Can’t Cook On a Budget? It’s Grandma’s Fault

Cooking everyday at home is a great way to cook on a budget. But sometimes, the habits that we picked up as a kid can be detrimental to saving money on food. Let me explain what I’m talking about – remember the end of most family meals when grandma would push the serving platter at your already loosened belt and waist-band?

“Eat it or it’ll go to waste” she’d always say.

“If it’ll go to waste, what did you cook it for”? was my thought, even as a young kid. “Isn’t there a way to figure out exactly how much you should cook?” I didn’t actually say that sentence out loud…I never was fond of the taste of soap. But, it only took my 8th grade math skills to figure out what grandma hadn’t been able to for decades.

The precise portions you feed your family is the basis of cooking on a budget. When you know exactly how much each person will eat, you’ll know how much to buy, and how much to cook, eliminating over-buying, over-cooking, wasting leftovers, or letting food spoil while in your possession.

The average cooked portion is 4 ounces protein, 3 ounces vegetable, 5 ounces starch per person. If your husband is a big eater, adjust upward. If your wife is petite like mine, adjust downward. But, with a digital scale and keen observation, perhaps a notebook, you’ll arrive at the quantifiable amount that everyone in your house eats.

Now, you can begin saving money at the grocery store, or using the money you’ve saved by buying more wholesome, exotic, or expensive ingredients because you know there will be little waste. You’ll also be helping the health of your family buy controlling the amount of food they eat.

In her everyday cooking, Grandma offered you more and more of what she prepared and she did it out of love for you. Today, when you’re cooking at home, the best way to show love to your family is by preparing a wholesome meal that is an appropriate amount for all to enjoy, while still being able to cook on a budget.

Leftovers Are Like Finding Money When You Cook On a Budget

Cooking everyday at home is a great way to cook on a budget. But sometimes, the habits I want you to enjoy cooking at home by examining basic cooking methods and perhaps taking cooking classes online to further your journey in your cooking. My goal is to help you pay for these cooking classes by saving you at least that much in your food budget everyday.

Previously, we’ve talked about saving food in purchasing, storing, and portioning to get the greatest effect if you’re cooking on a budget. But, many of these skills take time to develop and perfect. If you’re not cooking like a chef at home yet, the likelihood is that you have some over-purchasing, over-cooking, or over-portioning that has lead to leftovers.

How you use your leftovers can make a great impact on your everyday cooking budget, but there are few recipes that you can find dealing specifically with leftovers when cooking at home.

Here’s where you need basic cooking methods to be able to create something regardless of what the ingredients are. Our online cooking classes concentrate on the basic methods behind cooking that will empower you to create great meals from any of the ingredients you have on hand. This is especially useful when preparing something from the result of your everyday cooking leftovers.

For the best use of leftovers, try to keep ingredients separate before presentation. For example, cook a chicken breast and then top it with sauce, one plate at a time. This way, if you have leftover chicken, it doesn’t have tomato sauce on it and can be made into chicken salad for lunch the next day. Or, it can be shredded and rolled into a tortilla for a burrito, but it won’t taste like last night’s chicken.

You can even plan your leftovers in advance. Using the knowledge of your family’s portions, let’s say you purposely cook ½ pound of shrimp more than you need for tonight’s dinner. You set this over-cooking aside, prepared to make shrimp salad or shrimp tacos tomorrow evening. This not only saves time, but money also by making two satisfying meals, rather than one over-portioned meal and some leftovers that are discarded later.

When you’re cooking at home everyday and you’re left with leftovers, or have even planned for leftovers, HOW you treat the food afterward can double your savings and protect your cooking budget.

Cooking on a Budget Part II

We used another Kraft Foods Recipe! 1 Bag, 5 Dinners.

Save Money on Grocery Shopping -Tips for a Tight Budget

It is easy to overspend when grocery shopping. It’s probably the place where we do the most impulse shopping. So we tend to buy things we don’t really need and there goes the budget. If you would like to be a more frugal shopper, here are some things that will help guide you when buying groceries.

Make A List

Most People have certain things they eat regularly. So making a basic menu plan should be fairly simple. You know you have to eat dinner 7 times this week. So write down 7 dinners. Think about what you need to make those things. Make a list. Look in your pantry and fridge to see what basics you are out of. It helps to keep an ongoing list inside your cupboard of things as you run out of them. Making a list will help make sure that you get everything in one trip. Statistics show that you spend more the more trips you make to the store. When you go in for one item that you are out of, and you come out with a whole lot of other things. Plan to go grocery shopping two to three times a month. Sometimes it will be necessary to shop in between trips to the grocery store. If you have a problem with impulse buying, then maybe try getting your milk and bread at a convenience store where there is less to tempt you.

Should You Buy Already Prepared Food

It is usually better to cook from scratch when you have a large family. When I cook for my family it is generally cheaper to not use prepared foods. A big pot of stew is very inexpensive to make, but to buy cans of stew can run into money. However, if the choice is between going out to eat or prepared foods, then definitely prepared is better.

When it was just me and my husband, it was probably cheaper to buy prepared foods rather than buy all the different ingredients that we would need for a smaller batch. The food almost always went bad before we could use it, because there just wasn’t enough people to eat it. You can only have spaghetti for so many nights in a row.

Buy Basic Food Products

It is healthier and more cost effective to buy more basic things when shopping for groceries. Buying a bag of rice will save you money compared to a box of flavored rice. The prepared foods usually contain preservatives that are not good for your body. If you prepare the food yourself, then you can control exactly what is in it. Oatmeal is allot less expensive than instant oatmeal and it is better for you. Processing takes allot of nutrients out of food and it is quite a bit more expensive. Although, if you are not willing to take the extra time it takes to cook these foods, then this tip will not be helpful for you.

Check Adds Before You Go

Check your adds regularly. This will help you to know what is a good deal and what is not. Some stores are better to buy certain items at than others. I have a particular store that always has eggs on sale for a good price. That’s the only place I will buy eggs. Grocery stores adds start on the same day every week for the most part. Planning your menus around these specials can help you save as you shop. Generally the front page of the ad has the best deals. They’re designed to get your attention and make you want to come to that store. Just because an item is in the add does not mean it’s a good deal, that is why you need to check them regularly. Buying produce in season will also help you save money. If it is something you can freeze, then do so. Out of season fruits and vegetables are expensive and not good quality.

Store Discount Cards and Coupons

Many grocery stores have cards that give you a discount on certain items, especially items that are advertised in their ads at a sale price. If you don’t have a card, you’ll be charged a higher price, which is listed in the ad in tiny print beside the item’s picture. The cards are useful to shoppers. Many stores have registers that print out coupons for future purchases of items that you have bought that day if you are using the store card. The cards are easy to get; you have to fill out a sheet with some basic information at the register or customer service desk, and then just remember to use the card when you check out.

If you get the Sunday newspapers, it often includes coupons for dollars off on groceries. Most coupons are for processed foods and new products, but you can find them for many different items. You can use a coupon while an item is on sale, so you can double your savings. It does take a little organization though. If you’re on a budget, however, you could save quite a lot of money if you buy several items on sale with coupons.

Take A Calculator

How many times have you been shocked by the price at the register and wondered what did I buy? Well taking a calculator with you to shop could help you if you’re on a budget, especially if you’re an impulse buyer or have small children who distract you while you shop. If you’re good at math, you can try to keep a running total. But if your like me, a calculator would be great. As you add an item to your basket, punch the price in the calculator. Using a calculator will help you to make wiser choices; if you see that your total is rising rapidly, you can put something back and choose a lower priced item. Using the calculator will prevent any shock at the register.

Compare Brands

Many grocery stores have their own brand name products, and these products are usually made by well-known manufacturers. Store brand products are almost always less expensive than name brand products, and if you look at the ingredients, they are probably identical. Buy one of the store brand products, taste it, and if you like it you can save money next time you need that item. You can save by buying store brands on food, over-the-counter medicines, cleaners, and other household products. It is common for stores to put all of their store brand products on sale at one time.

Larger Quantity

If a grocery store puts a nonperishable item on sale at a very low price, buy extras. Basic foods like flour, sugar, beans, rice, canned and frozen goods will last quite a while if you use them regularly. If you buy enough, then you won’t have to buy it when it’s not on sale.

Buy your snack items in bulk instead of putting money in a vending machine regularly. Joining a wholesale club means you must purchase a member’s card, but a few trips to the club can save you lots of money if you buy items you use frequently in quantity. The clubs offer samples of certain items frequently, so you are able to try something before you buy it. This is great, because you don’t want to buy a ton of something you might not like.

On Sale

Just because it is on sale, doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. If it is not something you usually eat, then it may not be a great sale for you. When Kellogg’s goes on sale, it still may not be as cheap as the private label brand that you usually buy. You can save by buying items on sale, but it won’t be a savings if you don’t like the product. Only buy food that you know you or your family will eat or you will have wasted your money. Be careful that you don’t buy large quantities of perishable items. If half of it gets waisted before you eat it, you won’t have saved any money. Always check the date on sale items. It is very common for stores to put product on sale when they are close to going out of date.

Don’t Go To The Store Hungry

Make sure you have already eaten when you go to the store. Everything looks good when your hungry and your grocery bill will show it. It’s easier to resist junk food when your tummy is full.

When you have a plan, you are one step closer to sticking to your budget.

Cooking on a Budget: Chicken Parmesan

Parent Tested-Kid Approved! Really easy!

Cooking on a Budget in One Minute: Pasta Primavera

Pasta Primavera Alfredo-enough to feed 3 kids and me! Let me know what you think.

Household Budget Worksheets.

Provides Personal And Household Budgeting Tools And Advice.
Household Budget Worksheets.

Ideas For Gourmet Cooking on a Budget

How much do you pay for a meal in a fancy restaurant? How much just for the entree? Even on the low end of the scale, you could be paying around $15 per person for an entree. Sometimes you may end up paying $20-$30. Well, you can save a lot of money by cooking at home, and you can make a meal just as good, if not better than you can find in a fancy restaurant. You can easily cook up a gourmet quality meal at home with ingredients that you can easily find in your local grocery store, and with what you already have in your kitchen. If you do some planning, and look around in your store for some good prices, you can make a meal for $5.00 per serving that would cost $15-$30 in a fancy restaurant.

The most important thing to do is to plan the meal ahead of time, before you go shopping. A typical meal consists of a main dish (fish, chicken, pork, beef), a starch (rice, pasta, potatoes), and a vegetable or salad. For example, you may go into a restaurant, and order a steak; typically, it will come with a potato and vegetables. You’ll want to keep the three elements in mind when you plan your meal. The main dish, should be the primary focus of your meal, after all, you don’t go into a restaurant and order a baked potato in order to get the steak. So, you’ll want to start by deciding what the main dish is going to be. Look in your newspaper for circulars from your local grocery stores, and find out what is on sale. Pork chops are usually a good deal. I know I commonly find pork loin chops for around $1.00 per serving, and they are thick enough to stuff with other ingredients. Keep in mind the price per serving when you’re shopping. $8.99 per pound for tuna steaks may seem like a lot, but 1 pound is 3-4 servings, meaning about $2.25-$3.00 per serving… not too bad.

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