Hi! I recently (2 weeks ago)got a 9 week old beagle puppy. I did a lot of research into brands, ingredients, whether the brand uses lab dogs to perform unnecessary medical tests on, etc and what I found sickened me but also enlightened me. I learned that many puppy, and dog food in general use a lot of corn, which can cause allergies in dogs, and some dogs are born allergic to it. I was told by my vet to find a food which had more protein than grain and fillers. What I found and decided to feed my puppy was one of two brands, both were highly regarded by pet stores and several vets I have spoken to. One brand, the one I am currently using (switching him slowly from the brand he had been on) is Merrick's puppy food (they have their own web site and a store locator for your area on the site) which contains: Turkey, chicken meal, chicken, duck, oatmeal, barley, whole brown rice, carrots, peas, cranberries and a host of other goodies including vitamins and minerals, no fillers, and is all natural. My dog LOVES it, is thriving on it and the vet approves of it. I can't tell you what the other brand's ingredients are, but the other one which was also highly recommended was "Wellness". I can purchase them both through my local pet store but they are not available in Petco/PetSmart (that I know of) but can be purchased at some pet stores or online through their website(s). I had my late dog on Science Diet for many years but had I known about this brand, I would have switched her to it too. They also have an older dog recipe and a complete line of products, all carried on their website as well. I hope this is of some help to you. I wish I had the website addresses at hand right now so that I could give them to you. If I can be of any additional help, please feel free to email me. Good luck and have fun with your new puppy!

Good ideas so far. A few other ideas to keep in mind: Price per pound is good, but also keep in mind price per serving. For instance, a boneless roast is worth much more than bone-in. Compute waste into your end cost calculations. Also, sometimes you can find "individual" serving sizes can actually save you money. For instance, one of my "treats" is occasional snack/junk food. Rather than buy a big bag of potato chips which will go stale quickly when opened, I buy the single serve bags of the assorted chips/popcorn/cheese curls at Aldi. That lasts me 4-6 months and satisfies my treat desire. Certainly more expensive than buying a big bag of generic chips, but factor in the waste (as mentioned before) it still is cheaper. A friend has young kids and buys sliced cheese rather than block since a kid's slice is a slice whether 1/32" thick or 1.5" thick! Granted, they could slice it for them, but they splurge a bit on that with a compensation. A calculator, pen and paper are your best friends for shopping. Just because an endcap says it's on sale doesn't mean it's a good value. Frugal living is not something learned or embraced overnight. It's a lifestyle that you get into more and more. Accept that now and then you'll get fooled on a cost, we all have. For instance, seeing what you think is a good buy and it turns out the size is smaller than usual, or whatever. I always recommend the Tightwad Gazette series to people to use as a learning tool. It gives you ideas to think out of the box as they say. For instance, maybe you can't save money this week on groceries. Don't fret. But how about saving on paper towels? Start using washable rags and ween yourself off paper towels? Perhaps a different toilet paper will work for you? I, and many others, like Scott brand and there's some generics with the same ideal. 1000 sheets per roll and if you start to watch your use (don't go crazy, but pay attention) this can be a very frugal product. Again, factor in the number of sheets since that's how you use it. One roll of Scott is equivalent to 5-7 rolls of other brands. I usually buy it for about 50-60¢ per roll. Perhaps you can use some cloth napkins instead of paper napkins? Dedicate some washcloths. They don't have to be fancy. And don't make a special purchase, use what you have. Other things, the usual turn off lights/TV/radio/stove etc not in use, unplug "wall warts" when not in use, use CFLs for significant savings. When baking, you can turn off the oven ahead of time and use residual heat to finish up. These are all starting steps. "Baby steps" if you please. Keep calm by all means don't panic. Record your successes and pat yourself on the back for them. Pay attention to your money and compare your bills. Do you have some old receipts? Track them and see what you're paying for that can of beans, or tuna, or celery. Log prices of commonly purchased items and learn what really is a good price. If you buy something only once a year, it's not as important as something you buy weekly. Of course don't forget gasoline. If you don't have to make that trip this time, you'll save money just in gas. Check your insurance for better prices and to see if you're overinsured. Maybe you can share things and split costs. Do you have a neighbor that can use part of a bulk pack that saves you both money? Or can just one of you shop for both if you only need a few things? Or carpool to the store? Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle. Have a pantry and sometimes go without? Don't torture yourself but maybe instead of a special trip to get meat for dinner, you settle for omelets for supper, or canned soup and enjoy something different. Very important: Mindset. If you look at it as an adventure and new experience it'll go fine. If you look at it as depriving yourself, it won't. You're doing what you have to do. And be cautious of false pride. Make it known that you'd rather receive a ham or turkey as a gift instead of a souvenier plate from Disneyland. Are you in a situation where you can share a garden? Someone can come use your land for a garden, or hunting or something and you get part of the "take"? Again, think outside of the box. Trick yourself into saving money. For instance we often use too much shampoo for example. Take the bottle and dilute it 50/50 with water. It'll work as well and you'll cut your cost in half. A disabled husband can present unique challenges for you. Not knowing the nature you may not be able to turn down the heat too much and use sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. But you could close off rooms that aren't in use and turn off the heat registers in there too. There's a lot of good info in the forum. And a lot of good, caring people. It's helpful to kick ideas around, success stories, failures, suggestions and the like. I know you have ideas to contribute too. Don't be bashful! Keep on posting! Let us know how it's going!

Loved Bruges (was there for my honeymoon in April 2003). I found the chocolates/truffles from the open farmers' market 1000 times better than those in the stores. They melted in my mouth. I must have consumed chocolates from 10 different stores/markets. Belgium: you know about the 2 types of waffles, yes? I love the heavier dense ones w/ the crunchy sugar crystals. I like it alone, w/out any chocolate syrup, etc. It's so good all warm and sweet and sticky. Amsterdam: sorry but can't remember the name, but we went to a FABULOUS Thai restaurant that had the most amazing papaya salad. Even better than those I had in Thailand; so flavorful and SPICY, just amazing! I fell in love with European canned tuna in Paris. We had purchased fresh baguette and some canned tuna and had a fantastic picnic lunch in the gardens of Palace of Versailles. The canned tuna is so flavorful and smoky; mop up the flavored oil with the crunchy fluffy bread. Or maybe it was the love in my new husband's eyes... :) Enjoy yourself!

I agree. No need to apologize. Made for a good comparison and talking point. I also saw very little of Paula Deen, and I've only seen the one episode of Miss Brown, and that not with full attention. The thing I see in common is that they took their cooking background and made it a business--Deen with a restaurant, Brown with, IIRC, a pop up, and both got Food Network shows showing their cooking and points of view. Both are Southern. Deen's schtick was excess and indulgence which I never related to. Some people enjoyed watching her add more butter, the way some people enjoy the oft repeated movie scene of people literally rolling in dough (money) on a bed. Miss Brown's food is joyful and real food. It's not snobby food or diet food, or political food, but it's appealing. LPink, Thanks for the tip about Lidia! I have made a couple of her recipes. They're really great and I learn a little something each time.