Meet America's Cheapest Family: Get Money Saving Tips
One family tells you how to cut your grocery bills.
Aug. 22, 2008 — -- At a time when many consumers' grocery bills are rising, the aptly named Economides family is able to feed itself inexpensively.
The family of six spends only $350 monthly on groceries.
Annette Economides said she and her husband, Steve, see the search for great deals as thrilling entertainment.
"If your job is to stretch your dollars and you can do it and have success at it, wouldn't you?" she said.
The pair and self-proclaimed cheapest family are able to stock a lot of food for a little bit of money, thanks, in part, to coupons. They use them for almost every item. During one recent shopping venture, for instance, the Economides bought more than $140.58 worth of food for $53.01.
The typical American family usually spends more on a few bags of groceries, so "Good Morning America" challenged the Economides to see what they could get for $100.
Leaving the store with 13 grocery bags, the Economides were able to get everything from luncheon meat to fruits and vegetables for $101.77. You, too, can save big on your food items.
Check out their tips for saving at the grocery store.
Don't go to the grocery store often.
A lot of families are going three, four, five times a week. You have to take a challenge and say, "I'm going to plan a menu. I'm going to plan five dinners. And I am going to go shopping once this week, and buy the stuff I need, use what's in my pantry."
Leave the kids at home.
You'll save three times the price of the baby sitter if you have time to really think and walk through the store and pick up the things you really need.
Slice your own luncheon meat.
Buying meat and asking the deli to slice it can save $1 to $5 a pound. The Economideses also recommend that you grind your own meat. You can buy the cheapest cuts of chuck roast or chuck steak at $1.50 a pound, leave most of the fat on and grind it to look and cook as if you had bought $5-a-pound lean ground beef. The say the savings can be $3.50 a pound.
Visit the family's Web site at www.homeeconomiser.com.