My clients sometimes ask for advice about financial management for their life after bankruptcy. I’m often reduced to two rather bald thoughts: live beneath your means and save for retirement. But this month’s AARP magazine had some sound real world advice about slashing your food bill.

The bit of advice that was new to me had to do with how supermarkets are laid out, with the staples along the outer perimeter of the building. AARP’s expert suggests cruising the edge of the store first for staples that should make up the bulk of your purchases before venturing into the interior where the pricier, prepackaged food lurks.

The article also talks about managing your food purchases to reduce waste and spoilage.

Then you can take the financial advice my plain spoken partner delivered recently to a bankruptcy client: learn to cook!