Budget is the biggest topic on most mom's minds nowadays.  We bring you ways to save, home organization, & ideas and products to make your housekeeping easier and more efficient. THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? A great way to reduce your grocery bill is to commit to making one meal a week with eggs as your main source of protein. A dozen eggs costs about $1.39, whereas a package of chicken breasts costs about $5.60.  Most egg recipes feeding a family of four use about 4 to 6 eggs - that's only $0.18 per serving - as opposed to $1.38 per serving for chicken.  This can add up to almost $20 a month.  Try this:  Ham & Cheese Souffle Omelet. For more great main-course recipes, visit the Recipe Reporter, at http://www.recipereporter.wordpress.com.

Save $100 (or more!) this Month These 10 Great Tips! Re-use your shower curtain liner.  Instead of replacing it when it begins to get mildew spots, remove it and put it in the washing machine with your load of whites and some bleach.  Hang dry.  Good as new! Cook 1 meal a week using eggs as your protein.  You don’t have to be a vegan to cut back on your protein bill. There are great recipes like this Ham & Cheese Souffle Omelet that are delicious and satisfying for an evening meal.  Re-use paper plates.   As long as there is no protein residue from things like meats, eggs,  or other moist food that could risk cross-contamination, you can brush off the crumbs and give most paper plates a quick rinse for use later in the day or for another meal.  This is especially convenient for the kids, since they often like decorative plates with fun, kid-friendly designs. Stop using paper towels for large spills.  Instead, keep a supply of cut-up old terrycloth towels or rags nearby for when your toddler spills an entire glass of milk (or mom’s glass of wine).  Using 6, 8, or 10 paper towels at once adds up to a lot of extra expense. Make a meal using what you already have.  Find three food items that you’ve not used, and commit!  Surely you can do something with that can of kidney beans that’s collecting dust, or the bag of frozen stir-fry that’s on the verge of freezer burn.   One week my grocery bill was only $28 for my family of four using this trick. Fill up the sink with soapy water for pre-rinse.  Instead of running the water every night while you’re loading the dishwasher, fill up the sink with warm soapy water before you start cooking. Drop the cooking utensils and wares in the sink as you go. It’s more efficient and uses less water. Re-use your Hepa vacuum bag.  Yes!  Those suckers cost about $10 and fill up fast.  Wear gloves and use your fingers, or find a tool like tongs or a long BBQ fork to empty out the contents of your existing vacuum bag. You can do this a couple of times before dust begins to really saturate the bag and you need to replace it.  ‘That’s where I draw the line’ you say? Hey, it’s your $10, not ours. J Create a weekly menu and only shop once.  Research shows that the more trips you make to the grocery store, the higher your average monthly grocery bill.  Resist the urge for impulse buying by only going once – or better yet, use Peapod. The money you would have spent on things you bought because you saw them will far outweigh what you would spend on a delivery charge (about $7). Buy kids snacks in bulk and bag them yourself.  You pay a lot of money for those cute little packages with Disney characters on them.  Instead, use foldover sandwich bags and put fun stickers on them yourself. Stock up at a discount store.  Even if you prefer high-quality meat products and organic produce, most towns have a grocery store worth going to once a month or so, to stock up on things like canned goods, paper goods, and other staples.  In the Chicago area, try an Aldi Foods or an Ultra. Making this extra trip can save you hundreds of dollars in a year.