99 great ways to save money

Tommy Perez

Food

1. Purchase reusable Keurig pods. Single-serve coffeemakers make it easy to make coffee, but Caribou K-Cups, for example, cost 66 cents each instead of 28 cents per cup if you use Caribou ground coffee. The answer: Buy $1.50 reusable K-Cups, add the grains yourself, and save about $277 a year if you're in the habit of drinking two cups a day.

2. Shop with your smartphone. Many foods have more than one “sale” price. Keeping an up-to-date list of the lowest price you've ever paid for your regularly purchased staples on your phone can help you know when to skip a "deal" and when to stock up.

3. Use bean broth. Boiling dried beans (inexpensive, tasty and nutritious!) in salted water makes a creamy substitute for chicken broth, says Francis Lam of The Splendid Table radio show.

99 great ways to save money

4. Brew your favorite coffee for less. If you love a particular type of coffee at a local coffee shop, ask to buy it in bulk to brew at home. Then, put it into smaller bags and squeeze as much air out of it as you can before sealing.

5. Use meal kit trial discounts. Many meal kit companies offer a deep discount on the first month with no obligation to continue, so you can save a lot by trying out various services. For example, save $90 with HelloFresh or $90 with Home Chef. Blue Apron also offers promotional discounts to consider. Just make sure you follow the instructions when it's time to cancel. And you just might find a service you want to stick with.

6. Become a takeout magician. Three words: Skip the drinks. Why pay restaurant prices for soft drinks or juices that you can help yourself to at home and save a dollar or more per drink? Even cheaper and healthier: drink filtered tap water.

7. Thoroughly study the brochures of supermarket offers. Focus especially on the front and back covers, where supermarkets often list "loss leaders," ie discounts that actually lose money but are worth it because they draw you into the store.