One of the basic necessities in life is your stock of groceries in your household.  And, your budget for groceries could make or break your budget for your weekly funds that have been set aside for other things. Your budget for groceries needs to be flexible.

Here are tips on how you can save money for your groceries:

• Don’t go to the grocery store hungry (on an empty stomach!).  Studies have shown that shoppers tend to buy more in grocery stores when they are hungry.  This is why a majority of grocery stores have their bakeries at the entrance of the store.  The smell of fresh baked breads, cakes, and cookies entice you to buy and eat!  Therefore, you spend more!  If you cannot eat before going to the grocery store, drink at least 1-2 glasses of water.  Shopping when full will help you combat the urge to eat those mouth-watering bakery products you smell.
• Scan the shelves from top to bottom — search both the top and lower shelves.  The more expensive brands are at chest level.  Cheaper and generic brands are either located below or higher than your average sight.
• Shop alone!  Find the time to go to the grocery store alone.  Don’t ask for “helpers” because they tend to add items to your bill.
• Go to the store early in the day.  You will find yourself finishing your list a little faster.  You will not tend to roam, linger in the aisles and buy unneccesary items.
• Shop when you are in a good mood.  When you are tired and shop, you will have a tendency to buy more sweets, chocolates and high carbohydrates. And, do not shop when you are mad, you will seem to buy more junk food.
• Don’t buy non-grocery items, i.e., aspirin, cold medicines, toiletries, contact lens, etc.  These tend to be priced higher at grocery stores.  You can find better bargains at Walmart, Target, etc.
• Always bring a calculator.  You can keep a running tab on how much you are spending.  It also helps you stick to your budget.
• Check your receipts!  Mistakes can happen!  Remember, every cent counts.

It is important to focus on the price of the items you intend to buy.  Make sure to check the other brands and you are getting the best deal.  Most important, buy only what you need.  Sometimes when you buy things on sale and in bulk,  you may not really need the extra product; therefore you really did not get it at a bargain.

Finally, do not be mislead by brilliantly-colored packaging of items.  This is done to attract you to buy.  Focus on your list and buy things you need.

When that first day of kindergarten is approaching, moms everywhere are preparing  5-6 year olds to head out on his or her first big adventure out of the home.  It can be a little overwhelming!  Between meeting with the teacher, buying clothes,  buying school supplies, and preparing the child to be away from home without mom and dad, it can be challenging.

In the rush to prepare, we sometimes overlook the obvious - mom!  Mom needs to take a little time for herself and prepare as well.  From the time the “little angel” was born to the time he or she walks out the door for kindergarten, there has been a period 5 or 6 years of intense closeness and bonding.  Virtually, every waking minute of those years, mom has been aware of him/her, i.e., helping, taking care of, keeping healthy and safe, every step of the way.

Now is the time to let go a little bit.  Moms know it is the right thing and her child needs to move towards the road of his/her own independence.  However, moms do go through a lot of emotions during this preparation which is much similar to letting your son/daughter go off to college.  Dads can get involved and help moms through this period.  If he is a sensitive Dad, he will be aware of the emotions and mixed feelings a mother goes through.  Dads can be the voice of reason by reinforcing that this is a move for their child to help them grown into a successful young person and eventually a healthy and well-adjusted adult.  Hopefully, this logic can filter its way down to the emotional system and start to convince the heart and the brain this is right.

Other moms who have experienced this before are also a recommended resource of comfort and advice on how to get through the separation, especially those first few days.  Friends can show moms how to fill their time volunteering at the school, i.e., helping to raise funds for new furniture and equipment, help teachers buy supplies, PTA, etc.

If you channel your energies of love and caring by assisting in volunteer projects for the school, your child will benefit as well as the school.  Indirectly, you are still nurturing your child by creating an environment that is making him/her a better person. 

And, that is a good way for mom to get ready for kindergarten before the little one goes off to school each and everyday of this important year in your child’s life as well.

Green Living is becoming a common term these days around many households all across the United States.  Green Living is a lifestyle that one chooses to live, withe the intent on making the least, or best, impact on their environment as they possibly can.  Green Living is a way to help make the planet a better place to live by conserving energy, creating less garbage, using organic food and products, recycling, and more.

Organic Food

Organic food is one of the more popular ways that people live green.  Organic means a food that is grown with no use of any kind of chemicals, pesticides, hormones or anything that can cause the product to be genetically modified in any way.  With the many outbreaks of different viruses on store bought food, i.e., as salmonella, growing organic food is not only a green way to live, but a safe one as well.

You can also support green living by buying only organic meats from the agricultural world.  This is done by buying from farmers who treat their animals with care and concern for their welfare, rather than treat them with steroids and hormones to cause them to produce more and grow bigger.  Check your local farms to see if you can buy organic meat and eggs directly from them.

Energy Conservation

Energy conservation is another way to live green in today’s highly electronic world.  There are many tips that can be utilized to make your house eco-friendly, and save you money in the long run.  Lights should be turned off when you are not in the room to save energy.  Better yet, light bulbs can be changed from regular incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lights, and will help you save at least 60% of energy per bulb each year.

Another well known fact is that water should not be run when not in use, i.e., when the family is brushing their teeth.  Low flow faucets can be installed to reduce the flow of water during showers and baths, and proper maintenance of those faucets should be applied when they develop any type of leak.

Other Ideas

The best part of green living is that you can utilize many tips in almost any area of your life to better the environment.  Recycling is one way that anyone can help the environment, and it is easy!  Most neighborhood trash collection companies offer free recycling bins, and all cans, glass, bottles and newspaper should be recycled from the regular garbage.  Plastic bags can be recycled at many grocery stores now, or re-use them as garbage can liners throughout your house.  When you recyle, you save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year from the items that would normally end up in a landfill, giving off toxic fumes.

Green Living is a great way to help take care of the environment you are living in, as well as protect it fo the future generations.  Living green is easier than many think, and can make a difference in today’s polluted world.

In this area we will feature local businesses around the Kansas City, MO area.

Each business featured will be asked to provide a special free gift or special that will go to a reader of this blog.