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Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

October is National Pork Month

The past couple of weeks when looking thru grocery ads, I’ve noticed some good deals on pork. This is likely related to this summer’s drought. With high feed costs, many farmers are selling their pigs so they don’t have to purchase so much feed. This means there is a lot of supply. However, in an ad this week, I noticed it said ‘Celebrate National Pork Month’. Therefore, many grocery stores are also likely putting pork on sale to highlight National Pork Month.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

What’s for Lunch? It’s in the Bag.

A few weeks ago I invited myself to lunch at three different middle schools in Central Iowa.  My “hosts” were  two of my nieces and a friend’s son.  I learned a lot about the changes to school lunches during those visits. I also had a chance to observe some of what I call ‘sack lunches’, although hardly anybody uses paper bags anymore.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

What is Cheaper: Turkey or Ham?

Thanksgiving is about 10 days away. Have you started to plan your dinner? The biggest expense of the meal will probably be the ham or turkey (or both) that you buy. The grocery ads are full of deals, like buy a ham and get a turkey free. Or buy $50 in groceries and get a $5 off coupon for your turkey. I was curious, so I stopped by 5 different stores to check out prices. I went to Hy-Vee, Fareway, Aldi, Dahls, and Wal-Mart.

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Kitchen Gifts silly and wasteful or basic and everlasting

I am amazed at the number of dumb (silly) small appliances that are on the market today: cotton candy maker, chocolate fountain, cake pop/donut hole baker, mini pie baker, snow cone maker. And that’s just for the sweets. You also can have a hot dog roller, pretzel maker, corn dog maker, pigs in the blanket maker, and more. Most of them cost around $20 except for the soda maker and a jam and jelly maker that cost around $100! Why do I think they are dumb (silly)? An appliance that cooks just one food is a silly use of money and a waste of space in the kitchen.  It will end up in the landfill in a year or two.

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How Being Organized Saves Money

Does an organized kitchen save money?  I say yes because:

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

How Much are you Paying for your Coffee?

83% of Americans drink coffee according to the National Coffee Association’s 2013 online survey. That’s up from 78% last year and more than any other country in the world.

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Re-Think Your Coffee Shop Drink

>If you are considering a health-related New Year’s resolution take a look your favorite coffee shop beverage. Coffee, tea, and fruit smoothies sound harmless but what’s in them might surprise you. We are not focusing on money this week, but a $4 a day beverage habit costs you almost $1,500 in a year!

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BEEF: How can we afford it for dinner?

Part 1: How To Save on Ground Beef

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Meat: How can we afford it for dinner?

Part 2: Spendsmart’s Top Ten Money Saving Meat Tips

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Protein Snack Boxes – Convenient or Costly?

From work or school to sports practices, events and everything in between, finding time to eat during the day can be difficult! It seems like grabbing a quick snack at the grocery store is a perfect solution…until you compare the cost to individual servings of protein foods. Yes, I will admit that I am guilty of buying these little convenient protein packs to stash in my lunch for a quick afternoon snack before I head out the door to my next event. However, I might rethink how much I’m spending on this packs.