Food might be one of your family’s bigger expenses each month. Clipping coupons can help, but we've rounded up several other ways you can decrease your food expenses. With a little extra time and some strategizing, you can save a lot of money on food this year!

Try generic brands. If you are skeptical about the quality of generic brands, compare the ingredients. Most of the time, ingredients are identical! And when comparing different brands, be sure to look at the unit price on the tag to avoid doing extra math. If you like to buy organic foods, look for the store’s own line of cheaper organic foods such as 365 at Whole Foods.

Find a good discount store. In the April 2009 Real Simple magazine, Christiane Jory, author of The 99 Cent Only Stores Cookbook, suggests going to the dollar store for groceries! She says a “simple packaging mistake - say, in the color of the label - can mean a $5 can of artichokes sells for 99 cents.” She also says that expensive olive oil, balsamic vinegar and wine are the best bargains.

Incorporate vegetarian meals into your routine once or twice a week to save money on expensive meat. Most meats cost at least $3 per pound, while plant-based proteins like beans and lentils are less than $1 per pound. If you need some really easy and yummy vegetarian recipes, check out www.meatlessmonday.com. Meatless Monday is a national health campaign associated with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health which encourages people to give up meat once a week to cut saturated fat intake and prevent diet-related diseases!

Watch out for impulse buying. If a new food product or food brand catches your attention, ask yourself “Do I want this food because I really want to try it or am I just excited about the new package?” I have been practicing this lately and because I grocery shop for a toddler, I tend to get easily excited about new kids’ stuff. But I often find myself more impressed by the fun packaging than the actual food product. If you tend to be an impulse buyer, make fewer trips to the store altogether to cut back on those purchases.

Volunteer at a local farm this summer with your older kids. Many farms will give you free produce in exchange for your hard work.

Check expiration dates for the freshest and longest lasting foods. And on the flip side, if you find a great deal on pasta, soups or other foods that can stay on your shelves for months, stock up!

Remember that non-food items at the grocery stores are generally more expensive. Buy your batteries and toiletry items somewhere else.

Although it may take a little extra time and effort on your part, you can save a lot of money on food this year. Do you have any tips to share that have worked for your family?

Trying to live a greener life can be a money-saver in many ways. But oftentimes it can be discouraging when you want to buy the greener version of a product and it is too expensive. On February 1, EcoSteal
launched to offer a chance to pick up new "green" products without the expense. For those of you familiar with Woot, think of it as a green version of Woot. Here is how it works.

EcoSteal sells one item at a time at a deeply discounted rate (they say 40-80% off retail value). This one item is sold on their website until they run out and then a new product is listed (unlike Woot which sells a new item daily). So if its a popular product and you don't go to the website early enough, you might miss out on that particular deal. There is a limit of 3 units per household. There are several ways to know what they are selling at the moment. You can visit their website, but then you have to keep checking back to figure out when a new deal is posted. You can sign up at their website to receive email alerts which I find to be very convenient. You can also follow their Twitter feed.

Here are some of the things they have sold at a discount so far:

• Belle Baby Carrier


• Kina Handmade Baby Booties


• Mountainsmith Digi Cam Case


• Meyer Well's Table


• Beckon's Organic Grace Women's cardigan

I'm excited to see what sort of deals will come up in the future and to be introduced to new green products and companies. It seems like a win-win situation for the companies and consumers - companies get some advertising and consumers get a great green deal!

Have a favorite place to find deals on green products? Share it in the comments!

We love bins and baskets. We can throw - or advise smaller versions of ourselves to throw - toys and books into them for quick room cleaning.

Here’s a round-up of some of the more attractive bins and baskets on the market right now. You may want to order some as gifts for your home. The new toys are coming.

Woven felt baskets in red, blue, or green (pictured above), on sale at Pottery Barn Kids for $19.99 are one of the most attractive storage options I’ve seen. They are manage to look both handcrafted and high-design at. They’d fit into almost any décor. And at 12 inches square, they also fit into the cubby-style furniture that so many families favor.


Colorful woven nylon baskets from the Container Store are on sale for about $15. Their squared shape makes them useful for storing books or toys. The handles are great for moving them from room to room.


The cutest of our round-up, these totes from Clutter Free Kids include outside pockets, perfect for tucking away a special toy that merits more loving storage. The sturdy nylon totes come in a variety of patterns, and are generously sized at 16"x13".


This 13"x15" fuzzy storage bin is a steal at $13. I like the whimsy of the design - something practical, but cuddly.


These collapsible cotton canvas cubes - sold in a set of three, in sizes from 12" to 16" square - are affordable, attractive, and unobtrusive. $30 for a set of three at Space Savers.


Kangaroom's 30"x15"x16"Collapsible Toy Chest, available in pink or blue, gets consistently high marks from consumers. It is made of sturdy nylon panels and can be folded flat for storage when it isn't needed. $45 from Amazon.com.