Includes So Many Innovative Strategies You Won't Have to Cut Coupons

There is some good advice in this book, like grocery shop with a list or to take an inventory of what you already have on hand before you shop for example, but neither of these tips are something anyone doesn't already know they should be doing (not necessarily doing, but should be doing). Other advice in the book goes too far with recommendations like buying enough milk to last a month and freezing it. I don't know about anyone else, but I prefer my milk and coffee creamer to be fresh; this isn't a viable solution. I can come up with my own nonsensical advice without the help of a $10 book.

There was probably 5% of this book I found useful, meaning it wasn't reiterated nomenclature for the masses and frankly I feel the masses are by far smarter than this. Most of this information we already know, like I already said, or can be found on the internet. My advice, save the $10 you would have spent on this book and look up the same information on the internet for free.

The service was terific.. received it on time. The book itself was ok. I did like the information on purchasing items in bulk. I would have liked more information on coupon strategy. I found myself bouncing around to the subjects that interested me the most.

The title alone does a great job of explaining the purpose of this particular book. The Economide family of 7 shares tips they have learned and perfected over the past 25 years as they have earned the right to be named as "America's Cheapest Family." Filled with tips for every level of bargain shopper, from beginning to expert, every family can benefit in some way from this book. This family has perfected their technique to the point that they only shop once a month,so they demonstrate how to save money by planning ahead and going to the store less often. Start by going weekly, then every couple of weeks, gradually taking control of impulse spending and buying whatever is placed in front of you.

What Dave Ramsey does for finances, Steve and Annette Economides do for the grocery bill. By removing common excuses of too little time, not knowing how to cook, bad location with few store choices, or the lack of coupons and sales ads, they encourage their readers to take charge of their grocery purchasing experience, once and for all. Sharing a keen awareness on how stores market to each consumer, the reader will better understand how to form a plan and shopping timetable that works specifically for them. This book will show how to shop on your own terms, rather than on theirs. Know prices, so that you can recognize a great deal when you find one. Ask questions. Understand the system, so you can use it to your benefit.

My personal favorite tips were how to take advantage of the "price match" guarantee for superstores, such as Wal-mart and Target, the use of rain checks to capture a great deal even when a targeted item is sold out, and on how to save money when you do choose to dine out. With minimal effort, each reader should be able to make an immediate dent in their grocery budget, freeing that money to be better used elsewhere.

I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Last night I finished the book, "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family" by Steve and Annette Economides and quite frankly I want to say "yeah, that's so true" and "what in the world?!" at the same time. I don't think I would have been quite as disappointed in the book had they created a different title for it, but it's really not a book ONLY about cutting your grocery bill in half. They do provide several money saving tips for how they save money, but really its more of a book about the Economides values that center around food.

Let me explain what I mean. Chapters 1-4 explain how they shop the ads, use coupons (yes they do briefly discuss coupons), stock up on sales, and plan their meals such that they only have to shop once a month. If I were to only read one chapter in the book, chapter 3 would be it as it provides the most specific information about shopping sale prices and stocking up that I've seen. Their other information is more of an overview for the novice than the experienced shopper.

Chapters 5-8 is less about the grocery bill and more about how they "do" food. The Economides discuss how they do their mass cooking day, how they stock up and organize their food, how they save on kitchen equipment and what they use, and how they enjoy dinnertime together as a family.

Chapters 9-11 would probably fall somewhere in between on the spectrum. Chapter 9 just give ideas for money-saving snacks (but not necessarily how to save money on purchasing those snacks). Chapter 10 discusses how to save when eating out (again not really saving on groceries but it is food oriented). And, chapter 11 briefly discusses gardening (but not in a very thorough manner).

Finally, Chapter 12 just sums up basically everything they mention throughout the book. There are a few of their favorite family recipes added at the end as well as suggestions for how singles and empty nesters can also save money even though they are cooking for only one.

My final thoughts: Do I think this book is worth read? Maybe. They do have a lot of good ideas and some interesting facts, but don't let the title fool you. It may be a good place to begin if you are just starting in the process of saving money on groceries but if you have been doing so for awhile and looking for a few pointers, I might suggest another title or two that provide more specific information as the book seemed like a run-on sentence by the time it was all over.

After reading the first few chapters of this book, I was able to lower my weekly grocery bill by $60. No, that wasn't a 50% drop, but it sure made me happy. There are so many great tips in here that you are sure to find something that suits you. And while there will probably be plenty that you aren't so sure about, I found it was easy to take even "extreme" tips and make them fit my lifestyle.

For example, I don't want to wait until meat is about to expire before buying it just so I can get the lowest possible price, but I will check out what meat is on sale before I go to the grocery store each week, so I can plan my meals around what is discounted.

The authors also acknowledge that different readers will be capable of different money-saving strategies. Some may have more time than others. Some may be willing to plan meals out two weeks in advance, others a month, others only a week. To that end, they have three different levels of tips at the end of each chapter that give specific directions on how to put their strategies to work. This makes the book feel more tailored to my needs, and I appreciated that.

The only gripe I have is that the authors seem unnecessarily touchy about going organic. Apparently they get a lot of questions from people about how to shop organic more cheaply, and they have a somewhat strange response, in my opinion. The authors argue that you don't need to buy everything organic (which I agree with), but they continue on to say that you wouldn't need to buy much organic at all if you had a strong immune system. And to get a strong immune system, they advocate taking many different kinds of vitamin supplements. This seems so ironic to me, given that vitamin supplements--even if you do get them on sale--are expensive. And this family buys A LOT of vitamins. Why not just spend that same money on organic produce?

Otherwise, though, this book has done what it said it would. It has cut my grocery bill by, well, not 50%, but by a respectable percentage, nonetheless. I learned a lot by reading the book, and I would recommend anyone looking to save money at the grocery store give this a quick read, as well.

Ever since I started using a couple of grocery and calculator apps on my iPhone, I've done a much better job of keeping my family's grocery bill lower than in the past. So I was definitely interested to find out what I could learn from this book about lowering my grocery bill. Even though many of tips and strategies in this book are a little more than I have time to do, their approaches to shopping are still useful.

For example, the little exercise the authors present about "price deals" might be a good little eye opener for many shoppers. You'd be surprised by the few dollars you can save simply by calculating the real unit price differences in groups of multiple items. I learned that it's cheaper for me to purchase four liters of Coke when they are on sale than it is to buy a case of 24 cans.

As for meal planning in my house, it's pretty easy because typically we cook the same meals each week. That makes it easy for shopping and staying within budget. However, we could save more by incorporating some of the coupon strategies that the authors suggest in the book. I just don't have the patience to search for the coupons and use them. The recommendations, for example, for buying bulk, cooking day meal plans, canned food storage, and stretching out the use of certain products like dish washing soap are very useful. The authors really try to get readers to rethink how they buy and use grocery items. It covers how to make meals more interesting for families.

In the next edition of their book, the authors should include how to use many of the great iPhone and other mobile or computer apps for grocery shopping. These apps do pretty much the same thing the authors suggest be done with pen and paper.

I have always used coupons and shopped sales so I was anxious to learn new stategies to help save even more $$. I was disappointed because the advice in this book is basically "shop sales and use coupons". I agree with the reviewer who said the numbers do not add up. The prices they quote - both regular and sale prices - are far below what things sell for in my community. Only one store in my town doubles coupons and it is the store where regular items are already the highest priced in town. So even with a doubled coupon, there is no way I can get products for pennies as they describe. Additionally, frequently the stores put a limit on the number of sale items you can purchase in one order so it is impossible to buy a lot to stock up on.

I found other chapters to be somewhat insulting. For example, the chapter on organizing and storage suggested that we keep potholders next to the stove. Imagine that! Are people really so stupid that they need that kind of advice? Other suggestions such as freezing milk just don't seem practical since when I tried it the milk after thawing was very unappetizing and had separated into a watery substance. Yes, I shook the milk before trying to use and it just did not re-constitute. The suggestion to buy items in bulk ignores the fact that the expiration date is there for a reason; such as, yeast beyond the expiration date does not work and soda with expiration dates does go flat even if unopened.

Overall, the advice was so basic, I found it somewhat insulting to think that I needed advice from them to do what I already do.

This book contains many good strategies for saving money on groceries. Some are simply commonsense (which is not as common as you might think) but by regularly following the ideas in the book you can certainly feed your family for less.

The Economides say that they are "America's Cheapest Family" and that they feed their family of seven for $350 a month or less. They say you won't have to cut coupons to save, but they also include several good tips on couponing, including when and how you can legitimately use expired coupons.

One of my favorite sections in the book is where they explain food "expiration" dates. Although many people hesitate to use food after the date stamped on the package, in most cases it is perfectly fine to do so.

Truthfully, I can not imagine doing everything recommended in this book. The good news is that you do not have to do everything to save money. The claim on the cover is that you can free up $3000 or more annually from your food budget. If you are already paying a lot of attention to your grocery bill, your savings will probably not be on the high end; however, most people will probably find at least a few new strategies that will save them money.

This book would be a great gift to a young person setting up their first home. There are lots of good tips for setting up a kitchen, cooking and more, in addition to the shopping tips.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to save money on their grocery bill. When I ordered it, I assumed that it would be mostly about clipping coupons, as so many budget-type books preach when it comes to lowering your grocery bill, but surprisingly this one was different. The author does mention clipping coupons as a way to save, but realizes that it's not for everyone and goes in to detail about other ways to save. There are things that I'd never thought of. I love the idea of using cloth napkins, but I don't agree with reusing them without washing. That was really the only thing that I found a little too thrifty for me. They recommend using cash, so that you won't overspend. That's not a new idea, but is still a helpful one, if you've never heard it. They recommend things that you can purchase to make your life easier, as you are cooking at home more to save money. A couple of things included in the list are a stand mixer and a spoonula(so you can get every last drop). I recommend those too for saving time. I'm still reading through this and loving every bit of it. It makes saving money a challenge that you can be proud to win. In my opinion, this is better than any of the other coupon and grocery related books. It's just a joy to read.

This book was written by a family of seven people. As a household of one, I wasn't sure I would find anything useful that I could apply to my situation. Boy, was I wrong! I had taken this book out of the library, and I stayed up late last night to finish it -- I wanted SO MUCH to make notes in the margins! I'm buying my own copy.

One of the best parts of this book is that it's designed to be followed on an as-applicable basis. Not every strategy will be useful to every person, but every person will find strategies they can use to good effect. The encouragement to go at my own pace and to expect the learning curve to take a while was very reassuring.

Their budget breaks down to $50 per person per month. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get my food budget (including paper products) down to $50 per month, since economies of scale are working against me. But the motivation (and more importantly, the step-by-step instruction) is there to help me get my spending as low as it can possibly go.

This is an exquisitely doable program, with no smoke and mirrors, put together by a family that has learned how to get the job done as efficiently and cheaply as possible. I'm rolling up my sleeves and diving in!

In an economy that (despite what we are told) doesn't seem to be getting much better, every dollar counts. I have taken many measures myself to eliminate the cost of living from month to month. Thankfully there are many resources available as well that can help save money.
One of those resources is Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family. This book is fairly easy read with lots of practical tips on how to lessen the cost of one of life's necessities; food.
In this book, you will not only be exposed to strategies in saving money, but how to better operate on a week-to-week basis to maximize your efficiency in the kitchen. I'm not talking about cooking faster, but some basic things such as cooking in bulk and how to organize your pantry, or even the benefits of starting your own garden.
Though I have not read this book in it's entirety, it will be a great resource to refer back to often and learn something that will help us not only save money, but be better stewards of what God has given us. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking to save more than just a few bucks. As the cover promotes, you could actually spend $3,000 annually on groceries. That breaks down to just $58/week. Give it a try.

My wife immediately snatched this book out of my hands and read it in an evening. That is enough of a review (and recommendation) for me, but I am not so sure for you. I honestly did not think we would learn much new since we already spend about $400 a month on groceries for a family of seven (hey, it is currently necessitated and we certainly do not starve. Hence, the 50 lb. weight loss challenge I am in with my dad!). Even for our family and the tricks we have learned along the way, we discovered some gems that we had never thought of.

From reading this book, my wife is convinced we can easily (really?) save $50-$100 more from our grocery bill. Their tips are certainly timely and can easily be instituted by all reading these words. It honestly does not take much more work other than the work it takes to change the way you think and shop. The chapters on the dinner table and eating out for less were of extreme value.

I dare you to purchase this book and take to heart what Steve and Annette share and not save money. You will probably find that you are eating better, healthier, and spending far less money on food than you ever imagined. Given the economic situation we are living in today, everyone can use this resource to help their dollar stretch just a bit more.

This book is worth getting, but just don't expect it to produce quite the results in most cases that the title might have you believe - just our personal opinions. There are some very good ideas in the book, but there are also a number of rather common sense ideas that most anyone who's already wanting to save money, will also already be doing. There are many, many topics, not just couponing, but it seems that there isn't quite enough information about any given subject to get great results from that topic.

Take a look at the table of contents for the book (available by clicking up near the top left corner of the the store page in the appropriate spot). There may be up to 30 pages or so per topic, but in reality there is a lot of white space in the book - partly due to the margins being very wide, and therefore not permitting a large amount of text on any given page. So the volume of pages does not mirror the volume of in-depth information I'd hoped we'd find in the book. This is more of a beginners book, and would make a great wedding gift to a new couple.

The book itself is well written and presented in a logical way. The advice that is offered seems like it should work, but honestly I haven't been able to commit the time necessary to reap the big rewards that it promises.

I only give this book three stars, because I didn't realize it was such a huge time commitment. My wife and I have folders, coupon boxes for organizing (like a recipe box) and we found tons of coupons from a lot of sources.

I felt like a scavenger. Sure, I bought roughly 20 boxes of cereal for about $1.20, I really didn't feel comfortable dragging my children around the store and repeatedly going through the check out line to get the savings.

I'm sure it's worth it. I think I'm just not that willing to dedicate my time to grocery shopping as a family enterprise.

Are you looking for ways to cut your grocery bills? Then "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half" is a must have. It covers everything from coupons, to the goal price to buy at, to storing your food, organization and much more. It isn't just about saving money, but saving time to have more quality time with your family.

Steve and Annette give you proven tips that they have learned over the years while feeding a family of seven! They have a lot of experience on this top and have fine tuned it over the years.

As you know, I try to be savvy when it comes to grocery shopping. This book at a ton of information in it that I was able to gain, I found it very informative. It is a good highlight and write in the margins book. There is a lot of basic information, but they also go in depth. This book is written so you can jump in right where you are in your savings adventure. They even give you suggestions at the end of each chapter for how to put the tips to use based on your current expertise. There was information in the book that I had been looking for elsewhere and hadn't been able find. I can't wait to put these tips to use!

There were a few areas that left me wanting to know more, but overall it was great. I plan to read it again so I can absorb more and also put their tips to use. If you want to start saving more I would recommend you get this book.

-Leslie @ itsacouponlife.com

I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The Economides are recognized as family finance experts and have written the book, Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half. They claim you can potentially save an extra $3000 a year by trying the tips and strategies in their book. They make suggestions such as planning your meals and how to use them effectively, how to shop to maximize your time and savings, how and what to buy in bulk, couponing strategies, tips on ingredients to keep in stock and how to store and keep them longer, the types and quality of equipment and tools that will help to save you time and money, recipes for your family among many other information. When I first heard of this book I was thinking that it was going to focus mainly on couponing but was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case. I know some people have the time and patience to make coupons work for them to save lots of money but I have not had the time or success with that in the past. Most people should find some useful tips and suggestions that they can apply in their own life in order to help them save on their grocery bill each month even if they don't use coupons on a regular basis. I recommend taking a look at this book if you are interested saving money each year on your grocery bill.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

This was a wonderful book for anyone interested in saving money. I consider myself a thrifty shopper but have learned a few new things from this book. I like cutting coupons and save a bundle by using them. Yet, I do appreciate the perspective that this is not the only ways to save money. I tabbed a few pages with ideas that I want to implement in my own life, but I am not overwhelmed with trying everything that Steve and Annette do.

I want to mention that anyone who tries to save money will be reluctant to spend $[...] on a book. First of all, this a good investment. Secondly, the book comes with a $[...]rebate. With an the store price of $[...], the rebate brings the out of pocket cost to $[...]. It is well worth it! If I had not received the book from Thomas Nelson, I would still invest the money to learn how to be better at saving at the grocery store.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, I must post that Thomas Nelson has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I also must say that the opinions are all mine.

Really a book about pantry organization and making fewer trips to the store. If you don't already know how to cook food from scratch or cans, this book might not be for you. It really goes into detail about how to keep track of prices at various stores and how to get the best food prices when you travel out-of-town with a large family. Visiting two stores at the same time with another family member and a walkie talkie might be too much for most. This book shows you that you don't have to be a mad coupon clipper to save on your monthly grocery bills. Plenty of tips for all levels of grocery shopping involvement. A great read.

Liked their first book better. This one has more in-depth grocery store reminders like shopping the edges and comparing unit prices and shopping seasonally. Surprised these authors’ books don’t even mention hunting, but go on about similar living off the land type tips things like gardening.

Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family" by Steve and Annette Economides

This book is GREAT if you have no idea how to clip coupons or find sales. However, I have a basic knowledge of how to save money on my grocery bill. This book did give me some good ideas of how to shop better...stocking up on sales, using what I already have instead of buying more, planning menus around sales, and how to avoid impulse buys.

The authors lay out their ideas/plan very succinctly and clearly. They tell the reader how to get the best deals on all types of food (organic, produce, meat, and dairy). There are ideas for how to cook once a month and organize a meal swap club.

All in all, I found some useful ideas but there wasn't a lot that I can apply right now in the season of life I'm on and that I didn't already know.

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson and I receive no compensation for this review.

Steve and Annette are the subject matter experts when it comes to saving money. This book is set up beautifully so that you can read the sections that you are most interns in OR you can read it straight through. However you consume this just know that there is something in here for everyone.

Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family" by Steve and Annette Economides

This book is GREAT if you have no idea how to clip coupons or find sales. However, I have a basic knowledge of how to save money on my grocery bill. This book did give me some good ideas of how to shop better...stocking up on sales, using what I already have instead of buying more, planning menus around sales, and how to avoid impulse buys.

The authors lay out their ideas/plan very succinctly and clearly. They tell the reader how to get the best deals on all types of food (organic, produce, meat, and dairy). There are ideas for how to cook once a month and organize a meal swap club.

All in all, I found some useful ideas but there wasn't a lot that I can apply right now in the season of life I'm on and that I didn't already know.

This book was provided by Thomas Nelson and I receive no compensation for this review.

Steve and Annette are the subject matter experts when it comes to saving money. This book is set up beautifully so that you can read the sections that you are most interns in OR you can read it straight through. However you consume this just know that there is something in here for everyone.

This book does talk about cutting coupons but also includes other money saving tips. Definitely use the sales that occur. This book does apply mostly to consumers in the US but if you are savvy you can apply most of the ideas anywhere.

I recommend taking a few ideas and starting slow. Don't feel like you have to jump in and do everything or you will get very overwhelmed with doing this and following that procedure. Plan your meals in advance, use those coupons and shop for products on sale. At least start with a few manageable tasks and work up from there.

If you follow a strict and organic diet I'm not too sure if you will be able to use all of these tools, as I know I can't use all of them. However, use what you can and use the book as a reference, not as the only material that you learn from.

Having a family of 9, our grocery (and toiletries) bill was inching up to 1200 a month unless we were extra careful with it. Well, this book has been a lifesaver for us. We go shopping about once a week since we live pretty far away from the major stores and we were spending about 400 in each shopping trip. Each trip we would fill up almost 2 carts. I'm slowly working in what I am learning from this book and now each week we are down to 150 to 250 already!!! Just simply taking the author's suggestion of looking up sale's prices has been a lifesaver for me... I end up filling up my cart with the cheap items that are on sale and I simply don't have room for all the other "stuff"... and I am becoming more educated as to what a good price actually is! HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book... I can't wait to discover so many new things that they have in their book that I was never aware of! Little things really add up! She gives "heads up" that I didn't even realize... did you know that when you buy bags of vegetables the "weight" they say is actually the MINIMUM weight? So it's actually better to buy the smaller bags if they are the same price as the bigger? Since I've read this book, grocery shopping is almost fun... it's almost like a game to me now, to see how low I can buy stuff at, and how to manipulate the store's advertising and sales to MY benefit, not theirs!! Great book!

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

I was very happy to get this book in my hands. Who does't want to save money on grocery bills? With the price of food going up, it doesn't hurt to save each and every penny we can.
In their first book, "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money," they talked of money saving strategies from practically every budget.

The average family of three spends about $6,133 per year on groceries. That's $511 each month and $170 per person!

Their team effort in writing the book, allows you to read the book from your own life experience. You can apply the various ideas and tips to your level of your life. Test your grocery genius.

According to a 2006 survey, the average American family is eating out 1.4 times each week. Is that because we are too busy, hate to cook or it is more convient?

Meal planning is a must! Take stock of what you have and have a well stocked pantry. List your daily events that you have planned for the week and plan meals accordingly. Create your own menu planner or use the form they have in the book. If you are recipe challenged, research various cookbooks for meal ideas. Online recipes are great too!
Research the local grocery ads and note the sale items. Ad match between stores. Commit to spending less time shopping and avoid impulse buys. Know your prices and if you are getting a good deal or not. They talk of couponing and know that most of us don't want to sit down and clip coupons etc. Steve and Annette work as a team with the grocery shopping. Does your spouse go with you to the store? Not mine!

Once a month cooking can save a lot of time. Just pull your frozen meal out of the freezer on a super busy night. No meal prep and time for you.

Stock up and organize. Store it, find it, use it. They talk of tools and tips that they use. Make meal time fun! Have a garden. They share their favorite family recipes.

There is so much information in this book that everyone could find some new tips to lower their grocery bill and even make their lives a bit easier. Whether your single, newly married, have a large family, or are empty-nesters, you should read this book.

There's so much information in this book that it took me quite a few sittings to get through it even though I read very quickly. It took even longer for me to digest the information so I could write this review. I already do some of the things that they recommend in this book to some extent but I'd NEVER considered how far I could push some of these ideas. For example, I shop with a list and organize my stock but it never occurred to me to shop only once a month and then immediately convert much of the food to cooked meals that can be frozen and used as needed. Note to self: I need to do more meal planning before shopping; this will make my life easier.

The book is full of encouragement to help you get started because it can be hard to change a lifetime's worth of habits. The authors realize that not everyone wants to jump off the deep end to start so they offer all kinds of baby steps. They also include comments from people who have written on their website so you get input from other people.

This book is well worth the cost. Of course, if you follow Steve and Annette's advice thoroughly, you'll borrow the book from a friend or check it out from the library instead of buying it. But you'd be missing out on the chance to go over the book again and again as you figure out what strategies work best for you.

The Economides family shares their tips and procedures for saving money in the grocery department. This family, dubbed as "America's Cheapest Family" has fed their family of seven on $350 a month for years.

Impossible? This family lay out step by step plans proving that anyone can do the same! The book covers topics such as how to plan your grocery shopping and tips for stretching that dollar at the store by seeking out the deals, organizing your kitchen, using coupons, cooking in bulk, planting a garden, recipes, and even a bonus section for singles and empty-nesters.

The authors are very aware that their lifestyle is not the norm in our society, and that it took them a long time to build up to the efficiency that they now enjoy. In their book, they are nothing but encouraging and understanding that what they do may not be for everyone! With that in mind, I especially appreciated the tips at the end of each chapter written specifically for people with various skill levels in mind: tips for those just beginning, those who have been doing it for some time, and those who have been doing it for a long time and are ready for a further challenge.

This is a great book for those who are looking to save both time and money in the kitchen!

The author lays out how they save money using many different methods , coupons, stocking up, meal planning, cooking ahead comparison shopping etc. I have already been using many of these they do work quite well. Few will use every method suggested but most everyone should find some solid tips. The authors are particularly knowledgeable about coupons. what I liked best though was that they don't seem to be crazy obsessive savers they save money diligently but they still have a life outside of super saving. This is very straight forward and sensible book. These are not string savers or people who make soup out of onion peels and shoes out of potato skin They seem to be fairly normal.

If you are looking for innovative ways to save money on your groceries this book has quite a few different suggestions and examples of how you can easily save thousands a year on groceries. There are many different options making it easy to find something that will work for you and your family. According to the Economides, you can save upwards of $3000 a year, by using their different strategies. All it takes is some practice, persistence and patience.

The many different sections were very thorough and had at least one, and most times, many, suggestions that I could use to make my grocery bill less and less. The book does a great job of giving suggestions while also being sure to show examples of how the Economides made it work for them. In addition to the many different savings tips, there were quite a few sections on how to store and freeze foods, how long different foods last and even different graphs and diagrams to help with your planning.

Pros: Lots of tips and different suggestions to help fit the different types of shoppers

Cons: Some of it I felt was a bit over the top, but to someone else this may not be the case.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5. I feel there was a lot of information and some really great tips that I plan to use in my normal grocery trips, as well as a few different things that I am not so keen on trying. There was quite a bit of information that I had already known, but it was nice to have it all in one place for reference.

I would recommend this book to anyone, especially families, trying to save money. There are a lot of helpful tips and things that might even save just a few dollars but with every trip those few dollars add up quickly.

Thank you BookSneeze.com for providing me with a free copy of this book for review. I am not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have written are my own.

This book is an easy read with simple, executable steps anyone can take to see significant savings in their grocery bill. Imagine having an extra $250 a month in your pocket. Would that provide some relief from the difficult economic times we're experiencing? You bet it would!

The economides give you a roadmap to success that I found very practical. For me and my family the biggest learning was to have a plan. Take the time up front to plan out your family's meals, which allows you to shop strategically. The key is avoiding "impulse buys." My wife and I have noticed when we don't have a plan to follow the "impulse buy" trigger is alive and well. We end up with a cart full of food and spend way more than we planned. Follow their 5-Step process to setting up a plan for your family and you'll be well on your way to cutting your grocery bill in half.

There are other tips on purchasing in bulk, how to make wise buys in produce and eggs, what to look for with your meat purchases and a lot more. They provide a short list of the different cuts of meats and how they can be used in meals, which is a huge help in meal planning.

If you think this book is all about couponing to cut your grocery bill you'll be surprised...it's not. Don't get me wrong though, they spend a whole chapter talking about coupons and the value they provide as well as how to use them strategically. This is not the extreme couponing that has become very popular.
Meal time is family time and the economides provide valuable insights in how to make this sacred time a moment to build lasting memories.

This is a book anyone can use and see some kind of savings in their pocketbook. I appreciated their easy style of writing, which makes for easy reading. The well organized chapters, provided great summaries at the end based on your level of frugality: timid mouse, wise owl, or amazing ant.

My daughter-in-law found the book laying on the counter and is now reading it. She asked me if it works and I told her it worked for us!

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Is it really possible for a family of seven (plus pets) to grocery shop for only $350 a month?

According to Steve & Annette Economides (yes that really is their last name!)it can be done. Best known for their title as "America's Cheapest Family", the Economides make it look very easy! Being a religious user of coupons myself, I can tell you that *I* personally haven't been able to whittle down our grocery bill that much but I'd sure love to try.

In their latest book, the Economide family offers plenty of tricks to save on your grocery bill such as looking over the store ads, shopping more than one store, price matching when possible, using coupons, meal planning, shopping once a month and more.

While I wouldn't be able nor want to implement every suggestion they make, there is a lot of good information in this book. Obviously,their lifestyle is working for them. They work together on sticking to their budget and tag team when shopping to split up the work, which helps them each focus on their area of expertise in the store.

Although "once a month" cooking hasn't been very effective for me personally, it's a huge budget saver for this family. There are plenty of ideas on how to buy items at their lowest price and then freeze them for long term storage. Overall, this book is interesting and would be an excellent read for anyone who wants to cut down on their grocery budget and save money in the long run.

Steve and Annette Economides (yes, really their last name) are better known as America's Cheapest Family. They are no strangers to fame with their ideas about saving money. According to them, they feed a family of 8 on about $350 a month - and they aren't eating pre-packaged foods!

I know, you're thinking what I thought when I first saw the book. "This is either about coupons, or buying ketchup by the case." You're wrong, and I was too. Sure, there's a chapter on couponing, and it's huge, but the book is designed to let you skip the chapters that don't appeal to you, and you can still save money. For example, there are four pages on eggs alone, and how to get the best cluck for your buck. Here's a teaser: don't waste your money on large eggs during the holiday baking season - buy medium instead. Why? You'll need to get the book for that.

There are so many strategies available in this book that you can't help but save money if you apply yourself. And if your'e shy about trying to save a little cash, each chapter gives you strategies to start small. The authors have done an excellent job at gearing the book toward all levels of shoppers.

I recieved this book at no charge from the publisher in exchange for a review. I was not required to write a positive review.

Through the Booksneeze program of Thomas Nelson, I received the book Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half by Steve and Annette Economides. If you know me, you know that over the past year and a half or so I have become quite the coupon/deal junkie, so I was excited to read this and see how much further I could take my grocery shopping adventures (I still have a LONG way to go...).

The book is an easy read and does go fairly quickly. They discuss how they as a family do monthly grocery shopping (including monthly meal planning) and use coupons. Their ides are quite simple and are really nothing other than I've already seen. I have to say if you are interested in cutting your grocery bills while still eating a healthy diet, I don't think you need to buy a book to tell you how to do it. There are NUMEROUS resources available through the web, one of my favorite being Money Saving Mom. The book itself isn't bad per se I just know there are other resources and it would not be worth it (for me) to actually purchase the book. However, if you are looking for a resource to keep at your fingertips and get you started down the path of lowering your grocery bill? This book would be a good resource.

I did decide to try their idea of monthly meal planning. Once again, this was not a new idea for me (my mom has been telling me about this for quite some time...) but I finally decided to give it a try. I've been good about planning one or two weeks at a time, but maybe with a monthly plan I will get better about having ALL ingredients on hand. :)

This book was provided to me through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

If you follow the advice in this book you probably will save a ton of money on groceries. However, as a single man on a limited income the advice of buying a whole cow and have a butcher cut it up for me, was, well, out of my league. For a large family with extra money, this book is a good buy. For the single person or small family looking to save a few bucks, you might find a few tips here, but probably not worth buying the book for. See if the library has a copy.

Hello
First let me say I just strated this couponing game, so I am reading everyting I can get my hands on: Currently I have read Becentsable, Point Click and Save, and Cut your grocery bill in half. All good books and worth the reading. I got mine all at the library but if your thinking of buying let me quickly review.

Becentsable: Great for begening couponing. A little info that is perfect to start, will let you know where you need to know and will start saving you instantly--not overwhelming at all. Great how to for coupons.

Cut your grocery bill in half: Great budgeting book. Not at all about coupons, more about lifestyle changes. Some are a little extreme but you can pick and choose what will work for you and what you can live with. Great book to just give you ideas and things to think about. Very helful if your goal is to cut your houshold expenses extremly and not just learn coupons.

The two books together compliment eachother nicely.

Now for the big cheese. Point Click and Save! For me this was the be all end all in coupning and saving money. Funny becasue at the begening of this book she states you cant borrow it you need to buy the book becasue there is alot of info--and I thought sure she just wants to sell books--But after reading a few chapter and 25 book mark pages later--I should have bought the book. This book was the best. I am glad I read the other two first because I think I might have been overwhelmed if I hadnt already got the jist of couponing and saving. But since I had already been doing it --this was a great advanced step. I felt like I was taking a class. I didnt open the book unless I could sit down with my laptop and pen and paper--so much to learn in this book. And what I loved is she told you what to do and where to do it. She did not just speak about looking on the internet and getting dicount gift cards--she gave you names and places-websites. All the info you need. Alot of info on ways to work and make money from home too--that was nice but I loved the deals. She listed the best blog sites -that list printable coupons daily, she list so many idea's about where and how to get everything for cheaper--from your phone service to your clothes. Ideas on how to cut everything--It was the best book and a definate buy.

Hope all this helps --Will keep reviewing as I keep reading...

I absoluty loved this book and loved all the suggestions in it. I had really great succes in following the principles used in the book although I haven't been brave enough for a month worth of meal planning yet. I'm happy with one week planning and overjoyed at two weeks. This book allows you to start at whatever level you feel comfortable. There are suggestions for someone who is just starting out and has never planned meals all the way to someone who is very savvy in the kitchen. I love the fact that you can skip around in the book to whatever ideas are of interest to you. The whole book is filled with great suggestions but if I tried to do them all at once I would be totally overwhelmed. As the author suggests I picked one or two ideas and now I'm working on getting familiar with those before moving on to something else. There is a lot of humor and real life stories throughout that really make the book so enjoyable. This was one of the easiest books to read even though it was an "instructional" type book.

Nice book of information, but a couple of things that were not helpful to me. I find that often coupons are for processed foods, which if you're trying to avoid becomes an issue. In addition, driving to various stores to save a few dollars is not worth it. Given the cost of gas, it's "greener" and more economical to shop when one is in the area or passing the area, but going to out of the way just to save a few cents defeats the purpose. Finally, trying to avoid carbs, well then some of the suggestions will not work. Some of the suggestions are helpful, but others may not be conducive to one's style of cooking and shopping.

I have always been a huge coupon clipper and have gotten numerous free and super mega cheap items because of this. This family takes what I do the extreme and make me look like I splurge on groceries like I live in the white house. I like some of the ideas in this book (and like that they give different ideas for change at the end of each chapter) but some of it is pretty wild. It really is possible to cut your grocery bill in half you really have to be ready for the change though!

Having a home economics background causes me to be drawn to books about the economics of the home. This books gives some very good suggestions for taming that grocery bill. Now, some of the ideas were things I could do and some would be things I just could not imagine. For instance, freezing milk so you don't have to go shopping so often is not my cup of tea. I really think it changes milk for the worse. On the other hand, the pancake recipe is wonderful. Give that a whirl. It is entertaining to read how frugal you can be when you want to or have to. There are places that can be trimmed and yet our lifestyle is not changed for the worse.

I'm a frugal shopper and love getting healthy, basic food to eat. This book had some good suggestions, and some that I already follow, like limiting shopping trips, following a strict list, buying on sale/coupons, cooking at home etc.

Some of their methods though...yikes...a little extreme and not very practical if you are a small family, or a couple with no children. Why would my husband and I want to stockpile on a ton of stuff, cook it in one day, and freeze an entire month's worth of meals(even if we got it cheap)? Also, who has time to read every single sale circular, plot out prices at multiple stores. I only work part time and I would still not want to spend my time doing this. I could see how this may be good for a large family out in the country with a freezer, but not for me. We get by just fine shopping once a week at two or three good stores. Don't waste your money, not that great

Economides need no Economize no more since they must be raking in the 'dough' from their New York Time's Best Seller, America's Cheapest Family along with this 'little gem' of a book, Cut your Grocery Bill in Half. I perused book recently and viewed them today as guests on 'The Talk' and just ordered my very own copy. I wonder though: Are they still utilizing all these tips in their everyday life even with the success of their books? If so, doesn't make sense to grind your own meat or to wear second-hand clothes. In my house it would be: "Mom, we cut coupons to save money! You got some books published, yet we still have to wear used clothes?
You went from being frugal to being a tight-wad!" 'Nuff said.

This is yet another great book by Steve and Annette Economides! I couldn't put it down once I got it. Basically it's a book that seems to have "springboarded" from a chapter in their last book. The buying groceries chapter in the last book was good but left the reader wanting more advice and tips. This book definitely fits that bill! I have been a frugal person for at least 16 years, so I did already know a lot of what was in the book. But there was still enough info to make it worth the read. Lots! I love how the tips for saving money were very specific to each item. You could tailor much of their advice to fit your needs. The best part is you won't feel deprived and you'll save money and time --and use both of them for what's really important!
As for the stuff in the book that I already knew - well it's nice to know that I'm not alone in my frugal quest! Normally I wait until the library gets a book and then I order it - but after I scanned it at the bookstore - I knew it was a keeper! I also had a B&N coupon, had a membership (I homeschool and buy books from them) discount. Not convinced yet? There's also a rebate for $3.50 that you can send in for.. Get and nost important --USE IT!