional advertising (print, radio, TV, direct mail), although essential in today’s competitive business environment, doesn’t guarantee customers will spend money with you. Gas & Grocery Rebate Certificates do!

Gas & Grocery Rebate Certificates are an ‘incentive-based’ catalyst that work in tandem with your existing advertising strategy to increase the number of customers who not only visit your business, but come in with open wallets. You decide what they need to do to get the incentive. They comply.

Super-charge your marketing efforts by giving customers an excellent reason to visit your business now. Offer them Gas or Grocery Rebate Certificates, redeemable for $100, $150, $300, or $500 of gas or grocery rebates as a reward for fulfilling the purchasing criteria you determine. (These certificates are now available in Spanish).

How much is it worth to get a buyer for…

• $1000 worth of furniture, mattresses, or appliances?

• a new or used-car from your auto dealership lot?

• a set of $500 tires?

• lawn care or treatment services?

• …_____________________ (fill in blank with your product or service)!

Truth is, Gas & Grocery Certificates will likely cost you LESS THAN YOU’RE SPENDING RIGHT NOW TO GET RESULTS AND WORK 5X BETTER!

By: Trish Gilroy

About the Author:

FREE GROCERY SAVINGS CARD

There are a multitude of advantages that one can get from Damon braces. If you want straight teeth and increased overall attractiveness in less the time, Damon braces prove to be a very wise option. But with all the other options that you have for braces, what makes Damon braces better than the rest? Here are some of the advantages of Damon braces over conventional and Invisalign braces.

Damon braces vs. conventional metal braces

Conventional braces remain to be the most popular option and the most widely used. This is probably because metal braces are the cheapest form of braces available in most orthodontist clinics. Since Damon braces is a relatively new technology and may be a little expensive, it is not offered by all orthodontists all over the world.

However, Damon braces have superior features that make them better off than conventional metal braces. This is because the Damon system features passive self-ligation which allows the wire to move freely. This lessens the friction and promotes low force, lessening the discomfort that is usually present with elastic o-rings in conventional braces. Damon braces are made of 60% ceramic composite making them more resistant to stains and usual wear and tear. Combined with stainless steel, this makes them appear smaller and more aesthetically pleasing.

Damon braces vs. Invisalign

Invisalign is another of the most popular advancements in braces. Invalisign is quite revolutionary as it is a way towards straight teeth without being conspicuous. These braces are considered as the ultimate cosmetic brace mainly because they have been designed to be virtually invisible. These aligners need to be replaced every two weeks, and you can remove easily them when you eat or anytime you want to. Though Invisalign is clearly a better option for those who would like to wear invisible braces (such as adults who are embarrassed to wear braces), the Damon system proves to have a few advantages over Invisalign.

Damon systems are able to promote straight teeth even in the most complex and the most crowded of cases. They are also capable of more expansion to achieve smiles that are broader and more attractive. Damon braces are also efficient in achieving straight teeth faster, with discomfort at a minimum. This usually also means that you will need to see your orthodontist less often as you would with conventional braces. In addition, with Damon braces you can enjoy straight teeth with fewer extractions. Damon braces are also more hygienic since they do not have o-rings which tend to trap plaque and bacteria.

There are many options now available if you want straight teeth. The choice is mainly up to you. Your orthodontist can discuss your priorities and preferences, as well as budget constraints along with the health and structure of your teeth to assist your in your choice. However, if you want a more comfortable and more efficient method of achieving the straight teeth and perfect smile of your dreams, Damon braces could be the perfect choice.



By: Clint Jhonson

About the Author:

FREE AT HOME TEETH WHITENING

If you are typically in a hurry each morning, finding time to put on makeup can be a challenge. It is easy to look glamorous when you have all the time in the world and a makeup assistant to follow you around, but most people usually only have about a 5-10 minute makeup routine. If you do not have time to put on your makeup the right way, these makeup suggestions can have you looking great in almost no time at all.

Quick Makeup Suggestion #1

Makeup looks its best on clean, clear skin. If you have to cut corners somewhere to make enough time for your makeup, cut it anywhere but your skin cleaning routine. Cleaning, exfoliating and moisturizing your face on a regular basis are absolutely necessary. Always apply makeup to clean, unbroken skin and never go to bed without removing it.

Quick Makeup Suggestions #2

The most important tool that you can have for quick makeup looks is a great makeup brush. The soft, loose bristles give you great coverage with just a little product. It is especially important when you are using powder blushes and mineral foundations.

Quick Makeup for Busy Mornings

Need to look great in just a couple of minutes? This natural makeup routine is quick enough to help you look great in no more than five minutes. It is a great quick makeup routine for car pool mornings and getting out the door to work.

Apply your favorite moisturizer to your clean, dry face. Next, use your fingertips to smooth and then pat your skin lightly with a tissue or makeup pad. That gives you a base for any foundation – or none at all.

Smooth a concealer over problem spots with your fingertips. Blend it with light strokes. For extra protection, choose an under-eye concealer with moisturizer or an age-fighting concealer for those dark circles under your eyes. You can never moisturize enough there. You can also minimize damage to that delicate skin by using a natural mineral concealer that also contains SPF-15 sunscreen.

Using a soft makeup brush, lightly dust your entire face with powdered foundation or sheer mineral makeup. Use a feathery touch. There is no need to cake the makeup on. Be sure that you have chosen a shade that is compatible with your skin color to keep that natural look.

Tap off your brush or use another brush to feather a quick hint of blush over your cheekbones. Start just about the center of your eyes when you are looking straight ahead and feather out toward your temples. Stick with a pale peach or pink color to let your healthy skin glow.

Give your eyes some sparkle with this quick makeup hint. Pick a light eye shadow or eye shadow cream. Using your fingertip, smooth a tiny bit of color under your brow from the arch outward, then lightly dab at the center of your eyelid just above the lashes. With an eye pencil and a light hand, line the upper lid from the center out and the lower lid from the corner of your eye outward. With a little practice, you can do this in less than a minute, and the difference it can make in your eyes is nothing short of incredible.

Slick on a quick coat of lip-gloss or lipstick and you are done.

Nighttime Glamour in Minutes

The easiest way to go from office to evening is to build on your daytime makeup. If you cannot do that, one-step makeup wipes are a godsend. Just swipe one over your cheeks, brow and chin to remove blusher, foundation and any dirt that may be present.

Apply moisturizer with your fingertips and smooth it over your cheeks and under your eyes.

Apply a powder foundation with a fluffy makeup brush. Pick a shimmery shade that gives your face a dewy glow under the party lights.

Using a makeup brush, apply a warm bronze or gold-toned blush to the apples of your cheeks.

The hottest eye look this season is smoky and smoldering. Get this look by smoothing a plum or purple shade of eye shadow just above the lashes with your fingertip. Keeping your eyes straight ahead and wide open pick up a bit of the same eye shadow and very lightly run the pad of your finger along the top of your lower eyelid.

Apply a layer of mascara base coat and then choose one of the new two-part mascaras that include a base coat and a shimmer coat.

While the first coat of mascara is drying, apply your lipstick. For nighttime, choose a bright tomato or cherry red to make your lips stand out.

Apply a second coat of mascara and let it dry – and you are ready to step out with a sophisticated makeup look!

By: Jennifer Bailey

About the Author:

NATURAL MAKEUP

The cost of living has become painful. One trip to the gas station and grocery store will clearly put you in touch with this pain. As painful as the $4.00 per gallon for gas is, it represents less than 3.5 percent of the family budget. Their food purchase is almost 4 times as much in the family expenses coming in just under 13%.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Consumer Price Index for the past year indicates the five grocery items that rank at the top of the inflated price list that you are now paying at your supermarkets. Number One on the list is FLOUR, increased by 37%. Not only does this increase affect the bag of flour you purchase, but every item that is made using flour….breads, bakery goods, etc.

Number Two on the list is EGGS, increased by 34.8%. Again, this goes beyond just the dozen or two of eggs that you buy for your family. The bakery goods and breads are also affected. The third most inflated priced item at an increased rate of 29.2% is SWEET PEPPERS (green, red, yellow). The GOOD NEWS here is that peppers are one of the easiest plants to grow with very little work. I will address home gardening in the next newsletter for all your summer salad needs.

The fourth most increased inflated price goes to MILK. MILK is up by 23.1%. This is one the most essential purchases on the grocery list for a family of any size with growing children. Number 5 on the list, up by 21.6%, is DRIED BEANS. This may be the most insulting of all, because it represents the most basic and last resort for the poor to put something on the table for the family to eat. One of the other world’s basic food staples, RICE, has gone up by 10% in the last month alone. Costco and Wal-mart have recently limited the quantity of RICE that you can buy. Families will need a cost of living calculator to keep up with these flour prices, egg prices, and milk prices to figure out all the changing weekly grocery prices.

If you have visited our website and read the “BeSmart….ShopSmart….Shopping Tips”, you know that we want you to save 40% to 50% off your weekly grocery shopping trips, including meat and high priced items such as coffee or laundry detergent. Of course, this is possible when you use your store loyalty card, store and manufacturer coupons, and take advantage of the BUY 1 GET 1 FREE OFFERS. We are very concerned about your bottom line savings on your groceries with these inflationary increases on some of the most basic food staples.

Being a good “Scout” you need to “Be prepared”. First, study your local grocery circulars. Become price conscious as to what the marketplace is asking for these particular items as well as what your cupboard and refrigerator is lacking. Secondly, read the ad papers thoroughly to OPTIMIZE YOUR SAVINGS. For example, at a chain drug store, reading through their weekly circular….in smaller print that the rest….I discovered that if I bought the brand name skin lotion at the regular price, I would receive the same brand name liquid soap for FREE — $3.99 value.

Another discovered sale at Safeway/Dominic’s was getting FREE Safeway brand pasta (sale priced at a $1.00 per/box) when you purchased a 26 oz. jar of a brand named Spaghetti Sauce. The spaghetti sauce was reduced to a sale price of 3/$6.00….that’s just $2.00 a jar, and less the free pasta….becomes a $1.00 item. This becomes a $1.00 MEAL, and represents an overall savings of $3.25 per each box of pasta and jar of sauce. NOTE: PASTA is one of the most flexible items you can have in your pantry for making simple dishes quickly, or creating a great meal of leftovers. Whole grain pasta is recommended for people with diabetes.

Use the ad circulars to plan your meals when you shop. I have advocated planning your menu around the SALE ITEMS in their circulars. Make sure you mark out what day of the week their shopping advertisement begins and ends. Some start on Wednesday and end on the following Tuesday. Others begin on Thursday and end on the following Wednesday. You could miss out on a sale item of importance by not knowing this.

For example, in their sale circular a brand name roasting chicken was on sale for 69 cents/per lb. at the local grocery store. Unlike the major store chains, this local grocery store week begins on Wednesday, not Thursday. So, if you didn’t pay attention to this fact, and wanted to purchase the roasting chicken on Wednesday before the sale ended, it would have been TOO LATE. The new week began, the sale was over, and the price increased by 80 cents to $1.49 per/lb. The same 5-lb. Roasting Chicken went from $3.45 to $7.45 — a lost savings of $4.00 per a 5lb. Chicken. That’s ONE GALLON of GAS. PAY ATTENTION and SAVE!

Don’t let image fool you that you are going to get the BEST PRICE because a store is known for its LOW PRICES. A recent story of comparative shopping prices revealed the following prices for a gallon of Skim Milk

?$2.69 at Aldi (discount store)

? $2.99 at Costco (saving club/membership needed)

? $3.99 at a local supermarket

? $4.49 at Wal-Mart

Who would have thought that? That’s an image buster for Wal-Mart always low prices advertisements! And don’t forget about looking at your local drug store such as CVS or Walgreens for some of these grocery items. Recently I was able to purchase 2- 64oz. Walgreens Brand Orange Juice for $3.69 compared to other grocery store offers of 2/$5.00, and 2 dozen eggs for $3.00 ($1.50 per dozen) compared to $2.89 per dozen elsewhere.

When your comparative shopping list results in SAVINGS at different stores, the discussion of the cost of gas comes into play. Is it worth it??? I usually suggest you map out a circular trip to include as many of the stores as possible on your list. This way you can max out your SAVINGS by getting as many of the sales items as possible with one shopping trip. With a single stop to save $5.00 on a can of coffee, meat, laundry detergent, or ice cream you will have covered the cost of a gallon of gas for your vehicle.

I believe in buying in BULK when often used family products are on sale. If you have the capabilities, utilize your freezer. When shopping for Milk on Sale, search the back of the shelf for the latest possible expiration date. If you choose to freeze milk, remove 8-to-12 ounces to allow for expansion during the freezing process. You can also freeze eggs in freezer bags; just crack them open into the bag for later use in baking or for scramble eggs. AVOID waisting Money and Food…Rather than throw out eggs or milk that are about to expire make a cake or pudding.

For additional savings, investing in a bread machine would help cut the cost of bread and provide you with Fresh Homemade Healthy Bread daily per your creative ingredients. Put the ingredients in the bread machine and in a period of three-to-three and a half hours, FRESH BREAD for less than a $1.00 a loaf. The bread machine will pay for itself in a short time with current store bought bread prices.

One U.S. Agricultural Department study estimated that 25% of the food bought by consumers and restaurants is wasted or spoiled before it can be served. TV commercials advertise storage bags that will preserve the life of fruits and vegetables. If you are going to spend the high prices for your fruits and vegetables, then it might be wise to spend $10.00 for these reusable bags. They will pay for themselves over a short period of time compared to the price of lost/spoiled produce.

For your meat purchases, avoid paying for bones. At $10.00/lb. every pound of bones will cost you ten dollars for the throw away. Or, you might choose to wait until its on sale. Many dollars are saved by using your store loyalty card when it comes to your meat purchases. Buy Sale Price Meat in larger quantities, cut in portions, and FREEZE. Meat provides flexibility in one’s menu planning. First meal is hot, freshly cooked. Leftover portions can be served as cold as sandwiches, or cubed and added to a fresh salad. Any other cubed leftover meat can be added to soup. THAT’S FOUR MEALS from one piece of meat.

Speaking of soup, homemade or store bought, you don’t have to waste the crumbs from the bottom of the bag of chips, or Doritos (”breakage” in food industry language). Smash the remaining crumbs in the bag, and empty the crumbs on top of the soup when ready to serve for added flavor and fiber…no waste.

To eat healthier and save your time cooking, I recommend purchasing a Ronco “Showtime” Rotisserie. Put the meat on the spit or in the basket, set the timer, and let it cook away, allowing the fat to drip away. Place vegetables in steamer tray on top of the unit. When the timer goes off, take the meat out, and serve. This is a Very Nice MOTHER’S DAY GIFT that will KEEP ON GIVING. But remember: you’ll have to figure out what you want to do with your free time while everything is cooking. It can cook up to a 15 lb. turkey. I have had mine for over six years.

Again, read your grocery ad circular carefully. Try to take advantage of the first opening days’ “Sale Specials”. Some stores run specials within the store that will provide FREEBIES or MONEY BACK for your NEXT SHOPPING VISIT. Last month Safeway/Dominick’s had a $10.00 kick back for your next visit on a purchase of $30.00 or more of certain listed brand name products …that’s a 33% savings right there. Many of these items weren’t ON SALE. This week they have two $5.00 kick back offers, the first is instant at the check out counter, the second is for your next visit.

Lastly, keep your eyes open for offers to add to your Government Stimulus Checks or Tax Refund Checks by Grocery Stores or Department Stores. Jewel (owned by Albertson) is offering a 10% Bonus if you use one of these CHECKS to purchase a Jewel-Osco Gift Card in increments of $300 up to $1200. Limit one offer per household. That’s a FREE $30 to $120 depending on the size of your check. Details are available in the store. Using these Be Smart…Shop Smart…Shopping Tips can add another 40-to-50% to this free money opportunity. Make Your Money Work for YOU!

So BeSmart…..ShopSmart…..Save Money…..Be Happy!

By Robert Walsh

By: Robert Walsh

About the Author:

FREE GROCERY GIFT CARD

 

Dental town adviser Ed O’ Keefe will show you how to market Invisalign to dental patients. Invisalign is a solution for patients who need whiter, stronger teeth. How do you market Invisalign in your practice? And how do you attract more patients to accept Invisalign cases? The dental town adviser will give you some points on how to market this solution successfully. The dental town adviser will also define each strategy as well.

 

For the dental town adviser, the best way to market Invisalign solution to patients are primarily, through your staff; and next, through conducting Invisalign Open House.

 

Have The Right Staff:

The dental town adviser would advise you to have a staff that’s trained enough to talk to every patient who express their interest in having straighter, more attractive teeth, and also trained enough to help ask people identify their problem at the same time. For us, we ask our patients: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your smile?”. After they answer the question, we would ask them: “What would make it a 10?”. Then we listen to their answers, take down notes and through this we can create a good package of information and give it back and sell the treatment. It would be best that the staff also know the benefits of the solution for the patients; it’s invisible, removable and it allows people to have more confidence! Then the staff will share such knowledge to anybody patient interested in the treatment.

 

Conduct Invisalign Open House:

 

For the dental town adviser, conducting an Invisalign Open House would be very helpful. For this, you should:

1) Market your Invisalign day appropriately.

 

The big mistake that a lot of people do is that they decide to do the open house, but they send out a mailer to their existing patients, and they get 1 to 3 phone calls. You should be expecting this, because if your going to do an entire open house, and you have an opportunity to make $5000 a case or say $15,000 net per case, you need to throw more money at it. And you need to have your staff get people to come to it. So, you have to start planning the promotions of it 4 or 5 weeks minimum in advanced, so as to get 2 to 3 direct mail pieces to my existing and inactive patient base in that time (so once a week for the first three weeks to promote it). If you like e-mails, you should definitely go and just send out e-mails. If you have phone numbers, either you’re going to physically call everybody or just do a voice broadcast, which will go out to every single home and it will share with people the details and where to call.

 

2) Have two schedules for the event, instead of having just one.

 

Have two schedules for the event that you will hold. The reason for this is that you can use the same marketing dollar to promote both events, and that’s one thing. Another thing is that some people who can’t make it on a Wednesday night, are going to be able to make it on a Saturday between 10:00 and 1:00. So you’re going to open up a dual option for the people, and enable them to choose more dentistry at the same time.

 

These are the strategies that the dental town adviser would give you to help you market Invisalign successfully in your practice. If you have a lot of Invisalign patients, they refer more than traditional patients do, and also choose more cosmetic dentistry!

By: Darcy Juarez

About the Author:

FREE SELF TEETH WHITENING

With the Keurig brand of coffee makers, the perfect cup of coffee is just one purchase away. The right coffee maker can be exceedingly difficult to find. “Gourmet” machines and blends are saturating the grocery store shelves, and each system seems to have its own set of flaws. Traditional one cup systems may not be able to make enough coffee to satiate your thirst and larger coffee pots have trouble putting out the high end quality that you so desperately desire, or are simply too expensive. Then there are the pots that are not too big, not too small, and they are capable of providing an excellent quality of coffee. These can be pricey, and to make many of these devices work you have to purchase hard to find filters and grind your own beans. Sure, if you are a real aficionado it may be worth the time. Time is of the essence for the average coffee drinker. The Keurig Coffee system manages to solve all of these problems, while leaving the consumer with the perfect blend of coffee.

The first problem solved by the Keurig coffee pot is the size of each cup. The Keurig coffee pots are one cup systems, but they are also capable of making your coffee in under a minute. While many systems may be capable of this feat, Keurig does it with no sacrifice to flavor. This allows the user to brew many cups of coffee in a short time despite the low capacity per brew. You can also adjust the cup size between eight and ten ounces, even in Keurig’s low-end models. Another issue that often relates to size and brand of coffee makers is finding filters and blends. While most high-end coffee makers make it difficult for the average consumer to get filters and grind coffee, the Keurig Company strives to make it easier.

Using a unique device called a “K-Cup” any individual can brew with perfection. Each “K-Cup” uses the perfect amount of coffee to give your cup a flawless taste. To some, this may initially sound like a bad idea because some may want to decide the extent to which they want to saturate their coffee with flavor. But these cups come in different sizes to allow you some freedom for preference. Another potential drawback to the “K-Cup” system is being restricted in brand and flavor. However, Keurig uses more than twelve different brands for their “K-Cups,” and within these brands, there are well over a hundred options in terms of blends. When you add to that the fact that each manufacturer of “K-Cups” (The many brands that Keurig subscribes to) offer different prices and purchasing limitations. Beyond that, you can even buy a reusable filter and grind your own coffee if you insist. K-Cups are available in many locations. For example, you can purchase K-Cups online or at your local grocery store. This makes K-Cups easy to obtain and it eliminates any hassle from brewing your next cup of coffee.

There are other aspects of the Keurig design that make their products stand out from the rest. First of all, they are designed for efficiency. No more constantly heating water in-between cups because the Keurig systems can keep cups heated over time. You may also find that clean up is very fast and easy with a Keurig pot. The design also avoids being ultra-modern or classical and therefore is aesthetically pleasing in a wide variety of decorative styles.

A final flaw that often occurs with gourmet coffee makers is an inability to be used in a wide variety of ways. The lack of feature diversity may reduce your desire to spend upwards of a hundred dollars on a coffee machine. If the machine can brew a good cup of coffee, you may be inclined to spend the money on the coffee machine. The Keurig systems do much more then just make coffee. “K-Cups” are manufactured by tea and cocoa makers as well. The ease and efficiency that this product provides in making these beverages makes it something that can be used to please the entire family in only minutes. Switching from coffee, to tea, to cocoa, to decaf and back to regular coffee is about as easy as changing the “K-Cup” around.

The Keurig Coffee systems also offer a wide variety of products. Brewers are available specifically for use in the home, the office and even in hotels. All of this goes along with the perfect size, efficiency, quality and versatility to make Keurig products perfect for even the most discriminating of coffee connoisseurs. When you are looking for a way to create an excellent cup of coffee, be sure to consider the Keurig coffee brewing system. You can make a high quality cup of coffee in a matter of minutes.



By: Suzanne Bradley

About the Author:

GREEN TEA PURITY PRODUCTS

When the upper and lower teeth are aligned correctly the result is a healthy bite and an attractive smile. Sometimes, the teeth might be misaligned or crooked, adversely affecting the bite. A bad bite is known as “malocclusion” and it can possibly lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Malocclusion can be caused by a number of factors. A small jaw size can cause malocclusion, as can habits such as thumb sucking and any other factor which damages the teeth, can lead to misalignment and a bad bite. Whatever the cause, an orthodontist can correct these dental irregularities by applying braces. Orthodontia is a branch of dentistry that specializes is correcting dental and facial irregularities. Braces are devices that help straighten the teeth into proper alignment, by moving the jaw and teeth into their correct positions. Braces consist of brackets and wires. Brackets are made out of metal, ceramic or plastic and are attached to the teeth. An arch wire is connected to the brackets. The arch wire is what gradually moves the teeth into their correct position.

In some cases, additional devices are needed to assure that the lower and upper teeth fit together properly in order to get the ideal bite. Rubber bands are able to provide additional force to move the teeth into proper alignment. Another devise is a palatial expander which can be used to enlarge the size of the upper jaw.

A typical treatment lasts 18-30 months. There might be some discomfort and soreness the first week after getting braces; after that the pain should subside. Patients can partake in their normal activates, although a mouth guard is recommended when partaking in contact sports. When wearing braces it is important to avoid hard, chewy and sticky food and to make sure the teeth are thoroughly cleaned. An orthodontist will be able to go over proper brushing techniques to make sure the teeth stay clean.

The American Association of Orthodontist recommends that all children receive an orthodontist check up at age 7. Most patients begin treatment between the ages of 9 to 16. There are an increasing number of people who begin treatment as adults. An orthodontist will be able to move the teeth into their proper position. However, starting treatment as an adult may take longer and surgery might be needed to expand the jaw to allow the teeth to move into their proper position.

Whether starting treatment as a child, teen or adult successful orthodontic care requires the joint efforts of the patient, family dentist and orthodontist.



By: David Siegel

About the Author:

TRY SELF TEETH WHITENING

Every week we all have to go grocery shopping, its just one of those things we all have to do whether we like it or not. The trouble it we can become complacent by the routine of it and forget to check what is actually going into our baskets and how much we are paying for it.

Inn these times of price rises and the increase in personal debt, being a frugal grocery shopper should be something we all choose to become. Our weekly shop can be one of the biggest single financial outlays that we make every week and by taking a closer look at how we shop and what we are buying will help to cut out monthly budgets and allow us to use our money more wisely.

There are some simple rules in becoming a more frugal grocery shopper and they are all easy to implement without having to make dramatic changes to the way we shop. Also by becoming more aware of how the supermarkets try to entice us into buying more and understanding how we can avoid these marketing traps will also help us to reduce our weekly grocery bill.

The first rule is to make a list of the things you actually need before you go shopping. This sounds like an obvious thing to do but many people simple go out each week and buy the same things all over again without first checking if they actually need it. The simple step of checking your cupboards first will stop you buying duplicate items and will also help to stop food wastage.

Also plan in advance which meals you are going to prepare for the coming week. Only buying what you are going to eat will also reduce wastage and expense. Planning meals will also allow you to take advantage of what food is in season, costing you less and giving you a much fresher and wider range of meals all year round.

The next rule is to make yourself less vulnerable to all the marketing strategies employed by the large grocery stores to get you to spend more. These strategies include:

Placing staple food items like bread and milk at the very back of the store, forcing you to have to walk through other isles that may tempt you. If all you need is bread and milk then stick to the side isles and to reach the back of the store.

Moving isles around is a common ploy to make you have to hunt for your items and so being exposed to other items along the way. A hard one to avoid but stay focused on the item you are looking for.

Placing higher priced food at eye level on the shelves. Many shoppers forget to take a look at the lower shelves where they will find similar lower priced items such as the stores own brand.

In store advertising signs are often placed along the isles making statements such as “best for you” and “will make you happy”. This is advertising hype and many of us fall for it, unfortunately this items will hit your wallet and blow your frugal budget away. Many similar items made by less well known brands are of just the same quality but will cost a lot less. By trying to make yourself less susceptible to these in store advertisements will help you to be the frugal shopper you want to be.

Another rule in becoming a more successful frugal shopper is to drop the packaging. Many process foods cost you more than the fresh variety if they have been specially prepared i.e. shredded, or diced. So when buying fruit and vegetable buy the fresh variety and do the little extra work in preparing them yourself. You will not only be saving yourself money but will be helping to save the planet by not buying all the packaging that goes along with processed food.

Lastly, don’t forget to use grocery coupons. They can be found everywhere these days form magazines and newspapers to free downloadable ones from the Internet. Take advantage of this free money and collect the coupons for the items you use on a regular basis. It can be quite a saving over the year.

Being a frugal shopper can be an easy and even fun thing to be, especially when you realise how shrewd you are at getting one over the big marketing boys, whilst saving yourself lots of cash every month.

By: Kate Tilmouth

About the Author:

FREE GROCERY GIFT CARD