Grocery Shopping (Frugal Fridays)

I don’t know about you, but between my other half and the short one I could spend every dime we make on food and still have empty cupboards! It seems like the more I buy, the more they eat-and they are still hungry afterwards!

Do you know what they ate for a “snack” today? An almost an entire bag of breadsticks [uncooked-ewwwwwww] to themselves. It seems like every time I buy something for dinner I turn around and it’s been eaten-but not for dinner. Usually raw out of the package (including canned food) or microwaved (if previously frozen).

So, how do I avoid the poorhouse while still makeing sure everyone is full?

*Make a meal plan that incorporates similar products. I know it sounds like it can get boring, but it’s not bad if you go online to find new recipes (that’s what I do). For instance:
-Eggs, Cheese, Tortillas, Chicken, Milk, Soup, Beans, Vegitables, Pankcake Mix
With these things you can make:
>Strada
>Quesedillas
>Stir Fry
>Baked Chicken
>Homemade Chicken Soup
>Egg Salad Sandwiches
>Grilled Cheese
The list could be a lot longer, but I’m sure you get the idea. Incorporating meals similar ingrediants into your weekly plan helps to save a lot of money by making you able to buy a few things in bulk rather than a lot of things in tiny packages that cost $5 a pop.

*Buy things that are staples and multi-purpose, and buy them in bulk. I recommend:
->Rice. Makes good side to stir-fry, or with vegitables. Or add milk, butter, and a little bit of sugar and it’s nice for breakfast.

->Pancake Batter. Not just for pancakes anymore. Make biscuits, pie crust-it’s a pretty good subsitute for flour.

->Eggs. Everyone knows the uses for eggs-Scrambled, Fried, Salad, Deviled…..We have often done Egg Salad Sandwiches and Deviled Eggs within a couple of days of each other because both require eggs to be boiled.

->Bread. Good old bread, if you’re not picky you can usually pick up a loaf for under a dollar. I pick up three to six every time I go. Good for sandwiches, toast, even fancier stuff like strada. Get different kinds too-regular “loaf” bread, french bread, rolls, etc.

->Milk. Goes in things. Good to drink. I buy lots, but I will usually buy it at a place like Walgreens where I can get it for cheaper (was $1.99/gallon there a bit ago.).

->Assorted Fruits and Vegitables. Good for snacks. Good for Meals. I like to go with Broccli, Spinache, Onions, and Carrots for vegitables and apples, peaches, maderin oranges, and strawberries (when in season) because they seem to me like the most flexible and the ones we use most often.

->Meat. Usually hamburger and chicken are the most flexible. Chicken strips, baked chicken, chicken w/vegitables, chicken stir fry…..meatloaf, hamburgers, speghetti….I will usually plan on using a pound of meat per day and buy accordingly.

*If you have snack-a-holics like I do in my family I recommend the Dollar Store. You wouldn’t think it (I never would have) but some actually have a “frozen foods” section. I buy things like french toast sticks and french fries that they can “heat and eat” because, to be fair, daddy doesn’t really like to cook. (Ha Ha Ha) Plus, you can use the snacks to make healthy snacks (like fruit) more appealing. This also keeps the snack budget WAAAAAAAY down-just make sure to check expiration dates when buying anything at such a great discount!

Doing things this way, my monthly grocery budget is usually around $300 per month (between $75-80 per week). Which, believe me, is down from the staggering $650 per month we USED to spend to feed two adults and a baby!

Now if only we could break our junk food/fast food habits. Oh well, that’s for a later post.