Every morning, I read the Wall Street Journal for a glimmer of hope for the US economy. On some days, today being one of them, the paper is filled with good news followed by a positive forecast and a upbeat market. Just when I think we have what it takes to get out of this economic stagnation, my hopes are dashed with one bad news after another. For myself and others following finance, this has been the common theme for the entire past year. We all face the same question: When will there be any certainty in forecasts?

Perhaps some of you know. I definitely don’t. My goal today is to give you write about some stability in the midst of volatility. Perhaps, investing in the stable is what it takes to revive the entire world market?

I. Agricultural Technology Stocks

The recent media hype around Potash Corporation and the hostile takeover bid by BHP Biliton LTD have brought to my attention the necessity of agricultural advancements to keep up with world demand. BHP has offered almost $40 billion in hopes of becoming a top producer of Potash (Potassium derived compounds used heavily in fertilizers). Several other small offers soon followed. The world will come out of the recession understanding that demand has exploded. Investing in innovative firms won’t make you a millionaire overnight, but will be a great producer in your portfolio.

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan

2. Pfizer

Health care stocks, namely Pharmaceuticals, have been underperforming ever since the health care reform bill was passed. There are two major reasons for this: $140 billion worth of the top blockbuster drug patents will expire in half a decade (Source: Money Magazine) and there are investor fears of profit declines as prices drop. Pfizer is the largest Pharmaceutical firm and has been actively pursuing the emerging drug markets (the likes of Iran, Turkey, Venezuela, Poland) and have bought out smaller and more innovative firms in hopes of developing new drugs. This health care giant pays off great dividends and will only be growing as health care costs increase in the near future.

3. Gold

Everyone is pessimistic about the short term prospects of gold. When it was 1,100 ‘experts’ were betting that it would fall. Now, gold is hovering around the  mid-1200s, and there haven’t been any signs of a price drop. Even in the worst case scenario, gold prices tend to be stable around inflation. In the long term, gold prices always increase as it is an unsustainable commodity used for jewelry and electronics.

4. Oil Companies

With all the hype surrounding massive losses by BP, people seem to forget that ExxonMobile is still the second highest grossing company in the world and oil prices are only going to increase. Modernized oil companies that can prove to state officials that their methods of offshore drilling are safe and environmentally friendly. Since the BP spill disaster, some drilling firms have lost up to 50% of their value. It’s a buyers market – once the media frenzy is over, these stocks are skyrocketing. You can’t go wrong with oil.

5. Express Scripts

One of the three largest PBM’s (Prescription Benefit Manager), Express Scripts has one of the lowest operating margin in the health care industry. A recent struggle between Walgreens’ and CVS’ respective PBM’s have disenchanted loyal customers and allowed Express Scripts to come out of fire unscathed. Now trading at a relative low, express scripts is a great stock to snatch (currently around $44 a share with a 52 week high of $54). PBM’s are only becoming more influential as drug costs increase and are now offering more services than ever before. Jumping on this bandwagon will provide you with a stable investment during these turbulent times.

I have highlighted 5 safe investment ideas above. What do you think about my choices? Do you have any to add yourself? Let the readers know!

Let’s start with the most famous Dollar Menu- the Dollar Menu from McDonald’s, then we examine the Burger King Value Menu, followed by lesser competitors Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Jack in the Box,  and finally the newer KFC dollar menu.

1. Know what you NEED.

Many people have a hard time separating their needs from their wants. Before you decide to go to a grocery store, take a quick inventory of what you have on hand. Check your cans and freezer. Ultimately, some of the stocked away food can be used to concoct something quite delicious with the right amount of effort. Don’t buy things that you already have just because the price is low. Sure, you might be spending less than other buyers, but that is still money coming out of your pocket.

2. Know what gets EATEN.

One of the most common mistakes I see people doing all the time is buying things that they will never eat. For example,  I had a friend that would always buy pounds of bananas (claiming that the sale price of 39 cents a pound was hard to overlook) and stowing it away until they turned brown. I never saw him eat a banana. Buy knowing what gets eaten, not only will you be saving money as you will be buying food that you regularly buy and know the price fluctuations of, you will also be wasting less and pocketing more.

3. Create a workable WEEKLY budget.

I have seen many websites tell you to make monthly budgets, but I truely believe that monthly budgets are very hard to follow as predicting your spending over a long period of time for something that you shop for quite often is pretty difficult. Also, most people tend to get paid  biweekly and not monthly and could face shortages if they are not careful. I recommend you dedicate no more than 12% of your monthly income to groceries. For a family making a total of $70,000 a year, that would be about a weekly budget of $182. Divide that into 7 and you have about $25 dollars a day on food. This might seem like a small amount to you, but I guarantee that if you budget that much money per week, you will have money leftover.

4. Plan your weekly spending based on grocery specials.

It’s not a secret anymore that coupons are the best way to save money on groceries. Yet, of the over $70 billion of coupon saving offered by manufacturers each year, only $4.5 billion are redeemed by consumers. That’s barely 6%. Now, think of all those weekly specials you get in the mail and how you could put them to use. Don’t think of it as a waste of time, this doesn’t require any special attention and you could easily do it while watching your favorite TV show (during the commercials- 20 minutes per hour on average).

5. If the price is right, buy EXTRA.
Studies suggest that most of the BIGGEST savers buy not when they need something, but when the price is very low on something that they will need. Note my second step above, alhough you are buying these goods possibly at a time when you have them some already, you know this is something that is always in high demand and by buying early on sale, you save quite a lot of money (and time) .

6. Eat before you begin to shop.

Eat before you shop. One of the most well known facts on how to save on food. You walk into your local grocery store and the smell of fresh deli beats your self control. For example, my grocery store has a deli and bakery (fresh bread, oh so tempting) and it’s so very tempting to go astray when you’re hungry.

7. Buy store brands or generics and use the store’s loyalty card

Buying grocery store brand products will save you tons of cash. Industry sales research cited by the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) shows that American shoppers save about $15.8 billion annually by choosing store brands over name brands (think CVS, Walmart). The difference in prices is what the PLMA calls the “marketing tax” which you pay extra so that name brand manufacturers can promote their products through advertising.  The quality is the same, if not better. However, many store brand items are produced by the same manufacturers that make competing name brand items. You can save a lot of money by choosing to not pay this “marketing tax” and keep that money where it belongs – in your pocket!

8.Use coupons for additional savings!

I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one. In one of my next posts, I will submit 50 grocery store coupons that you can use to save more money.

Recent number shows about a 5% increase in online coupon use from last year. The face value of the coupons was $387 Billion, a LARGE increase of 16% over the $337 Billion in 2006 and representing a 9% increase in face value.Although this method has been valuable to many people, it is with dissatisfaction that I tell you that according to surveys from PriceRunner.com, online coupon use rises with income. We all work hard to earn our mone, so why pay full price on groceries and other goods when you can use printable coupons online right from the comfort of your home or library? All you need is a printer. The online world is filled with websites offering free coupons to print out. Searching on Google, I get over 30 MILLION results for “online coupons.” A few choices caught my eye and I decided to look into it further to provide you with the best information!

1) http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/ – Categorized into sections, also has a featured coupons section for more established companies. I rate this site a 6 out of 10.

2) http://www.couponmom.com/ – The site itself looks like one of those parked domains with tons of ads. I did not like the navigation at all, just seems like a bunch of words. After more time on the site, I conclude this site is only a bare bone advertising site for making money. Don’t waste time visiting.

3) http://smartsource.com – Looks a bit old fashioned but has a ton of valuable coupons you can search for using your zip code and then print out. Also a small navigation bar for more precise searches. I rate this site an 8 out of 10.

4) http://grocerycoupons.com – Tries to sell you an online membership for 9.95 (5000 coupons). Probably a bunch of useless coupons you will never need.

There were tons of other websites out there for you to choose from! Do not get fooled into buying anything! Most coupons are available for free, just keep looking. I can help you find what you need, just let me know. A lot of websites also offer to send you coupons directly to your e-mail. This sounds like a bunch of spam! Just go on Google and type in “free printable coupons” and visit the sites listed. Make sure the coupon is not expired!

Also, another way to find printable coupons online is to visit your favorite stores online and sign up for their mailing lists. Many offer coupons for their products and exclusive printable coupons to their subscribers at no additional charge. For example, Albertson’s has a great coupon program!

Department Stores offer coupons and also offer online coupon codes. Some common department store coupons are Macys, The Limited, Victorias Secret, and Boscovs. Print out online coupons for use in-store or use online coupon codes to shop online. Restaurants offer printable restaurant coupons that can save you up to 70% on meals. Enjoy your favorite meal at your favorite restaurant or try a new restaurant.. Knowing you have a free coupon to put towards your meal makes the experience that much more enjoyable.

If you have any questions or need help finding a coupon, please let me know.