Save money on food and dining out

Bananas are a staple of American life. We have them for breakfast, as a snack at lunchtime or as a dessert. Some of us get daring and even make dinner with them. And they are very affordable (bless their slippery little peels). But when they don’t get eaten, the bananas languish. Only the biggest banana fans are willing to eat an overripe one. So we make banana bread with what’s left over and the next week we make banana muffins and the next week we make banana bread, ad nauseam.

Maybe you’ve got overripe bananas hanging around or maybe you just want to take advantage of a deal on the discount shelf. When I got sick of banana bread, I went banana-recipe hunting and found some goodies that I’d like to share. I even invented one of my own. The best recipes replace something you would otherwise need to buy, like cookies, jam or even whipped cream. Without further ado, here’s the low down on what to do with those overripe bananas:
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Although there has been an increased awareness of consumer spending these days, there are certain things many people are simply not willing to give up. Dining out can put a strain on the best budget, however it is something that brings people together and not easily avoided in this fast paced world in which we live.
Fortunately you can still enjoy getting together with your family and friends for a bite to eat without busting your budget. The following tips make it possible to take advantage of dining out without feeling guilty over money spent.Read the rest...

When money gets tight the first thing to get scaled back in most households is the grocery budget. This is understandable considering how much food the average family wastes each month. You may have implemented some common methods of reducing your food costs like cutting coupons and buying store brand products. These are good ideas that work great to bring the cost of groceries down, however they are not the only way you can stretch your grocery dollars. Here we look at other tips that can save you even more money on your grocery expenses.Read the rest...

It’s one of our basic needs and biggest budget busters…food. The US Department of Agriculture reports 4 different weekly spending levels for an average family of 4 with children ages 9-11 years old:

• Thrifty food plan level spends $133
• Low cost food plan level spends $173
• Moderate food plan level spends $216.60
• Liberal food plan level spends $263.40

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