When we are leading our Financial Peace University Class, I am often asked how I stretch our budget. So, I thought that I would blog a little on how we make the most of our monthly budget.
Today's topic: Eating for Less
Food in the budget is one of those things that can be as large as we want, or as small as we can get away with without starving. It's the one thing that people see as a variable. Planning, and a little bit of cunning, is required. Food prices keep going up and up, and now more than ever it is essential to make the most of your food dollar!
Meal Planning
Just as it is essential to have a plan for your money each month, you should also consider a plan for your meals. Meal plans can be especially helpful in extremely busy households. When you have meals planned out, it can take that part of the end of the day stress out of your life. I usually only plan dinner menus, because, atleast at our house, breakfast is kind of a free for all and lunch is whatever we happen to have leftover in the fridge. I am not that organized that I could plan out every meal and then stick to it.
Meal planning is also helpful in the budget area, because as you plan your menu, you can also make a grocery list. Then, when grocery shopping, instead of going up and down each aisle grabbing things that you think you might use sometime in the near future, you are only buying things that you know you will use in the next couple of weeks.
To plan, I use a form I created. It's a seven column, five row form to represent the average month. I write in the dates for the month, and the month name at the top. I keep these to refer back to for future planning. I have also used a plain spiral notebook, where I use one page per week, and then I have space on each page for the grocery items needed for that week's recipes.
I usually plan two to four weeks at a time. I have a list of favorites that I rely on, and I frequently peruse cookbooks and cooking websites for new recipes. I set aside one night a week - sometimes two if I'm feeling adventurous - for new recipes. If they are good, I add them to my list of favorites, and then work them into the menus in the future. You can set aside a certain night for a certain cuisine… Monday is Mexican, Thursday is Italian, etc. You can also have a slow cooker night.
Once you have your meals planned out, STICK TO IT! Glance at it each night while cooking the evening meal to see what you need to have out for the next evening's meal.
Use your slow cooker!! Nothing is better than having a super busy day and knowing that dinner is already cooking, and will be ready when you are. A great slow cooker cookbook is Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook. Check it out from the library to get some great slow cooker ideas. One of our favorites is to do a whole chicken in the slow cooker. The chicken absolutely falls off the bone! If, however, you are a fan of the crispy skin that you get from oven roasting, this may not be the thing for you…
Your Pantry
Having an adequately stocked pantry is a must. Keeping a good supply of frequently used non-perishables such as canned fruits and veggies, pastas, rice & grains, cereals, soups & broths, herbs & spices, and such will help reduce the little trips to the store for that one item you thought you had, but, as it turns out, you don't. And, reducing the number of times you have to go to the store will reduce the number of times you are tempted to impulse buy. And, as we all know, impulse buying is detrimental to the health of our budget.
The Back Up Plan…
We've all been there. It's late and the kids are hungry, you're tired and the last thing you want to do is cook. It might seem like a good idea to go hit the local fast food joint's drive thru, but from a budget standpoint, it could be disastrous. Having a back up plan is essential for a healthy budget. Even the most efficient meal planners have one. Because we all (atleast I hope that I'm not the only one!) forget to take the meat out of the freezer, and after having a busy day and running late, there is no way that you can thaw the whole chicken you were planning to cook that night and eat before 1 a.m. The go-to meal has to be quick and easy, and can be ready quicker than you can make it through the drive-thru. Here are things that I've done…
Buy hamburger in bulk, take it home and brown it. When it's cooled, place it in quart size freezer bags, about a pound or so per bag (remember that a pound of uncooked hamburger does not yield a pound of cooked hamburger), lay flat and freeze. For a quick spaghetti dinner, fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil for the noodles. Then, while that's warming up, open a jar of spaghetti sauce, pour into a saucepan, and add a bag of frozen already-browned ground beef. Cook over medium heat. Then, by the time the noodles are done cooking, the sauce will be ready and you've just made dinner in the time it took to make the noodles. You could even whip up some garlic bread while the noodles and sauce cook. You could also whip up a quick beefy vegetable soup with some canned beef broth and a couple of cans or a package of frozen mixed veggies and seasonings, or a quick chili with a couple cans of chili beans and some tomato sauce and seasonings.
Coupons
I don't use coupons very often. Coupons are usually for items that are highly processed and are additive and preservative laden. We stay away from these kinds of foods for two reasons – first and foremost, I have food allergies and most processed/convenience type foods contain one or more foods that I cannot eat without dire consequences; and two, they are just plain not healthy. In theory, I would love to go to the grocery store, get $1000 worth of groceries and pay only $2.53. But, for me, the health consequences just are not worth it for us. When I do find coupons that we can use, I get as many coupons as I can and really stock up on the items if, of course, they are non-perishable.
Sales and Warehouse Clubs
Being aware of how much things cost is key to stretching your budget. If one store has a sale on items, 10 for $10, but another store's regular price is $.89, it does not make much sense to hit the so called 'sale'. Always have an idea of where you can get your main pantry items for the cheapest you can find.
Price compare by per ounce or per count prices. The bigger the box or container does not always mean the better value. I have found several items that I buy the smaller package because the price per ounce is less than it is for the bigger package. I think that manufacturers know that consumers have come to expect that the bigger sizes are better values, and have thus adjusted their pricing accordingly, to make the bigger items, the ones that are more likely bought, the more expensive ones when you figure out the price per ounce. I have found this to be true on cereals, pastas, rice, sugar, flour… you get the picture.
At warehouse shopping clubs, bigger is what you get. But, not everything is a deal. Don't pay extra on your membership for the privilege of getting coupons, or rebates, or anything of that nature. It just doesn't pay in the long run. These gimmicks are not offered as a way to save YOU money, it's a way for the club to make more money for THEM. For instance, at Costco, for an extra $50.00/year, you can get a 2% rebate on your purchases. That's $2 for every $100 you spend. Just to earn back in savings the extra money you spent on the membership, you'd have to spend $2500 in a year just to earn $50.00. Unless you routinely buy big ticket items there, you most likely will not come out ahead in this deal.
Also, pay attention to price per ounce/count. Again, here like the grocery stores, bigger is not always the better deal.
There are deals to be had at the warehouse clubs, but just make sure that what you are saving is more than the cost of the annual membership and the gas it takes to make the special trip. For instance, I buy about 12 gallons of milk a month. I usually save over $1 per gallon buying at Sam's Club. That means in a little over 3 months, my $40 membership to Sam's Club has paid for itself on milk alone, and the rest is gravy.
I hope that you find some of these tips useful, and help you Eat For Less!
