Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half with America's Cheapest Family by Steve & Annette Economides

A family of seven spending only $350 a month on groceries seems unbelievable, but The Economides (yes, that's their real last name) are doing it! The grocery shop once a month, and for the most part only cook once a month as well, and they save major bucks at the same time. In this book, Steve and Annette share their strategies on saving money on the everyday items. They have some great tips on how to plan your shopping day (where to go, what to look for), how to buy what you need at the lowest price, how to store what you've bought in bulk, cooking all of your meals in one day, and so much more. This book covers a lot of ground, and has some great pearls of wisdom (and the Economides don't shy away from attributing their success and happy lives to God). They cover not only ways to save money, but ways to stay healthy, have more time with your family, and giving to others. The main piece of advice throughout the book is PLANNING. That's the key. This family has wonderful suggestions for getting you onto the right path, and they speak from experience (giving you examples of things not to do as well, which can be very important!).

Having recently cut our income in half when I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, I have already put into practice some of what was suggested in this book, but found so many more things I plan on implementing into my budgeting, shopping and planning. In the middle of reading this book, we found a deep freeze for free and promptly claimed it so that I could really begin the stocking up and freezer cooking they suggest in the book. To read the whole book and look at the big picture can be a bit overwhelming, as there would be a lot to take on if you tried to do it all at once... the Economides suggest trying it a little at a time. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone looking to cut grocery costs, trying to tighten their budget a little in whatever areas they can, or who just want to find a more efficient way to shop and cook for a large family!  Now, if I could just get my act together and start really putting this stuff into practice!  (I'm trying, I'm trying!)

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