>Tip of The Day: Balancing the Food Budget

When you are trying to budget it can be tough trying to fit the bills in and having extra money to do the liesurely things your family thrives on. One way to have extra money to spend on things you want to do, like going to the movies or getting a bite to eat at a fancy resturant, is to limit the processed foods you are purchasing. I have a friend who often buys cartfuls of “junk” food at deeply discounted prices because she thinks it’s a great deal. And it is a great deal, but then she ruins it by purchasing loads of it and thereby wasting her food budget on “junk” that won’t fill her up or keep her healthy. It’s one thing to buy a box of keebler cookies for .50 cents but a whole ‘nother thing when you are buying 3, 4 or even 10 boxes. The bottom line is every cent adds up and deducts from your budget.

*Other wasteful spending habits include purchasing vegetables and letting them go to waste. Purchasing marked down meat but then not using it in time before it goes bad. Buying too many potatoes and then forgetting about them.