Negative results have certainly come from the recession our country has faced over the last couple of years. Many people have lost jobs, and many others are still looking for work. On the other hand, the recession has forced us to find ways to cut back, streamline, and save.

As a details dad, I'm always looking for ways to make our home run more efficiently. One of the places where I think we can truly save money is in the kitchen. A key way of doing this is by better managing the food we purchase, and by not throwing food away. I think fresh produce can be a danger area. For example, I can remember going to the store and seeing some tasty-looking blackberries in the produce aisle. The package was fairly large, though, and by the time the week was over, I noticed I hadn't eaten more than half of the container. The other half had some mold on the bottom, and I had to toss it. I'm not sure what the package cost me, but let's say it was $3.00. I had to toss around $1.50 away.

Just recently I was digging in the pantry and found an un-opened bag of whole wheat flour. Good for your heart, but the product had expired a couple of months ago. I suppose I could have used it, but decided against it. Again, I'm not sure of the exact price, but I was probably throwing another $3.00 away.

If you do this with several products over a two week period, you could be throwing away real money that could be used on gas or other needs. My solution: I go to the store with a list of food items I know I am going to eat. I usually try to have it mapped out over the course of a week, so the food is used and doesn't spoil.

Secondly, I try not to be swayed to buy any item that really looks good and is on sale, but is not on my list. Sometimes you'll buy something on an end-cap at the store and think you'll use it because it was a great deal. But, often you don't use it, and that's wasted money. Stick to your list at the store, and make a menu that you stick with at home.

Remember, the money you save can go toward paying other bills and expenses. Yeah, I know. I'll probably be enticed to buy that occasional awesome on-sale buy at the store. But I'm keeping my guard up a little more these days! How about you?