Stretching your grocery budget

Looking for ways to cut spending? Groceries are a necessary expense, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cut down that line on your budget. People are often amazed that we spend much less feeding 8 of us than most families half the size. Top tips to save on food: 1) Cook your own meals. I can buy a box of spaghetti, can of sauce, and bag of veggies for abt $3-4. That feeds all 8 of us! Guess how far $3 goes when we buy drive thru food...even if we’re sticking to the dollar menu. And the noodles only take 10 minutes to boil. Fast, filling food that costs next to nothin’. Gotta like that! 2) Enjoy meatless meals not just once a week but most nights. There are so many tasty options! Have flavorful black bean burgers, stir fry with peanut sauce, veggie pizza, corn chowder, crispy bean & cheese tostadas, omelets, your favorite pasta or chili topped potatoes. 3) Always pay attention to the per unit price. Applesauce in a pouch or baby food jar is about 10 times the price per ounce of generic, natural applesauce in a large jar. Same ingredients. 4) Going along with that, note the price per pound for produce. Unless it’s the peak of season sale, grapes are pretty expensive per pound compared to apples or oranges which you can regularly buy bags of for $1/lb. Bananas are a good deal too. Carrots & onions are some of the more affordable veggies so I buy a lot more of those than snow peas or cartons of cherry tomatoes. 5) Don’t buy “breakfast foods”. Some healthier & much less expensive alternatives to cereal or store bought bagels are: pancakes from scratch (I use whole wheat so there’s fiber & they mix up fast, I promise), carrot muffins, fruit smoothies (just fruit & milk) and breakfast burritos with salsa. When you want something quick & easy, have toast and juice. 6) Make up a menu before you go to the store. Include affordable meals & keep the list on the fridge that week so you know what the meal plan is & are more likely to stick to it. Have a great week! Share your favorite affordable meal ideas below!