Tips To Save Money On Groceries

Saving money will never go out of style, especially when you put your mind to it. One of the biggest household wastes may be found with the food bill. Yes, everybody has to eat, however, its the food choices and lack of pre-planned meals that can take hundreds of dollars away from you each month. Saving money on your grocery bill is something we all can do, whether it be fifty or hundreds of dollars a month. To stretch your grocery budget, yet never go without, try a few helpful hints to get the most bang from your grocery buck:

1. Avoid processed foods. If you have a hankering for potatoes chips once in awhile, there’s no serious harm to an occasional splurge. However, processed food is not only damaging to the body, it also is some of the most expensive product on the shelves. Pre-packaged side dishes, such as seasoned rice and au grautin potatoes are expensive with package price versus servings, and can be made for a fraction of the cost when you opt for a freshly made meal done from scratch. You may also control the amount of salt and fat in the mix, making your own creation as healthy as you wish.

2. When you make a meal, be sure to cook the entire batch and store the excess in your freezer. When storing a large meal, such as pasta or meat products, it’s easier to defrost if you store only the portions you are likely to use for the next meal. Freezer bags are fine for vegetables or breads, however, you may wish to invest in a Lock N’ Lock brand of airtight storage bins to capture the freshness and taste. When you defrost the container, the food will snap back to it’s original form if you refrain from using a microwave. Rather, pull you meal plans from the freezer the day before you need them to ensure the contents are not overcooked with defrosting.

3. To save money on costly cans of single serving soups, try making your own soup from fresh vegetables and a soup starter bullion. The home made soup whips up easily in a crock pot and can be stretched for a couple of days in the fridge. Home made soup gives you full charge of every flavor and seasoning, making a hot and hearty treat even better than what you can find in a restaurant. Having a light lunch with a bowl of soup not only saves you at the checkout line, but also does wonders for your waist line.

4. Buying in bulk may seem like you are paying more for your grocery store visit, but the savings at the end of the month can be drastic. Warehouse shopping, such as Costco and Sam’s Club, offer bulk-rate groceries and also extend consumer incentives on an annual cash back program at the end of the year. Cereal boxes are double and triple the size as compared to your local grocer, costing a mere fraction more that what the retail chains are charging.

5. Coupons are a great way to keep the grocery bill down with discounts and “two-fer” specials. The key to saving with coupons is to restrict their usage only to items that you normally would purchase anyway. The marketing campaign behind coupons is to offer an incentive to consumers to try a new product, however, if that product was not on your grocery list or deemed as an essential, you will have spent more than your budget by using the coupon. Clipping coupons can indeed knock $10 and more from your grocery bill, just be sure to use wisdom and discretion when shopping.

[removed]// <);
// ]]>[removed]

Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals

Product Description
The essence of nutrition guidance is to provide the
public with the best information available to assist
them in making wise and nutritious food choices to
sustain life and good health. As public officials in the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, we are deeply
concerned that Americans not only have enough food
but also that the public has enough information to
know what food to purchase and how to prepare it.
While a healthy diet is the corners… More >>

Recipes and Tips for Healthy, Thrifty Meals

Keeping Dinner Interesting With These Tips

When it comes to the nightly meal of the day – dinner meals easily become a victim of repetitive entrees and side dishes. Some individuals and families find themselves stuck in a rut, preparing some of the same meals on a weekly basis – fish on Friday, Meatloaf Monday, bland corn, white rice, and lifeless mashed potatoes. To keep dinner fun, fresh, and in many cases, exciting – there are plenty of ways to stop the boredom that comes with fixing and eating the same dishes. A few ideas include:

1) Try New Recipes

Whether you scan the cookbooks lining the library shelves or browse the infinite number of online resources, there are plenty of recipes awaiting the eager cook. New recipes add excitement and new flavors that not only add spice to the dining room table, but also awaken the taste buds. You never know if you don’t like something if you never try it. Why not experiment with veal or make your first gumbo?

2) Try New Ingredients  

Sometimes you can transform an old favorite by simply substituting the ingredients you normally use. There are thousands of different spices, meats, vegetables, fruits, sauces, and other cooking ingredients that you are unaware of. This is also a great chance to explore some of the different worldwide methods of cooking, as you consider the use of cilantro, rose petals, Adobo, hummus, and oyster sauce.

3) Theme Night of the Week

To spice up the dinnertime you have grown accustomed to, theme nights create a great break from the norm. You may select a day of the week that is especially set aside for a particular theme of your choice, such as “Dinner and a Movie.” When preparing a mealtime your family will never forget, you may choose to explore another culture. A few theme night feasts may include: Italian (pizza, cannoli, lasagna); Asian (spring rolls, chicken stir fry, fortune cookies); Middle Eastern (pita sandwiches, falafel); or French (croissant sandwiches, quiche, crepes).

4) Breakfast Food At Night

When you’re tired of the meat and potatoes dinner, there is nothing wrong with setting a hot, stack of pancakes on the table for the last meal of the day. Omelets, waffles, French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon, all make great selections for a dinner that breaks from the norm.

5) Fun Presentation Ideas

Perhaps the things you cook for dinner taste great and are crowd pleasers, but you want to step up the level of enjoyment. Enhanced presentation of food not only heightens the interest of the meal, but also gets the conversation going around the dinner table. One of the most attention-grabbing ideas for meals includes fruit and vegetable carving, where radishes, apples, oranges, and melons become works of art. Sometimes, dinner plates may showcase a bright explosion of foods, arranged according to the colors of the rainbow.

6) Decoration, Decoration, Decoration

To encourage a more enjoyable dinner meal, decorating the dining room table is a great way to boost the level of delight, including colorful napkins, inviting candles, fun silverware choices, decorative tablecloths, new cups and glasses, or beautiful spreads of flowers and plants.

7) Change The Scenery

Sometimes the food served during dinner isn’t the boring part of mealtime, but the monotonous seating and setting at the dining room table sometimes becomes the problem. To change up the scenery, make arrangements to have a picnic dinner, gather on the patio to watch the sun set over a delicious home cooked meal, or plan a laidback feast to enjoy in the family room. Why not hold an outdoor Hawaiian luau, where the backyard is transformed into an island paradise with roasted pineapple, grilled food, and leis?

Overall, if you think coming up with your own creative meal ideas is hard, there are plenty of cooking resources and meal planners to consider. For example, to help cooks keep dinner interesting, culinary exploration reports offered at Menu Planning Central help add life, creativity, and imagination.

Tips for Healthy Meal Planning & Snacks

fitfortwo.tv Brock shares some tips for planning healthy meals ahead of time, and shares two quick, and easy-to-make snacks that are packed full of nutrients. Follow us on Twitter twitter.com Like us on Facebook: facebook.com Watch the full episode here: bit.ly

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.

Save Money on Groceries – Six Tips

You have probably read articles on how to save money on groceries. They tell you to have a list and sticking to it, use coupons, go to discount membership stores (like Sam’s Club), shop sales and stock up when things are cheap. All of this works, but there are less common ways too. Here a few of them.

Store Loyalty Cards

The “loyalty cards” many grocery stores promote give members special prices on various items. That much you know, and it does save you money on your groceries. But it can cost you money and privacy at some stores. Some grocery chains have been selling your purchasing information. Health insurance companies have been some of the buyers.

What does this mean? You might not smoke, but suppose you buy cigarettes for your friend or neighbor. If they are bought using a card with your name on it, you might pay more for insurance as a result. No matter what information you put on the application, the card still works, so be John or Jane Doe. At least put your middle name as your first, or use a different spelling.

Once you have a membership card, keep it in your wallet or purse so you don’t forget it. Depending on what you buy, you can get 10% or more off your total bill, and sometimes they have particularly good deals for members, so you can stock up on something you use regularly. Some cards are also good for a discount off each gallon of gasoline at many stations.

Forget The Coupons

Coupons sometimes work, but they are almost always for the name-brand products. Name-brand saltine crackers cost $3.29 as I write this, while it was just $1.29 for the store brand we just bought. A 50-cent coupon still leaves the expensive ones twice as expensive. Often the same crackers are in different boxes, with a store label for one and a brand label for the other, so experiment to see if the quality is the equal (the $1.69 ones we tried were terrible, while the $1.29 ones taste great).

Coupons rarely save you enough money to make a product cheaper than other brands that are available. An exception is some pharmacies that carry groceries and have really good coupon deals. They’re willing to lose money on certain products to draw customers into the store. When they have half-priced olives, nuts or canned goods, stock up.

Watch For Mistakes

Mistakes ringing up your order are common and almost never in your favor. The most common reason is sale prices that were never entered into the computer system. Keep an eye on that register, and have any mistakes corrected on the spot. Otherwise, you might spend three dollars in gas to go get your two dollars back later that day.

Don’t Bring Children

Teaching your children to be smart shoppers is a great idea, but most of the time they should be left home. They grab things and beg. Perhaps you give in to their demands less than most parents, but why torture them and make shopping more stressful for you? It’s almost certain that you’ll save money on groceries if you don’t bring the children.

Pay Attention To Unit Prices

Check the price-per-unit tags to find the best deals on each item. Larger sizes were typically cheaper per-ounce in the past, but this is changing. Many grocery stores now have the larger items at a higher per-unit price – possibly an attempt to trick you. Do the math.

Eat Before You Shop

Perhaps the easiest way how to save money on groceries is to eat before you go to the grocery store. Not only will you buy less than if you are hungry, but you’ll probably buy healthier foods as well.

Tips on How You Can Do Weekly Menu Planning

Everybody is looking for ways to save money and cut expenses these days. One of the easiest places to cut back is on your monthly grocery budget. Weekly menu planning will allow you to budget and stick to a set amount that will be spent at the grocery store. Menu planning will save you lots of time and plenty of money and is not hard to do.

Start out by writing out a list of four or five main courses that your family would like to eat during the coming week. When you first start menu planning it may be best to select family favorites. Once you have listed your main course idea start adding side dishes that compliment the meals. Now is the time to try to make a well-balanced meal by using a good source of protein, a starch and at least one vegetable or fruit in each meal plan.

Now that you have completed four or five dinner menus, write down what you will be eating for breakfast.

If you or any other family members eat lunch at home or pack a lunch, write down what will be eaten for lunch.

By now, you should have five days worth or meals written down. Now look at your list to determine if there will be any leftovers that can be used on the remaining two days of your plan. If so, write them down.

Now you should have a plan for an entire week of meals that can be prepared at home. It is now time to make your grocery list. Go down the list and write down everything that will be needed to prepare each meal.

Now that you have your grocery list completed, take a minute or two to write down the non-food items that you need when you do your shopping. Do you need shampoo or mouthwash? Whatever it is, write it down.

Now you are ready to go to the store. Buy only the things that are on your list. You have gone to a good deal of effort to prepare this list so stick to it. Don’t purchase anything that is not on your list.

Be sure to post the meal plan on the refrigerator so you will not forget what you planned. You will soon enjoy the extra time you have and will notice that mealtime is less stressful than ever before.