Frugal Foodie Grocery Shopping

Nov 8, 2009 by Katelin

One thing I have always been good at is making food last. I am not sure if it is a left-over mentality from my Grandfather growing up in West Virginia, poor with a family with so many siblings everything counted, or my Amish nanny who preserved everything she could.

Even my Mother used to say that I ate like it was the Great Depression. That might have been because when I told my Mother I didn’t want school lunch she said that was fine, but she wasn’t packing my lunch. This was a true statement because not only did I have to pack my own lunch we often didn’t have the traditional sandwich making ingredients or other lunch staples (Not to mention the poor bus lady who waited and honked her horn as I would go flying out the door with who knows what in my bag). And when my parents divorced my Father did no better. So I learned to make due with all the wonders that were left in the refridgerator. This mentality has really paid off now when like so many people coping with the recession my food budget has been slashed. Here are some things I do that may help you keep down your food bills, but not feel like you have given up everything:

1. I save my leftovers, even if small, to use for something else. Leftover cooked spinach from this morning and BBQ from dinner the other night get combined with onions and peppers cooked in some Worcestershire sauce, to which I added some chili pepper, cumin and basil to make some rockin fajitas for dinner. On sites like Epicurious, Food Network or Allrecipes you can type in ingredients you have leftover and see all the recipes that use all those ingredients. And there are so many things that you can freeze if you can’t eat them soon.

2. I also plan out my menus and buy only what I need. I know which vegetables turn first- asparagus and green beans- which ones seem to last inevitably- broccoli and green peppers. So I plan to make meals with those veggies accordingly. Some people say they have no idea what they will want to eat, but if you browse through some cookbooks (or those awesome food blogs like 101 cookbooks permalinked to the right in my favorites) and get lots of ideas they look so good you want to eat them and they can be interchanged. I really like recipes from Everyday Food, they are simple, healthy and quick, and often very economical. I get the magazine, but if you don’t get it, no big deal, they are online too.

3. Limit the meat, go for the veggies. I try to make sure that most of my cart is filled with veggies. I know sometimes they seem expensive, but cooking with a lot of fresh vegetables is healthy and ends up being more economical than boxed or prepared meals, even if you buy a few things like fennel, leeks or butternut squash. Also if you cook 1-2 meatless meals a week it really cuts down on your meat costs which tend to be the biggest purchases.

4. Splurge where appropriate. I love good cheese, so I still buy a couple pieces of nice cheese, but I look at the prices compared to ounces and try new types that are slightly more economical, but still better than your typical cheddar.

5. Look at prices and compare prices. Look at the tub of cut butternut squash, is it close to the weight of a butternut squash and the price? Well then it might have more usable squash than the real deal and might be a better deal. Buying packaged lemon juice when lemons are 3/$1? Lemons last a fairly long time and you can juice them yourself? I look at the prices of everything I buy and compare it with other brands or other substitutable goods. Yes, I would like to buy Organic milk but when it is triple the price I just can’t justify that expense right now.

6. Buy cheaper cuts of meat. There are some phenomenal meals to be had with cheaps cuts of meat. And with the ease of getting recipes online here is what I suggest. Look at what the specials in stores are then look up recipes for those meats.

7. Make a couple splurge meals. Since Hubby and I aren’t eating out as much I have on the menu a braised veal shank and carrot risotto for this week. It is much cheaper than eating out, but is fun and satisfying. (And set the table, light some candles, open a bottle of wine, play some music and make it special!)

8. Pack your lunch, pack your lunch, pack your lunch. Whether it is a sandwich, leftover spaghetti and meatballs, or yogurt with granola and some fresh fruit and honey make it creative so you don’t feel the urge not to eat it when lunch time rolls around. Make some pesto or some interesting mayo, buy a couple gourmet ingredients. Even if you have to buy a couple jars of pricier items in the store it is still much cheaper than buying out.

Many of you might already do these things, but if not they really can add up. So go forth and be frugal foodies.