A nurse’s top tips for pinching your pennies

Grocery shopping
One of our biggest expenses is the food we eat, whether we’re alone or supporting a family. Here are some grocery tips for you.

Coupons: Have you ever been stuck behind one of those shoppers who seems to have a coupon for almost everything in her basket? While it may have been annoying to be behind her, she may have severely discounted the cost of her groceries. So if you want to save money, consider using coupons.

There are many places to find coupons, the most obvious being in local newspapers and store flyers, but did you know that you can also get coupons online? Some manufacturers offer coupons on their company site, but there are blogs and sites dedicated to coupon users. Here are a few:

• Teri’s Coupon Center is part of a larger site called TheGroceryGame.com.

• Mommy Saves Big – Printable Coupons is a blog dedicated to coupon collecting.

• Ask.com/Deals is a great site that not only offers coupons, but coupon codes, promotions that include free shipping and more.

Store brands: With the exception of a few distinct products, in most cases you would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between store brands and name brands. By sticking with store brands, you can save a good bit of money, leaving more in your pocket than at the store.

Bulk cook—don’t buy convenience foods: Convenience foods are very tempting to buy because they’re, well, convenient. And if you’re working on call or hoping to catch some extra shifts, having the food already prepared may make life easier. However, you can make your own prepared foods at a much lower cost and usually with much more taste than the store-bought foods. Invest in some good-quality storage containers, and when you cook, double the amount, freezing the other half and any leftovers.

Go cheap without foregoing chic…