Last Saturday I went and filled the tank up in our van. In the past I’ve used our credit card to pay for the gas due to concerns of identify theft (concerns over someone swiping our PIN number at the outside pump). However, I was in a rush that day and so mistakenly used our debit card for the purchase. Later that evening we were reviewing our checking account balance online and noticed a debit card charge to our account for a gas purchase of $75, which was about $35 higher than the actual cost of the gas. The actual receipt I received from the gas pump was $40.38.

Mr. Not Made Of Money remembered recently hearing on the Clark Howard show (see Why Debit Cards Are Such A Rip- Off) about some of the pitfalls of using a debit card. Specifically, when you are purchasing gas, paying for a hotel room, or paying for a rental car with a debit card, the bank will put a hold on your account for an amount that exceeds the bill. Now we have an adequate balance in our account that the amount held did not cause our account to be “overdrawn”. However, other people might not be so fortunate, if their account was low and they did not know that a hold in a greater amount than their purchase would be put on the account. Overdraft charges would be applied in this situation.

Needless to say, I was very irate to see the $75 hold on our account. I can understand a hold for hotel and car rental charges, but for purchasing gas?!? We reviewed the checking account a day later and the charge showed correctly but we won’t be using our debit card to purchase gas anymore.

I’ve written previously how I have been stockpiling coupons from my newspaper and local stores. In the past few months I have saved a substantial amount of money by combining store sales and coupons with manufacturer coupons - this method is referred to as “stacking coupons”. I set up a fairly easy system to store the coupons so I can find them easily. Then using The Coupon Mom Site, I check weekly sale ads and match those items with store coupons and manufacturer coupons. My best successes so far have been at Target at Publix.

Here is a recent example. Ragu Old World Style Pasta Sauce was on sale at my local Target for $1.25 per jar. Target currently has coupons on the Super Target Website for 75 cents off one jar. There is also a manufacturer coupon that was in the newspaper a few weeks ago which is good for $1 off when you purchase 2 jars of Ragu. Since I needed to purchase 2 jars to use the manufacturer coupon, I’ve used those numbers in the following example. So, let’s crunch the numbers:

Sale Price of Ragu = $1.25 x 2 jars = $2.50
Target Coupons (2 at 75 cents each) = $0.75 x 2 jars = ($1.50)
Manufacturer Coupons = 1.00 x 2 jars = ($1.00)

Total cost for 2 jars of Ragu sauce = $0.00

You can print off as many Super Target coupons as you would like. Print them off at home or at the Target Store at the kiosk where you can print out gift registries. Since I have been purchasing 5 newspapers per week, I was able to replicate this deal 5 times. That means I have 10 jars of Ragu Pasta Sauce that cost me nothing. If you are wondering what I am going to do with those 10 jars of pasta, you might check a post I made quite a while ago for creative uses for pasta sauce.

The most important meal of the day is breakfast. If you want to cut your grocery bill, look for ways to provide a wholesome meal for less money.

There are so many options for breakfast these days. Kids can choose from hot cereals, cold cereals, breakfast bars, eggs, bacon, sausage, frozen meals, and the list goes on. Breakfast is packaged fast and convenient for the busy consumer. Unfortunately, fast is not cheap.

Decide a week at a time which options you will offer your family. Serving the same things every week or two at a time cuts down on what needs to be purchased. Each weekend, break the monotony by fixing a breakfast meal composed of all the favorites your kids don’t get during the week.

Of course, when buying cold cereal, the best way to save money is to purchase off-brands. Don’t spend the money on cold breakfast cereal with fancy names and lots of sugar. Buy the off-brand versions of the same cereals we grew up eating.

Whenever you can purchase your breakfast staples in bulk. Instead of buying a box or can of oatmeal for four dollars, purchase a ten or twenty pound bag of rolled oats for a dollar more. A box containing five dozen eggs is more economical that buying a dozen eggs four times a month.

Visit the local farmer’s market to buy your fresh vegetables and fruits. Adding fresh vegetables to omelets provides flavor and texture to the breakfast meal. The farmer’s market sells dried fruits which make a healthy quick breakfast for you and your kids when time is short.

Buy breakfast meats at the butcher shop. The price is better and you can have the meat sliced for free. This way you can see what you are getting and choose the best cuts to keep your family happy and healthy.

If you want to offer breakfast breads or muffins to your family, make your own. There are no preservatives in the muffins you make. Use fresh ingredients and substitute applesauce for a portion of the vegetable oil for a healthier choice. Make the muffins ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator or freezer to increase their longevity.

Breakfast doesn’t have to be expensive to be good. A little elbow grease and advanced preparation will provide even the busiest families with a hot breakfast each morning.