How to Save Money on Groceries

Really when I started this blog I had great dreams of detailing menus and money saving tips as well as sharing receipts and food storage ideas... I had no idea how much time all of that would take, though- so this little project of mine has turned more into just another recipe blog.. oops, sorry! But for the most part, at least, these recipes are all fairly inexpensive and I hope I've been helping at least a little bit. For this post, I decided that I'll get back to basics a little bit and share some money saving tips like I originally intended. Then if I have time, I will add a couple more posts with the recipes I've made the past couple of days: Vegetarian Lasagna, Chicken and Broccoli Bake, The "good" Brownies.

Change your perspective and increase your knowledge. To be effective in your new spending plan, you must change your perspective and to do that you may need to learn a few things. Some will essentially be starting from scratch as far as grocery budgeting- others may just need a few pointers to continue down the right path. Either way, knowledge is the foundation of change. We need to open our minds to new information and ideas. What could you do with an extra $20 a week? How about $50.. Or even $100? No matter what your food budget, there are always ways to save. Here are some basic steps to save money on your groceries:


1. Find your motivation. Why do you want to save money? Chances are, in today’s economy you-like so many other families- are just trying to make ends meet. The grocery budget is one of the few expenses that is not “fixed” in a family budget- therefore it is a target to save some money. Even if you have the good fortune of not having to worry about the cost of your food, there is always something that we’d like to do with our money “if only we had a little more.” Find your purpose and focus on it!

2. Save your receipts. This allows you to track your expenses month to month so you can make adjustments where necessary. A lot of people I have talked to have had a vague idea of how much they spent on groceries, but usually forgot to count those extra little trips to the store for milk or a bag of chips when they say “I spent X amount of dollars on food.” Also, It allows you to identify and cut out the junk. If you realize how much money you have been spending on things like chips, cookies and any non-essential it makes it less of a temptation in the future. This also helps you to keep track of changing food prices and plan
accordingly.

3. Be aware of the cost of food. Keep a notebook of average prices for the items that you buy most often. I have made a list of all the things I buy each month. After each shopping trip, I come home, open my notebook, and record the price of each item that I bought. Again, saving your receipts will help you with this. I know when food prices are on the rise and I can also tell when it’s time to stock up on a deal. This way when something goes on sale, you know if it’s a good deal or not. Most stores will advertise a “sale” on an item just to move it though the store, even if the “sale” price is pennies less, or even the same, as the regular price.

4. Figure out the cost of your favorite recipes. Keeping track of food costs will help you figure out how much it costs to make things yourself. The $12 frozen lasagna is a lot less tempting when you know you can make it yourself for less than $5. But don’t throw out your expensive recipes. Most can be modified to use cheaper ingredients and save you a ton of money without changing the taste of the meal significantly, if at all. As I find meals that are cheap, I stick them into my folder so that I always have some inexpensive meal ideas at my fingertips.

5. Get your family on board by allowing them to contribute ideas. Make goals together . Reward yourself as well as your family. Let’s face it, change is never easy. We all have our habits that we hold on to-for good or bad. Remember that this will be a tough process, but it should also be rewarding. Be creative and look for ways you can give yourself and your family a metaphorical pat on the back. Money need not be involved! Take the kids to the park. Give yourself a nice warm bath with a good book. Stay up a little longer after the kids go to bed and give your spouse your undivided attention. Bottom line--enjoy life! Life is not about money-it’s about happiness.

6. Plan a menu for an entire month (or pay period). By organizing your menu and your meals in this way, it will allow you to plan your shopping for the entire month. This will also eliminate the “what’s for dinner” syndrome. This will also give you direction when watching the ads. Every month I know what I need to buy and I know what is not on that list. I won’t spend my precious extra money on something, even if it’s a fantastic sale, that we hardly use or need. It’s not a good deal if it goes to waste.

7. Make meals ahead of time. Time is money. We’ve all heard it and it’s true. Spending a little time now will save you a heap of money in the future. This step virtually eliminates impulsive eating out and will allow for more family time in the evening when everybody is home.

8. Buy in bulk and Compare prices. Bulk prices are not always the cheapest. Again, be aware of the cost of food and take the time to compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Cook and freeze portions needed for monthly dinners when you get home from shopping (or in the next day or two). This keeps kids from eating everything and keeps your food from spoiling in the refrigerator. Wasted food is money down the drain.

9. Make it yourself! Most things made from scratch really are cheaper than store-bought convenience foods. It’s also a healthier way to feed your family. When you make things yourself, you can avoid the added salt, fat and sugar- not to mention artificial flavors and colorings and who knows what else! You have more control over what junk your family is eating, or more importantly, what they are not. I have a mix for just about everything from hot chocolate, to stew, to pancakes, to sloppy Joes. By preparing these things ahead of time I find that I save a lot of time when cooking, and money too.

10. Get Organized! None of this will work if you don’t have a plan--a way to track what’s going in and out and what’s needed to buy. When you are running low on something in your pantry then you know it’s time to start really watching the ads for that item. Shop sales and bulk to replenish what you use. Keep a folder or some other way of keeping track of what you have. By setting up your pantry in this way, it allows you to use sale prices on almost everything that you put into your meals. What a difference!

11. Change your shopping habits and practice other cost cutting tips. . Use your own judgment and do what works for you and your family. While the previous steps will help you reduce your grocery budget, you may need a little extra help. Following are a few ideas that can further help you to cut costs.
Make a list and stick to it.
Only use cash to pay for your groceries.
Bring only enough CASH for what you plan to buy. If you come across a deal that is too good to pass up, come back for it.
Don’t throw away food - ANY of it!
*Re-use bacon grease for frying eggs, flavoring muffins, greasing tins, etc.
*Use juice from canned fruit as a marinade for meat or drink it yourself.
*Cut moldy cheese (white non-fuzzy mold only) off cheese block (hard cheese). The rest is fine to eat.
*Freeze leftovers for “TV dinners”.
*Return unsatisfactory products.
*Grind leftover salad and add to vegetable soup.
*Re-use leftovers in another meal.
*Save dry bread, heels, even the crumbs from cutting bread in freezer and use in recipes calling for bread crumbs.
*Use uneaten (or clearance priced) chocolate bunnies, hearts, etc as dipping chocolate.
*Sour milk can be still be used for cooking/baking.
*Use brownie, cake, pie crumbs for ice cream topping.
*Soften hard marshmallows by placing in a re-sealable bag with a few slices of fresh bread.
*Save butter wrappers to grease pans.
*Egg whites (uncooked) can be frozen for use later on.
*Freeze things before they go bad.
Half the amount of meat called for in most recipes. Cheaper and less calories!
Don’t serve seconds on meat, juice & milk. Use bread, rice, pasta as fillers if still hungry and drink water for refills.
Don’t serve your entire roast. First set aside amount needed for planned leftovers or to use in other recipes.
Cut your meat into smaller pieces. It will go further in stews, soups, casseroles, etc.
Drink Water.
Try to cut out the non-essentials. (do a little at a time so you don’t feel deprived)
Get organized. Know what’s on hand. Don’t let food go bad in your fridge or pantry.
Educate yourself. If you don’t know how to cook, then learn! Practice makes perfect.
Shop the edges of the store. Everything you need should be in produce, dairy, meat and sales. Everything else will cost you extra.
Shop around for the best deals. Try to plan your shopping with other errands in the area.
Buy direct from the manufacturer things that you use often. (if it’s a better deal)
Try store brands.
Don’t buy an item just because it’s on sale or to use a coupon.
No matter how good the deal is on soda, chips, etc, you still didn’t need to buy them in the first place!
Shop sales and bulk and stock up. (pay attention, make sure you’re really getting a deal)
Plan all your shopping in one or two trips to the store. This helps cut down on impulse buys.
Eat only what you need.

Bountiful Basket & storing fruit and vegetables

I picked up my second Bountiful Basket on Saturday and I'm really glad that I did! I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like there was more produce in the baskets this time which is always great. My 21-month-old dug right into the juicy strawberries that were included. The only problem that I had is that I still had produce leftover from last week (from the basket and from the store) so I had a hard time finding places for everything. I made a list of everything that I'll make this week and made sure to re-package or freeze those veggies that I won't be able to get to. We certainly can't have anything spoiling in the refrigerator!

The only fruit that I froze were the grapes. We have lots of fruit that needs to be eaten, and if I left it up to my kids they would eat nothing but grapes. So freezing the grapes will help encourage them to eat some of the other fruit before it goes bad. Also, frozen grapes are SO good on a hot summer day. So not only will they not go bad, they will serve as a tasty treat down the road. To freeze, wash thoroughly and drain as much as possible. You can freeze them on a cookie sheet then transfer to freezer bags. But I've found that as long as there's not excess water on the grapes, they freeze just fine if you put them straight into bags. Just squeeze the frozen grapes gently to break apart when serving.

In my basket this week I got onions, celery and carrots.. all of which I either bought last week, or in the case of the carrots, have been using out of the garden. So to make sure these stay fresh, I chopped and blanched the mixed veggies and added them to quart-sized bags for some easy soup or stew down the road. Even if I don't get to them until the end of Summer or beginning of Fall they will be just fine.

First, I set a pot of water to boil. I then chopped the celery and added it to the water with the exception of the celery tops and yellowish inner stalks. These don't take as long to cook, so I set those aside to add last. Next I chopped the carrots and added them. Then I cut the onions into chunks and added them as well. By the time I added the celery tops, I only needed to let the vegetables boil for about 1-2 minutes more. I'm not trying to fully cook them, just give them a good blanching. To stop the cooking process, when I removed the vegetables from the boiling water, I gave them a good dip in some ice water and then into the freezer bags.

I also had some spinach that needed to be frozen. I kept some out for the dinners that I'll make with it this week, but for the rest I wilted it and stuck it into a freezer bag for future use. I stuffed the spinach into a large colander set atop a big empty pot. Then I slowly poured the boiling vegetable broth from the carrots and celery over the spinach and allowed it to wilt for a couple minutes. It was then ready to add to the freezer bags.

For the lettuce and celery that I won't get to until later this week or next week, I wrapped them in aluminum foil to keep them crisp until I'll need them. This really works and is especially handy when the vegetable crisper is full, like mine is. I've kept celery this way up to a month without it going limp on me.

Simply center the vegetable in the foil and wrap tightly.

Other than that just be sure that you keep most vegetables in a high moisture vegetable crisper. And fruits, such as apples and oranges need as little moisture as possible to stay fresh.

"Outside In" Burgers aka Juicy Lucy

Again, it was too hot to cook inside yesterday. I asked the boys what we should grill: "Hamburgers. Like the ones on Man Vs. Food." Ok, so I'm thinking I can do that. I'll just grill me up a turkey burger to go along with dinner so I don't feel too deprived when all the boys are scarfing down Juicy Lucys... um, yeah.. that totally didn't happen. One look at those burgers coming off the grill and I couldn't help myself! There never was a turkey burger that was as juicy and delicious as these babies! One day of fattening food isn't going to ruin everything... right?

"Outside In" Burgers

2 lb ground chuck
1/4 cup chicken broth (I used vegetable broth from the veggies I cooked earlier that day)
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz American cheese

Mix ground beef with broth, bread crumbs and seasonings until well combined. Shape into 8 patties. Pile 1/2 oz cheese on top of each burger.

Shape meat around cheese, fully enclosing cheese inside of burgers. Preheat grill to 500 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Grill 8-10 minutes, flipping burgers once when they come away easily from the cooking grates. During last minute of grilling, toast buns if desired.

Mike wanted bacon on top of his burger, so we added some bacon to the grill as well. This, in my opinion, is the best way to cook bacon seeing as it doesn't force everybody in the house to smell bacon for the next 24 hours.

Here's Mike's partially eaten burger.. so messy he should be eating it with a fork (which he didn't, of course). He topped it with bacon, lettuce, tomato, bleu cheese dressing, ketchup, mustard and salsa.  Yum! Mike tells me this concoction was a total of only 80 calories... right...

And lastly, a close up of the cheese oozing out of the center of the burger.

Gilled Pizzas

This was a really fun way to make pizza without heating up our house. In fact, it turned into more than just dinner- but a family activity. I used the leftover vegetables from the kabobs the other night for our topping as well as some sliced linguica and some turkey sausage (Portugese sausage- it's a delicacy around here!) I had the vegetables all chopped up and ready to go as well as the sauce, meat and cheese so as the crusts came off the grill, the kids were all able to do up their pizza just how they wanted it. For the dough, I used my 1 hour bread recipe cut in half. I also substituted whole wheat flour for half of the white flour.

Grilled Pizza

1/2 recipe One Hour White Bread
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
4 cups chopped vegetables of your choice
  we used: tomatoes, peppers, onions, pineapple, mushrooms
2 cups chopped or sliced cooked meat
  we used: 1 cup sliced linguica, 1 cup diced turkey sausage
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

After the mixing and kneading stage of the One Hour bread recipe, move dough to a greased bowl (turning to coat all sides), cover and allow to rise for 25 minutes. When dough has doubled in size, cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Lightly brush 8 squares of parchment paper with oil. (I didn't have any parchment paper, so I used freezer paper just to easily move my uncooked crusts around). Using your fingers or a small roller, flatten each piece of dough on a sheet of parchment paper to create 8 rounds. Each round should be about 1/3 in. thick. Lightly brush the tops with oil. Let the rounds sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes.

While dough is resting, pre-heat grill to 400 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Work with 2-4 rounds at a time depending on what can fit onto your grill (mine fits two). Remove dough from parchment paper, place the dough on the cooking grate and grill with lid closed as much as possible, until the dough is well marked and firm on the underside, 2-5 minutes. Rotate as needed for even cooking.

Transfer the crusts to a work surface with the grilled sides facing up. Repeat with the other rounds.

Spread the sauce evenly over the crusts, keeping it from the edges, and then arrange vegetables on top. Top with shredded cheese. Return pizzas to grill and cook, with lid closed as much as possible, until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crusts are crisp, 2-5 minutes. Rotate pizzas occasionally for even cooking. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges. Serve warm.

This recipe makes a LOT of pizza. You can easily turn this into 16 small pizzas or cut the recipe in half to still feed a family of 4-6. I made the recipe as is, except for with two of the crusts, I cooked both sides without adding any toppings. I then topped one of the fully cooked crusts with refried beans, salsa, shredded lettuce, cilantro, chopped tomatoes and avocados for my cheeseless (and delicous) alternative. The other crust is tucked away in the refrigerator for a quick lunch for me and the kids next week. We fed our entire family, plus an extra teenage boy and the neighbors dog with this meal. [My neighbor was talking to us outside while my 3-year-old was eating her pizza a litt too close to the dog! Whoops!] We also ended up with one extra pizza to serve for lunch today.

Lamb Meatballs, Fruit & Spinach Salad, Kabobs

I am getting so wussy in my old age. It's been so HOT in my house and the outside temps are only in the low 90's as of yet. Either way, the thought of turning on my oven is just about unbearable so we've been grilling the past few nights. I've enjoyed coming up with some different things to cook on the grill- afterall, we can't have steak and hamburgers every night that it's too hot to cook indoors.

In the process of cleaning out my freezer I found some lamb meat that I bought late last year on clearance and with a coupon. It came out to $1.50/lb so I figured it was worth a shot at that price. But, in all this time I've never known what to do with it. The other night I decided to turn it into some grilled meatballs.

Lamb Meatballs

2 lbs ground lamb

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

olive oil

In a medium bowl, using yuor hands, gently mix the meatball ingredients. Do not overwork the mixture (like I did! I mixed the meat in a plastic bag so I wouldn't have to touch it, but I ended up over-working it that way...) or the meatballs will be tough. Makes about 25 meatballs Thread 5 meatballs onto each skewer. Lightly brush with oil. Pre-heat grill to about 400 F. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the meatballs with the lid closed as much as possible until they have browned but are still slightly pink in the center, 4-6 minutes, turning occasionally.

I also bought a pineapple and some peppers last Saturday at Costco that needed to be used. So, to go along with our meatballs, I made some pineapple/veggie kabobs and some Fruit & Spinach salad.

Fruit & Vegetable Kabobs

1/2 large onion

3-4 cups fresh pineapple chunks (1/2 pineapple)

1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks

1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks

8 oz button mushrooms

2 cups tomatoes, cut into large chunks

or 18 plum tomatoes 

 If using bamboo instead of metal skewers be sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes. Thread vegetables onto skewers. Keep the vegetables close enough to just touch, without crowding. Brush with olive oil. Preheat grill to 400 F. Brush cooking grates clean. Grill with the lid closed as much as possible until skins of the vegetables begin to brown and blister - about 8 minutes- turning occasionally.

My last edition to our meal was an afterthought. I just wanted to use the extra pineapple and onions that didn't fit onto the kabobs, but it turned out really great! I made a Fruit and Spinach salad with Sesame Vinaigrette

 

Fruit & Spinach Salad

1/2 lb baby spinach
4 oz sliced strawberries
1 cup pineapple, cut into bite-sized pieces (if using canned, reserve the juice)
1/2 cup onion, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup Sesame Vinaigrette

Combine salad ingredients. Toss with Sesame Vinaigrette. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to combine flavors.

Sesame Vinaigrette

4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted*

2 tablespoon rice vinegar
6 tablespoons unsweetened white grape juice (or use the reserved pineapple juice)
4 teaspoons sesame oil
 
Combine ingredients in a small jar. Shake to combine. Allow to sit for several hours if possible to combine flavors. Shake again before serving.
*I didn't have any sesame seeds, so I made my dressing without them and it still tasted great.
 
Overall, my opinion about lamb? I think I'll stick with ground beef and turkey. The guys seemed to like them (we only ended up with 4 leftover meatballs) but, while they were good, they don't top my list of favorites. Maybe it's because I kept conjuring images of a cute little fuzzy creature bleating and crying or maybe just because I overworked the meat and the meatballs turned out a bit tough. But at least now I can say I've tried cooking it, right?

Whole Grain Tortillas

Remember the multi-grain baking mix I made a few days ago? Well, I used that to make these multi-grain tortillas. My standard tortilla recipe is great for flour tortillas but I've found that when I use whole wheat instead of white flour for that recipe, the tortillas turn out a bit bland. This recipe solves the problem.

Whole Grain Tortillas
1 cup whole wheat flour, finely ground
1 cup multi-grain baking mix
1/2 cup water

In a medium sized bowl, combine 1/2 cups flour, baking mix and water. Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Return dough to bowl and let rest 30 minutes. After dough has rested, shape into 8 balls and roll out flat and thin (about 1/8 inch). Cook on hot griddle about 15 seconds, flip and cook 5-10 seconds more.

Vegetarian fajitas

My diet has been going well. So far I've lost the 3 of the extra 4 pounds I gained last month. And also I haven't spent very much of my grocery budget. I'm thinking maybe I'll be able to stay under my $250 afterall. I've been using some of the extra food that I cooked last month. For example, I used my veggie burgers in my vegetarian fajitas I cooked last night as well as a bell pepper that my neighbor paid me back with. (I gave her a pepper last month so she brought one to me this month!) The cilantro came from my garden. Also the ingredients for the tortillas and the sauce all came from my pantry so the only groceries I used that I had to buy this month were the onions and tomatoes.

Fajitas

1 1/2 large bell pepper sliced thin
1 large onion sliced thin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 minced garlic clove
2-3 veggie burger patties, sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tomato, diced

Add olive oil to large fry-pan. Allow to heat to medium hot. Add pepper and onion.You can add 1/4 cup water if needed to keep vegetables from sticking to the pan. When onions are tender add tomatoes and seasonings. Allow mixture to boil about 5 minutes for sauce to thicken. Add sliced veggie burgers last and stir just until warmed. Serve over warm tortillas. Garnish with chopped lettuce, cilantro, fresh tomato, cheese, salsa and sour cream if desired.

Sliced veggie burger- ready to add to the vegetables and seasonings.