Saving Money and Time on Meals
Six years ago, I became a stay at home mom and had to learn to live on one income. The biggest area I found to save money was on food. I had to learn several new skills to help me save money on my family meals. Here are a few things that really helped me.
Meal Planning
Meal planning is so important to saving money on the food budget. I plan a monthly menu for my family because we get paid once a month. Some people do weekly meal plans, so do what works for your family. I like knowing I have everything I need for the month except milk, some breads like hot dog and hamburger buns, and fruits and veggies which I shop for weekly. I don’t have to go back to the store to get the main items I need and end up spending more money later. When I have a plan, I do not have to worry and stress at 6 pm at night about what I am going to have or if my meat is thawed out. Having a meal plan saves me time and money and removes some stress as well. Check online to find free meal planner sheets.
Look for Sales and Stockpile
I like to check out the sales papers and see what is on sale before planning my menu. I usually find ground chuck or chicken on sale. When I find it on sale, I like to buy extra and stock up. I then use the extra and make casseroles, chili and other things that can be easily frozen to use for another meal. This saves me time when I go to make meals on a night I am tired and don’t feel like cooking. I also like to stockpile items I know I will use often in my meal planning so that I can have it on hand. I keep a price book so I know what the lowest price is for those items I use a lot of in my meal plans. I often find items like canned goods, taco shells, ketchup, mustard, and even canned fruit. Make sure you have a spot to store these and put the date on them so you make sure you use the oldest first.
Couponing
Using coupons is one way I add more money to my food budget. I also like to match coupons to sales to save even more money. You can find coupons in the Sunday paper, some magazines (“All You” is my favorite), and online. I also joined a group called Vocalpoint that sends me samples and coupons to use for certain products. I really like coupons.com to find my online coupons. I also have found that I can sometimes buy brand name products for cheaper than the generic when I use coupons. I can add $20-$50 dollars to my food budget by using coupons or save that money to buy items on sale to stockpile. To make the most of your coupons, you need to find a way to organize them. You can buy a simple accordian style organizer at a Dollar Store, make your own with a 3-ring binder or you can use a custom made one like the Coupon Organizer Pro which I really like.
Cooking From Scratch
I will admit that before I stayed at home I did not cook a lot from scratch. I had to do this to be able to save money. I found that finding some basic recipes on hand helped me make this easier. I made a goal last year to make all the sandwich bread and I have saved money on my grocery bill just by making it from scratch. It did take me awhile to find the perfect recipe for the bread and a few tries making it to get it right. I also make most of my kid’s snacks like cookies, brownies, and granola bars. I like to make large batches of food items like waffles, pancakes, and soups and freeze them for later meals. This saves me a lot of time later and I can just pull it out and heat it up. Making things from scratch can save you money and I think the food taste better. I also like to look for recipes that are similar to meals we like at restaurants so we can save money by making them at home.  Here are some of my favorite recipes that I use for my make it from scratch recipes.
