[Quick Tip] Off The Menu Ways to Save

restaurant discounts

Well the family went out to dinner tonight and after all of that Thanksgiving Pie and Mashed potatoes, we were in the mood for something lite like soup and salad.

I found the soup that I wanted and it was priced at about $3 for a cup and about $5.50 for a bowl.  Next, I scanned the salads on the menu and to my surprise, they all were pretty fancy with some sort of meat on them and priced fancy as well at around $10 +.   So, I asked the waiter if they had a soup & salad combo for dinner.  He politely nodded no.  So, I asked him if they had just a plain old garden salad.   This time he nodded yes, and the unpublished house garden salad was a good size for only about $3.75.   Just want I wanted to both eat and pay.  Note to self….done assume that everything is written on the menu.

Saving on Groceries (10 ways to save)

Some food for thought…….

Thinking back over the years, it’s really hard to believe how much food prices have increased at grocery stores over the years. According to my relatives that lived through the great depression, food prices were affordable to most people of modest means. Well, I’m not sure the same thing can be said these days. Since food is becoming a larger part of the American family budget, we thought that we would throw out a few of our favorite ways to save at your local grocery store.  So, here is the game plan that we came up with.

1. Shop with a detailed list of only what you need to purchase.
2. Larger sized packaging marked as “value buy” may not actually being saving you any money.  In fact, it may end up costing you more per unit.
3. Keep a running list of prices that you prices that you spot at different stores and either try to map out a sensible route and schedule or see if some of the stores closer to you will price match (e.g. Wal Mart)
4. Always verify at the register that you received the posted sale (or club card) price.  Double check your receipt before you leave the store.
5. Consider getting take out from the grocery store deli instead of a pricey restaurant.  This simple tip could save you both cash and time.
6. Create and stick to a weekly family meal plan.  Make sure to take a good look at the fridge as well as your kitchen cabinets before making you list for the week.
7. Keep a “to buy” list on a piece of paper in an easy to find place in your kitchen and update it frequently as you start consuming food items.
8. Plan out your tips to various store in a way that will minimize your time and mileage on your vehicle.
9. Make sure to check the per unit price on items (vs. just the shelf price).
10. Always ask for rain checks when a store is out of an item on sale.

Secret tricks used to convince you to pay too much.

When you look at TV, radio and print ads,  there are several little understood marketing tricks that are used to get people to pay more than they need to.  Here are just a few of the popular tricks:

1. Advertising products as FREE or at  ridiculously low priced and making good money by:
   • Charging  jacked up Shipping and Handling (or Processing) charges to customers.
   • Offering a return policy with required jacked up return shipping and handling charges.
2. The old “Priced as Low As” trick:
   • When you think hard about this, it becomes crystal clear what they are really saying. We translate it as something like “We may sell you item(s) no cheaper than this price”.  Hey, what does that really mean anyway?  Most folks don’t think to hard about it and assume that they are selling stuff at fantastic prices. As you can image, this is often not the case.   Maybe we should ask them to advertise using this phrase “Priced as HIGH as…”.  Hmm, that probably would not sell as good.
3. The old, if it’s sold at auction, it must be cheaper trick:
   • In reality auctions can bring out the competitive nature in people.  Some people need to win at any cost. Since most auctions have a fixed minimum price set before the auction start, the seller is protected and may make more profit in less time using this approach.
   • So, you really need to do your homework before putting that bid out there on ebay.  Make sure you know what the item is really worth before you bid.
4. The “If we call it a Factory Outlet store, people will assume that the prices are less than the mall” trick:
   • In reality, you may actually pay less at the mall if you catch a good sale.  Also, don’t be surprised if you end up paying the same prices than you can find at the mall.
   • When you think about it, it is brilliant to setup factory outlet stores (that have less overhead cost than being in expensive mall space) and pricing them at the same or higher prices.  Also, many outlet shops are closer to upscale residential neighborhoods.  Someone really thought this one out.
   • Of course you may be able to find lower prices at the outlet stores at times.  Our point is, don’t assume that outlet store prices are cheaper before doing your homework first.