In the News

We spoke with Sandra Block on July 28, 2010. This short article will appear in USAToday Weekend on September 5, 2010. It will contain lots of ways to cut your grocery bill. Once the article runs, we'll provide a link.

Spending smarter on food is a great idea. Problem is, most supermarket-shopping strategies are overwhelming and time-consuming.

Saving doesn't have to be that hard. Start with a few techniques, and watch your food spending plummet. You won't have to clip or file a single coupon.

It's worth doing. The average American family of four spends $9,172 on food each year, according to the federal government's Consumer Expenditure Survey. Cutting that total by just 20 percent using these tips saves you more than $1,800.

Here are five tips to help you save time and money in the supermarket!

1. Bargain bins. In the back corner of every store, there’s a bin where dented and soon-to-be expired products are placed.  Take a look at what’s there, you might find something you can use for half price or less! My friend Sam always looks for the marked-down items at Fresh & Easy, which she says she finds in the late afternoon or early evening.

If you have school-age kids, you can't avoid back-to-school shopping.

But you can avoid breaking your back-to-school budget, say thriftiness experts Erin Huffstetler, the frugal living guide for About.com, and Steve and Annette Economides, co-authors of "America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams."

This was a fast-paced interview where we discussed saving money on groceries and thrifty ideas for summer vacations.

Sorry, we don't have any audio available.

 If you have school-age kids, you can't avoid back-to-school shopping.