These are the things that I find most useful to save money on groceries.
1. Buy generic. Store brand products, especially things like canned or frozen veggies, are identical to the national brands. Many stores now carry their own brands of organic foods. If you don't like the store brand, try another store. I don't like the mini frosted shredded wheat cereal from HEB. I like the one from Kroger.
2. Find the best grocery store for you. Compare the stores near you to find the one that is generally cheaper on what you buy the most. Some ultra-money savers will suggest that you look at all the sale ads and go to one store for milk, one for bread, a third for eggs, etc. to find the best deal on each item. I tried doing this for a while, but I found it cost me too much time to get 5 items from each of 3 different stores. Also, gas was heading to $4/gal, so I decided to make one shopping trip for all groceries. The store I picked was Kroger (see point #1). Turns out, they send "best customer" coupons in the mail when you spend over some magic number at their store.
3. Plan ahead. Make a menu. Plan around long days and evening activities. Use recipe websites or cookbooks from the library to get free ideas. This is really what is most valuable to me. When I come home tired, but I already know what is for dinner, and I know I have all the ingredients available, it is so much easier to find the motivation to cook instead of order in or go out. I highly recommend having the plan in writing. My mom did this and would stick it on the fridge. I used paper for a while, then I switched to a magnetic marker board. I now keep my menu electronically as a note in my email.
Actual past conversation:
Will: What's for dinner?
Me: I don't know. Let me check my email.
4. Use the sale ads. To get the most bang for your buck, plan your menu around what is on sale. Just don't let the sale ad tempt you in to getting more than you need or will use. Lately all the major grocery stores near me have been running sales like "buy any 10 of these 35 items an get an instant $5 rebate" or "get this fantastically low price on a huge package of meat with an additional $10 purchase". These can be great deals but I don't normally buy any of those 35 items (brand name products), and I don't think I have room in my freezer for 10 pounds of meat right now.
5. Use coupons, but only for things you would by anyway. Many times the store brand product is cheaper than the name brand product even with double coupons. There are coupon sources online. I would never pay for coupons, but I do browse some of the free sites to see what is available. Some think that coupons are THE way to save on groceries. Others think they are a complete waste of time. I'm in between. I like it when I find coupons for things I buy all the time, but I don't try to accumulate coupons for name brand products that can be doubled or tripled and combined with a sale.
6. Eat leftovers. Remember that wasted food is wasted money. Use your leftovers. Reheat them for lunch or dinner in a hurry. Use them in different dishes. Take what's left of a baked chicken and make tacos or chicken soup. Be creative. Put leftovers in your menu plan. Remember that reheated leftovers are like take-out from your own kitchen. By reheating leftovers, you can get dinner ready faster than you could get pizza delivered.
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Recipes
Here are two recipes that are cheap, simple, fairly healthy and fast. All of the ingredients are shelf stable in the pantry or the freezer. I consider these things to be staples that I always keep on hand. These aren't the most glamorous dishes, and I don't think I could get appetizing pictures of them. I consider these comfort foods, and like the fact that I can be dishing them up 30 minutes or so after I walk in the door.
If you know anything about cooking, you will wonder why I cook my rice uncovered. It's because my favorite saucepan does have a lid, but it does not fit tightly. When I would cook rice covered like the bag says to do, it would scorch because the water would boil away. So, these directions are what work for me with my cheap apartment appliances and inexpensive stainless steel cookware. The mac & cheese I get is the kind with the complete cheese sauce, no milk or butter needed. The Kroger brand is (imo) one up on the Velveeta because it does not have any food starch, etc., just cheese. I use broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in my tuna casserole because the cauliflower blends right in with the noodles. It doesn't look like there are overwhelming amounts of vegetable in your comfort food. You could use just cauliflower and it would completely blend in, but I like the bits of color from the broccoli and carrots. If I left anything else unexplained, that's what the comments are for.
I have also included prices. These are what I paid for store brand everything at my local Kroger, as best I remember.
Tuna Macaroni with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots
small can of tuna ($.59)
box of mac and cheese sauce ($1.39)
12-16 oz bag of frozen veggies ($.88-$1)
Cost $3
Serves 4
Directions:
Boil water in a large pot.
Add noodles.
Wait until water comes back to boiling, then wait 5 more minutes.
Add bag of veggies, cook until desired softness.
Drain.
Add cheese sauce and undrained can of tuna.
Serve.
Chicken and Rice
Serves:4
1 can chicken $1-$1.5
1 c. white rice $.50 or less
1 small can mushrooms $.59
16 oz. bag of peas and diced carrots $1
Cost: $3-$4
Spray 2qt sauce pan with cooking spray.
Add rice.
Drain chicken and mushrooms into a measuring cup.
Add that liquid to rice plus enough water to equal 2 c.
Cook rice uncovered until most of the water is absorbed.
Add frozen veggies to taste and 1c. water. (Stirring makes the rice more sticky than otherwise.)
Cook until rice is tender, adding more water if needed (using low heat, you won't need it, higher heat your rice will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Ask me how I know.)
Stir in mushrooms and chicken, heat through, add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with grated cheese if desired.
If you know anything about cooking, you will wonder why I cook my rice uncovered. It's because my favorite saucepan does have a lid, but it does not fit tightly. When I would cook rice covered like the bag says to do, it would scorch because the water would boil away. So, these directions are what work for me with my cheap apartment appliances and inexpensive stainless steel cookware. The mac & cheese I get is the kind with the complete cheese sauce, no milk or butter needed. The Kroger brand is (imo) one up on the Velveeta because it does not have any food starch, etc., just cheese. I use broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in my tuna casserole because the cauliflower blends right in with the noodles. It doesn't look like there are overwhelming amounts of vegetable in your comfort food. You could use just cauliflower and it would completely blend in, but I like the bits of color from the broccoli and carrots. If I left anything else unexplained, that's what the comments are for.
I have also included prices. These are what I paid for store brand everything at my local Kroger, as best I remember.
Tuna Macaroni with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots
small can of tuna ($.59)
box of mac and cheese sauce ($1.39)
12-16 oz bag of frozen veggies ($.88-$1)
Cost $3
Serves 4
Directions:
Boil water in a large pot.
Add noodles.
Wait until water comes back to boiling, then wait 5 more minutes.
Add bag of veggies, cook until desired softness.
Drain.
Add cheese sauce and undrained can of tuna.
Serve.
Chicken and Rice
Serves:4
1 can chicken $1-$1.5
1 c. white rice $.50 or less
1 small can mushrooms $.59
16 oz. bag of peas and diced carrots $1
Cost: $3-$4
Spray 2qt sauce pan with cooking spray.
Add rice.
Drain chicken and mushrooms into a measuring cup.
Add that liquid to rice plus enough water to equal 2 c.
Cook rice uncovered until most of the water is absorbed.
Add frozen veggies to taste and 1c. water. (Stirring makes the rice more sticky than otherwise.)
Cook until rice is tender, adding more water if needed (using low heat, you won't need it, higher heat your rice will stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Ask me how I know.)
Stir in mushrooms and chicken, heat through, add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with grated cheese if desired.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
What's holding you back?
Information on healthy eating is out there. It's all over the web, but fitting that advice and what everyone knows they should do into everyday life can be difficult.
What I hear from friends and coworkers is: I can't cook, It costs too much, I don't have time.
But I can't cook.
If you can follow the directions on the box of mac and cheese, you can cook. You just need simple recipes and practice to build your confidence and skills.
But it costs too much.
Keep costs down by buying fresh produce in season or buy frozen or canned fruits and veggies. Use the grocery store ads. Plan menus around what's on sale. Buy only what you will eat. Learn to use your leftovers. Wasted food means wasted money.
But I don't have time.
If you don't have time to cook everyday, don't. Cook when you can. Make leftovers intentionally. Freeze them in meal sized portions and thaw them as needed. Just about everything will freeze. Whole potatoes and rice get an off texture when reheated from frozen, but mashed potatoes and noodles freeze just fine. (I recently heard there is a way to properly freeze rice, but I have not tried it.) Get a crock pot and learn to use it.
Frozen vegetables are an answer to each one of these excuses for not eating better. They are cheap and cook quickly in the microwave. You can cook them in any quantity and they have a long shelf life, so there is no wasted, spoiled food.
Cost and time are big factors in food choices for most people. It can be challenging to stick to a tight food budget with a busy schedule. It takes creativity and advance planning to do it without eating the same thing everyday.
My next post(s) will have recipes for meals that I have prepared. Then I'll start compiling lists of meal planning and cost cutting tips.
What I hear from friends and coworkers is: I can't cook, It costs too much, I don't have time.
But I can't cook.
If you can follow the directions on the box of mac and cheese, you can cook. You just need simple recipes and practice to build your confidence and skills.
But it costs too much.
Keep costs down by buying fresh produce in season or buy frozen or canned fruits and veggies. Use the grocery store ads. Plan menus around what's on sale. Buy only what you will eat. Learn to use your leftovers. Wasted food means wasted money.
But I don't have time.
If you don't have time to cook everyday, don't. Cook when you can. Make leftovers intentionally. Freeze them in meal sized portions and thaw them as needed. Just about everything will freeze. Whole potatoes and rice get an off texture when reheated from frozen, but mashed potatoes and noodles freeze just fine. (I recently heard there is a way to properly freeze rice, but I have not tried it.) Get a crock pot and learn to use it.
Frozen vegetables are an answer to each one of these excuses for not eating better. They are cheap and cook quickly in the microwave. You can cook them in any quantity and they have a long shelf life, so there is no wasted, spoiled food.
Cost and time are big factors in food choices for most people. It can be challenging to stick to a tight food budget with a busy schedule. It takes creativity and advance planning to do it without eating the same thing everyday.
My next post(s) will have recipes for meals that I have prepared. Then I'll start compiling lists of meal planning and cost cutting tips.
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