Family Resource Management

Family Resource Management

Living for Today — Planning for Tomorrow

News You Can Use

Grocery Shopping On A Budget

  1. Plan your meals before buying food.  Well-planned menus help you to have nourishing meals at a lower cost.
  2. Look in your cabinets, refrigerator and freezer for foods you have on hand.  Make a list of those foods that should be used.  Look at this list when you plan your meals.
  3. Avoid impulse buying but make substitutions when it is to your advantage.
  4. Check shopping ads for the grocery stores in your area.  Plan to use foods that are on sale.
  5. Plan ahead to buy all the ingredients you need to fix your meals.  Try not to make last-minute trips to the grocery store when you are either hungry or rushed.
  6. Try to shop alone, when the store is not crowded.
  7. Learn to figure cost per serving.  This is a true picture of the cost.  Cost divided by number of servings equals your cost per serving.
  8. Use fresh fruits and vegetables when they cost less.  Prices will vary with the season for some: others are good buys year-round.
  9. Look for recipes with few steps and ingredients that do not take too long to fix.  Foods that are cooked on top of the stove are usually quicker than casseroles baked in the oven.  If you have a microwave, this is a great time-saver for heating up casseroles.  When you do locate quick and tasty recipes, save them in a box or a notebook so they are easy to find again. 
  10. Select cuts and types of meat, poultry and fish that provide the most cooked lean for the money spent. Use more less-tender cuts.
  11. Use small servings of meat, poultry and fish and rely on more economical foods such as potatoes, rice, macaroni products and breads to fill in meals.  Try to use at least one serving of meat, poultry or fish daily along with amounts of eggs, dry beans, dry peas, and peanut butter to make up two servings from this group daily.
  12. Use leftover meat in casseroles, salads, sandwiches, and as flavoring for cooked vegetables.  Cook meat bones with beans or soup. 
  13.  Do some preparing ahead if you can.  Some ideas are:
    • Thaw frozen meat by putting it in the refrigerator a day or two before as needed.
    • Brown and drain the ground meat for your recipes.  Cover and refrigerate cooked meat (for up to 3 days) or freeze (for up to 1 month).
    • Pre-soak and cook dried beans for your recipe.  Refrigerate cooked beans (for up to 3 days) or freeze (for up to 2 months).
  14.  Use evaporated milk or fortified nonfat dry milk in cooking.  Mix equal amounts of fresh whole milk and reconstituted nonfat dry milk for drinking.
  15.  Natural cheeses cost more than processed cheeses.
  16.  Grated cheeses and individually wrapped cheese slices usually cost more than equal amounts of the same cheese in wedges or sticks.
  17. Check different forms of a food such as fresh, canned, dehydrated and frozen to get the best buy.
  18.  Try lower priced brands. 
  19. On a day when you do have time to cook, fix enough of the main dish for two meals.  Put half in your refrigerator to eat in a day or two, or in your freezer (after labeling) to eat later in the month.  Make this a part of your menu pan for the week or the month.  If you have the storage space in the freezer, this works well for chili, casseroles, soups, and stews.