1.  Eat out one less time per week.  Make an effort to eat at home on Friday nights, but go easy on yourself by making that your easy night to cook (tacos, hamburger helper, etc).  Or better yet, choose one night a week to let your spouse do the cooking!

2.  Pick up a meal from your grocer’s deli department instead of buying takeout from a fast-food restaurant.  You may be able to feed 4 for $16 instead of a typical $30 at a fast-food establishment.

3.  Order water with your meal at a restaurant instead of ordering a soft drink or iced tea beverage…that’s a savings of $2.50 per person!

4.  Try a different grocery store in your area.  Even the chain store prices vary between locations. 

5.  Save on pet food by asking what “people” foods your pet can safely eat.  Our dog has allergies and the vet told us to give him a baked potato.  Now we do that a couple of times a week, saving us a few scoops of that expensive special dog food.