Commandments of grocery shopping, sign up for the stores loyalty program. More and more chains want you to come back. How do they do that . By making deals available to you, their loyal customer, that arent available to the general public. If you look at the weekly flyers that most of us are very familiar with, you see what they call the hot special or cherrypicked specials, those are loss leaders, items sold at or below cost to lure you into the store and hopefully once inside you buy more profitable items but more and more, were seeing Major Grocery chains, reserve these best deals for customers, who use their bonus card, loyalty card or shopping cards. Gerri todd, what am i looking at here, paper towels, toilet paper what am i buying at such great saveings . Staples of everyday life. Bacon, cereal, eggs, orange juice. Aluminum foil, you try pricing that lately . All of the things most of us buy all the time repeatedly i personally buy at Warehouse Club. If people want to go to the supermarket they need to get to the loyalty card. Gerri talk about store brands versus nape brands. Some store brands are not so great but some are terrific. Gerri, more and more consumers are finding the dirty little secret. Not only are a lost National Brand companies a lot of National Brand companies manufacturing store brands, selling them upwards 25 less than the named brand. Gerri wow. Depending ings some items can be 60 less. Stuff sold at a drugstore, health and beauty aids, overthecounter remedies, it could be 60 . Youre talking big bucks. But again store brands, Consumer Reports has tested store brand for years and years and years and we find that the store brand is almost always at least, as good as the National Brands. May not taste alike but it is a bargain and most people love it. Stores back them with a money back guaranty. Gerri i have limited time here, todd. I will get you through all of this because it is great advice. You say grow big, go home. Buy the big size, is that always true . Absolutely not. There have been a lot of investigations, weve done our own here, you have to check the unit price. You remember, buy orange juice, available in four to seven different sizes. There are supermarkets run on promotion, deals. One week the bigger size is on sale. The next week the smaller one. The only way to know what the true bargain is, is to check the unit price per ounce, per quart, per pound, per 100 sheets. That is the holy grail. Gerri who is cheapest . Overall everything considered, where do i go . Well you know, depends on what youre buying. I, walmart has a great reputation for price. And you can get almost anything for less there. However, we, at Consumer Reports, just did the big grocery ratings report and walmart was nations lowest rated grocer f youre buying canned goods it doesnt matter. Maybe if youre buying perishables you want to be more selective. Costco, bulk stores, Warehouse Club is still king. Everyday low price, day in, day out. No waiting for a sale. You may have to buy in larger quantities but you can stock up and save on staples. Gerri talk about dirtily little secret, you reveal, dollar stores, chains expanded like topsy, they are offering best deals on that thing you forgot on your list, that extra gallon of milk, maybe some bread. Why . Well, again, these are items called high velocity items they get you into the store. They are loss leaders. Drugstores do it. We did a whole study. They put the items youre going to buy day in, day out on deep discount. You may get a quart, gallon of milk for 3. 99. Thats great, if you go to regular supermarket it may cost 4. 99. Dollar stores operate same way. Check the expiration dates at dollar stores. Gerri thanks, todd. Next were teaming up with triple a to cut the cost of your commute. No, you dont have to give up your car to do it. Joining me, john nielsen, aaa director of automotive engineering and repair. I was blown away the amount of time people spend in cars on commute. Really adds up. 10. 8 million travel an hour each way. Almost 11 million of us traveling an hour each way every day. Tell us more about the trend in simply commuting. Well you know, average commute is about 25 minutes each way. But, were commuting, all commuting more and more as traffic becomes more congested. So the average person is spending 200 hours a year in a car just commuting to work. Gerri amazing to mee there are things you can do, short of throwing keys to your car away. Tell me how you can cut down on your bill by driving like a human being and not an insane person. You know, gerri, i think that is one of the biggest things we can all do, slow down a little bit. Jackrabbit starts and sudden braking, what some call aggressive driving, that can increase fuel cost 33 . That is like paying 4. 75 a gallon driving that way and you can change that. Gerri 33 . Swerving, tailgating. That what that costs you, amazing to me. Then of course if youre a speed demon, for every five miles an hour you drive over 60, you pay an extra 26 cents a gallon. Just do the speed limit youre doing yourself all kinds of favors out there much. Where i work, our employer, actually helps you pay for some of these commuting costs. Tell us about these pretax plans that really help people who commute. Well, these are just like a Health Savings account where you can set aside money and pay for your commute pretax. There are limits on that. It is about 130 a month for carpooling or mass transportation. About 250 a month for parking. So, that can be a big help and, if it is available from your employer, take advantage of it. But make sure that youre going to spend all the money because you cant get it back at the end of the year. Gerri i was blown away by the fact about the megacommuters, people traveling 90 minutes and 50 miles to work, back and forth each day. 600,000 of us are doing that. Is that a bigger number than it used to be or smaller number . What is behind that trend . I think its a bigger number than it used to be. The trend, people are driving longer, commuting, taking jobs where they find them and making a commute. I think everybody is driving just a little bit longer. You will notice that the time is greater than the mileage. That means theyre probably traveling in congestion as well. So it is not a fun drive. Gerri thanks, john. We have a lot more to come as our yourers guide to saving money continues. Americans shelling out tons of money for lunch. Good house keep something here to show us how to Good Housekeeping quote is here to tell us how to make lunch without i willing up your wallet. 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Youd do anything to take care of that spot on your lawn. So why not take care of that spot on your skin . If youre a man over 50 youre in the group most likely to develop skin cancer, including melanoma, the cancer that kills 1 person every hour. Check your skin for suspicious or changing spots. Go to spotskincancer. Org to find out what to look for. A message from the American Academy of dermatology gerri we have got some serious food for thought the next time you swipe your card at lunchtime. Listen to this. Americans shell out nearly 1,000 each and every year on lunch. This doesnt countries to starbucks or dunkin donuts. Just average two meals a week that americans spend eating out. Boys, you tend to outspend the female counterparts by as much as 44 . Joining me Good Housekeepings food director, and Susan Westmoreland and her assistant food director. Did i say that right . You nailed it. Gerri welcome, ladies, great to have you here. Lots of great ideas. Susan storm with the warm french lent till salad. Lentils are protein power pack. Gerri im happy to help. We sauteed up a couple colorful peppers and celery. If you dont like peppers you can use tomatoes or use cucs. Gerri there are onions in there . Onions are in there. Steal your paper and do a little chopped. Gerri that smells so good. This is another thing. What do you have in the fridge . We found out americans get rid of, this is really sad, 165 billion a year in food waste. Gerri i totally believe that. Oh, my god, these greens in the box are not good. I get rid of them. Instead of getting rid of them, think about it to prepare the lunch. This is the salad with a little bit of fetta. Gerri i will taste it. A little left over with virginia. Gerri thats do that. Throw vinegar in. Use whatever vinegar you have. Does that brighten it a lot. Gerri i think im making a lot of chewing noises. In lentils we fix mixed with left over kucinich couscous. Gerri this is couscous, right . This is couscous. Gerri spinach. Spinach is nice and hearty and wont wiltly lunchtime. Gerri do you dress it before you leave home. The salad is dressed. Spinach dresses itself as the day goes on. You can bring a contain irof dressing if you want. Gerri i love that. This is Peanut Butter noodle salad. I will put you to work. Here Peanut Butter. We have soy sauce. Gerri nice combo. A little bit of salt. Here is sesame oil and rice wine vinegar. You can use this. We have a sweet, salty, tankgy, a lot of big flavors going on. And then once that is all mixed together, were putting in, and these noodles are great because theyre great for dinner. This is just pasta. This is spaghetti. Gerri you guys dont get complicated. Were saving money and making it accessible. We have rotisserie chicken here. Gerri beautiful. A little bit of garlic. This time of year, if youre grilling, use extra chicken breasts and you can use that. Gerri peppers. A little brightness. Cucumbers for freshness. The great thing about the salad, you eat it for dinner, then take it for lunch. It is even better next day. It is good cold, it is good warm. Gerri always put more Peanut Butter. Sesame oil has intense nuttiness. You dont want it to be, dont want to make too sweet and taste like dessert every night. When youre done gerri look at that. That is gorg. If you dont like the idea of having leftovers the next day, we can add shredded carrots and chopped almonds. Gerri i dont think i can get this in my mouth. This is gorgeous. I bet kids like that. They love it. So good. Gerri what is going on over here . This is, we did this chicken euro salad you make for dinner. Real chicken and toasted peanuts and tomatoes, for this time of year. Grill the extra chicken. We did. Gerri look at that. What is going on . Chicken is in there. The dressing on the bottom with peppers. Chicken is marinated and at lunch everything gets dressed and youre done. Gerri it is adorable. That is great idea. Youre grilling extra chicken and peppers and great hero you can wrap and take for the sandwich lovers. Think of other things that languish in the fridge. Take out rice, left over rice. Deli ham. Play around. We looked in our fridge. We found celery. We found radishes. We used canned beans and some ham. Gerri think about this for a second. When youre looking what is in your refrigerator, you want a crunchy you want a crunchy. Gerri what else . A wet. One last thing for you. I made lunch for my son for many years. Gerri thats pretty. This is an Award Winning gh lunch kit. Feel it. You put this, store it in the freezer. If you dont have a fridge at work, called pack it. It is great thing. Comes in cool grownup patterns as well for kids. The only one that kept food at safe temperatures more than two hours. More than what it claims. People who dont like sandwiches, we like little flat breads. You wasnt moisture and crunch. Want something creamy and something soft and smush think. Big flavors are good. Help you satisfied. And bring up in the middle of the work day. Gerri all good ideas. Now how long can i expect to have this in the refrigerator before it gets wilted and boring . This is one you eat or carry dressing separately. Gerri seems to me this will hold up well. That will hold up. Those are all holding up absolutely. Gerri that ace big thing. What can i make that will taste good and walking down the hallway and have option of walking out to find things that compete with that i that i still want to eat. Exactly. This kind of thing the crunch and layered containers. If you have a fridge at work, youre golden. If not, invest in Something Like this. This is about 15. Gerri i have to ask you guys, you have a great kitchen and it is awesome and i know you guys eat lunch there. What do you pick, sherry. From here . I go for the peanut noodles. Typecast. I will go for the lentils. I love lept tills, and there is lentils and there is crutch and flavor. Gerri you guys rock. We are doing a lot of great stuff with Good Housekeeping. This is a ton of fun. You cook for us next time. Gerri i like that. Dont ask me twice. Later in the show were hoping you saved money on helping you save money on technology and cars and cost saving tips when it comes to shop tore clothes. Everything from the best websites and the best days to buy. Ok, if youre up there, i could use some help. Smart sarah. Just like with your investments. That sets you apart. It does . It does. Youre type e. And seeking another perspective is what type e s do. Oh, and your next handhold. Is there. You dont have to go it alone. E trade gives you the support and guidance to make informed decisions. Are you type e . When your favorite food starts a fight fight back fast with tums. Relief that neutralizes acid on contact. And goes to work in seconds. Tum, tum tum tum tums try great tasting tums chewy delights. Yummy. You may say im a dreamer but im not the only one i hope someday youll join us and the world will live as one gerri weve got cost cutting tips you can hang your hat on but before we get to advice for refreshing your wardrobe and your wallet, we took cameras around the beautiful women from fox to share item in their closet they got a great deal on. Listen to this what did you get on sale . Well, so i have to tell you something. Fox viewers will love this i shot in the chair and on the five and outnumbered. How about these panty hose . You can get these at duane reade and walgreens. When you cant make it to get the spray tan, you can spray it on with the hose, essentially. And, believe me, it follows everyone. So im giving away my secrets. There is time to spend money and time to save money. We all like nice things. I got my shoes on zappos. Com. These are kate spade. You can pay a lot of money for kate spade shoes, but zappos. Com on sale. Free shipping. Big secret of mind. Pink cbg dress i got on, half off. They have stores all over the country. Pop in with coupons. My girls got me cute phone cover. Ive known to spend a lot of money at phone covers. I got this at charming charlie. My strategy look at jackie o before the crisis. Not oleg cassini look. Simple white shirt with 20 bucks. Russell is kind of classy. Im going on the tick cac diet to fit into it. A plain cigarette skirt, streamlined, straight down. It is simple. I, gerri, i dont think people know when people are wearing brand. I dont think people can recognize brands, the average person. By the way i dont really care about brand. I doesnt buy brands. Im not much of a bargain shopper. Amazon does dresses for under 100 bucks. The go this for 35, not bad, right . Two colors. I couldnt help myself. Gerri is that not awesome . Ladies from fox business and fox news for sharing their secrets. Show you my savings, 35 bucks for the shoes im wearing right now, jcpenney. Dont this do it right, my friend . For similar savings, lets bring in a personal finance expert. Andrea, great to have you as always. Thanks for inviting me. Gerri you have great tips. Im excited to get into them. The first thing is, youre tell me to shop on thursdays. Why is that . Well, retailers begin to marking down merchandise that they want to push for the weekend. So you get a larger selection of those discounted goods and you dont have to deal with the crowds. I recommend definitely heading to the mall or store on thursday evening. Gerri seasonally, when should i buy . Common sense, shop at the end of the season but a lot of consumers get wrap up in Current Trends for the upcoming season. Right now, for instance, retailers are clearing out their summer merchandise. Youve looking saving anywhere from 50 to 57 . Plus additional coupons. At coupon sherpa. Com i found extra 20 off clearance items at macyss. Tank tops, short and tshirts, you can wear them well into the fall season or maybe winter if youre layering living in a colder climate. Gerri very smart. Wait until after the holidays, after christmas, january 1st, right . Especially for coats, boots and sweaters. All those items you like to wear in the cold months. Say there are times to splurge and time to look for steals and deals. Tell me what you mean by that. Well, i recommend if youre going, when youre looking at quality goods and timeless pieces, so, a basic black suit, maybe a nice pair of quality leather boots that you can wear for several years, that transition through seasons and dont go out of style, i say it is okay to splurge on these items, you will get a lot of value and use out of them. When it comes to trendy clothes, that will go out of season, dont spend a lot of money. Plenty of stores to buy those cheaply. Stick with generics at stores like target or even costco, has the kirkland brand where you can find ts and pajamas for very cheap. Gerri mitt romney apparently buys his dress shirts there. Yes. My husband, kirkland brand. Gerri smart people all shop there. Talk a little bit about buying used. This did not occur to me and a lot of people dont like to do it is a real opportunity these days. Why . When you consider the markup of clothes that ranges from 100, to 400 on shoes, and realize youre wasting on clothes and spend a fraction on used clothes. A lot of Thrift Stores these