Editor Cara Newman is following the advice and tips of various articles posted on Young Money to show how well they really work. These first posts follow the techniques presented in Save $1000 by Black Friday. Follow along to see how much she saves, and what impact it has on her life.

For me, my trip to an Asian market last Saturday was the money saving event of the week. Markets are a great way to get good, fresh food, for cheap, in fact, almost everything is cheaper at a market.

Markets aren’t just about the money—they are also about the interaction with people, the crowds, and the almost face-to-face examination of your food. Live crabs, fish, chickens, these markets often show you your food alive first. Looking into the eyes of a soon-to-be meal can be a good way to stop eating meat.

And these markets are typically cheaper. A few months ago I would spend $200 every time I went to the supermarket (every other week or so) but lately, buying the same things, my bill has gone up to $300. At the Asian market I got enough food for four weeks for $250. Discount places like Sam’s Club and Costco are also great places to buy in bulk and save big. I estimate I saved $70 by shopping at the Asian market versus the grocery store.

I love doing new things. I love change. When things start staying the same, I begin to feel trapped. Which is why I love being an editor, new stories every day, new writers, and new ideas, but, regardless of how much I wanted a change, I am determined to make this work. So, once again, I ate all of my meals at home this week—saving $42 on lunches. Only bringing my lunch or eating at home has produced the greatest savings for me so far.

The low point of the week was probably my doctor’s visit. I save up all of my “ailments” and try to combine them into one visit to save on co-pays. This time I saved $25.00 on an extra co-pay by combining two visits in one.

Finally, after finding so much change doing laundry last week I decided to start going through my husband’s pockets each night and stealing his change. I don’t know how but he always has a ton of spare change. I collected $7.29 from the both of us. And I used $1.75 of it on parking meters, leaving me with $5.54 to add to the growing pickle jar.

Not bad for one week. And the impact to my life? Besides getting bored of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (did I mention I don’t cook?) there has been no real impact. I haven’t felt a significant strain. There has been no major denial. I do not feel like I am missing out on anything.

Savings This Week: $167.54

Savings Total: $403.28