Want to get groceries for free? HEB has a spectacular policy called "Fresh or Free". This is not a joke or hype or any kind of sales pitch. This grocery store actually provides an opportunity for anyone to get groceries for free. If you do not know of the HEB grocery chain, it's probably because the chain is only located in Texas. My wife and I shop there almost exclusively, especially because of the Fresh or Free program. Here is a basic rundown of how to take advantage of this great policy:

1. Hunt for items that have expired.
This is the first and foremost rule. So when you arrive at the store, carefully look through the stock of particular items you are interested in, and hunt for the expired one(s). Try to utilize some stealth, as the staff is trained to seek out "fresh or free-ers" like us. The staff cannot stop you from looking, but they may start going through the stock along side of you and weed out expired items.

2. Once you have found an expired item, put it in your basket, along with an identical, fresh item.

3. You are only allowed to fresh or free one item per SKU, per person.
This doesn't mean you can't walk away with hundreds of dollars or more in groceries for free, it just means if you find 10 expired Tombstone Pepperoni Pizzas, you can only take one fresh one, per person. But if you find one Tombstone Pepperoni Pizza, and one Red Baron Pepperoni Pizza that have expired, then you get one of each for free.

4. Go to the cash register and place your items in pairs (one expired, one fresh) on the conveyor belt.

5. Tell the cashier "I have some expired items here."
We have had times where the staff is not friendly, and sometimes downright mean about us getting groceries for free. Don't let this dissuade you, they are obligated by the policy to give you the groceries for free. We've heard every excuse in the book, and you will too, if you participate in the program. If they get too mean, just have a manager come over and take care of it.

My personal opinion of why they offer groceries for free:
* I believe that the program makes an incredible amount of sense from a business perspective. HEB is basically hiring the general public to wade through their current stock, and eliminate expired items. Now I know this is a job that should be handled by the night stockers, but think about the average night stocker, why would they care about checking dates? That would be far more time and effort to complete the stocking for the night. And with the small wage that HEB is paying their stockers, it makes sense to offer groceries for free under this program.

* Also, this program allows HEB upper management to identify weakness in their lower management, especially night stocking crew management. So in effect, we are helping them to root out bad management, and provide the best quality food. It is a win-win situation for the company, and for us as customers (or should I say, previous customers, ;) ).

In closing, the HEB fresh or free program is a fantastically easy way to obtain quality, free groceries. The only groceries that are exempt from the policy are ones that have no expiration. Other than that, it is open season. So take advantage of it, and leave me a few comments on your experiences if you get the chance.

How I saved $92.89 last week. With the rising cost of gas and personal dwindling savings, I have found it even more imperative to find ways to cut cost and save. In reassessing my financial state, I noticed that one of my greatest expenses was in the area of grocery. A hundred dollars a week in groceries can easily add up to over $500 a month! Yes, this is one of those necessary expenses we have that tend to reach deep into our pockets and leave behind only a few pieces of chump change after all is said and done.

So what is the solution since everyone needs to eat and groceries need to be bought? I have found that what worked well in the past still works well today. You guessed it, GROCERY COUPONS! I used to clip coupons at one point but took a hiatus because I stopped receiving the Sunday newspaper which housed the coupons. Recently, I have started printing free coupons and clipping them again and am carefully watching my savings grow. Let me give you a concrete example of a grocery receipt that I had recently:

The word budget can strike fear into even the strongest of people. If there is one thing very few people are ready for when they leave the safety of home for the first time it is dealing with money. There are not too many people who even know how to balance their checkbook after they open their first checking account. So creating a budget can be a scary proposition for anyone who isn't good at keeping track of their money.

But if we look at a budget in a different light then maybe it will be easier to live with what it is. And all it is is a cash flow plan. All a budget does is track where the money is flowing from and where it is flowing to. Cash flow; it 's what makes the world go around.

Here are 7 steps you can use to plan your cash flow and before you know it you'll have built a budget. Start with a piece of paper and a pencil; you can save those fancy budgeting software packages for later.

1. Write down your monthly income. If you are a salaried worker this should be easy. If your income is not that steady then add up the past three months worth of income and average it by dividing by three. This will give you a good starting point.

2. Start writing down all your monthly expenses. Mortgage, rent, car payment, credit card payments, utilities, groceries, eating out, entertainment, and anything else you spend money on. For those expenses that fluctuate, such as groceries and gas, use the three month average method to get an accurate amount.

3. Here 's the scary part for most people. Subtract the expenses from the income and see what 's left. You will either have a positive cash flow or negative cash flow. Unfortunately in this day of increasing debt most people have a negative cash flow.

4. Once you have your monthly cash flow laid out in front of you you can start assigning your money to your expenses. As you make those payments throughout the month write them down to see how your spending lines up with what you have budgeted for that particular item.

5. If you have a negative cash flow then you can start looking at everything you have written down and find areas where your spending may not be in the best interest of you financial goals. As you do this you can free up money for more important financial considerations.

6. The first time you do a cash flow plan it probably won't work out quite right. It normally takes about three months to get everything working right while you figure out where your money has been going every month. Be patient with your budget and before long it will start working and you will regain control of your money.

7. Once you are comfortable with your written budget and you have better control of where your money goes and what it does then consider investing in some budget software such as Quicken. It can make your cash flow plan much easier and with the added features like retirement and tax planning it can give you a solid financial future.

By using these 7 cash flow steps you can begin your budget quickly and easily. Only by taking back control of your money can you improve your financial future for you and your family

What Do Wholesalers Do?

Wholesalers are companies who distribute product in bulk to retail stores and other businesses around the world. Anyone that has the financial means to purchase products this way can start their own home based business to supplement their incomes. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, many households have tried to build a secondary income, but have failed to take this route which could be the easiest in terms of making money online.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of wholesalers out there ready to offer you thousands of products to sell. Whether it 's jewelry, diapers, clocks, posters, or anything else that can be purchased in bulk, the opportunity is definitely there to make a substantial amount of money. We recommend mixing this with an online store and eBay to start making money within a week. Not to get too far off base here, but it 's one of the best ways to get started, and having your own little business instead of joining someone else 's can all begin by dealing with wholesalers.

Now, when you are deciding which of the wholesalers is right for you, something to keep in mind is who will accommodate your needs the best. There are different ways bulk selling companies can help you in your endeavors, but finding what is needed within each one may take some work. Wholesalers give individuals huge discounted prices for simply buying substantial amounts of product, but something that needs to be asked is do they have what you believe is a hot product. Obviously, the quicker you get rid of the merchandise, the more money that can be made.

Smaller businesses are able to purchase products from wholesalers and depending on the discount can create streams of opportunities for your business. For instance, if you want to offer a buy 1 get 1 free sale, there won't be very much money lost if any, thanks to the discount. This also can build a rapport with customers which will have them coming back more often, or telling others about your company. We all know that word of mouth can be very positive and very negative, so keeping potential buyers happy is the main goal. It can all be possible with your own sales and discounts thanks to the use of wholesalers.

While creating your own business through the use of wholesalers can be extremely beneficial, this may not be the reason you want to use them. There are other benefits that have nothing to do with selling, but instead by simply buying. Sure most of it has to do with money, however, do you keep track of how much money you spend on groceries a month? There are companies out there that sell food in bulk and even though you may not need fifty bottles of Gatorade right now, at some point there will be one and there was money saved in the process.

Keep in mind some wholesalers cost a fee to visit their stores, but after that you can save on anything they have in stock. It really all depends on what you need and how much you can afford to spend upfront. Purchasing clothes for the entire year, food for six months, ink cartridges to last for as long as you own the printer, they're all possible by buying in bulk through wholesalers. If you're still confused, just do the math on a per item cost basis and see how much you save. If it 's feasible to do, the bank account will reap the benefits and money can be placed in other places like vacation or another bill.

Whatever you end up doing, just remember how beneficial wholesalers can be. The opportunity to supplement incomes and stocking up on groceries and school clothes can only help during a time when no one really knows where the economy is headed. Then again, you could always do both and double the overall benefits of the entire thing. We recommend it to any one that is capable to get started, even if for a minimal amount of money.