Meals on a Budget

With today’s economic situation, creating meals on a budget can be very difficult, but can be done if you go about it the right way and plan ahead. First, decide on how much money you are willing to spend on buying groceries.  Then, create a grocery list using an old grocery store receipt to figure approximate prices for the items on your grocery list to make sure you don’t go over the amount you are willing to spend.

Clipping coupons and creating a grocery list from those coupons can save you quite a bit of money.  Coupons are not hard to come by.  Look in your local Sunday newspaper and you will find an abundance of coupons.  You can also find internet websites where you can choose the coupon, print it, and use it at any grocery store.

Another way to create meals on a budget is to make a grocery list and then stick to that list, do not buy anything that isn’t on your list.  Also, do not go to the grocery store on an empty stomach.  Now, I know that may sound funny, but it has been proven that you tend to spend more money and buy more food when you are hungry.

Look for food that is on sale to create your meals.  Sales and the use of coupons can save you a lot of money.  To further save money, take along a pocket calculator when you go grocery shopping.  This will help ensure that you don’t spend more than your allotted budget.

Waste not, want not.  Do not buy more than you what you will need for your meals.  For example, if you are going to make a hamburger helper meal and the directions call for 2 pounds of hamburger, only purchase 2 pounds of hamburger.  There is no need to purchase 3 pounds of hamburger, use the suggested 2 pounds, and waste the other 1 pound that is left over.

Purchase items that can be used for more than 1 meal.  An example of this would be Jiffy Mix or Bisquick.  You can use these items to make pancakes, waffles, and biscuits, just to name a few.  One meal could be pancakes and bacon or sausage.  Another meal could be eggs and waffles.  And, yet another meal could be biscuits and gravy.  One mix can be used to make 3 different meals.  Another example of this would be roast, carrots, and potatoes, a meal usually served on the weekends.  If you take the leftovers from this meal and add tomato juice, you can have stew as a second meal.

Buy store brands rather than name brands.  Store brand items are usually anywhere from 10 to 20 cents cheaper than the name brand items, and yet they don’t taste any different than the name brand items.  Even though there is only a 10 to 20 cent difference in price, that is still 10 to 20 cents that can be spent on something else, which means you buy more for less money.

By Valerie Garner – Visit Cooking Ideas for articles and tips on cooking. Drop by Garner Stock Photos also for digital stock photography specializing in Washington state.