Saving Money in the Kitchen
by Crystal Miller
Over the past few months I have watched the prices in the grocery store climb
higher. This has made me have to stop and reevaluate our current eating and
spending habits and see where I can trim the budget. I thought I would share a
few of the tips that I have been incorporating into our budget.
First off years ago I started keeping a price book. I checked the prices at the
different stores I shop to see who had the better price on napkins, pasta,
hamburger, milk, eggs, etc.. Soon I had this price list memorized pretty well. I
knew what store had the best price on which items. The only thing to remember is
to recheck this list periodically. One of the first things I did was to re-check
these prices to make sure they were still a good deal and not take them for
granted.
Another thing I have been doing is to stop buying or buy less of very expensive
items. When I saw mozzarella cheese rise higher and higher, we took a break from
pizza and lasagna. This was the same with the cheddar cheese although I did not
see it jump as high as the mozzarella cheese. So with the cheddar I looked at
how much we had been using and determined to use half this amount. I simply did
not make as many meals with cheddar cheese in them as I had and I cautiously
used the cheese on other meals. I watched butter climb to over $2.50 per pound
at Costco and this was the least expensive price I could find. We don’t eat
margarine so instead I limited our butter use to a certain amount per week and
we stopped baking foods that called for butter. We also used things like cream
cheese on our toast or pancakes instead of butter. Olive oil was also about half
the price (per pound) as butter. So when I did bake I would choose things like
cakes and quick breads that used oil, or muffins that did not require any fat in
them.
As meat prices have climbed I have been serving more soups, breads, beans and
whole grains. I usually will serve a couple of bean based meals a week and this
has increased to more. My meals are basic and simple and the ingredients
inexpensive. I think of the meat in the meal as flavoring, not the main
component of the meal. I can make a pot of chili bean soup with 1 pound of
hamburger in it and that will feed my family dinner one night and the leftovers
will be lunch the next day. I stretch my meals by using my meat in sauces and
gravies that are served over brown rice or whole wheat pasta. This also
stretches the meat, adds great flavor and served with the whole grains makes a
satisfying meal.
I also have tried to determine how much I want to spend per day to feed my
family. I have then worked to find out how much each meal is costing us. For
instance the chili bean soup served with a pan of cornbread will cost me about
$5. Not bad for feeding a family of my size. I also have breakfast meals and
lunch meals to consider for my daily cost. In the end I have some meals that are
under budget and I have meals that sometimes are over budget. It becomes a
matter of working towards an average cost. But I know the more low cost meals I
serve in a month the better the average costs will be.
Finally remember to be conscious and be aware. Don’t just throw items into the
shopping cart. Buy your foods with a plan. Know what you are spending each week,
know what items are costing you and be prepared to make changes in the way you
cook and the foods you buy.
Here are a couple of my low cost recipes that help out the monthly food budget
at our house!
Crystal’s Chili Bean Soup
Crystal Miller
Heat 2 T. oil
in large soup pot.
Chop up and add:
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies (this brand of tomatoes is
usually found with the other tomatoes at your local grocery store)
Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir occasionally.
After beans are soft add: 1 Tablespoon chili powder (more if you like it
spicy.. less if you don’t!)
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
(this brand of tomatoes is usually found with the other tomatoes at your
local grocery
store)