Review Week... Meat, Fruit & Veggies...

Here are a couple of tips on buying meat for you to think about.

1. Never buy step savers. Prices can double or even triple! Marinate the meat yourself. After all, how much time and effort does it really take to threw a bottle of marinade or salad dressing in a bag with the meat in the morning?
2. Boneless is often a better buy averaging 4 servings to the pound. With bone -in, you get only an average of 2 servings to the pound. Take that in to consideration when you are figuring the cost.
3. Boneless chicken is my families favorite. You can do so many different things with it and it comes on sale every couple of weeks. Stock your freezer up when it is on sale, and you will never have to fuss with bone-in chicken again!

Do you ever feel like it costs more to eat healthier? I do. Here are a couple of tips on fruits and veggies that might help you save a little:

• If the price on a fresh veggie is high, check it's frozen counterpart.
• If fruit or veggies are priced by the pound, pick smaller pieces to get more servings. If it is priced by the piece, pick larger pieces for more value.
• Buy bulk bags of frozen fruit at club warehouses for much less per pound than frozen fruit in the grocery store. (Especially good if you make a lot of smoothies.)
• Canned fruit (packed in juice, not syrup) can be used for toppings or treats, come on sale frequently, and has good shelf life.

One fruit that freezes surprisingly well is grapes. If you wash them, (I prefer the green ones for this), roll them in a light sprinkling of sugar and put them in the freezer, they are a really yummy treat for a hot day. Make sure to eat them still frozen. I realize that adding sugar makes them a little less nutritional... but this blog is about saving money, not eating healthy ;)