The Today Show Producers Titled this Segment – Spooky Savings!

We called it a lot of fun to see what kinds of Today Show costumes we could put together for just a few pennies. We took the challenge seriously and applied our thriftiest skills to put together some fun costumes without spending a chestful of gold.

How we Ended up on the Today Show wearing Halloween Costumes

At the end of our third appearance on the Today Show (October 1), senior producer Jackie Levin invited us to come back on the show at the end of October. The only problem was that the … Read more »

Steve, Annette, Becky, and Abbey Economides appeared on NBC’s Today Show to share how their budgeting system has enabled us to accomplish some remarkable financial accomplishments in the past 28 years. They also shared loads of money-saving tips for reducing expenses in your entire house.

As usual, we had so much material to cover that we didn’t quite get to it all. Below is a list of the questions we were supposed to cover and some more detailed answers on how you can make your money go further than ever before.

Questions from Today Show ProducersYOU INSIST THAT MAKING A BUDGET … Read more »

The day our book launched (January 16, 2007) we were guests on the Fox morning show with Ron Hoon.

After our segment was done, he looked at Annette and said, “You know what I’d really like to do? — I’d like to go grocery shopping with you guys! When can we do it?”

Annette looked at Steve and smiled . . . “Oh if Ron only knew how many times the TV cameras have asked to follow us into the store.” We delayed a few months to get past the frenzy that accompanies a new book launch. We finally settled on a … Read more »

Good Morning America was our first national TV interview. It was a wonderful experience for the kids – four of them came with us (John – our eldest had to work).

Charlie Gibson conducted the interview, Claire Alpert was our wonderful hostess /producer and Mary Pflum produced the video segment.

Below is the article that appeared on ABC’s website – we’ve edited it to correct some minor inaccuracies and mis-spellings.

One Frugal Family — How the CheapestFamily in America Saves Cash

With gas and grocery prices soaring, Americans could learn from one Arizona family that has been beating the high cost of living for … Read more »

The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet was an American syndicated morning talk show. Produced by Fox, the show first aired on January 22, 2007. It was hosted by Mike Jerrick and Juliet Huddy, the program consisted of celebrity interviews, audience participation, and segments relating to viewers. The last live show aired on June 12, 2009.

In February 2007, right before we appeared on it, the show was syndicated to many ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliates.

Economides Family on The Mike and Juliet Show

We appeared on the 16th episode of the first season of the Mike & Juliet Show on February 13, … Read more »

The Montel Williams Show was one of our more unusual media appearances. The producers originally told us that Montel wanted to help viewers save money and that we were appearing with a friend of his who was going to do just that.

The Millionaire Maker

It turned out to be a show about becoming a millionaire . . . not our idea of saving money. His guest was a long-time friend Marshall Sylver.

He is called the millionaire maker and brought four of his “students” with him to profile how the turned their lives around by applying his money principals.

We talked with many … Read more »

Christmas on The Today Show

Christmas on The Today Show was the first of 9 appearances we made on the Today Show.

After an article entitled “The Frugals” ran in People Magazine, we were contacted by a producer from the Today show. They wanted to see how America’s Cheapest Family lived and specifically how we shopped for Christmas presents.

Christmas Shopping  with America’s Cheapest Family

Honestly, we don’t just go out on one day and shop for presents. We start our Christmas shopping in January and are always looking for discounts and deals on items that our family members … Read more »

Today Show  – groceries. We appeared on the Today Show the three days in a row: Sept 29, 2010, Sept 30 and October 1. This was in conjunction with the launch of our book Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half. You can watch the videos below and find some great deals at the bottom of the page.

List of Interview Topics

Day 1: We shared how we use planning, smart shopping and bulk cooking. This kept our grocery bill at less than half of the national average.
Day 2: On the … Read more »

Our visit to CBS studios and The Talk was one of the nicest we’ve ever had. The entire crew behind the scenes were super helpful, professional and a lot of fun.
Our hosts were Gina and super-producer Lauren Danza. Even the stage manager Matt (who is a Bob Saget look-alike) and the director EK were awesome.

We were interviewed by Julie Chen and Holly Robinson Peete. They asked some great questions and had a little fun too.

In the “Green Room” at The Talk with (left to right) Gina, Abbey Economides, Lauren Danza (producer), Annette and Steve

Topics we covered about Saving Money on … Read more »

We came into town to do a spot on the Today Show regarding Halloween Costumes. Weekend Today Show heard we were coming and asked if had time to come on their show as well. Of course we said yes! This was a fun interview with Weekend Today Show co-host Lester Holt where we discussed how to save money on groceries.

Unlike many hosts, Lester seemed very curious and genuinely interested in our lifestyle. It’s very expensive to live in New York City and we think he was looking to save some money.

Interview Topics We Covered

We teased Lester a little and he … Read more »

Today Show – Holiday Savings #7. We were asked to come back to The Today Show again on December 9, 2010. This time we were asked to share how we save money at Christmas time.

How we Save Money on Christmas Gifts and Wrappings

We shared how we use cast off items like plastic grocery bags, old candles, sponges and pine cones. These items can be used to make great holiday decorations and gifts.

We shopped at one of our favorite thrift stores in Phoenix, Family Attic.  Here we found some great cast-off candle wax for pine cone … Read more »

This was our second appearance on The Talk. In the first appearance, we shared about saving money on groceries. In this two-segment appearance, Steve & Annette talk about their household budgeting system and how to save money in almost every room of your home.

Topics we Covered in the Interview

We talked about saving money by using a freezer to stock up on sale items. Then we “walked around the house” and shared money-saving tips for saving money in the bathroom by reducing water usage; saving on prescription drugs; reducing heating and cooling costs and improving gas mileage on your … Read more »

A fast-paced interview with Fox & Friends host, Clayton Morris. He runs Steve, Annette, Becky and Abbey Economides through five quick tips that will save you money each week at the grocery store.

Spend less time shopping
Avoid impulse buys
Save 50 percent on lunch meat
Save with seasonal produce
Include your kids in your grocery savings

Get our Free Shopping List here

Watch the video here

You can learn more about our book, Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half here.

Fox & Friends Weekend

We did an interview with Steve Doocy from Fox and Friends Weekend on … Read more »

At The Today Show Thrift Store & Consignment Store Challenge, producers gave us $50 each. With this, we had to purchase two outfits—one dressy and one casual.

Steve went over budget, but the rest of the family was so far under budget that we spent less than half of what was allotted. Get our 8 Tips for Finding Bargains at Thrift Stores and Consignment Stores and Watch the TV Interview at the bottom of this page.

Jeri Watson – Co-Owner of A Second Look with Steve & Annette Economides

Where We Shopped for The Clothing Challenge

We shopped at two of our … Read more »

This was a jam-packed appearance on The Talk. We were interviewed by Julie Chen and Guest Host Mary McCormick (The West Wing). We shared ideas from our book, The MoneySmart Family System, including:

Teaching kids to manage money with Toys, Clothes, Cars and College.

The tips spanned ages 3 to 23 and beyond. 

We put together a list of tips from the segment with Steve Cunniff. Hope they help you raise MoneySmart Kids.

TALK TAKEAWAY: MONEY WITH STEVE AND ANNETTE ECONOMIDES

Recently, the USDA released a study that says the average kid costs $261,000 to raise — … Read more »

The Marie Osmond Show was a great experience. We had a wonderful time chatting with Marie before our segment. As the mother of eight children she totally understands the value of training children to work, earn and manage money. We shared some of the tools we’ve developed to teach our kids to learn to be financially independent.

How to raise Money Smart Kids Who will Be Financially Independent!

The MoneySmart Family System on the Marie Osmond Show

The USDA estimates that it will cost parents almost $260,000 to raise child from birth to the age of 17

Steve & Annette Economides, known as The … Read more »

Windy City Live hosts Val Warner and Roe Conn pepper Steve & Annette Economides (Money Smart Family) with questions about their frugal child rearing habits from their latest book, “The MoneySmart Family System.”

Roe the Skeptic

Roe is a total skeptic (with a 24-year-old daughter that he’s somewhat indulged) while Val has hundreds of questions running through her head because she has 2 young children at home and is wondering what she should do about their financial future.

A Different View on Raising Kids

Steve and Annette talk about raising kids who can stand financially independent from … Read more »