When you’re home with the kids all day, they get to know all your habits, good and bad. Children are very observant and even if you think you’re pretty sneaky about some of your bad habits, they probably know about them.

Sure, you try some of those foods that you really don’t like but want your children to experience. I do that when it’s something my husband likes but I don’t. It can be challenging at times, and some of my food preferences my kids do know about, but I do the best I can.

And while there are ways you can sneak vegetables into your children’s food, better yet is to teach them how to enjoy them. You may find only a few at first that the kids like to eat, but it’s a start. It doesn’t matter if they only want to eat frozen corn or peas, they’re vegetables and a much better part of a snack or meal than many other foods. If you’re dealing with a picky eater you take what you can get and set the example for something better.

Some of what you can do may be very subtle. Things like using olive oil instead of vegetable oil in cooking so that you’re using a healthier kind of oil when you need it. Young children won’t get it. But as they learn to cook it will be something to talk about.

Being healthy is about more than teaching good eating habits, of course. Healthy eating matters quite a bit, but so does exercise and making other good choices.

In our family, formal exercise isn’t really a priority. However, we’re currently taking daily walks. We found some hiking trails just a couple blocks from our house. The kids enjoy them even more than the local playgrounds. We all come home dusty and a bit tired from these hikes, but we’re all getting exercise just as a matter of routine and the kids are learning about nature.

Now if I could just convince my son that they are “ladybugs” and not “potato bugs!”

The idea is to just make physical activity routine. We set the expectation and try to live up to it ourselves. We don’t do everything we expect of the kids; they’re often sent out to play in the back yard while I work on my computer. They learn to spend time away from any electronic entertainment and I get peace and quiet to work.

Your own bad habits can be a bit of a challenge. I can explain away my computer time because it’s necessary to how I earn a living. But actual bad habits can be more problematic.

Think about any parents you know who smoke. It’s much less common than it used to be; I don’t think any of my close mom friends smoke at all. But if you have a bad habit such as smoking or even biting your nails, children do notice and it’s harder to explain why they shouldn’t.

While it may not stop your child from picking up the habit in question, simply admitting that yes, you have a bad habit can be helpful. You’re being honest and it gives you a chance to explain why it’s a bad habit in an age-appropriate way. Sometimes kids will cheerfully try to get you to stop.

No one is a perfect parent, and I wouldn’t suggest trying to be one. But you can work out ways to set the examples you want to, and try to break out of the old routines that aren’t teaching your kids what you really want them to learn.

Sometimes working at home doesn’t always go as you plan. Something happens and the money your family needs just isn’t coming in fast enough. How do you decide when it’s time to look at an outside the home job?

This is a painful decision for any at home parent. You generally want to be at home. Working outside it probably doesn’t appeal to you the way the work you do at home does. But when your family needs the money it’s an option you need to consider.

Perhaps one of the biggest causes for this can be the layoff of your spouse. There’s some of that going around right now. I should know; my husband was laid off earlier this year, and the financial hit was huge to our family, even with unemployment. After all, there’s the COBRA coverage for our health insurance to consider.

It can be a challenge making this kind of decision, but there are some ways to do it. One is to look at finding a job in the evening, so that you can always be sure that one parent is at home with the kids still. It makes quite the mess of your time together, but when money is tight you do have to look at the sacrifices necessary to keep your family going.

The other option, if your children are in school, is to work outside the home during school hours. This gives you a bit more time with your spouse, which is a nice benefit.

The trouble with these options that is that you will probably have to sacrifice a big piece of your at home work time. As a rule I do not recommend giving up entirely on working from home. Taking on an outside the home job may slow your progress at home, but giving up stops it.

Never give up if you think you can do it. Find a way to make it work.

There are options to working outside the home, of course. You can expand what you do to earn money from home. Take on more clients. Start freelancing if you aren’t already. Look at a new work at home job. Figure out ways to expand your current business.

None of that is easy, of course. There’s a lot you have to do in order to succeed. Work at home jobs take time to find. Clients may be hard to find. You may not have the time in your schedule to expand your efforts.

But if it comes down to it, work outside the home. That your family has a place to live and enough to eat should always be your first priority, not your pride in being able to be there for your family by working at home. You can come back to it when things get better.

Do not forget to take the expenses of working outside the home into consideration. How’s your work wardrobe? How far do you want to drive? Will you need daycare?

The early days can set your finances back a little, but so long as working outside the home is a sufficient net benefit you can do it.

It’s easier to fail working at home than it is to succeed. All you have to do is fail to try, or try in the wrong areas. Here are some of the ways I came up with to make a real mess of your own attempts to work at home.

1.    Tell everyone you want to work at home so you can watch your favorite TV shows.
2.    Treat working at home as a hobby.
3.    Expect instant success.
4.    Expect big earnings with little to no effort.
5.    Expect big earnings immediately.
6.    Just accept it when people expect you to have free time every time they ask.
7.    Fail to set goals.
8.    Don’t tell anyone about your business.
9.    Spend too much time on random surfing.
10.    Spend too much time checking email.
11.    Spend too much time “networking,” by which you mean chatting with friends and not getting anything accomplished.
12.    Fail to network as appropriate.
13.    Fail to complete your work in a reasonable time frame.
14.    Fail to discuss what you need with your family.
15.    Fail to understand what your family needs of you.
16.    Solitaire, Free Cell, Minesweeper, etc.
17.    Work too little.
18.    Work too much.
19.    Lack of focus.
20.    Start too many businesses at once.
21.    Choose the wrong location for your home office.
22.    Don’t worry about quality. Just get it done.
23.    Don’t keep up on your paperwork.
24.    Don’t have at least a partial regular schedule.
25.    Refuse to spend money where it would help and fits in your budget.
26.    Lack motivation.
27.    Lack drive.
28.    Believe in your own failure.
29.    Fail to learn from failure.
30.    Fear failure.
31.    Allow others to convince you that you’ll fail.
32.    Overestimate your own abilities.
33.    Fail to get help when needed, even if you have to pay for it.
34.    Choose an opportunity only because someone else says it can earn big money.
35.    Lack passion for your business.
36.    Fail to research opportunities before getting started.
37.    Jump from business to business in a short period of time.
38.    Fail to keep up on your industry.
39.    Spend excessive time reading about your industry.
40.    Fail to show off your skills.
41.    Be dull.
42.    Skip the business cards.
43.    Fail to pay attention to your market.
44.    Fail to know what your market is.
45.    Fail to consider a range of marketing tactics.
46.    Expect to work less than a regular job.
47.    Participate in illegal opportunities.
48.    Believe all hype.
49.    Lack enthusiasm.
50.    Fail to prioritize.
51.    Fail to separate business and personal finances.
52.    Fail to recognize when you’re spending more than you can afford.
53.    Try to sell something no one wants.
54.    Fail to understand how to appeal to customers.
55.    Try to insist customers like what you like.
56.    Talk down to customers and clients.
57.    Be positive you know more than anyone else.
58.    Pay no attention to your competition.
59.    Fail to have goals.
60.    Have only big goals and no little ones.
61.    Have only little goals and no big ones.
62.    Take rejection personally.
63.    Procrastinate constantly.
64.    Pay no attention to ROI (Return on Investment).
65.    Let yourself be distracted from work excessively.
66.    Dislike challenges.
67.    Prefer predictability.
68.    Ignore the Internet.
69.    Fail to have a unique website related to your business.
70.    Have a negative attitude.

Anyone have more to share?

There was a little surprise waiting for me in my inbox this morning. The CDC contacted me to help get the word out about a recall of a few Total Body supplements that have toxic levels of selenium and high levels of chromium. Guess they’re trying really hard to alert people to the issue.

The products and lot numbers are:

• Total Body Formula Tropical Orange with lot numbers 4016801, 4024801 and 4031801
• Total Body Formula Peach Nectar with lot numbers 4016802 and 4031802
• Total Body Mega Formula Orange/Tangerine with lot number 4031803

The CDC has information on their website about this, but here’s the basics they sent me:

• As of April 22, 2008 there have been 195 cases.
• Those affected range from children to older adults.
• Ten of 16 states where the supplements were distributed have reported cases to their state health departments, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
• The supplements were also sold over the Internet.
• Symptoms typically occur within 5 to 10 days after daily ingestion of the product begins.
• After discontinuing use of the product, the symptoms of selenium toxicity may last for several weeks but should improve eventually without treatment.
• Testing also revealed elevated levels of chromium in the supplements, up to 17 times greater than the amount stated on the label. The supplements are considered less likely to cause chromium toxicity because the chromium levels in the supplements are not as elevated.

The recalled products may cause the following severe, adverse reactions:

• significant hair loss
• muscle cramps
• diarrhea
• joint pain
• fatigue
• fingernail changes
• blistering skin

They say to just throw out the bottles if you have them, and consult a doctor if you have symptoms. You can report your symptoms to your local Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) or Department of Health.

If you listen much to the news right now, you’ve probably heard some stories about various Costco and Sam’s Club locations rationing rice, flour or oil purchases. You may have also heard about how bad the food situation is in many countries that are poorer than the United States. It’s getting rough out there.  Some countries are limiting or refusing to export rice.

The big question is: How much should you worry?

If you are in the United States, as I am, you probably don’t have too much to worry about, at least so far. There’s not a shortage here. But people are very naturally concerned, just from looking at the worldwide picture.

My own inclination is to keep an eye on things. I’m not ready to stock up heavily… aw heck, I can’t do that very easily since my husband’s still looking for work. But even if we had a little more financial flexibility, I don’t believe I’d be panicking at this point.

For one thing, we grow so much rice we export a lot of it. Even now.

However, I have told my husband I would like to garden more intensively this year, once we know for sure that we aren’t moving. Rice, flour and oil aren’t the only foods that are subject to increased prices. Fresh produce has gone up in a lot of places, and I rarely see things like tomatoes at prices I’m willing to pay anymore.

It’s also educational for the kids. Mine had a great time last summer going out and picking fresh tomatoes to snack on, and they’ve learned a lot about edible leaves… most especially that they always have to ask first to be sure they have the right plant.

A garden costs some money to get started, especially if you haven’t had one before, but in the long run it has great potential to help you cope with rising food prices.

While the immediate thought is to try to cut back your grocery bills as higher gas prices and grocery prices make your budget tighter, these are often not the most effective.

Today I’d like to review some of the other areas that might help you to cut back successfully.

1. Underutilized monthly memberships.

How much use do you really get out of your gym membership? Are there any other memberships you have that you aren’t taking advantage of?

Canceling poorly utilized memberships is an instant savings that can be significant. The average gym membership is about $50/month. If you still like to go to the gym, find out about their per-use fees, and see if that would be cheaper for your personal habits than the monthly fee. Or start walking, bike riding and other fitness activities at home.

While they’re generally smaller expenses and happen just once a year, look at any magazine subscriptions you have. If you’re not reading it, cancel it!

2. Cut back on telephone services.

Some people these days have cut out their landline telephone and just use cell phones. Others choose to cut their cell phone. Either way, you may be able to save money by cutting one or the other, assuming that it’s practical for your lifestyle. It may not be.

If you keep a landline telephone, review the services you have on it. You may have a big package of services that you don’t take advantage of. Most people only use caller ID and call waiting with any regularity. You can even cut those if you don’t really want them.

You should also review any telephone service plans you’re on, whether it’s your cell phone contract or the deal you get on your long distance calls. You may be paying too much for your plan, or you may have too small a plan and be paying out for excess minutes.

Many cell phone carriers will let you change your contract with no penalty so long as you are going to a new contract with them. This may start your term over, and you do need to think about whether or not that’s the best move for you. If there’s just a little time left on the contract and another company has a better deal for you, it may be a good idea to just switch carriers at the end of the contract.

3. How many television channels do you really need?

Whether you have cable or satellite, you’re paying for a lot of channels you never watch. While cutting subscription television services completely out may not be for you, a more basic package can allow you to still watch many great channels with good reception for significantly less money. Review what you really need.

4. Eat out less.

Eating out is almost always significantly more expensive than eating in. If you’re getting the cheapest of fast food the costs may be similar, but the quality of the food goes way, way down from what you could enjoy at home.

Lunch out is probably the one that many people do on a nearly daily basis. If you can remember to bring your lunch, either with an ice pack or to put in the company refrigerator as you work, you can save a lot of money while doing something with your leftovers.

Similarly, cut back buying coffee when you’re out. Homemade coffee takes just a few minutes to make and is significantly cheaper.

5. Ask for a lower APR on credit cards.

It takes just a phone call, and if your credit is in good shape you have very good odds of getting a rate cut from your credit card company. While I don’t recommend making only the minimum payment every month, knowing that you’ll be paying less over time can be a significant benefit.

If your current credit card issuer won’t decrease your APR, start shopping around. If you have good credit, you may be able to apply for a card with a lower rate, and transfer balances over. Just be aware of balance transfer fees and introductory APR versus regular APR. A lower introductory rate isn’t a benefit if the long term rate is too high.

6. Adjust the thermostat.

In summer, learn to tolerate a warmer house, in winter, a cooler one.

During the summer, I put extra coverings on the windows that get the most direct sunlight. This has a significant impact on the temperature in my home. Depending on the window I may use a blanket, sheet or cardboard box. It’s not pretty, but it gets the job done.

In winter, of course, extra warm clothes are the rule.

In any season you can check to be sure that your home does the best it can in terms of insulation. This is one of those cases where you may have to spend money to save money over time, not an easy thing to do if your budget is already tight. But if you can manage it, the benefit will be there eventually.

Check your filters too. A clean filter can greatly increase the efficiency of your heater or air conditioner.

A programmable thermostat can take care of changing the temperatures for you, based on the daily routine you give it. If you tend to be away from the house all day, obviously you don’t need the heater or air conditioner running. But when you’re home you want things to be comfortable.

Another option is to use an efficient space heater. This can be more efficient than heating the entire house, especially if everyone spends all their time in the same room.

Alternatively, keep it in rooms that you don’t use much, and close their heater vents. Turn on the space heater as needed, turn off when you’re done.

7. Drive less and more efficiently.

With gas prices going up, anything you can do to cut back can help your budget. Planning your errands so they can be done can save money both in gas and in what you spend shopping.

Another way to drive less is to carpool or take public transportation. This is generally going to involve some inconvenience, but the savings can be substantial. My sister saves about $80/month carpooling with coworkers, and that’s the number she quoted me about 6 months ago. No doubt it’s more now.

8. Buy used.

Consignment and thrift shops often have great deals on near-new clothes and other merchandise. It may take a couple tries before you find the right shops for your tastes, but there’s a great range of options out there.

9. Rethink your watering habits.

Many people overwater their lawns. Do some research for your area and find out how much water your lawn actually needs a week. I heard a quote of 1 inch per week in my area, and it’s actually better for the lawn to have it in one deep watering, so long as the soil isn’t too dry, than in shorter spurts through the week. The lawn then grows deeper roots and becomes stronger.

10. Review your insurance coverage.

What are you paying to cover your car in case of an accident? What’s the deductable? How often have you really needed to use even a bit of your coverage?

While car insurance is pretty much a must in many places, you may be able to cut back on what it costs you. Increasing your deductible can save you money every month, and only costs you money if you make a claim. This can be a very good deal.

Cutting health insurance can be a bit trickier. There’s still a certain quality of coverage you probably want. But once again, if increasing your deductible will save you money overall with the way you use your health insurance, it may be worth the effort. The only question for many people is ‘Will I remember that during open enrollement?’

Review your homeowner’s insurance too, if applicable. Balance what you will be able to handle paying in case of a claim with what you are willing to spend monthly.

11. Turn it off and unplug it.

Turn what off?

Whatever you’re not using. Turn off unnecessary lights and teach the kids to do the same. Turn off the television… unplug it if you’re willing, as it does use some electricity even when it’s off. Same for the DVD player or any other electronics that have a clock or respond to a remote. Any of those you’re willing to unplug can save you a bit of money.

12. Get a smart power strip.

A smart power strip is an interesting device. It shuts off the power to all devices plugged into it when you shut the first device down. This can work great for entertainment centers and computers… just make sure that if it’s something you want to stay on, such as a DVR, you plug it into a separate strip.

This can seem like a small thing, but the power these things use up just by being in standby mode can really add up.

13. Clean out the house… declutter!

While this won’t necessarily save you money, it can make you money or at least get rid of the things you don’t use anymore. If you think you can make some money, hold a garage sale or sell the best stuff on eBay. It’s a bit of effort that can be quite profitable.

14. Drink more tap water.

Get a Brita or other filter if you prefer, as it will quickly pay for itself over buying bottled water, drinking juice or drinking soda. It’s also very healthy for you.

If you don’t like to have a glass of water at your desk, especially if you’re concerned about spills, get a reusable water bottle. If BPA concerns you, there are metal bottles available, or non-BPA plastic ones. ReusableBags.com carries a good selection. I’m completely hooked on mine.

15. Check your car’s air filter.

A dirty air filter reduces your gas mileage. And cleaning one is so simple even most people who can’t do car repairs may be up to the job.

Cher your owner’s manual to locate the filter. Undo the top screw or release the clamps, take off the top and you’ll see the filter inside. Pull out the filter and use the hose of your vacuum cleaner to suck the dirt out of it. Run the vacuum through the holder as well to get any other dust. Take care not to be too rough with the filter, as you can damage it. Put it back in and reattach the top. The job is done and you didn’t have to pay someone to do it.

16. Talk about ways to save money with friends.

Friends can help you to find new ways to save money and just encourage you in your own efforts.

17. Look for free events in your area.

I went last weekend to a street fair just 2 miles from my home. We walked out of there with a free month of karate classes for my daughter, and a generally fun day. We did spend some on rides for the kids, but not much considering the overall entertainment.

Most cities will have some sort of event calendar online these days. Find your city’s website and check it out.

18. Borrow from the library.

Rather than buy books or rent movies, check out the selection at your local library. While their selection of movies won’t come even close to Netflix, or even a local movie store, you can check to see if the movie selection is adequate to your needs.

But many do pretty well, especially when it comes to finding great titles to read to the kids. Children don’t care how long the book has been out; they’ll enjoy the story regardless.

19. Make your own cleaning supplies.

Just a few ingredients that you may have around the house already can work wonders. Baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil can replace most of the cleaning supplies that cost you far more, and aren’t toxic.

20. Use rechargeable batteries.

The battery charger and rechargeable batteries are a bit of an investment at the start, but they quickly pay for themselves. We handled the expense in my family during the changeover by just buying rechargeable batteries as needed. Our charger handles all sizes we use.

21. Think about living in a smaller home or apartment.

This one won’t work right now if you’re upside down in a mortgage, and definitely may not be right depending on the real estate market in your area. Going into a smaller home can save you money in many ways if it makes sense to do so, from a lower mortgage payment to lower heating bills and so forth. Do not try this if you own a house unless you are sure you will save money!

On the other hand, renters may have more flexibility to move if they’re not stuck in a lease. If you can move into a place that costs you less to rent every month, you may have a significant savings that will make up for the expense of moving quickly.

Just be sure both the financial and the intangibles are worth the move. If you love where you live, the money may not be worth it unless things are just that tight.

22. Think before you buy.

Anytime you think you want to buy something, consider why you’re doing it. If you can walk away and return to the item later, do so. If the purchase can wait a month, do so. Do what it takes to make sure that it’s something more than an impulse buy.

23. Simplify your gift giving.

You don’t have to cut it out, but you can simplify it and give things that will be greatly appreciated and cost you less money.

Try giving time, especially to friends and family who you know have very little of it. Free babysitting is appreciated by parents of small children. A homecooked meal may be appreciated by grandparents, especially if it means you take some time to be with them.

If you’re creative, take advantage of that fact and make gifts. Homemade gifts don’t always have to be chintzy. Create something that you know the recipient will appreciate and that you’ll enjoy making.

24. Shower more efficiently.

I know, a nice, long, hot shower is bliss for many people. It also uses a lot of water and either electricity or gas to keep the water warm. If you can keep the length down you will save money.

You should also be sure that you have a low flow showerhead on your shower. A good quality one will still provide excellent water pressure, but use significantly less water. I’ve found that the mist setting on mine is good for everything but rinsing conditioner out of my hair, and uses significantly less water than the other settings.

25. Wash your clothes in cold water.

Most of the time, your clothes will come out nice and clean, even if you don’t use warm water. If you’re worried about it, there are now detergents formulated to work in cold water. I’ve never used one and never had a problem with clothes not getting clean enough… except when my kids absolutely stain them. What can I say? They’re kids. They like to get really, really messy.

There are, no doubt, many more ways you can save money. I’d love to hear more suggestions from any of my readers.

I’m noticing a lot of people with concerns about current grocery prices. They’re going up fast in most places. That’s hard on just about any family’s budget.

Time to work even harder on saving money at the grocery store!

That’s not easy to do if you’ve been cutting back for a long time. There’s always a limit to what you can cut back on before the decisions get really painful. So let’s go over some of the basic possibilities.

1. Buy in bulk.

This one can work great, but only if you know that you’re paying less by doing so. It can really pay to compare prices because sometimes foods are cheaper the way you normally buy them.

This also works for things like crackers, although you generally aren’t getting these from the bulk bins. Buy the large boxes rather than the snack size bags, and separate into snack size portions yourself.

2. Know when your stores have the best deals.

In my area, one store has ‘double ad Wednesdays’ where they honor both the current and previous weeks’ ads. It’s my favorite day for shopping there.

Other stores may have double or even triple coupon days.

I’ve gotten a lot of benefit from knowing when and where to go grocery shopping. I look at all the ads for my area and decide which stores I need to go to. I also shop alone as much as possible so that there’s no one begging for treats or impulse purchases.

You can also ask about price matching if you want to cut back on running around town. Some stores will do this, others won’t. But it never hurts to ask.

3. Cut back on prepared foods.

Many prepared foods are significantly more expensive than the cost of their ingredients. I no longer buy most spice or marinade mixes as I can do just fine on my own for less. I don’t buy premade foods that I can handle on my own.

Fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables also go farther than you may think. On the whole they are much better for you, and cost less. In some areas you can go even cheaper at the farmer’s market. Just check the prices carefully, as some farmer’s markets cost more than the grocery store.

4. Weigh prebagged produce.

When you buy fresh produce, such as apples, onions or potatoes, you often have the option to buy a prebagged selection. They may be labeled at a certain weight, but due to the natural variations in the product, these weights do not tend to be exact.

Pick a bag that looks good to you, and check the weight. You should be able to get a good amount for your dollars this way.

5. Buy generic when reasonable.

Sometimes generic foods are made by the same companies that make the brand name products. If you’re not sure of the quality, buy a package of whatever generic product you’re considering and give it a try. If it tastes good enough to you and your family, you can save quite a bit.

Just remember to watch out for brand name coupons that sometimes bring their prices to below that of generics.

6. Don’t go overboard.

It’s easy to overbuy when you see a good deal, whether it’s a sale or a coupon. But especially on foods that tend to go bad easily, don’t buy more than you need. There’s a lot of food waste that is simply due to people buying more than they and their family can possibly eat before it goes bad.

7. Have storage space for real bargains.

Sometimes you will see real bargains at the grocery store. If you have an extra freezer or a lot of room in the pantry, it can be worthwhile to get extra of foods that either freeze well or take a long time to go bad. You can still go overboard on stocking up if you aren’t careful, but if you’re seeing significant price increases in your area, having some extra on hand can’t hurt.

8. Keep a price book, or keep the numbers in your head.

Anything you buy with any regularity at all, you should know what the normal price is and what the usual sale price is. Most foods go on sale pretty regularly, and you don’t want to pay full price unless you have to. At the same time, if it’s a particularly good sale, you want to know so you can decide what, if anything, to do about it. Maybe you buy extra, maybe you just tell some friends.

9. Avoid non-grocery items at the grocery store.

One thing I’ve long since noticed is that I get much better prices for non-grocery items when I go to Target than when I check their prices at the grocery store. Not every time, as sometimes the grocery store will do a good sale, but often enough that it caught my attention.

Target and Walmart also both have at least small grocery sections in their stores. You may be able to get good deals on food in those areas. I’ve had good luck with Target’s cereal selection when it comes to getting a good deal.

When it comes to cleaning supplies, stores like Target can be a great choice, as can making your own. There are a lot of homemade cleaning supplies you can make for much less than it takes to buy them, and hardly any extra time spent.

10. Know when the meat is marked down.

This one can be challenging, but it can mean significant savings. I know that the Albertson’s in my area used to mark their ground beef down at about 8 every night. Then it changed to around 9 at night. Now they seem to do it first thing in the morning.

This means great deals on ground beef. In my area, ground beef that generally runs over $3/lb gets marked down to $1.50/lb. That’s actually a price increase, as they used to mark it down to $0.99/lb. But it still beats $3-4/lb.

Bakery products also get marked down. You can generally figure out where they keep the rack of slightly older baked goods if you want to get a good deal.

11. Know the price per unit.

Most of the time, buying more means a better deal. This is why people like to buy in bulk.

However, sometimes you actually increase your cost. Fortunately, most grocery stores have the price per unit, pound or ounce on the price tag in small print. Take advantage so that you know where the best deal is. This can be good information to add to your price book so that you know when to buy something other than your usual size.

12. Check your receipt.

Price errors in grocery stores are probably more common than many suspect. Not all of the errors will be in favor of the store, but if they are, you definitely want to get the price corrected.

13. Eat your leftovers!

Sure, lots of people find leftover food boring. But they can make for great, cheap lunches. If you’ve otherwise been throwing away your leftovers, you’re essentially getting that lunch for free.

14. Figure out how to cook around your schedule.

There are a lot of ways you can make cooking dinners at home easier, even if you come home exhausted from work.

You can cook in advance over the weekend. Just prepare the parts of the meal that freeze well, cook them during the week or even a month or more in advance, then place in the freezer.

The crockpot is another great alternative. You can start your food in the morning when you aren’t so tired from a day at work or taking care of the kids if you’re at home, and have dinner waiting for you.

Similarly, you can chop vegetables in advance and store in the refrigerator. It makes things go a lot faster if you don’t have to do all the chopping for a salad or stir fry or any other meal.

15. Don’t shop tired or hungry.

A standard piece of advice, but ever so true. Being tired or hungry means your resistance is down and you are more likely to make impulse purchases.

16. Use coupons wisely.

Don’t use a coupon to buy things you wouldn’t otherwise have bought. Know where they’re doubled in your area. Contact the manufacturers of your favorite products and ask if they have any coupons to send to you. Find coupon swap groups.

Be careful of online coupon offerings. Many grocery stores no longer accept coupons printed off home computers due to problems with scammers. You can ask at your local store if they will accept these or not. If they do, it can be worthwhile to join a site offering coupons online.

17. Consider the occasional vegetarian meal.

You don’t have to cut meat out entirely unless that’s your preference, but some vegetarian meals cost less to prepare than those that have meat in them. It can be worthwhile to invest in a good vegetarian cookbook. Even going meatless once a week can make a difference.

18. Consider frozen vegetables.

Frozen vegetables can cost less than you would pay otherwise. They go on sale pretty regularly, and of course they keep a good length of time.

One advantage I find for them is that I can use them when I’m not out of other ingredients and not quite ready to go to the store, but I need vegetables. Since they don’t go bad quickly, they can help me to extend the time between trips. This can help to cut down on excess spending and food spoilage.

I’m not so fond of canned vegetables. Many varieties have added sodium, although others do not, and to me most don’t taste as good. Your experience may differ.

19. Learn to make your own cake, pancake, etc. mixes.

If you love your pancakes or other such foods that you normally buy a mix for, consider learning how to make a mix on your own. This can save you quite a bit of money, and you may find some variations you really enjoy.

This particularly saves you money if you love frozen waffles and such. A waffle iron can be bought for as little as $30 if you don’t have one already.

20. Start a garden.

Starting a garden costs money, especially the first year when you have no gardening supplies at all. But over time you can save money and enjoy produce far superior to what you can buy at the store.

You don’t have to live in a house with a big backyard to garden, either. Many people have small container gardens in their kitchen to grow herbs such as basil for cooking. Others place somewhat larger containers on patios and grow tomatoes and other vegetables that grow well that way.

If you’re still struggling with your grocery budget after doing everything you can, it’s probably time to cut other areas. I posted some time back about daring yourself to save money, and in times like these it’s something to think about.

Yes, I did it. After hearing so many people rave about Twitter, I signed up today. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

In the first few minutes, it’s kind of fun. Very simple, just write a short post about what you’re doing. You have just 140 characters to get your point across.

I can see where it could be both a time saver and a time waster. The small amount of space means you can’t say much. But there could be that temptation to overdo it and update far too often. I’ll have to make sure that I work on balancing that.

I first heard about Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv a year or so ago. It promptly went on my wish list, but I never got around to buying it. Now I have the updated version, and I was just amazed by it.

It’s a really good read.

Of course, it may have helped that the author is from my area. One of the people he spoke with in the book grew up along Tecolote Canyon in San Diego, where I grew up. My sisters and I hiked there often.
The topic is also near and dear to my heart: encouraging children to get outside and play. Backyards are a good start, but better is if they can get time out on a hike, in the forest, along a creek and so forth.

Now, I’ve said before I think the back yard is a better “babysitter” than the television ever was. That’s just been my experience. Television teaches children that they don’t need to pay attention for long periods. Playing outside, they focus for much longer periods.

While nothing’s been proven scientifically, Last Child in the Woods notes many cases where parents report their children behave much better after playing in the natural world. Many people think it helps with symptoms of ADHD.

There are also some very good points about how much harder it’s getting to find people who really understand the basics of natural science. It’s not as popular a topic of study as other areas, such as biotech.

What I really appreciated, however, was the last part of the book. It’s called the Field Guide to the Last Child in the Woods, and it has some great suggestions. There are 100 actions you can take to get more in touch with nature, for example, such as starting a garden.

The book is well worth the read. I’m going to try to get my husband to read it too. It’s not his usual style, but given how much he loves hiking and being outdoors, I think he’ll go for it.

Network marketing has been around a long time. There’s plenty of advice going around about how best to build a downline and a customer base to help you succeed. But not everyone takes advantage of the Internet.

Sometimes it’s due to lack of comfort with it. If you don’t think you can make a good website, you’re probably not even going to try. If you assume that it’s beyond you, it will be…

At least until you give it a try.

Now the first thing you have to do is find out what the company’s rules are regarding marketing on the Internet. Some have very strict rules surrounding what you can do. You may not even be able to mention the company’s name. Others provide you with a website you can sell through.

But even if they provide you with a website you need to build one of your own. Replicated websites don’t attract their own traffic. They also don’t allow you to show your personality, yet your personality should be one of the key factors to recruiting a downline. You want people to want to work with you.

Fortunately there are many ways to create a quality website even if you haven’t tried it before. Blogging is very popular, with Wordpress being the most popular software. Once you have a theme selected, all you have to do is write your posts.

Well, that and market your site.

It may seem that you’re adding to your work by adding a site. Now you have a business opportunity and a website to promote. However, since the one promotes the other it’s not as bad as it may seem.

There are lots of opportunities to promote your website. Twitter is getting very popular with marketers. You have 140 characters to express yourself in. You can’t just market your business and expect people to follow you, but if you’re interesting people will take a look at those times you include links.

You can market on forums, write articles, pay for ads, whatever suits your style, just so long as you know when to sell and when to offer advice.

The beauty of it is that you can interact with people all around the world, rather than being limited by the number of people you interact with each day. You have a much better chance of finding people who might be interested in your opportunity.

Better yet is that some of them will be looking specifically for it.

A big part of network marketing is that you can choose to sell something you are really passionate about. Let that show in your Internet marketing activities and you improve your chances of building a really great business.

There’s a lot more you can learn about what you’re doing right and wrong with your network marketing opportunity. Read The 7  Great Lies of Network Marketing and think about where you can take your business.