Who doesn’t like to save money at the checkout? And with all the crazy going on in the world right now, the pain at the pump might be here for a while. In our battle against inflation, here are some helpful hints to help you get a bigger bang for your buck.
- Shop your pantry first. That way you don’t buy items you already have. Or you’ll find you have items on hand to create a meal without running to the store first. Take a little time to inventory what you have and toss items that are past their shelf life. This goes for your freezer and refrigerator, too. You aren’t saving money by storing food you aren’t going to or can’t eat.
- Keep basic staples on hand for quick inexpensive meals. We all have days where we’re pressed for time and it’s easier to grab some takeout. But if you plan ahead and keep some basics around, you can save time, gas, and money. My go-to easy meal is spaghetti, where all I need is some dried pasta and a jarred sauce.
- Buy generic/house brands when possible. Today’s house brands are just as good as the more expensive name brands.
- Repurpose ingredients. Stale bread can become French Toast or the base of a delicious bread pudding. Older veggies or leftover meat bones can become a tasty stock for soup. Leftover tidbits of potato, rice, cooked veg or meats can be reused in omelets, wraps, rice bowls, casseroles, stirfries, or soups.
- Take advantage of your discounts: Many stores have a discount card that can also store digital coupons and earn you fuel bucks. Look for mix and match deals and browse the weekly specials.
- Shop with a list and don’t go hungry. You often pick up extras you don’t need if you don’t plan ahead, or your stomach is growling. Make a menu for a week or two, starting with what you have on hand and the store specials at the stores
- Watch the price per ounce. Bigger isn’t always cheaper for different sizes of the same product.
- Save on proteins. When using meat, treat it more like a side than the main dish. Reduce the portion sizes, mix your beef or chicken with veggies or rice, use it in soups or stews, rice bowls, or stirfry. Also, use cheaper proteins: chicken over beef, or other options like canned tuna, beans, lentils, oats, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or eggs.
- Add a few inexpensive meals each week to your menu. One of my favorites is breakfast for dinner, where I take inexpensive french bread and turn it into delicious french toast. Make chicken and rice to use up leftover cooked chicken, or plan a simple soup.
- Embrace leftovers. I call them planovers, which saves both time and money. Alternate them so your family isn’t stuck eating the same meal three days in a row, or use leftovers for an easy lunch. Freeze extras for a quick meal down the road.
- Grow your own: Gardening isn’t always cheap, but if you’re thoughtful, you can easily make back your investment. I enjoy growing my own lettuce, greens, sweet peas, potatoes, and tomatoes. Don’t have space? Use a container for some patio tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are prolific and tasty in salads or lightly sauteed in a skillet.
- Chicken in a pot: One great stretching idea is to take buy a whole chicken, cover it with salted water in a large pot, get it to boiling, then turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for an hour. The chicken will cook completely and be moist. Debone for chicken salad, chicken and dumplings, use on a green salad, put in a soup, for chicken and rice, etc. Plus you have a tasty stock. One chicken can make several meals for a family when used this way.
