Cut It Out! - A Giveaway

It couldn't have come at a better time.

Whenever I turned on the news last week, I heard about the drought in many parts of the United States.  The drought will drive up grocery prices as early as the autumn.  So Kate Megill's new e-book, Cut It Out!, arrives just in time.

Kate's book is about how she feeds her family of 10 for $500 a month without using coupons.  I am a frugal grocery shopper, and always have been, out of necessity.  As a mainly single-income family for more than 20 years, and having a family or six, I learned how to make a dollar stretch because I had to.

Sloppy habits have overtaken me lately and I'm not as careful as I used to be.  I need Cut It Out! so I can get back on track and pare down my grocery bill again.

I appreciate that Kate's emphasis is not based on couponing.  I've gone that route before, and while you do save money, it does take time and coupons in the ads are often for items I don't usually buy.

Enough chit chat about me, here's what Kate shares.  By using a systematic approach to meal planning and grocery shopping it is possible to save money without going to six grocery stores every week.  She explains how many years ago she set up a Master Meal Plan and a Price Book to systematize her weekly meal plan and grocery list and enable her to determine which of the three stores she shops at has the best price for the groceries she needs.

I felt overwhelmed when I initially read about the Master Meal Plan and Price Book because they are a lot of work.  Then I considered two things: first, the majority of effort occurs in the beginning as you develop the documents, after that it's just a matter of occasional list maintenance; and second, Kate provides downloads!  I don't have to create my own Excel documents.  Okay, I told myself this won't be so bad after all.

As I continued to read, I recognized I might actually save time by having established Master Meal Plans.  No more wondering as I wrote my grocery list what we would have for dinner that week. The meals I normally cooked would all be listed in one convenient place.  Additionally, it would be easier to shop the grocery ads and match up our meals to sale items.

I can't lie, though.  Filling in your Price Book and devising your Master Meal Plan will take time, but like all organizing plans, once the initial work is complete, the bulk of the effort is over, forever.

Kate also provides information on developing a well-stocked pantry and how that is feasible even on the tightest budget, how to implement her suggestions if you're only cooking for one or two and she furnishes a copy of her Master Meal Plan.  There are even more goodies tucked into this little gem, but I'll let you discover those on your own.

Let's sweeten the deal.  Kate is allowing me to run a giveaway of Cut It Out!  One lucky reader can win a copy by following the Rafflecopter instructions below.  The drawing will be held on Thursday, August 2.  But, if you want to read the e-book Right Now, Kate is offering it for only $1.99 from July 30 until August 3.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

While you're at it, visit her website Teaching What Is Good where she shares inspiring messages about God's love, motherhood and life.


The author provided a free copy of her book for my review.  All opinions expressed are my own.