Tech Family

Beware the beef!

2009-06-30T07:40:00.002-05:00

Well I just read about another recall and this time it's beef. It' seems a Colorado company is recalling thousands of pounds of beef due to possible E. Coli contamination.

This is especially scary news for me since I always order my meat rare or medium rare. I know I should order it well done and make sure all those potential little critters are cooked with the meat but it taste so darn good medium rare.

I think it will take a bad case of E. Coli poisoning to cure me of my carnivorous ways.

Bon Appétit

What's on TV?

2009-06-16T14:00:00.003-05:00

What's on TV? A question I ask my self often. I have over 300 channels, probably more but never actually counted them. I digress.

Well, you guessed it GroceryWiz has made it to the small screen and appeared on a local Fox channel. Watch the video here

It's really nice to see people have an interest in managing what they eat and I would like to think the little website is saving people time at the store as well.

Armed and ready to go grocery shopping

2009-05-24T07:29:00.007-05:00

I have mentioned many many times how it's important to be prepared before entering the supermarkets.

Make sure you have your list filled out and have your grocery coupons at hand.
However, I haven't really talked much about finding the deals at the grocery store.

Where do you find out what's on sale? The Sunday paper of course. What if you don't get the Sunday paper?

Bam!! GroceryWiz.com has the solution. We have now added a Sunday Ads page to our site so you can check out what's on sale in you local stores. We have about 150 grocery stores listed so yours should be on the list. If not let us know and we will add it.

This is your heart on Cherrios

2009-05-15T09:10:00.005-05:00

It looks like the FDA is cracking down on my beloved Cheerios.

It turns out the FDA doesn't like that fact that they say they are a cholesterol lowing product due to the whole grain ingredients.

I don't know about you but it's got to be a lot healthier than my second favorite cereal Coco Pebbles. :-)

Read the FDA report here.

GroceryWiz makes the Wall Stret Journal

2009-05-09T15:06:00.006-05:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that www.GroceryWiz.com received some favorable press coverage in the Wall Street Journal recently.

You can read the full article here Message

The recession is changing our eating habits.

2009-04-13T14:04:00.003-05:00

According to a recent article I read the recession is starting to affect our eating habits.

Check out the full article here http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/anne-lee/green-room/recession-proof-foods

Mom Was Right!

2009-03-10T08:27:00.003-05:00

We all know eating vegetables is good for you. It's pretty much a no brainer.

Still it's nice to read about some hard evidence that crunching down on those broccoli sprouts really pays off.

If you are one of those unlucky people that suffers from asthma or heart disease, or are worried about developing these problem in the future, then you should check out the following article about the benefits of that little green guy you find in the produce section of the grocery store.

I personally like broccoli, especially when it's covered with lots of melted cheese. Although, I think the abundance of cheese may negate some of the healthy effects of the broccoli.

Rack another one up for Mom she was right again!

Another Way To Save On Your Food Bill

2009-02-03T09:52:00.004-05:00

What else is there besides keeping a grocery list, using coupons, and watching for deals.

Well, what about making the food you buy last a little longer? Yes, we have refrigerators and freezers but that only goes so far and the food taste can suffer.

Think about adding another arsenal to make that food go further.

Vacuum sealing your food by using one of the popular vacuum sealers such a FoodSaver can add months to your food life and keep it tasty. It prevents the dreaded freezer burn that offends the pallet so often. This model is reasonably priced and from what I have read on the net is very durable.

New Coupon Web Site

2009-01-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

GroceryWiz.com now has a sister site dedicated solely to coupons . Currently it has grocery coupons but we will be adding many other categories in the future so be sure to check back.

You can check it out a www.CouponsWiz.com .

Healthy Sugar. No Way!

2008-12-21T20:14:00.011-05:00

I just heard that the FDA has approved the use of the sugar substitute herb Stevia!

This little herb is amazing it's 100 times sweater than sugar and is actually good for you according to some advocates like Ray Kurzweil.

You will soon see this herb in many diet soda products according to the following article.

Stevia has been on my shopping list for many years now and I must say it's pretty tasty. Also, I don't have the gilt of eating tons of sugar. Be careful when sprinkling it on food since it takes a lot less of it to sweeten things up as compared to sugar.

Let me know what you think after having read the article.

Keep your Receipts

2008-12-15T09:28:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to take a minute and remind everyone that you should always keep your receipts for any Christmas gifts you buy.

I know this is an obvious tip. But it's one I have trouble following. This year I decided to put all my receipts in a draw. I just throw them in there and don't worry about them. However, if the occasion arises where I need to take something back at least I know where to find them.

The alternative for me is usually roaming the house looking for receipts; under the couch, on top of the refrigerator, in the garbage. You get the idea.

Stay healthier by using a grocery list

2008-12-07T08:26:00.003-05:00

Here is a news blurb about using a grocery list to stay healthy!

http://news14.com/content/top_stories/602191/grocery-list-helps-healthy-shoppers/Default.aspx

Shopping list video

2008-12-03T14:54:00.003-05:00

We have a video that gives a good overview on how to create and manage your shopping list online by using the free web site www.GroceryWiz.com.

Drum roll please!!!

You ask for it!

2008-11-10T09:42:00.006-05:00

We have been getting a lot of requests from our GroceryWiz.com visitors to add the ability to enter custom items that are unique to each visitor, and have those items saved in their the grocery list like those items that appear by default.

Thus, the new feature.

Take if for a spin, kick the tires and let us know what you think.

Just click on the large orange button bar at the bottom of most list category pages it says "CLICK TO ADD YOUR OWN ITEMS".

Cooking Videos

2008-10-06T13:41:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking about adding a few cooking videos to the GroceryWiz.com website.
You Tube has a lot of them and it's really easy to display them on the site.

There was a great one I found on how to cook a roast in a crock pot. Yeah, I know you throw the meat in the crock pot and add water and a few veggies if your really industrious. The thing is that you will get an average tasting meal. What if you want people to say "Wow that's the best roast I've had in a long time."? Then you will need to go the extra mile, things like adding wine, onions, and Rosemary. You get the idea. Anyways, cooking videos will be coming soon.

I'm getting hungry just writing about this topic.

What's like touching raw meat?.

2008-10-02T14:31:00.003-05:00

You give up? Grocery store shopping carts are like touching raw meat according to the following USA Today article

The thought is that many meat products drip juices on the carts and then comes along the unsuspecting shopper who touches all the nasties on the cart.

Many stores have wipes. I'm not a germ freak but I must admit I do use the wipes.

It makes you wonder how safe those carts really are! On the other hand, what about door handles chairs, desks and hundreds of other public items? Do we wipe those down as well?

A shopping list for a happy life

2008-08-07T09:18:00.001-05:00

What is a non-renewable resource that can't be bought for any price, but we are all given free of charge the day we are born?

I think you know the answer. If not read on.

Are you running around 24/7 trying to get a grip on the 101 things that need to be done just to maintain? I'm not talking about improving your lot here. I'm talking about maintaining your daily existence.

Gathering (shopping) preparing and eating food takes up more time per week than three restful nights (8 hours) of sleeping. This is according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

We need to take back our time spent doing task we don’t like to do. How can we do this? Just a little planning is all it takes to saves tons of time.
By being more efficient in doing the routine things in life we put time in the bank to be used for doing something we really want to do. In other words, actually enjoying life more…

Let me give a little example of wasted time due to lack of planning.

It’s the Christmas holidays and I just got back from shopping for all the holiday meals coming up. No sooner do I get relaxed and start to veg-out when I realize I don’t have milk. Out I go again heading to the store. Milk is a necessity in my house, why I left the grocery store without I don’t know. I get back and pour myself a tall white frosty one.

Fast-forward two hours. I’m digging through the cupboards trying to find the rarely used oregano spice for the dinner I’m making. It was a holiday dinner so I was trying to impress by cooking lamb. Yep, back out to the store.
My frustration meter was well into the red zone at this point, and that old country song kept running through my head “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights”.

I was so struck by this that I actually created a shopping list web site to help solve the problem called www.GroceryWiz.com .It’s purpose is to spare other souls from making the same mistake by allowing visitors to create and manage an online shopping list.

There are so many was of taking back wasted time and this was just one example.

If I had more time I would dig deeper into this topic, but as it stands my time is limited, just like yours.

Save with Grocery Coupons

2008-08-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

Food prices are up along with everything else. How do we save at the grocery store?

Many manufactures offer coupons that can be printed out from your computer.

Check out the money saving coupons that you can print out at www.GroceryWiz.com

Kitchen Scale

2008-07-16T12:51:00.002-05:00

One thing you might want to add to your shopping list is a kitchen scale.

Often times we over eat because were not really sure how much we are eating.
Keep a kitchen scale around so you can measure out the serving size you are actually eating.
Serving sizes are listed on most grocery items .

I tried this with Cheerios and couldn't belief how many servings I was eating!

Who has a shopping list?

2008-06-19T08:33:00.003-05:00

How many people in the grocery store are using a shopping list?

The next time you go to the store take notice of how many people have a shopping list in their hand.

From what I can tell, about 1 in 3 people will be using a shopping list at the grocery store.

Hmm..... that means most people are hitting the store unorganized and probably overspending.

Just an observation.

Did you spend to much for that shopping list item?

2008-06-04T14:26:00.003-05:00

Did you spend too much for that item on your shopping list?

While shopping I remembered I needed a new mop. I think the last time I purchased a mob gas was under $2 a gallon. I digress.

I didn't need something fancy so I went for the $9 mop.
After getting all my grocery items rung up and in my cart. I decided to do a quick scan of my receipt. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the $9 mop rang up as $14!

NowI'm getting into the habit of taking a quick scan of my grocery receipt right after I get it.

This has a few benefits.

1) It reminds me how much darn money I spend on groceries, which reinforces being more mindful of sales and savings.

2) I find those little gotchas that cost me money, mis marked items, sale items that don't ring up as a sale items, and high ticket items that I didn't realize were so expensive.

3) It also reminds me how much things should cost. So the next time I go to the grocery store I will be more likely to notice those items that are priced higher than usual.

Hope this tip saves someone out there a little hard earned bread.

Shopping list items are costing more

2008-05-23T07:11:00.004-05:00

It seems every time I turn around I'm reading another article about the rising cost of food.

I've already blogged about this topic but it seems to be worth writing about again, it's getting worse not better.

You can save at the store by always bringing your shopping list ( if I've said it once I've said it a thousands times) and go armed with coupons.

As you may or may not know www.GroceryWiz.com has lots of coupons offerings, but there are many more options on the web and here are a few.

www.thecouponsClippers.com - easy to use and lots of variety.

www.centsoff.com - Cost money so you need to use a lot of coupons to make out.

The Sunday newspaper.

Hope this helps with the bottom line at the checkout.

It's now easier to manage your shopping list

2008-05-01T14:28:00.005-05:00

The new GroceryWiz.com feature makes managing your shopping list easier.

We have been getting a lot of feed back that it would be nice to be able to remove items from the shopping list from one spot. In other words, you have rice on your list but your realize you don't need it. Now instead of going to the rice/pasta category and finding rice on that page and unchecking the check box for rice to remove it, you follow the steps below.

You choose "My List Options" from the main menu on most GroceryWiz.com pages, or you choose "Edit My Saved List" from the homepage once your logged in. Now, you will see all your items that are currently on your grocery list and you can remove any of these items by checking the check box next to them. It's more convenient than going to the category page of each item that you don't want on your list and unchecking the item there.

Publix Grocery Store First Impression

2008-04-24T12:55:00.013-05:00

Have you ever wondered how different grocery stores measure up against one another?

Which one would you pick? Do you have a favorite and a never go to again store?

I recently visited, for the first time, a Publix grocery store in South Carolina. These stores are scattered though the south eastern sates such as Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The First thing I noticed was the parking lot, which had well marked green buggy collectors to drop your grocery cart off in once you are finished loading your groceries. Nice, some grocery stores don't have grocery cart collectors in the parking lot at all. Then the parking lot is one big buggy fest with rogue buggies slamming into the sides of parked cars.

Walking through the door I was presented with a open layout that had all sixteen aisles laid out before me. At a glance I could see the Deli, Bakery, and Wines sections.

The Deli and Bakery are well stocked with a good variety and the wine department had a nice variety of wines including higher end wines.

The meat and the produce sections were not quite as stellar. They were lacking in variety and needed to be a littler larger.

The seafood department was nice but also could have been a little larger with more variety.

They have a pharmacy that looked like it carried everything.

Speaking of drugs, I looked everywhere for a coffee shop in the store but was sadly let down.

The sixteen aisles were wide and stocked well. They had one whole aisle dedicated to stationary,birthday, and get well cards.

Oh, I forgot to mention that they had a large magazine area with a good selection.

The store is green friendly and provides reusable grocery bags for 99 cents each.

They are also big on charity and donate to schools and other charity's.

From the time I entered the store to the time I left I was greeted by at least three store employees asking if they could help me. This really was surprising.

While standing 3rd in line, in the 10 items or less checkout waiting for my turn to pay for my one item, a bag of 35% Cocoa milk chocolate, I was called over and rang up at the service desk. I guess they thought I shouldn't have to wait with only one item. Fairly amazing!

This store shines when it comes to friendliness and customer service.

What about the prices. Sorry, I couldn't get a handle on this one. I will have to go back again and report more.

I did notice that there was no self checkout, everything is done by the employees. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.

Taking everything into account I'm going to have to give Publix a score of 4 out of five grocery carts. It's a nice place to shop if you have one in your area.

Remember Me

2008-04-09T05:48:00.007-05:00

GroceryWiz.com now remembers who you are when you come back again!

How many times have you went to a web site and forgotten your password or user name?

If you are like me, many many times.

In hopes of sparing our GroceryWiz.com visitors from this frustrating ordeal we have added a helpful little option. It's a "Remember me" check box that appears when you log into the web site.

If you check this box when logging in, your login information will be saved and the next time you come back to GroceryWiz.com you will automatically be logged into the web site and ready to go.

It's handy to be able to start editing your saved grocery list without needing to go through a login screen. Now, you just point your browser to GroceryWiz.com and your grocery list is automatically loaded and ready for editing.

What could be easier? Many people leave GroceryWiz.com open in their browser all day so they can add grocery items as they run out or think of something they need. Sometimes it's not practical to leave your browser open. Now the "Remember Me" feature will make it seem like you never closed your browser, since it will automatically login you in and make your saved list ready for editing the next time you open your browser and go to GroceryWiz.com.