Some good stories I found on bankrate.com

from bankrate.com; some of their reader's contributions:

"I recently heard about Angel Food Ministries. This is for everyone! There are no income questions, etc. You pay upfront for a bunch of groceries and then on a certain day, you go to the church for pick up of your box. Churches across the country have joined up for this program and keep costs low due to volunteers. The costs are low because there is no overhead (like) grocery stores incur, such as paying for employees, advertising, rent, etc. Go to the site and just type in your ZIP code to see if there is one near you. Then, look at the month's menu. We are getting steaks, chicken, pasta, soup, eggs and a lot more for just $30. They have other add-ons that you can get when you order the main box. They also offer fully cooked meal boxes for seniors and vegetarian boxes. It is not a handout, but instead a great way for hard-working people to save."

--E. Donohue, Durham, North Carolina

Call your energy company to find off-peak hours
"I used to receive an electric bill from my energy company every month. I noticed that there (were) two rows in this bill -- one for off-peak usage and the other for 'on-peak' usage. I also noticed that the off-peak price is almost 40 percent of the on-peak price. When I called the electric company, they explained that they offer reduced rates for off-peak hours, which are from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends. Since I load my dishwasher every day, I started to run it only at off-peak hours during weekdays, and to wait till 9 p.m. is not an effort at all. I also started doing my laundry on weekends and in emergencies on weekdays, again at night."

-- Parul Goel, Metuchen, New Jersey

The first one may not be for everyone, but it may be a good alternative for those who want to save money on groceries.

The last one is good because I try to run the dryer on off-hours. I don't use the dish-washer; I wash dishes by hand, the old fashioned way.