Coupons are like horses, in that depending on how you handle them, they can either take you on enjoyable, smooth rides or buck you off and leave you trampled and broken. [More]
grocery shopping
Eat Healthier By Leaving Your Credit Cards At Home
By 10.21.10
In the last few decades, Americans use credit (or debit) cards for more and more of our everyday spending. We’re also, collectively, becoming more and more obese. A group of researchers wondered: is there a correlation here? They conducted four experiments looking at what types of food people purchase when using a credit card, and what they purchase when using cash. They published their findings in the Journal of Consumer Research. The result is not surprising: people are more likely to buy junk food, on impulse, when paying with plastic. [More]
Things To Buy Exclusively At Warehouse Stores
By 10.13.10
Warehouse stores such as Costco and Sam’s Club like to lull you into a false sense of security, sure that everything you see on shelves is cheaper there than elsewhere. But in many cases, warehouse prices are unbeatable. [More]
Whole Foods CEO Just Begging To Be Called Out On His BS
By 9.1.10
There are certain assumptions we make in this world: The sun rises in the east; the Cubs will never win the World Series again; and Whole Foods is an expensive place to shop. But don’t tell that to the grocery chain’s CEO John Mackey, who says that only .1% of the products he sells are pricier than you’ll find elsewhere. [More]
How Long To Wait Before Trashing Expired Yogurt, Eggs
By 9.1.10
Expiration dates on refrigerated food aren’t gospel — they’re conservative estimates by food manufacturers to ensure you don’t get sick from spoiled products. The trick to minimizing food waste is how to know just how long you have to wait to eat food that’s past its prime. [More]
Man Who Hates Clipping Coupons Uses Coupons To Spend $1 Per Day On Food
By 7.23.10
Sure, the exploits of the coupon ninjas are interesting, but we live, shop, and eat in the real world. Who has time to make a job–or at least a time-consuming hobby–out of couponing? Jeffrey doesn’t. Yet he began a challenge to feed himself on $1 per day in April…and is still at it. Using sales, coupons, and (ugh) rebates, he’s managed to survive, without a huge time investment in couponing. What are his secrets? [More]
Perhaps You Would Like A Delicious Ham For Your Passover Seder
By 4.1.10
If you’re worried that grocery store loyalty and discount cards let retailers amass a detailed profile of you and use your buying habits for marketing purposes….don’t worry. Safeway, at least, doesn’t actually seem to be paying attention. That’s the conclusion you can draw from the coupon that Steve says printed out during his shopping trip for his Passover seder. [More]
Grocery Self-Checkout: Blessing Or Scourge?
By 3.18.10
Our sister publication ShopSmart asked their readers today what they think of grocery store self-checkout systems. Would you rather stand and watch someone else scan and bag your groceries, or do you prefer to buy your Oreos and hemorrhoid cream without another soul knowing? [More]
D.C. Has Customers Pay For Grocery Bags, Law Cuts Down On Waste
By 3.12.10
A Washington, D.C. law mandates shoppers shell out a nickel for each grocery bag they use, and the regulation has caused people to stop taking as many unnecessary bags and reduced waste, the Baltimore Sun reports. [More]
General Mills To Axe Product Lines, Won't Say Which
By 12.4.09
General Mills announced a chilling statement as it announced it will spend $24.1 million in restructuring expenses this quarter. [More]
Consumers Forgo Restaurants, Cook Fancy Steaks At Home
By 10.31.09
Americans love steak. Now, in a recession, we still love it, but we’ve shifted to buying and cooking delicious high-end steaks at home instead of eating them in restaurants, thanks to greater availability of fancy cuts of meat to consumers.
A Stingy Scoundrel Explains How To Save On Groceries By Price-Matching
By 10.19.09
I wrote a (hopefully) humorous money-saving book called Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets. The New York Post called it “required reading” Sunday, although not everyone’s a fan.
Grocery Aisle Coupon Fairies: Nuisance Or Nice?
By 10.3.09
You reach for an item at your local grocery store, and notice that on the shelf next to it is a coupon thoughtfully left behind by another shopper. But wait, is this a thoughtful way to keep clipped coupons from going to waste? Or just a way for shoppers to feel good about themselves, but create more litter for grocery store employees to clean up?
Recession Scenes At Wal-Mart: Beef, Peanut Butter, Toilet Seats
By 5.6.09
Wal-Mart’s management is watching their customers during the recession. What have they learned? More shoppers now make lists, instead of buying on impulse. Sales of frozen vegetables are up; sales of Angus beef are down. And mysteriously, $5 white toilet seats are a hot item near Denver.
