Top Money-Saving Tips of 2009
Check out Good Morning America Food Editor Sarah Moulton’s Best Cookbooks of 2009 (video!) Notice a certain orange-covered book on that list? To celebrate, I’m giving away 5 copies of Family Feasts for $75 a Week. To enter, comment and share a money saving tip of your own.
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You know the drill. You walk into the grocery store with a long list and a finite budget. The last thing you want to do is spend two weeks’ worth of grocery money on one week of food. But prices these days make it ever more challenging to stay within a budget. What’s a smart shopper to do?
1. Make a list and check it twice
Lists are tremendous money savers. Begin by thinking in terms of meals. Before I head to the store, I scribble out ideas for two weeks of dinners. Half the meals are family favorites: cheesy chicken enchiladas, creamy potato soup, and pasta carbonera are regulars. I then thumb through cookbooks and fill the rest of the two weeks with new and interesting-sounding recipes.
Once I’ve decided what we’ll be eating for the next couple weeks, next I write down the ingredients that I lack for those recipes. I skim recipes, check the pantry, dig through the freezer, and check my cupboards, making sure that everything I’ll need is either in my kitchen or on my grocery list. Once I have all the dinner ingredients written down, I add the items we typically use for breakfast and lunch, as well as goodies to make baking possible.
2. Go to the store less often
When you run out of something, write it on your grocery list. But don’t race to the store the instant your list gets an item or two on it. Every trip to the store is a temptation to impulse-buy. So I challenge myself to go just a day or two longer between shopping trips. We live 20 minutes from the store. The other day when I didn’t want to run to the store just for hamburger buns, I made my own fresh homemade rolls.
3. Expand the list of things you can make yourself
Did you know that you can easily make your own granola? Homemade white sauce takes 5 minutes to make and costs a fraction of a can of cream soup. Homemade salad dressing is equally fast and will save you a cool $2. Not bad for a 5 minute time investment. Even better if it saves you a trip to the store where you would potentially spend much more on impulse buys. Learning to make just one item per week will consistently give you more money in your pocket. Remember, it’s not only this week’s new recipe that will save you money. Gradually learning to make a variety of things for yourself will make your savings snowball.
4. Stock up when prices hit rock bottom
And I mean REALLY stock up. In October I bought enough ground beef on sale to last til February, which effectively extended that October sale for months, for me anyway. This month I put lots of $1.50/lb butter in the freezer, enough to make baking more affordable all winter for us.
5. Don’t be afraid to try new recipes
To earn a repeat appearance in my kitchen, a recipe needs to be tasty, easy to cook, and have ingredients that are affordable and easy to find. Don’t overlook ethnic food. I’ve found Chinese, Mexican and Ethiopian food to be both affordable and delicious. This West African Peanut Chicken is a good example. And here’s another bonus: ethnic grocery stores often have great prices on things like spices, sesame oil, coconut milk, and specialty pasta.
6. Remember WHY you want to save money
I developed my money-saving strategies so that I could stay home with my kids. You may be dreaming of finding enough extra cash to pay off a car or take a cruise or have another baby. Keeping your goals clearly in mind will make it easier to do the little daily things that will move you towards that goal!
I’ve been working on saving where possible. This past summer I worked on making my own laundry detergent (liquid recipe), hair shampoo and hair rinse and toothpaste powder all in order to 1) save $ and 2)to get away from petroleum in our home products. I wouldn’t go back to the commercial products even if they were free. We also have a big garden and eat out of it as well as can/freeze from it. I was able to put away spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, peas, beans, pumpkin, zucchini and I have some of our squashes still in our cellar. Working on living frugally so we can spread our food dollar out as well saving for our adoption. We raise grass-fed beef and lamb. We sell it and are able to cover the costs for our processing so our meat is basically/almost free. I used to request the bones and scrapes for our dogs and cats but about 3 months ago started boiling/cooking the bones for broth to put in my soup recipes. I am always looking to extend our food supply over more than one meal. It’s not always easy but we have been working at changing our tastes to enjoy what God ahs given us and not fast food/junk food from the grocery store. I am thankful for learning to live this way. I wouldn’t be able to stay at home with my children.
Just got back from another $150 grocery trip (and I don’t even know what I’m going to make) and I realized that I need to change something! Found your blog from Google and I am going to try to meal plan in 2010. You book looks fantastic!
I shop without my husband. He adds all sorts of extras to the cart when I’m not looking. I avoid sending him to the store as well, my teenaged kids are better bargain shoppers than he is.
I really do try and only buy produce that is in season. And I buy store brand products, filling the pantry when things are on sale.
we have our own chickens to reduce our grocery bill (we eat LOTS of eggs and organic / cage free are pricey). They also help out by eating our leftovers and fertilizing the lawn (cutting out the cost of fertilizer for the backyard is another bonus)
Learn to make soup! There will always be leftovers and leftovers can make delicious, healthy-building soup! Simmering a bone releases the marrow and other nutrients from the bone (read Nourishing Traditions for more inspiration on how important this is)…throw in leftover veggies and rice or potatoes or pasta and you have the ultimate meal. Warm, satisfying and never the same. If you throw everything into the crockpot the night before (in plenty of time to cook all day) you have the ultimate convenience food.
Remember, folks will pay big bucks for a large mug of soup and a freshly baked muffin.
Tip # 2 therefore, is to learn to make muffins which are the ultimate quickbread with a never-ending variety of recipes as well!
TEACH AND PRACTICE GRATEFULNESS! This is my number one tip! When we are grateful to God for what we have we do not give in to self-pity and want all that we don’t have. When we are grateful we eat our beans and rice with contentment and remember those who have nothing to eat. When we are grateful we can look at the what we have and remember those who may need it more than we do.
Gratefulness gives us the gift of satisfaction and contentment even when our bank account is empty. When we are grateful we no longer think that we are “doing without”, instead, we thank the Lord Jesus for His incomparable and undeserved blessings!
I find recipes to use all of the ingredients that I purchase before they go bad. For example, if I buy a package of green onions for a recipe (say, baked potato soup, yum) and only need half the package, I will either double it to use up that ingredient or find another recipe so the produce doesn’t go to waste.
Money saving tip. . . I try to stay out of the store! I am somewhat of an impulse shopper so it is better if I limit going to the store whenever possible. That means that when I do go to the store I need to be pretty organized with what I need. I also love to “shop” from my own pantry. I would rather purchase things on sale (love the case lot sales) then have things on hand to use in my recipes and freezer.
Love your book, checked it out from the library and really enjoyed reading through your recipes. I’d love to ‘win’ my own!!!
I am making more and more of my own foods–granola, spaghetti sauce, and bread. One of my kids, who takes a sandwich to school every day, like healthy whole wheat or whole grain bread-that has no dairy in it. Those breads are $3-4 a loaf. I can buy 5 pounds of whole wheat flour or 25 pounds of bread flour for close to that.
I try to buy in bulk thru coops – big shopping at big stores always gets me in trouble. If I need to go to the local store, I make a list and try to do it when I am tight on time. It makes me hurry and not look at all the things I dont need. : )
I shop every 2 weeks and use LOTS of coupons. When I run out of milk I run to the drug store-milk is cheaper there and I am not tempted to buy other things that I really don’t need!
I really like all of the comments so far!
Our family really does likes to eat out once a week or so. But we are smart about which restaurants we eat in and which to avoid. We don’t do fast food…really not worth the money/serving size & generally unhealthy. But we get to know all of the restaurants we like in our small town and we order several of the “better deal/more for the money” entrees and we always eat family-style…asking for extra plates and dividing it all up. Oh, and we almost never use the children’s menu. Purchasing a larger entree and sharing it between 2 or 3 kids works great for us. Also, we always order water unless a drink is included in the special. This way of thinking a bit outside the box allows us to eat out more often – something that is fun for us!
One of my favorites is to buy whole chickens…it’s best if they are not frozen. I buy eight or so at a time (we’re a large family) then I cut them up when I get home. I save a couple for roast dinners but then I divide the cut pieces into catagories: drumsticks and thighs, breasts, and other pieces. This way I have breasts for easy and quick meals, drumsticks and thighs for oven meals or bbqs, and the extra pieces are used for making soup.
This saves so much per pound!
Shop at night when the kids and hubbby are at home. This means less peer pressure to get treats. Also, shop when you are tired – then you just go grab what you need and get out of there!
I am going to have to go with shopping with only one child or none. the distractions and often frustrations that come along with shopping with kids can mean throwing things in the cart fast and furious just to make the horror show end. Merry Christmas.
My #1 tip would have been just what you put at #1. Making a menu and buying just the ingredients that I actually need saves me a ton of money. Shopping without my kids is my second tip. Even though my kids are older, they see a lot of things they want (both healthy and not!), but they also talk to me and distract me. I don’t multi-task that well! Merry Christmas!
My money saving tip is to ignore all the “good deal” emails that come your way. Always remember that when you are ready, there will always be another good deal
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Merry Christmas!
We have too much credit card debt (any credit card debt is too much) and unfortunately we spend close to $100 per week on groceries for two adults, two large dogs and two cats. But we make it a point not to go to the grocer until our shopping day arrives (Sundays). We try to make a list based on meals but that doesnt always happen.
I would love to get your new cookbook to try some of the recipes. We rarely know what to cook.
I try to do the loss leaders and keep to my list – I must do better with planning as I get home from work and just to tired to come up with something that everyone will eat or have the time to make – your book looks like it would help me with that!
We are a small family so when i plan my meals I always plan ways to reuse part of the meal the next day nso we don’t waste anything.
Buy a whole chicken and use the whole thing. And if you buy free-range chickens, you’ll actually be encouraged to waste nothing.
Make big portions and freeze small ones. We find ourselves more likely to use frozen dinners if they are portioned correctly. Otherwise, items get freezer burnt and tossed.
Cheap meat…..I buy meat that is about ready to expire. I have learned that each store has it own way of going about doing this. Our local Albertsons sale it really cheap, cheaper than the other Albertsons in our community. I have also taken note that it depends on which butcher is on duty the day the meat goes on sale.
Merry Christmas!
One thing I try to do is always use up leftovers. Sometimes I purposely plan leftovers for a second meal. Other times, I use them to start something else. Extra rice becomes fried rice; extra mashed potatoes go into soup or potato pancakes; extra veggies go into soup (sometimes casseroles); extra chili or any kind of meat sauce can top pasta, biscuits, baked potatoes, etc. Sometimes leftovers go in my husband’s lunches to work. And sometimes if I just have too many leftovers, we have a “leftover lunch” on Saturday where I put out everytthing from that week.
My best money saver as a mom of two young children is to use cloth diapers! We’ve saved tons.
My advice is to use cash. If you take only your budgetted amount of cash to the store you can’t overspend. Leave checkbook, debit cards, etc at home or at least locked in the car.
Stock up on sale items wherever/whenever you find them…fill that pantry or freezer to the brim and you will have lots of food on hand for emergencies–like the Christmas snow storm we are having right now!
I’m constantly telling our children to take less food than you think you’ll want. Their eyes are always bigger than their stomachs, and after eating half of what’s on their plates they say, “I’m full!” We really don’t need as much food as we think we do. That leaves more leftovers for another meal!
Honestly…don’t take my husband with me to the grocery store. Somehow, I almost always spend about twice as much when he goes!
I meant to add…He’s not as apt to stick to the list.
I know this is obvious to most but, eat in more often. And don’t use paper anything. Washing your plates in the dishwasher is cheaper for you and better for the environment.
I buy cereal when it is $2.00 or less (look in all of the ads every week) and I stock up and buy the limit. We have so much cereal my husbands complains to me to stop buying it! I love saving money though. We also use cloth diapers (Fuzzi Bunz) and we love them. When I go shopping, I stick to my list. We also leave our heat down pretty low (60) and just put on more layers during the day.
Definitely helps to have cash and use an envelope system for our family. Seeing exactly how much cash I have to spend helps me make smart decisions about what is really necessary and what we can make due with out.
Meals that stretch expensive items like meat are also good (soups, baked potato bar, fajitas etc.)
Thanks for the opportunity to win a book!
Shop in your pantry first.
Don’t go to the store with the kids (unless they are old enough to learn how to bargain shop). It is too hard to resist impulse buying!
Mostly, be aware that I don’t need everything I like or want. I ask myself if I need the item more than I want to be debt-free.
My best money saving tip is to leave my husband at home when I go shopping. He likes to go to the local farmer’s market, but we always end up with more food than we really need.
Would love to win! My best money saving tip is to grow your own food and preserve it to eat all year.
We try to do a ‘raid the pantry and freezer’ week once a month to make sure we use up most of what we’ve purchased! Yeah, the meals can get a bit funny at times with odd pairing and what-not, but it really helps me to get creative and use what I already have!
Plan plan plan!! I find that if I plan a reasonable menu, (leaving space for leftovers, sandwich nights, etc) then I’m much more likely to stay on budget. And if we’re in the mood for a large cut of meat (a ham, roast, etc), then I plan other meals that week to use up the leftovers or freeze the leftovers promptly.
Another thing that has worked well for me in the past is to keep a list of everything that I’ve stashed in the big freezer – that way I won’t forget what’s there
Can’t wait to read all the other responses!!
We almost never go to movies in a theater. We watch DVDs at home where we pop a ton of popcorn and get comfortable in PJs and blankets. Much cheaper than a theater and much easier if you have a bunch of kids including little ones.
When I feel like I am “out” of food but really need to squeeze in another day or two before I shop again, I “shop” from my pantry, refrigerator and freezer. I can usually find something to throw together that I didn’t notice was there if I get “desperate” enough.
Would LOVE to have a copy of your book. Thanks for the giveaway!
Menu planning is very important but sometimes life gets off plan around here. For those days, I have a list of quick -n- easy meals (and try to keep the ingredients always in my pantry) to save us from getting take out. One example — scrambled eggs, sliced fruit & a glass of milk are faster to make than going through a drive-thru.
I am really enjoying reading everyone’s ideas. Here’s mine. As a large percentage of our food budget goes toward the purchase of meat, I often plan my grocery trips around the time that I know that my gocery’s butcher marks it down. I have gotten some great buys! Additionally, I repackage much of what I buy. I re-package it so we have 3 oz/ person dinner portions, often I pre-form meatloaves, meatballs, burgers, pound cutlets, etc. This is a real time and money saver!
We live in Florida, and have begun eating a mostly vegetarian diet (although we always serve meat when we invite others over for dinner). We go to the corner Produce stand every week, and plan our meals according to the goodies we find there. We normally only have to fill in staples (rice, pasta, bread, etc.) to have a week’s worth of wonderful meals!
I try to only shop 2x a month to keep the grocery bill down.
Just found your site and want to try $75 week since hubby was laid off end of Oct. and I’m a stay at home mom. My most recent money saving tip – dilute liquid fabric softener by half with water. Cut a new kitchen sponge in half to dip in “new” softener and toss in dryer.
I would say my biggest money saving tip is having hubby with me. I am the one that sees something and just “have to have it” while he says, “honey, we cant afford that this time, maybe next time.
We only shop on payday, when the kids are at school so we dont get a lot of junk food.
Being in a small town, we have 3 choices, two well known (At least here) chain stores and the “Super Store” (I wont name it but Im sure you know which one I mean). I have realized that Chain A is much more expensive than chain B, especially on the basics like bread, milk, butter, etc. However Chain B is also more expensive on the same staples than Super Store. I was laid off a year ago and so we do all we can to scrimp and save. We spend anywhere from $180-250 every other week for our family of 4. Our two boys are eating a lot these days.
I can wait to try your book! My current goal is to save up and order it from Amazon.com
Best luck to you and keep up the great work!
My favorite tip – use less. Cut back on the amount of meat or cheese in a recipe. Use half the recommended amount of detergent or fabric softener when doing laundry. Same with dishwasher detergent. Play with this in many areas until you define exactly what quantity of a product is needed.
Happy Holidays everyone!