A couple of days ago, I shared some ways to have frugal fun with family and friends. Since it’s springtime and summer is just around the corner, I thought I’d provide even more ways that you can save money without sacrificing a good time with the ones you love.

* Go to the petting zoo - These smaller zoos don’t have the large, exotic animals that you’ll find at the bigger zoos, but the little kids will enjoy feeding and petting these animals.

saving money on food

A couple of weeks ago, I made a post about easy ways to save money on groceries.  I thought I’d do a follow up post and offer more ways to save money on food.  We all have to eat, right?

1. Always make a list before you go to the grocery store. Do an inventory of your fridge and pantry and see exactly what you need. Plan your meals ahead of time and list the items needed to prepare them.  You can also prioritize your list based on what you really need and what you want, so you can gauge your budget better while shopping.

Many people consider developing a budget to be a simple task. But there are a whole group of other people who just don’t like balancing checkbooks, working with spreadsheets, or crunching numbers of any kind. In an economy like the one we’re facing right now, creating a budget is in everyone’s best interest. You’ve got to outline your expenses and your income, even if it means you have someone else do it for you. Your budget should include the essentials - what your monthly income is, what bills and monthly expenses you have, projections of expected increases and decreases, and some buffer for the unexpected.