If it was not obvious, money is tight. With three growing children, most of my income goes on food. These three could eat me out of house and home if I let them run wild. Unfortunately, I have to create rules on when and how much snacking they can do. I also have had to really pull in my food shopping to bring it down to a manageable level.
I’ve always been good about grocery shopping, but my budget is considerably less now. This mean I have had to learn a few new tricks to help me keep it maintained. Right now, for one mom and three kids, we are averaging around $100 per week. That includes my weekly grocery run as well as a few extras that get thrown in. I don’t want food to become a struggle for them, so I try to budget in for the occasional fast food and little treats.
The occasional treats help me feel like I am not teaching them that food is something to be afraid of, something that could run out. I don’t want them becoming food hoarders, or over eating from a fear that there will not be enough to eat tomorrow. It is a tight balance, but it is worth the effort for me.
I have 5 main tricks for keeping healthy, well-rounded food on the table with a tight budget. Little things that I have picked up here and there that work in my kitchen and my life. It could be easier if we had a larger fridge or a deep-freeze to store food in. Right now we are working with a tiny RV fridge that holds about 75% of what a typical fridge will hold. Still, there is always a way to get enough food stuffed in where I need it.
- I start with a meal plan. It is really a life saver, and something I have been doing for a while now. Before, I would go through my cookbooks and plan out my own meals that way. Now however, I need that time to work on more writing and earn a little extra income. As a trade off, I purchase pre-made meal plans from E-mealz*. It is $15 for three months of dinners, and comes with the recipes plus the shopping list. Plus I can customize it based on which grocery store I want to use so I am getting food that is on sale or normally cheaper at my local shop for that week.
- We’ve cut out the meat. Most of you know that I’ve been playing with vegetarianism for a while. I waffle back and forth, mostly because I see good arguments on both sides of the food debate. (No, this is not the time to convince me your way of eating is right.) The kids and I are following a mostly lacto-ovo vegetarian diet right now. I toss in the occasional meat product about twice a month, but eggs, milk and cheese make up the bulk of our animal products. With a tight budget, cutting out meat is one of the easiest ways to cut the bill down.
- Keep it simple. There are thousands of food options out there, and any good foodie can tell you ways to cook a single meal with half of them. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for us. We have to keep meals as simple as possible to keep the bill down. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, bean and cheese burritos, and lots of casseroles involving a can of beans, a can of tomatoes, noodles and seasoning. Limited space often means I have room for canned goods, but little room to soak a pot of beans or store fresh tomatoes. Still, keeping meals down to just a few quick and cheap ingredients makes preparation quick and costs us less.
- Leftovers are my friends.I have become the master of reusing left over food. A bowl of chili from a couple days ago, some diced and baked potatoes from last night, a sprinkle of cheese and we’ve got a whole new lunch. Meals that are super cheap to make I tend to make extra of just so we can use the left overs for lunch later in the week. Today I tossed the rest of the green beans in with some cooked spaghetti, added Parmesan, and served. The kids dived in and I didn’t need to use up anything from my cabinets.
- I stockpile when I can. Though there is not much room, I find a place to put those dried extras when they go on sale. My pantry is full of rice, dried beans, pasta, and other assorted simple foods that I can use in almost anything. They can be cheaper to buy in bulk, and when you add a sale or a good coupon on top of that I cannot resist. There is a trade off to go over my budget a few dollars this week in order to not buy rice for the next two months. And because it is a simple staple, I can get my money’s worth by turning everything into an “and rice” meal.
These are just my tricks to keeping us well-fed and under budget. There are so many more things I can do, and plan to do when I can. Like getting some buckets and doing some container gardening this spring. Having a supply of fresh food outside my door will help us so much. If I had more room I’d try canning again to build back up the stockpile. May have to borrow Christine‘s kitchen from time to time, and pay her in jars of soup and sauces.
What other tips and tricks are there to shopping when your budget is frighteningly tight? I know there are more ideas out there, so lay them on me!
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Jana
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 8:20 AM:
What great ideas! My kids actually ask for leftover meals so every couple of weeks I actually plan one. It’s fun and we all get to eat what we want. I hope you will be able to find an afordable freezer and more space to do some canning.
Can I recommend the More with Less cookbook. Lots of good recipes using mainly veggies, rice, beans and lentils. My roommates in college lived on that cookbook and it was very afordable.
Continued blessings to you and your children.
Kate
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 10:19 AM:
Excellent job, Summer! I love the way that, in spite of money issues, you are determined to allow for a few treats; this, IMO, prevents that feeling of deprivation, for the kids and yourself. Plus, if need be, you know you can cut those out for a week or two and still fill everyone up. Reminds me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn….no matter how dirt poor the family was, mama always let the kids have real coffee, and let them pour it out if they felt like it.
In addition to the casseroles, I also make soup and frittata. Both are also ways to use up leftovers, and they make a nice change. Whenever there is only a spoon or two left of something, I store it in a tightly sealed container in the freezer. Just 1 container; every night or two, I add to it. When it’s full, I either make soup or frittata. Soup..just add to water and boullion or broth, and season to taste. Frittata..I spread leftover pasta (any shape) into a large frying pan, add the frozen leftovers, extra garlic, pour in some beaten eggs/water mix, just enough to mostly coat everything, but not cover it all, and top with cheese. Either put a lid on it for stove top, or pop it into the oven. When the eggs are done, serve with spaghetti sauce.
Oh and i totally second the suggestion for the More With Less cookbook. It’s written by Mennonites, and at the end of every chapter, they have a section called “Gather up the Fragments” which suggests ways to use up any leftovers.
Emily
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 10:47 AM:
Ooh, what an interesting twist on frugal shopping! My penny-pinching self cringes at the thought of canned beans, because dry beans are SO much cheaper. I understand not having the space. I am on a backpacking board, and backpackers are nuts with space and weight limitations. There are a few hikers who ziplock beans and water and let them soak all day. Could you put some beans to soak in a ziplock (or something) and maybe put them in a cupboard to soak? Like maybe in with the bowls? Or in the oven? Or possibly under a bed (if it doesn’t get jumped on)? Add a post-it to wherever you are hiding the beans. Ooh, it could even be game come supper time LOL!
Summer
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 11:05 AM:
That’s actually a great idea! Thanks! I hadn’t though of using ziplock bags, I’m so used to my big bowls to soak beans.
Summer
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 11:45 AM:
I’ll have to look into the More With Less Cookbook. I recently found The Unplugged Kitchen for a few cents and nsatched it up. But, I’m a sucker for Mennonite cooking.
Amber
@ AmberStrocel
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 3:09 PM:
I don’t have a lot of tips, but I wanted to say that yours are great. I’m constantly struggling to reduce my food bill. I’ve decided I need to implement meal plans this year, and I will this week. I want to save money, but I also want to save TIME. Right now, I spend at least 30 minutes a day debating what to cook. Such a waste!
I hope that you find some way to make the canning work. I love eating home-canned food.
Amber´s last blog ..Of Parents and Poop
Kate
on Jan 5th, 2011
@ 4:01 PM:
THat ziplock baggie IS a good idea, and I will have to look for that other cookbook at the used book store.
Did you know you can cook dried beans in a pressure cooker? I use mine all the time for that!
put in the dried beans, water to cover about an inch, a tablespoon of oil and lock the lid. Once I have full pressure, I start the timer…it varies depending on what beans, and how old they are. Black eyed peas generally take 15-20 minutes, whereas kidneys or black beans take 30-40 minutes.
I also make Hoppin’ John in my pressure cooker; 1C brown rice (MUST be brown) saute’d with EVOO, garlic and minced onions (and green peppers if you like), for about 3 minutes. Then add 3 C water, 1C black eyed peas, and 2 jumbo boullion cubes, with a couple of drops of Liquid Smoke, if you like. Lock the lid, bring up the pressure, time it for 15 minutes, then let them sit another 10 minutes without heat, then quick cool them in the sink with cold water running over the pot. Fluff and serve!
Cathy
on Jan 7th, 2011
@ 3:51 AM:
Have been trying to contact u for two days…and this was one of the reasons!!!! I just downloaded the PC kindle version of “Vegan on the Cheap. Don’t know how to send it to you, but it is helping me. Thought maybe it could help u too. CALL ME! Even if I have to send it all in an email, I think it will help some. All the meals are two bucks per serving or less.
Cathy
on Jan 7th, 2011
@ 3:54 AM:
Oh yeah, and I use canned beans a lot too. I know that dry beans are cheaper but I never have time to think about soaking them. By the time I think about it, dinner is supposed to be in an hour. Anywho…I am just itching to share all the ideas with you.
Cathy´s last blog ..Calling All Trauma-Emotional Disability Mammas
Christina
on Jan 7th, 2011
@ 8:46 PM:
You are amazing! I love the link to e-mealz!! It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for!
Thank you!!