Keeping Well Stocked on a Budget
Do you have an actual budget you use? An Excel spreadsheet or something similar?
My husband and I set up an Excel spreadsheet budget in 2009. It was not enough to keep just the check register of expenses and deposits because it didn't allow us to see the entire picture of what we had on a monthly or yearly basis.
Why was this important for budgeting for groceries? So we could slowly develop a surplus.
Some weeks we have more money than others. On these weeks, I would buy extra meat or beans, or a healthy food that can remain in a cupboard for a long period of time (canned goods as well). I would buy what was on sale. Our grocery store here many times has canned goods 10/$10 and other non-perishables.
Now that my husband is unemployed due to cut backs, this surplus is really helping us out. It is much easier to go to the grocery store and buy just those things that will make a meal for our family, without buying the meat. Meat is the most expensive item in a meal. If you can get meat on sale at the grocery store, you should do it.
For example, I have found roast, steak, tenderloins, turkey meat (breasts, tenderloin, ground) and other meats extremely discounted. I bring them home and stick them in the freezer. They are not on my meal planning list so they are extra.
Another tip is buying meat that will make a meal that will last more than for 1 meal. Roast is a great example. I will get beef roast or pork roast for half of what the original price. Add a bag of $0.99 bag of carrots, 1 onion and some potatoes and I have a meal that will make 2 dinners for our family (roast one night, stew the next night).
When I first got married, I didn't know the value of having an actual pantry with miscellaneous items in it. Today, I see and reap the benefits of a stocked pantry.
Just remember these tips:
My husband and I set up an Excel spreadsheet budget in 2009. It was not enough to keep just the check register of expenses and deposits because it didn't allow us to see the entire picture of what we had on a monthly or yearly basis.
Why was this important for budgeting for groceries? So we could slowly develop a surplus.
Some weeks we have more money than others. On these weeks, I would buy extra meat or beans, or a healthy food that can remain in a cupboard for a long period of time (canned goods as well). I would buy what was on sale. Our grocery store here many times has canned goods 10/$10 and other non-perishables.Now that my husband is unemployed due to cut backs, this surplus is really helping us out. It is much easier to go to the grocery store and buy just those things that will make a meal for our family, without buying the meat. Meat is the most expensive item in a meal. If you can get meat on sale at the grocery store, you should do it.
For example, I have found roast, steak, tenderloins, turkey meat (breasts, tenderloin, ground) and other meats extremely discounted. I bring them home and stick them in the freezer. They are not on my meal planning list so they are extra.
Another tip is buying meat that will make a meal that will last more than for 1 meal. Roast is a great example. I will get beef roast or pork roast for half of what the original price. Add a bag of $0.99 bag of carrots, 1 onion and some potatoes and I have a meal that will make 2 dinners for our family (roast one night, stew the next night).
When I first got married, I didn't know the value of having an actual pantry with miscellaneous items in it. Today, I see and reap the benefits of a stocked pantry.
Just remember these tips:
- Most every grocery store (usually not WalMart or Aldi, but your local grocer) will have meat on sale. And not the items in the weekly ad, but some on clearance. These items will need to be frozen immediately, most likely, but will keep for months.
- Taking an additional $10 and buying an extra 2 cans of black beans, pinto beans, corn, peas, whatever the grocery has on sale 10/$10 and keep them in the pantry for a rainy day.
- Extra broth or broth cubes to add flavor to any meal is a $2.50 purchase well worth it.
- Make soup, chili or stew and make extra. Freeze your extra and keep it for a day when you don't want to cook or need to save a little on your grocery bill.
- Watch your local ads for specials they have on other non-perishable items like canned soup, boxed dinners, and other kid-friendly dinners to stock your pantry.
The more you are out and watching your local ads, the more you can stock your pantry for less than $20 a month. After about 3-4 months of spending $20 a month extra, you will have at least 4-5 extra meals for when they are needed.
Comments
Post a Comment