Here is how I buy the freshest ingredients while being on a tight budget.
Now, how do I meal plan and save money?? This may seem a lot at first, but really it takes less time than staring into the frig and wondering what you are going to come up with or waiting for a pizza to be delivered.
1. First off, meal planning alone can save you a lot of money. If you have a plan and a grocery list and stick with it, right there you will save money. Do not impulse buy!
2. Every Wednesday I get the store ads in the Fresno Bee and look at them to see what is on sale. If I see a good deal on meat or an item I can stock up on I will and will use that item in my meal plan. I then look at what coupons I have in my coupon clutch that match up with the sale item. This takes me about 15 minutes on a Wednesday morning. Once you know what you are looking for, it does not take a lot of time. I also look for coupons on coupons.com and smartsource.com.
3. I start thinking about what I would like to eat for dinner. Yes, I said "I". If I asked my kids I would get, cheeseburgers and spaghetti and meatballs every time (and funny enough those 2 dinners are in my meal plan). My husband just tells me whatever is good, so I just do not ask most of the time.
4. I look through my resources (recipes). I like to try new recipes all the time. We do not eat the same food every week. I love getting the Food Network Magazine and I thumb through my collection when I want to change dinners up. There are also sites you can go to where you can pull up a recipe with what you have on hand.
5. I start to make my list of dinners for the week and write my grocery list. I may go to 3 grocery stores if I see great deals at all three. I try to do my shopping on a Wednesday or Thursday when there are less people. I am lucky that I have 4 grocery stores within 2 miles of where I live, so it makes it pretty easy.
6. Know prices of items you buy! Make a list at the beginning of the staples you keep on hand and go to the different stores to see where you can get them for the least amount of money. Make it a habit to look at prices when you are going down a aisle when you are shopping.
Time breakdown:
*Looking at ads and cutting out coupons 15-30 minutes per week
*Preparing a meal plan 15 minutes (usually when I am watching T.V.)
*Grocery Shopping on average 1 hour (Big savings weeks 2 hours at the most, some weeks I only go to the Farmer's Market if I am stocked up).
Here is an example of what I will make based on sales:
Saturday- Cheeseburgers, fruit and corn on the cobb
Got a great deal on hamburger meat at Whole Food for $1.99lb early bird special last week.
Sunday- Chili Verde, pinto beans, homemade salsa and tortillas (A friend gave me a bunch of tomatoes that she grew).
I want to make a big batch of chili verde so I can freeze some for dinners on busy nights. I know I can find the best deals at Foods Co. Shopping at Foods Co. when I want to make Mexican food will save me about 50% of what I would pay at a Save Mart of Vons.
Vons has a sale on tortillas 2/$3.00 and canned refried beans for $1.00. I keep these items on hand to make burritos or baked chimichangas for a quick dinner. Vons always has a 50% off rack in the back of the store. Make sure you go through it every time you go shopping.
Monday- Spaghetti and turkey meatballs
This week I saw that Smart and Final had ground turkey on sale for 2/$5.00. This is a great price and I will buy as much as the store will allow me. Always look for the limit. I use ground turkey for meatballs and hamburgers.
Tuesday-Roasted red pepper pasta with salmon
Great sale on salmon Friday only at Whole Foods.
Wednesday-Leftovers
Great way to strech a dollar.
Thursday- Going to dinner at my in-laws.
My father-n-law is a great cook!
Friday- Out to dinner
We go out every Friday (using coupons of course)
1 comment:
Since I stocked up on ground turkey this week, spaghetti & meatballs will be on my menu this week too! I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday. :)
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