Best way to save for the common man....

Food. Big expense. Big pain in the ass. Best tip that I can give is to create a menu for every meal. List and then buy only items on that list. Stay out of restaurants. Shop around with ads in hand. Remember Walmart rocks (the Empire made me put that in).

8 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill at SmartMoney.com

The resulting higher costs are swiftly passed down the production food chain to grocery store shelves. "It's like when the price of oil goes up, and you see a difference at the pump in the next day or two," says Al Ferrara, national director for consulting firm BDO Seidman's retail and consumer product division. Constantly produced fresh items like milk (up 10% compared with 2007, according to the USDA), eggs (up 7%) and bread (up 16%) are more apt to reflect changes on a nearly daily basis.

With a little legwork, savvy shoppers can keep their grocery bills at pre-2008 levels — if not lower. Here's how:
Stockpile

Most items are discounted just once during a 10-to-12-week sales cycle, says Teri Gault, founder of shopping site The Grocery Game. Seasonal items (think barbecue sauce in summer, soup in winter) show up every one to two weeks, while highly-competitive categories (cereal, soft drinks) cycle in every three to four. While it's not necessary to buy, say, eight jars of peanut butter, it's better to buy one jar while your favorite brand is on sale now than one at full price after you run out in two weeks.
Explore the store

Saving at the supermarket requires more effort than a quick dash and grab. Some of the best deals aren't obvious unless you take the time to price compare, says Phil Lempert, founder of Supermarket Guru. Cheese, for example, can be purchased from the cheese counter, the deli and the dairy case. "New York cheddar is New York cheddar no matter where you buy it," says Lempert. "But the price may be cheaper in one section than in another."

Keep an eye out, too, for sales. There are twice as many unadvertised sale items in the store as there are in the weekly circular. But be cautious. The longer you spend in stores, the more susceptible you are to sneaky supermarket tricks that entice you to spend more. Make a list, and stick to it.
Try store brands

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