Stretching Your Food Budget
Source of Recipe
Lynne's Country Kitchen
Stretching Your Food Budget
1. Don't skimp on nutrition - Serve healthful, nutritious meals for your family.
2. Read nutrition labels. Choose wisely.
3. Price compare. Generic brands are not always the best purchase, quality sometimes is sacrificed.
4. Meat does not have to be eaten every night - add more meatless meals to your weekly menus and when serving meat, cut down on portion sizes, serving more vegetables and fruit.
5. Use more pastas, grains, legumes and eggs as your main dish focus. A scant amount of meat may be added when desired.
6. One-pot cooking and casseroles will stretch meat. One whole chicken may be extended to 2 or 3 meals using this method.
7. Less tender cuts of meat can be made tender by braising, stewing, pot roasting, grinding, cubing, pounding, and marinating. Marinate in tomatoes, vinegar or wine.
8. Add leftover meats to casseroles and soups.
9. Once a week, do a refrigerator and cupboard clean-out. Some of the most creative and exciting meals come from this once a week clean-out. Serve a variety of small dishes and you will see how creative a cook you can be! You won't need a recipe, just go for it!
10. Purchase meats and poultry on sale and buy in quantity.
11. A whole chicken is less expensive per pound than pieces and can easily be cut it.
12. Half a ham or a leg of lamb is usually less expensive per pound than a small piece or slice.
13. Cheese is less expensive when purchased in a block rather than sliced or shredded.
14. Purchase products you know you will use often in bulk. This is an initial expense that pays off in the long-run, so plan in the extra spending, but not all at once.
15. Properly wrap all meats in butcher paper for freezing. The added expense of butcher paper will be worth it. The meat will not deteriorate in the freezer when properly packaged.
16. Purchase as much as you can on sale. If it isn't on sale and it isn't absolutely necessary, wait.
17. Homemade soups are a great stretcher - easy, economical, and hearty.
18. Processed luncheon meats are pricey. Use leftover chicken, beef, and turkey for sandwiches.
19. Take-out food takes away from your weekly food budget and is generally over-priced and high in fat. If you enjoy take-out food, plan it into your weekly grocery budget.
20. Clip coupons and use them.
21. Know your neighborhood markets. Which offers the lowest prices overall on the products you use: Which offers double coupons? Stores offering double coupons will most probably be more expensive, overall, so use your coupons on sale products only and do comparison shopping on everything else.
22. Watch your gas tank. Sometimes driving to multiple markets for sales isn't cost effective.
23. Freeze items like popcorn, butter, bread, and flour for longevity.
24. Store and label leftovers properly with the date, and remember to use them.
25. Shop once a week with a grocery list that you've made up by reviewing grocery store ads.
26. Don't shop when you're hungry. You will impulse buy.
27. Plan your weekly menus and grocery list when you are hungry! You're meals will generally be more nutritious and better thought out.
28. Plan your meals out once a week. Make trips to the grocery store through the week only for items that you may occasionally run out of and need for the rest of the week: Milk would be an example.
29. Invest in freezer zippered bags.
30. Freeze bones from meats and poultry for soup stock, gravies and sauces.
AND REMEMBER - IF YOU CAN MAKE IT RATHER THAN BUY IT - DO IT!
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