Miserly Mom on Focus on the Family

My friend, Miriam, alerted me to the recent Focus on the Family broadcast with Jonni McCoy.

Jonni authored the book "Miserly Moms" which is a great read on saving money, couponing and her personal story of going from earning 55% of their household income to a stay-at-home mom.
You can find the replay at the Focus on the Family website. Simply search for "Frugal Living in a Tough Economy." The two parts originally aired on 11/12/09 and 11/13/09.

I took notes furiously while listening to Jonni talk. It was so fun to be encouraged that anyone can coupon and it doesn't have to take up your entire life.

A few highlights for you:

• The biggest waste in people's grocery lists is convenience food. You pay 3-5 times more for something that's prepared, for example:
  Bisquick - it's only four ingredients, so unless you get it free it's cheaper to make yourself
  Pancake syrup - a bottle costs almost $4, but you could make it at home for $.11!
  
• You can save 35% on your grocery list almost immediately by planning your meals around loss leaders (those items that are featured on the front and back of the weekly store ads).
  
• Jonni addressed the whole gas vs. savings of going to multiple stores controversy. She finally calculated one of her grocery trips and discovered the following, that by going to multiple grocery stores she:
  
  She saved $65
  She spent $3.80
  Spent 3 hours of her week
  
• If you don't have time to make a grocery list, plan menus or look at loss leaders then shop at Walmart. They don't have loss leaders because they have the lowest overall prices.
  
• Warehouse stores like Costco and Sams usually (but, NOT ALWAYS) have the best deals on:
  
  produce
  batteries
  dairy
  personal care items
  vitamins
  
  Cereal is always more expensive at warehouse stores. And, if you shop the sales at regular grocery stores you can usually find better deals on meat and paper products (I have found this to be very true!)
  
• If you're a working wife/mom wanting stay at home, Jonni suggests trying to live on less and less in order to learn to live on one income. She also advises taking a look at the cost of working. Some hidden expenses of working won't go away until a wife/mom actually quits working like clothing, day care, gas, etc. Did you know that some people PAY TO WORK? That is crazy to me!
  
• Jonni shared a great reminder that being frugal doesn't mean being deprived. Frugality simply means using your money as a tool to get to whatever goal you have set for yourself.
  
• The average family spend $5,000 a year eating out. If you eat out for convenience, know that a good, cheaper first step for you to take might be to simply buy some frozen prepared meals. Frozen, prepared foods are still not as cheap as cooking yourself, but it might be a good step to help wean you off of eating out too often.
  Another way to cut back when eating out is to order water to drink and to split entrees.

Finally, if you're looking for more resources, some cheap recipes and Jonni's personal price goals - check out her website here.