I like to think that we do pretty well with how we spend our money. I think it is safe to say that we average about 60 dollars a week on all of our groceries that feeds two and sometimes three people. Some weeks we spend less than 60 and some weeks we spend more than 60. It depends on if there are any special gatherings going on, whether or not we are stocking up on meat, or if we decide to go out to eat. These are some tips that I use to help spend less on food, since it can add up so quickly, especially with my husband around 😉
#1.
Meal plan.
I cannot express enough how much this has helped. I plan out my dinners and lunches, and write down all of the ingredients. This really helps me avoid buying any unnecessary items, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t buy snacks and treats either. We are pretty good about moderation, and we don’t deprive ourselves of those types of food.
#2.
Common ingredients.
I really like planning meals for the week that have common ingredients. How often do you make something that calls for onions, or something, and you end up having more than you need? Well, by planning meals that have common ingredients, you prevent yourself from wasting your food and buying a thousand different ingredients for seven completely different meals.
#3.
Cook large dinners.
It doesn’t typically cost much to cook a large batch of food, such as a soup, that you can use as leftovers for lunches and for dinners. With one night of cooking, you can prepare 3-5 different lunches/dinners. Woot woot! I love doing this.
#4.
Check your cupboards before you leave.
Much too often, I have come home with food items that I already had in the cupboards, which can be a waste of money! Check your cupboards, and only stock up on items that you use often, like pasta sauce or veggies.
#5.
We only eat meat once a week.
We typically buy two things of chicken about once a month and put them in freezer bags. That way we have portioned bags of chicken that we can use once a week. This really helps reduce our costs, and forces us to eat more veggies 😉
Again, these are just some things that I do to help cut down the costs. We also make our own pasta dough and pizza dough which can really make it cheap to eat certain meals! If you’d like more tips, check out a friend of mine’s blog. She did a really great job with explaining how she eats on a budget and has some great ideas – especially that fail-safe meal!
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