Frugal Friday

We are big fans of saving money any way we can. Aren’t we all? We are going to start a regular series on the blog. This is a series that would focus on other ways to save money besides just couponing.  Let us know how you like it.

One of the first places everyone tries to tighten their belts on is the grocery budget.  Obviously couponing is a great way to do that, but here are some others that you may not have considered.

Make a meal plan.

I like to make a loose meal plan for a two week period.  I look in my pantry and see what I already have on hand.  Then all I have to buy is the missing ingredients.  For example, let’s say I have all the ingredients to make BLTs except the tomato-that’s what I put on my list. I first learned this technique over on the Grocery Cart Challenge , where Gayle tries to feed a family 6 on $60 a week!

        Rework leftovers.

Tired of eating the same meal two nights in a row? Turn them into something else!  Leftover sloppy Joe filling can become chili, shred roasted chicken make barbecue sandwiches or try tossing last night’s leftover veggies in breakfast omelet. The possibilities are endless. Need some help getting started? Check out Love Food Hate Waste to get you going.

Try Homemade. 

There are lots of things that we buy at the store premade that can be made much cheaper at home. One of the simplest is pizza dough.  My favorite recipe for pizza comes from the blog An Oregon Cottage.  Jami’s recipe for pizza dough is the simplest and quickest I’ve made.  An Oregon Cottage is a great resource for learning about making simple things from scratch. 

         Go Meat(less)!

Meat in general can get pretty expensive.  Doing just one meatless meal a week can help cut down on your grocery bill. Think you don’t know any meatless meals? Try black bean soup.  Or a potato, leek and feta tart.  Or even a simple cheese pizza. Check out the Meatless Monday website for more meatless meal ideas.

 I hope you guys find these tips helpful and inspire you to try something new.   Now what about you guys? Do you have any tips to help stretch your grocery money? Leave your ideas and tips in the comments!