Some tips for saving money

Look for sales and buy only what you will actually use. For example, it's no good stocking up on broccoli if you hate the stuff, no matter how good a deal it is. Personally, I love the Publix Buy one Get One Free sales. Even though their regular prices are higher than some of the other discount stores like Walmart, with the BOGO offer you manage to save quite a bit. A lot of it is processed foods, but if you're like me, you do a combination of fresh and processed...because with a 50+ hour week, I don't have time to play Suzie make-from-scratch Homemaker.

Some things I am always keeping an eye out for:

Canned fruit
Canned vegetables
Frozen vegetables, especially Birds Eye
Pasta
Spaghetti sauce
Bread
Cheese
Processed meats such as hotdogs, sausages, ham, and bacon

I try to limit myself to these items, but Publix does have recurring BOGO for other items such as chips, cookies, chocolates, sodas, Ritz crackers are almost always BOGO every month, and frozen entrees.

I do indulge in a few convenience meals, but only because I can stretch them out to multiple meals by adding fresh vegetables and pasta. The Margaritaville Shrimp with Cilantro Lime is great with summer squash and penne. And I just love pairing Bantry Bay mussels (either the tomato or garlic butter) with fettuccine. When you factor in the BOGO offer and adding the pasta and veggies, you're looking at 1.50 per serving.

Speaking of adding veggies, another way to save money is to cut down on meat. Meat is expensive. Let's face it...it's not all that great for us in large amounts anyway. And to all those who might seek to undercut this idea by citing the whole caveman argument, I suggest talking to your cardiologist about the 2 pounds of red meat eating habits Americans are indulging in these days and how it's affecting our health.

Which is not to say that you should eschew meat altogether. I love the stuff. However, there are plenty of tasty options to supplement (not wholly replace) meat on your grocery list. I try to have at least three meals per week that consists of no meat. Some would recoil in horror at the thought, but it's actually quite simple. Cereal and milk. Oatmeal and fruit. Pancakes. Waffles. Salad. Veggie wrap. Beans. The possibilities are endless.

My two favorite that I have almost every week: veggie spaghetti and pinto beans (not together).

Veggie spaghetti is awesome. All you do is saute some of your favorite vegetables in olive oil before adding the sauce portion. Now, my aunt makes homemade sauce. I prefer jarred. It's faster. I grew up on the stuff. Plus, homemade sauce is always too acidic for me and gives me awful reflux. My favorite mix of vegetables is diced tomatoes, yellow squash, onion, and green bell peppers.With the veggies and sauce, I have enough to mix with an entire box of thin spaghetti...which comes out to around 8-10 servings, depending on portion size. I freeze this in containers which hold around 2 portions worth and just grab one out whenever I feel like taking a portion to lunch and maybe eating the other for dinner the next day.

As for pinto beans, I love the stuff. My best friend is a hummus lover, but I'm not a fan. Too many hidden calories from the oil it's emulsified with, and I'm just not too keen on the flavor of chickpeas. Now pinto beans on the other hand...everything you can stick into hummus, you can scoop up pintos with too. Celery, crackers, pita. Plus, you can make a dish of it all by its lonesome. Can't really see myself spooning hummus over rice. The best recipe I've found has been from an online site that I can't seem to find right now, but I'll post the link as soon as I do...credit due and all that. However, it's really quite basic. Pinto beans, a cut up onion, a couple cloves of garlic, salt, water. Put into a crockpot on low for 7-8 hours. Drain off as much liquid as you'd like (depends on how thick you like it), and blend in a blender or with a stick blender. Tastes just like the restaurant stuff. Hello Homemade Bean and Cheese Burritos. Nice to see you Meatless Nachos. What big grains you have, Mr. Pintos and Rice.