DISQUS

jim · 4 years ago

My "bring lunch in" strategy was also short-lived. I started it whenever I knew I'd need to save money to buy a house but then it died whenever I moved in with my friend for a month and lived out of a suitcase and boxes. Ever since I've been eating out... maybe it's going to be a new years resolution or something. :)

Jane Dough · 4 years ago

Planning meals is my weakness as well. I try to have a few meals in mind when I shop at the grocery store, but I could do much better with this. When work gets really busy or when I have to travel this goes right out the window - the last thing I want to deal with is cooking. However, now is the perfect time of year for me to focus on this. I will have to see if I can challenge myself to create a list tonight since I need to visit the grocery store tomorrow.

Josh · 4 years ago

My strategy for saving money is simple. I work in a store in a shopping center with a discount food market. Every Monday, i go there and decide a meal i can eat for lunch for 5 days in a row.
Example: This week I bought a bag of frozen meatballs for $6, a jar of sauce for $1, 6 steak rolls for $2.50, and cheese for $2.
Lunch for the week= less than $13.
Compare that with a lunch at McDonalds everyday.

Terri W. · 4 years ago

When I was first starting out on cutting out convenience foods and eating out for our family, this cookbook was a godsend -- "The Weeknight Survival Cookbook." The idea is that you can take an hour or two to cook a fair amount of stuff on a weekend day, and then it lays out 10 minute preparation menus based on those leftovers for the rest of the week. It wasn't always the most cost-effective plan, but it was certainly less expensive and a pretty painless transition away from eating out and convenience foods.

Flexo · 4 years ago

John,

It would be hard to beat $13 for lunch for a week. I suppose I could work every night in a restaurant and have dinner for free, but that would cut into my blogging time... my classwork time... my Amy time... my side-projects-for-extra-income time... etc.

Terri,

Thanks for the book suggestion. I have The Gourmet Cookbook by Ruth Reichl, but it's a bit bulky and time-consuming for my tastes and schedule.

Zorro's Steno · 4 years ago

My favorite cooking technique is the broiler. Throw in some hamburgers, chicken, fish. Wait 10 minutes and then flip. Wait another 5-6 minutes (or till cooked) and eat. So quick and easy. Then you make double and take the rest to lunch the next day.

My second is, sloppy joes, with or without bread and either beef or turkey, or even chicken. 1 pan, 1 plate, 1 fork, and 1 tupperware for the next day.

Dus10 · 4 years ago

There are a lot of ways to save money on groceries. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of patience and discipline to do any of them, let alone all of them. Planning your meals really needs to be the first step. From there you can make a list. Then, check coupons for items on your list. Finally, as you are in the store, check the cost per unit and get the best deal possible (including in store discounts and coupons). However, avoid buying too much of something that is likely to be wasted.

Gem · 4 years ago

One website I use to help with the weekly meal planning is www.menus4moms.com . Although the name is mom-centric, the site is useful for anyone wanting to get their meals a little more organized. Meals are scaled for families of 4-5, but you could freeze the leftovers in 1-serving size portions and have lunches for work WAY yummier than the boxed ones. She provides dinner menus for the week, recipes, and grocery lists which include pricing and pantry staples you might or might not already have. Best of all, in my opinion, the recipes are very 'normal'. Nothing too gourmet or fancy, just basic cooking.

SourAaron · 4 years ago

Ahh - one of my favorite topics. I should write about it more. Keys to a lower bill:

1.) No, or very little prepared food. Once you make cooking a hobby you enjoy, you will find most of your shopping consists of the part of the store on the edges (the meat and produce department), with a small amount in the middle picking up rice, lentils, or other specialty items.

2.) Make cooking an activity that you do with your SO - combining SO time with cooking time.

3.) Use the downtime while you are cooking (as in, between the time you start boiling water and the time you insert whatever you are boiling) - to do your dishes... make it a game to have all but the dishes that you eat from done by the time the meal is served.

4.) Plan the entire menu for the week before you shop. Sorry. I know it is a pain in the ass, but believe me, it will save you tons of money. For added fun, predict how much each item will cost on the grocery list you generate from the meal plan, and have fun beating the estimates.

5.) If you have an ethnic market around you area, check it out! Sometimes, places like that will have produce or meat for about 1/2 of what you get in a major chain.

6.) Don't shop at Whole Paycheck... I mean Whole Foods. Ever.

7.) Try getting your dry goods at Walmart, and getting your fresh food at an ethnic grocer. Using that kind of split store strategy, I get an extra 10% savings.

8.) Brands are for suckers most of the time.

9.) Leftovers are for lunch. Keep your portion size down at dinner and you will have adequate leftovers of whatever you are eating. Think of the cash you save...

10.) Take the money you save and use it towards something you really value, to give yourself motivation to be that disciplined.

I feed a family of 4 on about $50 per week, sometimes less, and that includes a healthy diet of fresh vegtables, meat, and good homemade food, using the above rules. No coupon clipping at all (could probably get it down to $45 or so if I did).