Food prices are really starting to go up now. Especially in the meat and fresh produce isle! So how can you feed your family well and save money at the same time? I feed a family of 6 so that is my mission. Here are some of my tips on saving money.
- Buy on sale in large quantities. If it's something you know you use allot and it's on a once a year amazing sale stock up!
- Compare the price per ounce on the store tag, not the price. You will often find that by comparing the price per ounce the item that is on sale is still more expensive than the same item next to it. By doing this you will save hundreds of dollars a year.
- Buy from the bulk department - this is almost always cheaper by at least 25%. I store my bulk items in half gallons glass mason jars so I know just how much I have left.
- Make a meal plan for the month and then buy the foods needed to make it. This will save you tons of money because you wont be tempted to buy convenience foods or eat out which not only is expensive but super laden with preservatives.
- Avoid convenience foods and prepackaged meals. They are expensive and striped of nutrients.
- Get Chickens! Even though the initial costs are there you will make the money back in eggs. And eggs are really going up in price. Our chickens are 4 years old and still laying strong! Also any food waste and garden weeds/grass clipping's that you have can go right to these wonderful little garbage disposals which they turn into the best eggs you will ever eat!
- Have a garden. I have a small (by my standards) garden and it produces tons of food each year. Its not as hard as you would imagine and the rewards are so great especially with produce prices skyrocketing.
- Make homemade foods. Making things like bread, yogurt, and other homemade goods is not only cheaper, but also much better for you.
- Use rice, noodles, and beans as your fillers with meat. Meat is the most expensive item on a shopping list. But by having these carbs helps fill you up and stretch the meat.
Dear Sarah,
ReplyDeleteOne thing you didn't mention was couponing. My daughter has become a super grocery couponer. We have one store in our town that still does double coupons (although only on one item per coupon) and we plan our shopping trips around whatever is on sale. We usually spend between $125-160 for $300 of product. This includes laundry, bath, hair and misc items. I am also working on baking our own bread, but I find I have a hard time slicing the loaf to a good thickness. Either it is too thick or so think the slice won't hold together. Any suggestions?
Couponing can be great as long as you are buying things you actually need. One way to make consistently good bread is to have a the best bread maker on the market which I use just for the "dough" setting and then bake in my oven because I like the results better. It develops the gluten even on wheat bread and really is the only bread machine that makes great bread. This is the easy way out. I just follow the recipe provided in the book and you can pick them up at yard sales. Its called Zojirushi bread maker. The new ones are pricy. I have one I got used and love it . Here's a link to the new one's
Deletehttp://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-BB-PAC20-Bakery-Virtuoso-Breadmaker/dp/B0067MQM48/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=lettfromahome-20&linkCode=w01&linkId=XQFQEX7MSVRC6TKC&creativeASIN=B0067MQM48
Also here is a great and reliable recipe from one of my fave blogs. I used it all the time too.
http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/2012/05/whole-wheat-bread-that-will-have-you.html
The problem with couponing (and I know cuz I was a super couponer myself) is that everything for coupons is not healthy. Its all processed foods. Same goes for bathroom stuff, making my own is so much cheaper AND I know what I'm using and not those chemicals.
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