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Besides couponing, there are many ways to save money at the grocery store - if you can find a manager willing to answer all your questions, says BankRate.com. Knowing your favorite stores' policies and promotions is the key to saving.

Most any store manager will be happy to tell you how to save the most money in his store as he wants you coming back, says Annette Economides, co-author of "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half with America's Cheapest Family."

One of my favorite and most effective tips for being
cheap is to associate with other cheap people.

That's why I'm so excited that "America's Cheapest
Family" (or, more accurately, "America's Cheapest
Couple") is coming to town this week with a series of
seminars designed to teach us cheapo wannabes
how to be even cheaper.

With five children and two books under their super-
tight belts, including "America's Cheapest Family

For the next several weeks, Tightening the Belt will offer ways to spend smarter on food, and it's worth doing. The average American family of four spends $9,172 on food each year, according to the federal government's Consumer Expenditure Survey. Cutting that total by just 20 percent saves you more than $1,800.

By Jane Ammeson — Times Correspondent

I used to make fun of my brother because he would rinse out empty bread bags – you know the ones that presliced bread come in – and then use them as lunch bags. That was when the word cheap was a derogatory term.