Saturday, July 11, 2009

Money & Business

Alpha Consumer by Kimberly Palmer

Food Blogs Help Save Money

March 04, 2008 12:03 PM ET | Kimberly Palmer | Permanent Link | Print

In response to my blog post on saving money by cooking at home, a reader sent me a great website, Smitten Kitchen, which offers tempting recipes and photos of home-cooked meals. As an aspiring foodie myself, I also have a list of favorite food-related sites, all of which frequently post recipes that can help with meal planning (and avoiding spending more money at restaurants or on takeout).

My favorite sites include the Pioneer Woman Cooks, Chocolate and Zucchini, and Cooking with Amy.

I also heard from a reader telling me that I was wrong and that it is cheaper to eat out, because he can get an order of chicken, fish, vegetables, soup, beans, salad, plus a drink and dessert for only $6.56, plus tip. He says he gets this deal at Mama's House Buffet in Kingsport, Tenn. I guess I need to visit, because that sounds like an unbelievable deal.

Readers, if you have other useful resources for food-related savings, please post them below.

Tags: blogs | money | personal finance | websites

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Reader Comments

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Healthy Eating at Home

When you make your food at home, you know what went in to it. Eating out might be cheaper sometimes, but the iceberg salad hardly counts for vegetable.

You can make healthy dinners at home in 20 or 30 minutes. I do it every night. There are some tips on my blog to help you out. You can find the articles in diet and health, and there is a recipe category too. I hope it's ok to post the urls - but you did ask for them... http://CommonSenseLiving.com

Oh, I also have a good tip for a 3 dinner plan for a busy week here - http://www.squidoo.com/guidelines-for-healthy-eating

Amy, I love roasted vegetables. Yum.

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Think what she could save if she cut out one trip a week. The average American makes 2.5 trips to the supermarket a week.

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Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Share with her your own money issues by sending questions to alphaconsumer@usnews.com.

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