Save on Groceries Without Skimping on Nutrition
Whether times are tight, or you’re just trying to save up for a special purchase I find that grocery spending is often the easiest place to trim the budget without knocking down quality of life.
I know you don’t want to give your family ramen every day for a month just so you can get ahead on the mortgage, and I wouldn’t advise it even if you did. Sacrificing nutrition will end up costing you more in the long run.
Instead I’ll share my 5 favorite ways to feed my family nutritious meals without blowing the budget.
1) If it’s good enough for breakfast, it’s good enough for dinner. Things like scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, oatmeal are all cheap, filling and nutritious. You’re already counting on them to keep you going ’till lunch, but they can be just as satisfying in the evening. Dress them up with fruit instead of sweeteners to keep it healthy.
2) Let go of traditional food pairing ideas. I have a friend who is really relaxed about what “goes together” which means sometimes her food combinations seem odd to my American sensibilities, but she always has a protein a veggie and a carb on her table, and she and her family are robust and full of engergy.
3) If you’re out of the extras that usually go with a particular meal, just do without. Running to the store for tomatoes or sour cream to go with your tacos will add up in the form of impulse purchases and extra gas.
4) Don’t let kids free range on snacks. They will snack less and be hungrier at meals if you set out healthy snacks like apple slices at specific times. My kids probably wouldn’t choose an apple on their own given a lot of options. But If I slice one up and set it out for them, they all eat a few slices and go on their way. That’s one apple for three kids. If they eat it all and are still hungry I’ll sure give them another one, but letting snack time run all day will definitely eat into the budget.
5) Plan ahead. I’ve listed this as number five but in reality it’s the number one thing that keeps my budget in hand. If I plan ahead and know what I’m cooking I can watch for sales (bonus points if you plan around what’s already on sale–I’m not quite there yet), avoid last minute runs to the store, and most importantly avoid falling back on expensive and unhealthy convenience food.
If we’re grabbing takeout, it’s typically because I’ve failed to plan.
But planning ahead doesn’t just involve the original meal plan. Its also about planning what I’ll do with any leftovers. If I plan to serve it for lunch tomorrow, or use it as an ingredient in the next days meal it’s a lot less likely to get lost in the back of the fridge only to be thrown out later. Wasting food is really just the same as throwing away money, and I hate it when I let it happen!
(I tell myself it’s not REALLY waste if I can feed it to the chickens and they turn it into eggs, but I still try to avoid it.)
Bonus Tips
Instead of building your meal around a big hunk of meat, build it around hearty veggies or whole grains and use meat as a side or ingredient such as in a casserole or soup.
Remember you pay extra for each additional processing step when buying food, and if it’s in a package you’re paying for that too. Shredded cheese is usually more expensive than the same size block of cheese. Bagged apples cost more than the apples you bag yourself from the next bin over.
Learn to use your spice cabinet. Packets of ranch mix, or taco seasoning are just packaged combinations of stuff you already have on hand. My most commonly used spices are: Garlic powder, Onion powder, Parsley flakes, Cumin, Paprika, Ginger, Salt and Pepper.
Here’s my recipe for super easy and delish Ranch Dressing
I’ve found that when I apply these principles in my kitchen, cooking healthy and filling meals for my family is easy-peasy, and keeping the budget on track is totally attainable.
What are your favorite ways to save without scrimping?
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