How to Stretch Your Grocery Dollars

Who here is trying to pinch those groceries pennies until they squeal?  For most of today's homeschooling parents, this is the first time they've really felt the economic strains.  It's different when you have a family to care for than when you're living off ramen and scavenged food in the college union....now you have kids, and you want them to eat healthy.  So what's a mom to do?

Drawing from lessons of the past, our grandparents' (or great-grandparents') experiences of the Great Depression and war years, and a little bit of can-do, homesteading spirit, here are some tips for stretching your dollars...

Make a Plan

• If you walk into the store with a plan, you're less likely to impulse shop, or just stand there in front of the dairy aisle going, 'Will I need sour cream this week?'  There are umpteen apps for meal planning, and there's surely one to fit your personal planning style.  
• Make a list of all the meals and snacks you want to prepare that week.  Denote what you already have on hand, and grocery list the rest.  
• Staple items, like canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, canned green beans and corn, raisins, canned fruit, and dry beans, store well and stretch meals, so keep plenty of them on hand. When meal planning, make sure you're stocked up on staples.
• Take it a step further, and organize your list according to the store layout.  This saves time, reduces the temptation to buy foods that are not on your list, and helps you avoid forgetting items.
• It's always a good idea to have an extra freezer meal on hand for crazy nights.  If you don't have one of those, pick one up this week.  
• Keep a cooler in your car for keeping perishable foods safe on the way home, especially in warm weather.

Check your Budget

• How much money do you have to spend on food?  What's on sale this week?  This involves a little math and time, but can save you big.
• Take one month to track what you are currently spending.  Save your receipts and look at trends.  Is the bulk of your money going to fresh produce?  Premade foods?  See where you want to try and trim it down first.  Unless, this is an emergency situation, don't try to do it all at once!
• Check the store brands.  How much cheaper are they than the name brands?  Are they healthier?  Sometimes they are; sometimes they aren't.  You won't know until you check, and can often save big.
• Sales on different categories of items are rotated about every three months.  By stocking up when foods are on sale, you can take advantage of the best prices and shop from your own pantry later.
• Pay in cash.  If you go with a budget, and a set amount of cash, you'll be less likely to throw in an extra thing here or there.  That said, with the way prices go up, you might take cash plus 10% extra to cover any inflationary costs for your list.
• Probably goes without saying, to you mommas, but shop alone if you are able.  You'll save time and the aggravation of explaining twenty times why you won't get something...or finding it in your cart unexpectedly at checkout.

Have the Meats...Sometimes

• Meat can be replaced with dried beans, peas, lentils, tofu, eggs, and other less-expensive protein sources.  You don't have to deprive yourself though.  Budget for an expensive steak dinner by serving a few meatless meals throughout the week.
• Stretch meats, particularly tougher cuts, by using them in sauces or casseroles.
• If you talk with the butcher, ask what time of day meat markdowns are made, and plan your shopping to take advantage of them.
• Cook once, eat twice.  Having leftovers doesn't necessarily mean eating the exact same thing again.  Cook a whole chicken, and then use it for more than one meal.  Have baked chicken one night, and use the leftover in chicken quesadillas the next.
• Find some tasty meatless meals here.

Go Somewhere Else

• Plan to get your non-food items from a discount store.  These are generally marked up at grocery stores, and you are paying for the convenience of shopping in one place.
• Dollar stores may also sell items like canned fruit and snack crackers cheaper than the grocery store.
• Day-Old Bread stores aren't just for bread.  You can find other bread products and packaged treats, too, generally at half-price or less.  These can be frozen for later.
• Buying seasonally generally means fresher produce that will last longer.  You can get these at the store, but for the freshest, hit the farmer's market or a roadside stand.  Toward the end of the day, you can usually bargain with the vendor.  If you're more of a DIY, or want a field trip, visit a U-pick farm.

Step Back in Time

• Cooking from scratch is often healthier for you, since it will mean less fat, sugar, and salt in your food.  If you don't have time to cook from scratch daily, consider once-a-week freezer cooking.
• Grow a Victory Garden.  If you have the room, grow a plot of land with several vegetables.  If you don't, plant items like tomatoes and strawberries in pots on your patio. Beans also can run up a small trellis, and herbs grow well in a flower pot or a windowsill container.
• Access all of our gardening and self-sufficiency information here.
• The most expensive food is the food you throw away.  If you have food that has started to turn, use it for animal fodder.  Use your kitchen scraps for compost or animals, too.
• Learn to make your own bread.  It's fresher, healthier, and tastier.  Here's an easy recipe.

To Coupon or Not to Coupon?

• Check the weekly circulars to see what's on sale, and build your meal planning around that.
• Pay attention to unadvertised specials at the store, and be willing to be flexible with your planning if it's a super deal.  But also pay attention to the expiration dates on those deals.  Sometimes it's too good to be true.
• Common psychological tricks: 
• If a store limits the quantity you're allowed to buy, it generally tempts people to buy more.
• If there is a quantity discount, you don't usually have to buy that many (ie, 6 for $10, you can still get 1 for $1.67).
• Know your store's coupon rules.  Some honor other stores or will price match.  Some will do rain checks.  Some will have double and triple coupon days.  Some do none of the above.  You'll want to learn your store.
• Sign up for the loyalty card.  I know, you don't want one more card, but this one will actually save you money more often than some of the others.

  

A Slow-Cooked Year This book includes : the whats and whys behind crockpot cooking, how-to tips and tricks, safe crockpot guidelines, printable planning sheets, and more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!

Another Year of Freezer Cooking For anyone who wants to get a leg up on getting healthy meals on the family table, without much fuss...this book includes : the whats and whys behind freezer cooking how-to tips and tricks pantry freezing guidelines, printable planning sheets more than thirty seasonally-appropriate, kid-friendly recipes!

Looking to utilize the crockpot?  Check out a sample from A Slow-Cooked Year here.  If you're more of a freezer cooking mom, check out some samples from Freezer Cooking Through the Year here.