5 Dollar Dinners Q&A

Times are tough, they always are, and we always find ourselves looking for ways to save money..to tighten the purse strings so they say. One of the first places that we cut our budget when those tough times come around is the the Grocery Store.

My family spends close to $500 on our monthly grocery bill, and there is only 4 of us.  Two adults, Ben (almost 5) and Wil (2 months).  I think our food bill is insanely high, and went looking for ways to bring it down. That's when I came across a popular twitterer (is that a word?) @5dollardinners, owned by Erin Chase. Author of the New Book, The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook!

Erin graciously agreed to answer a few questions for us, to help us get to know her and her book just a little bit better!

Question 1:  Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

My name is Erin Chase, and I have a little problem.  I can no longer make dinner for more than $5!  It's a good kind of problem to have, don't you think?!?  I live in SW Ohio with my husband and 3 little men.  Busy would be an understatement.  When I'm not feeding my hungry brood, I enjoy running and being outdoors.

Question 2:  What prompted you to write the book, 5 Dollar Dinners?

The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook was born from my website, www.5dollardinners.com.  The website was born out of necessity, as our family budget was stretched to the max during the summer of 2008.  We decided to reduce our grocery budget to offset the skyrocketing gasoline prices.  A challenge ensued and the website was born.

Question 3:  On your website you post many coupons...would you say these are a key factor in grocery store savings?

I use coupons in 99% of my shopping trips.  I use a variety of coupons, both from the internet and the newspaper, to help reduce my overall grocery bill as much as possible.

Question 4:  Is there one product that you believe is essential to every families kitchen?

There are too many really, but if I had to narrow it down, I'd say a slow cooker. Love how it just takes a few minutes to load up with ingredients, and then it does all the hard work for you...not to mention how fabulous your home smells when you walk in from a long day at the office or a busy afternoon running errands!

Question 5:  Do you have any tips that you would like to share with out readers?

When it comes to reducing your grocery spending, take baby steps.  Don't try every strategy out there at once.  Choose one that works for you and start there.

Buy It!
You can get this book at these fine retailers...

Win It! (This giveaway is now closed)

I have one cope of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook to giveaway to one you!  To enter tell me in a comment why you would like to win this book! And don't forget to check out The $5 Dinners Website!

Extra Entries:

• Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a comment
• Follow @abusymommy and @5dollardinners and tweet about this giveaway, can be done once per day
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The Fine Print

Contest ends on March 18th at 11:59 EST.  Contest is open to Canadian and US residents.  Winner will be chosen using Random.org and contacted by email.  Be sure to leave a valid email address in your entries...If I can't contact you, you can't win. 

Disclaimer:  This was not a  compensated post.  Just some great information that I wanted to share. 

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