9 Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Groceries

Easy Meal Planning

It never fails, we budget for our groceries, but the bill always ends up being more. We underestimate, run out of things faster than expected and overall, everything is becoming just too darned expensive! To make things a little bit easier, here are 9 simple ways you can start saving money on your groceries.

1. Go with a List: Yes, I know…it’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s amazing how effective it can be. You can purchase only what you need and avoid all the other yummy distractions of the grocery store.

2. Meal Planning: Planning your meals in advance makes it easier to get your list together and ensure you buy only exactly what you need. You can get help with your meal planning at Dine Without Whine AND they actually put your grocery list together for you too.

3. Eat Before You Go: Another classic tip. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to buy (and instantly eat) everything! Have a meal or good snack before you go to avoid impulse purchases.

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Frugal Dinner Ideas

What’s For Dinner?

You shouldn’t have to break the piggy bank just to put food on the table, but sometimes it sure feels that way.  Especially with the price of food going up these days…

Here are some tips on how to have a frugal dinner any night of the week:

1.  Cut down on the meat.  If a recipe calls for a pound of ground beef, use 3/4 or even 1/2 pound instead.  I generally will buy ground beef in bulk (especially when it’s on sale), and then will partition it into 1/2 and 3/4 pound portions.  Thanks to my trusty food saver, the ground beef stays fresh for much longer.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Watch for veggies that are in season, on sale or you can use frozen veggies.  I actually like cooking with frozen vegetables better than fresh veggies for certain recipes.

3.  Cook in bulk and freeze the leftovers.  I can’t tell you how much time and money we have saved since I bought my food saver and started cooking more bulk meals.  My family actually looks forward to leftovers now because they stay much fresher with the food saver.  And it’s much easier to plan meals when I’ve got full meals and several side dishes tucked away in the freezer.

4.  Use more pasta, rice and potatoes in your meals.  These are all cheap ingredients that can go a long way in a recipe.  And you can create countless of your own homemade skillet meals with these ingredients (instead of using a box mix).

5.  Make your own spice mixes.  Those packets of taco, chili and other seasonings can get pretty expensive.  Thankfully, many recipes for taco seasoning and other seasonings can be found online, using spices that you probably already have on hand, so it’s very easy to create your own spice mixes instead of spending a dollar or more on one envelope that will last for just one meal.

These are just a few ideas on how to have a frugal dinner.  Please share your own ways to save money on dinner!

Meal Planning: How Much Can You Save?

Meal planning is a great way to save time, energy and money when feeding your family. For those thinking about meal planning, it is critical to note that you don’t have to sacrifice a tasty, healthful meal for a busy schedule or a tight budget. If you are searching for an awesome way to create meals for your family, following are some useful ideas.

Plan Your Meals in Advance

The key to meal planning is obviously planning your meals ahead of time. Unfortunately, many parents come home each night, ready to cook a easy dinner and have absolutely no idea what to make. With your family getting hungry and a little cranky, most families give up and drive to the nearest fast food or casual dining establishment. If you want to make sure that you stay home for dinner and that you and your family are all eating healthy, you must plan ahead.

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Grocery Tip of the Week

List at a Glance

I compiled a list of items that we buy on a regular basis.Instead of “writing” a list each month, I print it off on our home computer and post it on the fridge. I highlight what I need. Saves time since I can see at a glance what I need to buy.
Anna

Brought to you by mygrocerydeals.com and thedollarstretcher.com

On a Tight Schedule and Budget? Learn to Cook Without A Recipe

On a tight budget? It doesn’t mean you need to go on a canned-food diet. There are quick and simple home-cooking options that are easy on your budget, but also taste better than fat-laden fast foods. If you crave healthy, fresh, home-cooked meals but don’t have time to follow complicated recipes, read on.

Healthy Meals without a Recipe on a Tight Schedule & Budget

Stir-Frying: Chinese foods get a bad reputation for excessive oil use and fried items. But any of your Chinese friends will tell you that they don’t eat like that at home at all! Stir-frying is the easiest cooking method – it’s fast and it’s tasty. All you need is a non-stick pan (or a wok). Toss sliced meat with cut-up vegetables into your pan. If you are concerned about oil, use broth instead. When the meat and veggies are almost done, add your favorite Chinese sauce into the pan. Most stir-fry dishes can be completed within 10 minutes.

Recommended Tools: A non-stick wok, ready-made Chinese sauces

Click here to continue reading “On a Tight Schedule…”

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to My Weekly Menu Planner!  I decided to create this blog so that I would have one place to keep my menu plans, recipes and tips for cooking and saving money.

A friend introduced me to meal planning a couple of years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Meal planning helps me save money at the grocery store (which is a huge benefit in this crazy economy), and just as important, it helps save me time.

I’m looking forward to sharing how meal planning has helped me, as well as my favorite menu plans and recipes.

Please feel free to share your own meal planning tips and recipes each time you visit!