Trent at The Simple Dollar used to play Magic: the Gathering at competitive tournaments. He says he’s left that part of his life behind. But he recently reread a book he enjoyed back then, *Playing to Win *by David Sirlin.
David was a competitive player videogamer.
So why would I mention such a book on The Simple Dollar?
A few days ago, I stumbled across this book again and sat down to read it, mostly as a nostalgic reminder of a certain period in my life. As I read through the pages, I began to realize that most of the ideas presented in the book actually apply very well towards successful personal finance.
It’s an intriguing way to bring alive some basic insights of personal finance. Among the ideas he highlights: You don’t get ahead by doing splashy things and the rewards of focusing on the task at hand.
Food prices are up and heading higher. Kiplinger offers some tips to lower the grocery bill, plus some useful links for frugal shoppers.
Here’s the approach they highlight with Maya Guy in Virginia:
She recently left a grocery store with $250 worth of food for which she had paid just $100, thanks to strategic shopping. Guy chooses the cheapest store for items on her list (she favors Costco or Walmart’s Supercenter for milk, for instance), buys items on sale, uses coupons — and even shops early in the morning to snag meat on the sell-by date at 50% off.
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