Last updated: August 22, 2026
General information, not financial advice
Everything published on pennyteam.com is general information based on personal experience and research. It is not financial, investment, legal, tax, or insurance advice, and it should not be treated as a substitute for advice from a licensed professional who knows your specific situation.
Dana Whitfield, this site's author, is a budgeting-focused parent and writer — not a certified financial planner, accountant, attorney, or insurance agent, and this site never claims otherwise. What we publish is what worked (and what didn't) in one real household, documented carefully with real numbers. That's useful. It's not the same thing as professional advice, and we won't pretend it is.
About the numbers on this site
- Prices and rates change constantly. Every article shows a published date and a last-updated date. A price that was accurate on the shelf that week may be different in your store, your region, or the month you're reading this.
- Ranges mean ranges. Where we give a range ("$5.50–$7.00"), it reflects genuine variation we've observed or researched — not a guess dressed up as precision.
- Our results are our results. When an article describes what a change saved our household, that's an honest account of one family's experience, not a promise of yours. Your usage, region, providers, and starting point all differ.
- Sources are linked. Where an article relies on a statistic or program rule, we link the primary source — usually a .gov site or an industry body — so you can check it yourself. We encourage exactly that.
Government programs
When we mention public programs (such as SNAP or LIHEAP), we describe them factually and link official government pages. Eligibility rules are set by those agencies, vary by state, and change; the official page, not this site, is always the authority.
Corrections
We correct errors, plainly and in the article itself, and update the article's "last updated" date when we do. If you spot something wrong, please contact us — corrections make the site better for everyone.