Food & Drink

How to Plan Your Grocery Trips to Save Money

October 26, 2011

When we spoke about why planning your grocery trips will save you money, I promised to tell you how I plan my trips. Before I explain how I plan my trips, I must confess: I spend the least of all when I send my husband with a list. Lists are powerful. “If you ever walk [...]

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17 Reasons Why Planning Your Grocery Trips Will Save You Money

October 19, 2011

As I work with participants in the Frugal Mama video series challenge for TLC.com, I realize how easy it is to wing it with groceries, and how difficult it can be to resist the ‘come hither’ of take-out. There are now five times as many fast food joints as grocery stores in America, according to [...]

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3 Ways to Make Home Cooking Super Fun

August 11, 2011

On the way home from my girls weekend, I met a guy on the plane who was telling me about how much joy his wife gets from cooking. And how they make it fun together. You can read about their game and more in this post I wrote for Parentables: 3 Ways to Make Home [...]

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The Best Chocolate is from Belgium and … California?

June 7, 2011

I love that I don’t have to go far — or spend a lot — to experience cocoa bliss. I wrote about it today at Parentables. That a San Francisco company with an Italian name makes one of the best dark chocolates in the world was a joyous discovery for me. I love chocolate. But I [...]

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Homemade Pizza is Not a Big Deal — Seriously

May 3, 2011

Sometimes an evening calls for a rip-open-a-box kind of dinner (and for that I recommend Target’s frozen pizzas imported from Italy), but everyone is more happy when the house fills up with the sweet, tangy perfume of this handmade pizza. I went 10 years married to an Italian before I even attempted to make pizza. [...]

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Gourmet Italian Pizza at — Target?

May 3, 2011

Did you know that you can buy frozen pizza baked in a wood-burning oven in Italy for $4.99? And pick up some batteries and laundry detergent in the same trip? You can. Target’s upscale food brand, Archer Farms, is now importing Italian handmade pizza to a store near you. And let me tell you, they [...]

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The Fast-and-Healthy Method to Saving Money at the Grocery Store

March 7, 2011

If aren’t an extreme couponer, and you prefer not to stockpile, invest in industrial-sized jugs of ketchup, or drive to six different stores, don’t fret. There is a quick and simple way for you to seriously cut your grocery bill and feed your family whole fresh foods. Read more at Parentables… Read more at Parentables…

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How I Save $1,183 a Year with Homemade Latte

March 2, 2011

Poor Starbucks.  It seems like every article, post and news story about budgeting attacks the luxury latte, as if it were the source of all evil. It’s not evil, but let’s say the $4 coffee is just another curlicue on the gilded pillars of the last few decades. And by the way — I’m not [...]

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How I Saved a Fast 45% on Fresh, Healthy Food

February 10, 2011

After I heard how Syracuse mom Kara Riedl spends only $200 a month at the supermarket, I knew our grocery bills were much higher than they needed to be. Yes, it’s true we just had a fourth child and I’m still getting to know the system here, but I knew I could do better. So [...]

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Potatoes: Cheap Yet Full of Richness

January 18, 2011

This article is a guest post by Jennifer Moore of Indulgent Health. The poor, maligned potato.  Thrown out like the baby with the bathwater in the “no carbs!” and “no white foods!” crazes of the last two decades. Point of clarification number one:  all fruits and vegetables are carbs, it’s the refined ones that are nutrient-poor [...]

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Quick Chocolate-Covered Toffee | print & make version

December 1, 2010

I decided to publish a short version of this recipe when I tried to print the original demonstration and, with all the photos, it would have been 19 pages!  We’re making this candy this week to include in a few care packages. We’re also busy making hot chocolate mix, and wading through 52 weeks of [...]

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4 Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Dishes So You Can Enjoy the Day

November 21, 2010

Whether we have little kids underfoot, a full-time job, or just the general holiday pile-up, preparing for Thanksgiving can be overwhelming.  Regular life is full enough — that’s why we need a bit of strategy to tackle turkey day with a smile. I’ve made Thanksgiving dinner on my own for years now.  We don’t have [...]

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Wow your Family with these Incredibly Simple Gnocchi

November 11, 2010

I love Mark Bittman. When I didn’t know how to cook anything, he taught me How to Cook Everything.  Well kind-of.   I admit I still consult this Joy of Cooking for the Generation X to figure out complex operations like how to boil eggs. Last night my daughters and I made Bittman’s ricotta cheese [...]

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You Won’t Believe How Little this Mom Spends at the Grocery Store

November 4, 2010

Two hundred bucks per month.  And I swear she’s a real person:  I’ve met her, and she breathes and laughs and has birthed three adorable kids. Kara Riedl, co-founder of our local chapter of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), wanted to take care of her children full-time when childcare costs rose as her family grew.  So [...]

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Explore the Ethnic Aisle to Save Money at the Supermarket

September 13, 2010

Imported food often comes with gourmet price tags.  Not so in the grocery’s international section, where food can be had for less than better-known brands.  An added plus:  no special trips or coupons. In an article this week at Buttoned Up, I talk about how to Explore the Ethnic Aisle to Save Money at the [...]

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Bon-bons: Our Family’s All-Time Favorite Cookie Recipe

June 29, 2010

These cookies have been a family favorite ever since I spotted them in a Betty Crocker cookie book my mom gave me when I was a pre-teen.  (My mom kept the famous cookie book and it’s now in my possession, as you can see.) The whimsical look and buttery taste of these cookies are irresistible. [...]

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