There is something about this time of year that makes me start taking a hard look at my budget to find places where I can be more frugal. Since I spend more on groceries than I do on anything else apart from rent, I thought I'd start paying more attention to where my food dollar goes. If your last trip to the supermarket left you with sticker shock, it's time to get serious about streamlining your food budget. Below are 5 tried and true tips to get the most bang for your grocery buck.
1. Plan your meals before you go to the grocery store. By knowing what you plan to make for the week, you will know what you need and in what quantities. This will help you avoid impulse buying, and will also ensure that you have everything you need to cook the meals you plan to serve in the coming week.
2. Base your grocery list on what's on sale. This tip goes hand-in-hand with the first one. A quick browse through the grocery store circular inserts in the newspaper (or online at the store's website) will alert you to what is on sale. Planning your meals based on this information is a really easy way to save at the grocery store.
3. Go meatless. Even if you don't want to eliminate meat from your diet completely, one or two meatless days a week can help reduce your overall grocery budget. The good news for carnivores is that many familiar dishes are already meatless or can be made meatless without sacrificing taste. Black bean soup, bean & cheese burritos, and pasta primivera are all meat free and simple to make. Spaghetti, chili, and lasagna can easily be made without meat. Be brave and get creative! Your budget and your palate will both benefit.
4. Eat leftovers for lunch. There may not be enough of that amazing vegetable lasagna you made for dinner last night to serve everyone for dinner a second time, but you can take a single serving to work with you each day and heat it up at lunchtime. (Eating leftovers for lunch is a two-pronged budget stretcher. First, you don't waste leftovers, and secondly, you don't waste money buying something else for lunch.)
5. Combine your bits and bobs into something new. A little of this vegetable and a little of that one left over from a meal or two may not look like much on their own, but they can be made into something fantastic with a little ingenuity. Save them in a container in the freezer. When the container is full, empty it into a pot on the stove. Add a little pearl barley, a little tomato sauce, a few herbs and spices and presto! A tasty and filling soup from ingredients you might have otherwise thrown in the garbage.
1. Plan your meals before you go to the grocery store. By knowing what you plan to make for the week, you will know what you need and in what quantities. This will help you avoid impulse buying, and will also ensure that you have everything you need to cook the meals you plan to serve in the coming week.
2. Base your grocery list on what's on sale. This tip goes hand-in-hand with the first one. A quick browse through the grocery store circular inserts in the newspaper (or online at the store's website) will alert you to what is on sale. Planning your meals based on this information is a really easy way to save at the grocery store.
3. Go meatless. Even if you don't want to eliminate meat from your diet completely, one or two meatless days a week can help reduce your overall grocery budget. The good news for carnivores is that many familiar dishes are already meatless or can be made meatless without sacrificing taste. Black bean soup, bean & cheese burritos, and pasta primivera are all meat free and simple to make. Spaghetti, chili, and lasagna can easily be made without meat. Be brave and get creative! Your budget and your palate will both benefit.
5. Combine your bits and bobs into something new. A little of this vegetable and a little of that one left over from a meal or two may not look like much on their own, but they can be made into something fantastic with a little ingenuity. Save them in a container in the freezer. When the container is full, empty it into a pot on the stove. Add a little pearl barley, a little tomato sauce, a few herbs and spices and presto! A tasty and filling soup from ingredients you might have otherwise thrown in the garbage.
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