TIP OF THE DAY: GET PAID TO READ EMAIL

How many jokes, forwards and emails do you read each day? How much time does that take? Yes, it's entertaining and a simple way to keep in touch with friends and family. But could you squeeze in another 10 minutes each day to earn a few pennies? I've listed some sites you can register with which will send you emails and pay you between 1 and 5 cents to read them. Click the confirmation button which will take you to the site for whatever is being advertised, and then delete - you're done. Absolutely no cost involved but a couple of minutes of your time. You certainly won't get rich doing this, but it's free money so why not give it a try? I've accumulated $16 on one of these sites in the past 6 weeks by just reading emails. Each time you hit that confirmation button you can dream about how you'll spend that cash when you reach the minimum payout and request a check: offset the grocery bill, a special night out, a birthday gift for one of the kids. Whatever you choose, it won't upset the budget; you'll use your free cash to cover the expense.

TIP OF THE DAY: GROCERY SHOPPING

• Use Coupons. Scan the weekly ad for the store you frequent either in the local newspaper or online and match up available coupons. FLUTTERBUYSandFREEBIES provides a great list of coupon sites for you to visit. Using coupons for buy 1/get 1 free specials for stock items your family uses frequently is an extremely easy method of saving a phenomenal amount of money. Stockpile as much as the budget allows when you come across one of these goodies and repeat the process as often as possible. Use a paper clip to attach the coupons to your on-going weekly grocery list so you have them in hand when shopping. And, yes, do make a list and stick to it. Impulse buying can be an excessive drain on the budget.
• Don't Run All Over Town Chasing Sales. Choose 1 grocery and perhaps 1 superstore and stick with them. All supermarket chains run weekly ads: what's on sale this week at one will be on sale next week at another. Certain stock items also seem to go on sale in a 2 or 3 month rotation. By shopping just 1 store for several months you'll have a pretty good idea of when your favorite brand of whatever will be on sale and you can plan your budget to stock up then til the next sale cycle rolls around. You'll also be pleasantly surprised to find that the great price you thought you were getting at a superstore is being outdone by your local supermarket's sales and your use of coupons. You won't be frazzled, you'll have saved gas, and you'll feel confident that you've provided your family with their favorite items at the lowest cost.
• The Process. Personally I spend about half an hour a week planning the shopping trip. I've used this shopping system for a little over a year and have stockpiled a sufficient quantity of the items we use regularly that it's become a rarity for me to pay full price for anything other than perishables. Without skimping on quantity or sacrificing quality I've managed to whittle the monthly food budget for 2 adults and 1 cat to approximately $175 per month; and this figure includes take out or dining out 4 to 6 times each month.