Tips for Cutting Food Costs

Posted by Cyndi Allison Mar 3, 2008

With food prices up, it's important to get the most from every dollar spent at the grocery store.

Here are a few tips:

Learn to love leftovers. Spend a little extra on freezer containers and pack away the extra portions rather than letting them sit and go bad in the refrigerator.

Little dabs make great soup. Again, freeze those small amounts of food that often get tossed. If you have a bit of meat and some vegetables, you can make a soup that piggy backs off other meals but is new to you and your family.

Keep bread and buns etc. in the freezer. Only pull out what you need. Microwave on defrost for a few seconds. You'll have fresh tasting bread without having to buy bread every few days.

Buy in bulk and repackage at home. Go with the family pack of meat and so on. Break it down. One package of hamburger can be used for burgers, chili and tacos. Three meals. Not so costly when you do the math.

Experiment with less costly options. Learn to love beans and rice. Those are good for you and are inexpensive. Jazz them up with seasonings, and you have a feast with a lower investment.

The squeeze is definately on. I won't even share how much my heating oil ran this month. Very sad. Add the food increases, and it's not looking great here in 2008. With some creative planning, we'll all make it. But, it's not going to be easy or fun.