Everyday Food for Busy People
So far this summer, my family has spent 60 hours in the car together on two different road trips. And we still like each other! But that’s another post.
Today, I want to talk about how to save money on food for a road trip or vacation. This is a subject I’ve talked about before. It’s important to me, because it’s part of what has enabled us to afford trips together.
I make lists for: [Read more...]
This is a guest post from my friend, Andrea at The Green Backs Gal. I asked if she would share with us some of the ways to save money on organic produce.
One of the toughest areas to save at the grocery store is in the produce department. This is particularly true during the winter when the growing season here in Colorado is dormant. So how can you pinch pennies but still enjoy fresh and delicious produce? Buy seasonal, buy local and buy organics when it makes sense.
Buy Produce in Season
Why Buy Produce In Season? By purchasing and eating food that is in season, you will not only be saving on your budget, you will be eating better tasting food! Produce that is not in season is grown somewhere else in this world, picked too early, and then is transported to your grocers. That cost is passed on to you! By eating seasonally, you might be eating grapes only in the Fall when the prices are low. But the beauty is, once you have kinda had it with grapes, the oranges will be sweet and cheap! We are all very used to getting what produce we want when we want it. But, if you are serious about saving money, you’ll find eating seasonally will definitely save you on your budget each month. Check out what is in season this month – with Spring here, there are some tasty choices! [Read more...]
During the month of March, we’ve been talking about cooking to save money. I’ve posted:
Today, we’re going to talk about saving money by cooking restaurant-style meals at home. This type of meal may cost a bit more than your weeknight fare, but will come in much lower than taking the family out to eat. Next week I’ll post a big list of easy restaurant style recipes. Until then, here are a few tips to making it special: [Read more...]
One way to save money on groceries is to shop your own pantry and freezer. Here are a few tips to help you whittle your grocery bill, while keeping your family fed during your own pantry/freezer challenge.
1. Go on a search and rescue mission in your pantry and freezer. You need to know exactly what you’ve got in there. Examine expiration dates, pitching what’s already past its prime. Make a list of what you find. [Read more...]
Have you noticed grocery prices racing up? Yikes! It’s gotten crazy.
This month we’re going to be focusing on saving money on food. We kicked it off yesterday with a new Low-Cost Meals Menu. Today, I’m sharing a list of the least expensive recipes I have. Nearly all of my recipes are budget friendly, but these really counteract those rising prices.
You may notice a lot of rice, beans, pasta and eggs in this list. Basing meals on these ingredients is a great way to keep the cost low.
Main Dishes [Read more...]
In January, we Resolutionized our kitchens and cooking. (Remember 25 Meals in 20 Minutes or Less?)
In February, we filled our freezers with all kinds of meats, casseroles, breakfast foods and desserts.
March is almost here, bringing Spring weather with it (I hope). This month the focus is going to be on saving money. I thought we should kick things off with a low cost menu.
Most of the meals I post are economical, but for this menu I chose recipes that really keep the costs down. They rely on inexpensive foods like pasta, rice, beans and eggs.
You get 6 dinners and 1 dessert. Serving suggestions are included in bold on the recipes and in curly brackets {} on the grocery list.
Here’s what’s on the menu this week: [Read more...]
Buying extra ingredients for holiday baking and cooking can really add up. Here are a few ideas to keep Christmas and Thanksgiving adventures in the kitchen affordable.
Make a list of your “must make” recipes.
Make a list of all the foods that you know you want to make. Start buying those ingredients now a few at a time, until you’ve gathered them all up. That way you won’t have a huge amount hit your grocery bill at one time. [Read more...]
Have you joined the challenge to eat from your freezer and pantry for a week? Those of us who have been doing this have not only saved money, but also stretched our creative cooking skills as we’ve swapped out ingredients for what we had on hand.
I’m wrapping up this money-saving series with a list of very low-cost meals. Most of these meals come in at under $1 per person. Some cost well under that.
I had to go to the grocery yesterday to get some dairy and produce. I’ve been doing this challenge to eat out of the pantry and freezer since Tuesday. I hope to carry it through next week.
The good news is that I saved about $100 over what my usual grocery cost is. I bought the normal amounts of dairy and produce that I usually buy each week, but nothing else. The shopping took a fraction of the time it usually takes – another plus!
How have you done with saving money during this challenge? Share in the comment section.
It’s not too late to join us in the challenge. You can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 at these links.
Do you have a super cheap meal that you like to make?
I’m working on a post that will list the cheapest meals on my site, as well as link to other blogs that have cheap meals. If you have a meal posted on your blog, send me an email (eatpoetry@gmail.com) with a link. If you don’t have the recipe posted on your blog, or don’t have a blog you can still send me the recipe. I love to hear from readers and highlight your ideas.
Have you joined the challenge to save money by eating from the freezer and pantry? You can catch up with Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Yesterday, I posted the contents of my freezer and pantry and also the menu I came up with. But I have a few ingredients that have me stumped. You can see in the photo above I’ve got chicken, rice, hoisin sauce and water chestnuts. These seem to be a natural combination, but I’m not sure what to do with them.
