No doubt about it, with the rising price of food and gas, we've got to watch every little penny these days.

It can be especially different to make a spending plan when your income is not regular.  I recently read a great solution for this dilemma and I wanted to share it with you. This is a blog I'll be reading again and again!

http://www.personalfinancehacks.com/2008/05/26/budgeting-on-an-irregular-income/ 

 
I should mention, however, that there is one *challenge* to applying this solution -- you have to have some savings to "stash away" first.  If you don't happen to have that at the moment, then I recommend the cash flow system that is described in the ebook "The B-Word."  It is also very helpful when trying to manage on an irreguar income. You can find it here: http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/thebword

Ladies, it's time talk about our least favorite subject -- money!

 
 I have found a tool that makes watching your pennies much, much easier. Mvelopes, my favorite money management system, offers an entertaining book that, using real-life characters, offers a valuable blueprint for achieving long-term financial wellness (yes, even in a recession!). You can download the ebook version of Money For Life: Budgeting Success and Financial Freedom in Just 12 weeks -- for free here: http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/moneyforlife

All of the BIG savings on groceries start with a pricebook. This simple tool will save you THOUSANDS with very little effort on your part. What is a pricebook? A pricebook is a gauge . . . a gauge of the best prices for items you buy. If you have this important record you can always know you are buying things at the best prices, not just what the grocery stores want you to think are the best prices.

Stores can get away with selling you overpriced items and telling you it’s a good deal because they control all of the variables. For example, if you walk into a store and see that chicken breasts are regularly $3.99, but today they’re marked down to $2.99, you might decide that’s a great deal!
Compared to what? Compared to the inflated price of $3.99 that the store tricked you into believing was a good basis for comparison. That’s why you should not buy things just because they are on sale. If you know by looking at your pricebook, that you have bought boneless skinless chicken breasts for $0.99/lb in the past, $2.99 doesn’t sound like such a great deal.

In order to know what truly constitutes a good deal, you would need to have a record of the price you have paid for items in the past. This is where the pricebook comes in handy. It’s your own personal record of the great deals you’ve found in the past.

I’ve seen the idea of a pricebook batted around online, and most of the time people are either confused about what a pricebook is or question how anyone in their right mind has time to price everything they buy at the grocery store. A pricebook is not as difficult as it sounds, and it is the most important, most empowering piece of information available to save TONS of money at the grocery store.

To start a pricebook, keep a record of the grocery items you buy and how much you pay for each item. Each time you need to buy that item in the future, consult your pricebook first to see how much you paid in the past. The trick is to make sure you are buying the item for the lowest price you have ever paid in the past. If you can’t find it at the lowest price, then skip it! Wait until you can find it at the lowest price. Once you have an actual PriceBook in your hands, shopping is a breeze.
I have a record of the prices of every item of food and other non-food item I have bought at grocery stores for the last four years. In my well-researched pricebook, I can look up any item that I normally buy and find the lowest price I have ever paid for that item.

If for instance I have found a can of green beans for $0.15/oz at The Dented Can, a local discount grocer, I try never to buy green beans for more. After all, if you find green beans for $0.15/oz, buy a whole cart full and you’ll have green beans any time you need them for the next six months!

On the off chance that you run out of $0.15/oz green beans, you know what to aim for. If down the road, you find them for $0.25/oz, you can decide to buy them, or go for the thrill of passing up on them this week and waiting it out. Maybe this week your family will enjoy a corn casserole instead, or possibly black bean soup. Green beans aren’t really the best gourmet food anyway, and there are many other options that ARE incredibly discounted this week. Just stay true to your pricebook!


_This article was contributed by Lana Dorazio. She lives with her husband in the beautiful desert of Peoria, Arizona. Lana’s personal grocery shopping success inspired her to write a comprehensive guide to saving money on groceries, entitled "Save Thousands Grocery Shopping and Cook Great Food". Buy it today at http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/grocerybook and receive a fully populated FREE Bonus PriceBook to get you months ahead of compiling your own PriceBook from scratch._
_

Mom, are you the chief financial officer in your home?

Do you dread paying the bills every month?

Would you like have your finances more organized so that you can feel secure that you always have money to pay the bills? Would you like more control of your cash flow, without a lot of extra work?

On Moms Money #10, I interviewed the author of an ebook that changed the way I organize my finances forever!   

This is way better, and easier, than Quicken or any other traditional software. In fact, it's so simple, you don't even need any new software, just a little tweak in your bank accounts.  Listen here to learn more... 

The Mom's Money Podcast is all about you and your money - How to make it, organize it,  save it, stretch it, invest it and much much more. Carrie Lauth, Kelly McCausey, Jennifer Gniadecki, and Me will be sharing our stories, bringing you great interviews, and of course offering great tips and solutions as well.

Our first two shows are already live! Check it out at http://www.MomsMoney.com! And a BIG thank you to Kelly McCausey of Work At Home Moms Talk Radio for bringing this all together!