Eat, drink, and be thrifty!

Life is too short to drink bad wine, but in this economy it can be hard to justify spending extra money on your favorite bottles. Want to have it all? Here are a few tips.

Try lots of wines. When you find one you like, write it in a notebook, along with where you bought it and how much it cost. This will help you find the best deals.

Once you know your favorites, SHOP! Keep an eye on sales at the grocery store, or places like Sam's Club and Costco. Also, search for online sites offering discounts on your favorite wines. You never know what kind of a deal you might find if you just use those Googling skills!

Join a wine club. Most wineries have wine clubs that offer regular shipments and discounted rates on all of your favorites. You will also usually be the first to know about sales and events.



When you do find a deal, stock up! Most wine can be stored for months (sometimes years). Store wine on its side in a cool, dry place, and you'll always have a bottle on hand when you need it.

Now that you've saved some money on the wine, don't forget the food!

Sometimes cooking for one or two can be more expensive than cooking for a family of four. Many recipes call for little bits of lots of ingredients and then you are stuck trying to figure out what to do with those leftover meats, veggies and cheeses before they go bad.

Whole Foods has introduced a great way for you to try new recipes without committing to full size products by allowing you to buy just what you need. Now you can purchase half of a fish fillet, half a chunk of cheese, even half a cabbage. Buy what you need and you won't waste money or extra leftover food!

For more cheap meal ideas, check out Whole Foods' Money Saving Meals page, with meal prep tips for solo dinners, dates for two, and gatherings of four!

Jennifer Horn is a co-host on the nationally syndicated Good Day radio program heard on more than 300 stations across the country in morning drive. An accomplished sommelier, Jennifer also co-authors a weekly Food & Wine Newsletter and is a contributor on the nationally syndicated What's Cookin' Show on CRN Digital Talk Radio. Follow Jen on Twitter here.