Money-Saving Food Tips
We all know the economy is going downhill, fast -- in fact, it has been for months. Grocery bills are skyrocketing and it's getting harder to stay within your food budget. In our iVillage community, we've seen lots of you come up with some great ideas for saving money on food, making dinners on a budget, and stretching meals in clever ways. Here are some of our favorite tips:
"My cheap dish is a big pot of chili. First night is chili in bowls with crackers, 2nd is chili mixed with elbow macaroni, third is chili casserole with corn muffin batter and shredded cheese spread on top (a tamale pie). Not necessarily 3 nights in a row, because it keeps well."
-- jaybee458
This is something I do too -- I call it Kitchen Sink Soup:
"This isn't really a recipe but there is always the 'Clean Out The Fridge' Soup. I keep the boxes of chicken, beef and vegetable broth on hand, always start with some sauteed onion and celery and add whatever I have on hand in the fridge. I always have canned tomatoes and sometimes add a can of beans or macaroni.... This last batch of soup had diced leftover ham, shredded kale and spinich in addition to the tomatoes and beans."
-- highsierra
"I'm a vegetarian and have switched over to using a lot of dried beans and cooking them in my pressure cooker (save time and fuel) but a slow cooker would do. I'm saving so much money this way."
-- revolutions
"I save a lot of money by spending some of my time instead of money. I buy large bags of chicken quarters or whole chickens for much less than pre-cut pieces, and cut them up myself...and I end up with back sections or carcasses to make soup. From one good sized chicken, my husband and I can eat three meals. Thighs & legs one night, cooked on the barbecue or in some other fashion. Stir fry from most of the breast meat another night. Soup from the carcass, some reserved breast meat and wings for a lunch or light dinner. "
-- rachelellen
"Add only half a pound of ground beef to your favorite casserole, spaghetti sauce, or soup that calls for 1 lb. of ground beef...buy larger shrimp and slice them in two lengthwise down the middle to get 2 shrimp pieces for the price of 1 -- great for creole, jambalaya, or pasta dishes; halve large scallops to increase the pieces per person."
-- teresa_nc7
Need more meal ideas? Find some great recession-busting recipes here.
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I keep a large plastic container in the freezer and when I have a small amt. of vegetables, meat, gravy, broth, etc. I put it in this container and when it is full, I add any liquid needed to make (what I call) my Surprise Freezer soup.
It is always delicious and never the same twice.I never throw aaway the small leftovers that aren't enough for another meal.
Find a ton of money saving creative recipes in the Frugal Kitchen community!~
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-fdfrugal
Frugal doesn't have to be boring! :o)
Oh gosh surprise freezer stew that no offense sounds scary lol .
My tips are
Shop around for supermarkets deals . Did you know that almost all supermarkets have there circulars online ? So check out the best deals and who know you might have found a major sale in a local market .
Quarter chicken legs and Whole chicken are the lowest costing meat . Season your food with garlic , adobo , oregano , onion powder , vinegar and oil etc dry spices to get the most out of your food . Spaghetti , tacos , stir fry chicken breast n veggies , Stewed chicken , ground beef n cabbage are all pretty cheap and dishes that usually leave a lot of left overs . Ha and ramen noodles (add a boiled egg to it ), pb and j , are good standbys to keep in the cupboards .
ONLINE FRIGGIN COUPONS !!!! I love this you just print em out and you can chose the stuff that you actually use . The problem with clipping coupons in your sunday newspaper is usually if its a good deal you would end up buying stuff you don't need . So try it :) . Google search around . I found this site (1 dollar off milk woot !! )
http://print.coupons.com/CouponWeb/Offers.aspx?pid=13306&zid=iq37&nid=10
Make a list , leave the kids with Nana so you don't get sidetracked .
Buy STORE BRANDS !!! Ha this is something i noticed , well on a shelf at eye level is the name brand products and if you look a bit lower you would find a cheaper brand store brands . People , usually its the same quality stuff so try to swap some stuff out for it .
Stock your fridge with can and frozen veggies .
Oh and have you guys ever heard of malt o meal cereals there fantastic ! I never buy cereal out of a box again . Its like two of three bucks for a cereal that usually is double that . Kaila loves the honey nut cheerios knock off brand taste the same i swear .
http://www.malt-o-meal.com/pages/products/malt-o-meal-cold-cereals.php
Uh i think that's it folks . I know times are tough but don't forget about the child obesity rate so make sure to mix up some veggies and add some fruit to your list .
Stay positive this too shall pass ,, i hope ,,:( .
Hope this helps !
Meg