Did you miss the June Recipe of the Month? Don’t forget to come by and get a FREE copy of Shawnee’s 50/50 Flank Steak. I’m leaving it up for the month of July too. Quick! Fire up the grill!

Happy 4th of July!

I’m paying more attention at the checkout lately. I’ve had sale products ring up inaccurately, mis-keyed produce codes, incorrect change made, and coupons completely missed. Has this been happening to you too?

Fortunately, I caught them all. But if I hadn’t, I’d be out about $10.00. Not a huge sum, but every little bit does add up and we’re not that far in 2009 yet.

To avoid getting ripped off:

1) Have any coupons ready. Do NOT fish around in your purse for loose coupons while the clerk is checking your groceries because you might miss a register error. Have all coupons together and handy before you begin unloading your cart.

2) Let the clerk know you have coupons or a store club card. He’ll say, “Hello. Did you find everything okay?” To which you might respond, “Yes, thank you. I have some coupons here for you as well.” Present your coupons as soon as he has his full attention on you. He may take them from you right then or ask you to set the coupons down. Either way, don’t act shy about it or embarrassed. He is in the business of taking your money and you are in the business of saving yourself money. It’s that simple.

3) Group multiples of the same item together. This is helpful even if you don’t have a coupon. Say you’ve decided that the “3 for $5.00,” or “10 for $10″ are good values. Be sure to group them together on the belt so that the clerk can scan them one after another. This makes it easy to spot errors.

4) Place those screaming deals on the belt LAST. Chances are that you will have emptied your basket and will be waiting for the checker to finish. When you put those hot deals on the counter first, and then finish unloading your basket, you’re sure to miss errors. Instead, save them for last so that you are not distracted.

5) Ditto for items to be weighed. Often the clerk has to hand-key the produce or bulk bin code. These codes are easy to confuse. If weighed items are among the last items to be scanned, you will spot mistakes. (I forgot this step recently and got charged $3.00 more for an entirely different product. I noticed it after I had finished paying. The checker couldn’t fix it at that point, so I got to spend another 15 minutes at the customer service desk. Not good!)

6) Shop without kids. I’ve compared my receipts from trips with and without kids. And I can tell you that, on average, I spend about $35.00 MORE when they’re along. Included in this expense are the little treats I offer to reward good behavior. These treats get doled out when we’re in the checkout line, which distracts me from the transaction. If this scenario sounds familiar, consider shopping alone.

7) Scan your receipt for mistakes before you leave. Despite your best efforts, distractions sometimes happen. Magazine covers catch your eye, you run into a friend, or zone out after a long day of work. You’re only human, right? Take a few seconds to review your receipt to ensure things are in order. Look for doubles; sometimes items get scanned twice. Then look at product names for anything unfamiliar. Get discrepancies taken care of before you leave the store.

2009 Copyright Kati Neville

I picked up another issue of The Green Guide this week and continue to be impressed with it. The most important articles for home cooks are about food storage containers and refrigerator efficiency.

I’ve written some about which plastics to avoid purchasing for the freezer, but this article goes further. Their tips for identifying worn out plastics were top notch. As are the replacement suggestions.

The refrigerator efficiency article was quite brief, giving you 3 simple tests to check and enhance the energy efficiency of your refrigerator. If your tests and budget agree that it’s time to purchase a new refrigerator, you might enjoy the article “Out with the Old.” It profiles several appliance types with specific guidelines to keep in mind as you shop for the best deal.

One point I felt this last article missed, however, is that many state Departments of Energy and local utility companies provide rebates for taxpayers and customers when they upgrade their appliances. When I purchased my front loading washing machine several years ago, I received a tax credit from my state, a rebate from my power company, AND one from my water company. So when I factored these discounts in, the price of the washer was much more competitive with the less efficient models. And over the life of the washer, we will end up saving hundreds of dollars.

Remember, if your budget doesn’t have a few extra to invest in magazines, try your local library. If they don’t carry it, kindly ask that they start. Most libraries have a simple process patrons can use to request new items for the collection. What do you have to lose?

This morning I harvested some beautiful Oxheart Carrots from the garden. I’ve already enjoyed a few Anaheim peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, Red Seneca Stalker corn, and a large crop of snow peas too.

I have several bags of peas, and now carrots, in the freezer which I look forward to adding to stir fries this winter.

If you have an opportunity to get to the farmer’s market, u-pick field, or roadside produce stand, don’t be afraid to buy and freeze a little extra for the winter. Most fruits and vegetables can be frozen with much less effort than canning.

The savings from using your home frozen fruits and vegetables can be substantial. For example, green bell pepper and fresh herb prices are out of sight in the middle of winter. That’s why I freeze them at the height of the growing season.

There are many “how to freeze” resources on the web. I stick to advice from a state extension service or university, because they will have the most updated, accurate information. Consider bookmarking this interactive list of foods by the National Center for Home Food Preservation for quick and easy reference. It’s quite helpful.

Last time I wrote about warehouse savings on Cheddar cheese. I’m planning on doing a few more food comparisons for you, but today I want to take a detour and talk about freezer bags.

My warehouse club frequently offers coupons on boxes of Ziploc brand plastic freezer and storage bags. And whenever I see one of these coupons, I clip it right away. They are a fantastic deal. Remember, I buy only national, name-brand plastic food products because they have all pledged not to use Bispherol-A, or BPA.

So two weeks ago, I took advantage of the $2.00 off coupon on Ziploc quart freezer bags my warehouse club was offering. I bought a large multi-pack box for $6.89, after the coupon. The large box contains 216 bags, which brought my per bag cost to 3 cents each. (And truth be told, I bought the coupon limit. Since oil is going up and plastic is a product derived from oil, I figure it’s only a matter of time before prices increase.)

Next I checked out prices at the no-frills grocery store. There, the largest box of Ziploc brand quart freezer bags was $4.73 for 40 bags. If i used my “save $1.50 on 2″ coupon, each box would cost $3.98 or 10 cents per bag.

Next I checked out a local supermarket that allows double coupons. Their 40 bag box retails for $5.99. With my coupon, that box would be $5.24. Adding the double coupon (up to 50 cents face value), brings the final box cost to $4.74, or 12 cents per bag.

A new coupon book for my warehouse club arrived in my mailbox recently with a coupon for gallon freezer bags. Because these bags are 3 to 4 times MORE expensive at the grocery store, even after I factor in coupons, I will be stocking up. You may want to also.