Around here the cost of groceries are sky rocketing, with a large family we are constantly trying to stretch our food budget from eating up the entire household budget. For us it is a constant battle employing various tactics to manage the expenses while still eating well. Most times we are on top of things but every now and then life takes over and we find the need to reel ourselves in or an unexpected expense pops up and we need to find ways to pare back in other areas.
10 Simple ways to reduce your grocery budget!
Meal planning
By planning your meals you have more control over how much you are spending and eating. By having a plan you know what to purchase, reducing impulse buying, overspending and wasted time wandering the store wondering what to purchase.
Double recipes, one for the freezer
This is one of my favourite tips! By doubling the recipe and putting one in the freezer, this provides relief, on those hectic days, when the last thing I want to do is cook. I have found some recipes are easy to double and freeze so well. I will also make premade crockpot recipes that freeze well and then you just dump them into the crockpot in the morning.
Shop discounted items
Many grocery stores reduce prices on items just before there best before date. I like to purchase our meat this way and find it works well if I put it directly into the freezer after purchase. I have also found baked items, produced, and damaged canned or packaged items reduced also.
Leftover day
Do you typically have leftovers piling up in your fridge? Pick one meal and have a buffet of leftovers. This uses up the leftovers and reduces the costs of yet another meal.
Plan meals around sales
Before you make your meal plan flip through this weeks sales flyers and see what's on special. Try including some of the sale items in your meal plan.
Plan around what's in season
Fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season costs less so eat what is in season or choose items that have been frozen or canned.
Plan around what you have on hand
Take a look in your fridge and pantry before making your meal plan, then plan around what you have on hand. If you are having a mental block and don't know what you could possibly make with those leftover items why not try typing into google "recipes for" and then the items you have, this might inspire you with a recipe for tonight's dinner.
Go meatless once a week (or more)
The cost of meat has drastically increased, by declaring one or more days a week "meatless" days this can provide some financial relief. Your meatless meal could be a dish with beans or lentils, or as simple as breakfast for dinner.
Make food from scratch
Prepackaged food is expensive! Take a look around your pantry and determine what prepackaged items you are buying then look for some simple recipes that you could make to replace the need to purchase some of these packaged items. By making things from scratch we have been able to reduce costs, control what goes into what we eat and have found that the items we make fill us up more so than the store bought version, which results in us eating less.
Shop around
It's always good to shop around so you know whether or not you are getting the best value for your money. We tend to buy most of our produce from a local farm market which as exceptional prices compared to the grocery store. Another store frequently has meat reduced first thing each morning so it is worth my time to check it out when in the area.
