This has been my project for the last few months. I have virtually cut my food bill in half... how? We are a family of four and I have been feeding us on $100 per week....healthily./// but it has taken
work.
-I make all my meals from scratch, no pre-prepared store-bought meals. We even make our own pizza...which is wayyyy cheaper and much better.
-I bake my own bread in a bread machine my mother in law found for me at a garage sale. I think it is healthier and it is easy. (flour and yeast from Costco....whole grain flours where I can find it)
-we eat Mexican cuisine often.... Beans and rice are wonderful and tasty with
homemade salsa (very easy and much cheaper)
-I stalk the grocery store ads in our town and we eat what is on sale (I just bought 10# of boneless, skinless chk. breast for 1.69 per pound. I wish I could have gotten more, but I want to stay in my $100 per week budget.
-I buy large bags of rice at big box stores (much cheaper than grocery stores)
-I do not buy juice (I buy sale fruit), I do not buy soda.
-I only buy the large bag of tortilla chips (like 4# at one shot) (to go w/salsa of course) I do not buy any other junk chips.
-I don't buy any prepared baked goods, I make my own. (cookies,etc...) If I am going to someone's house or having someone over ....wonders can be done with a box cake mix ($1-on sale) and a box of jello pudding to make it dense and yummy.
-I make my own clothes detergent, fabric softener and dishwasher detergent (yes indeed
)
This is our dinner menu this week:
-chicken tacos with homemade salsa, rice, beans
-Chicken-broccoli divan (my girls' fav.) with rice and salad
-Crockpot Tamale pie ( w/ground turkey) (yum) with salad
-Penne pasta (w/ckn) with alfredo sauce (homemade) and vegetables, homemade bread
-fish and chips (homemade)
-beans and cornbread
-enchiladas with homemade enchilada sauce.
We do not eat much beef because my husband cannot have it.
I have begun to look at this as a game...how can I feed us healthily on what I have? Granted, I have spent more time in the kitchen, in fact, last week, my fridge was so full I was shocked at how I have been able to keep us so well stocked...Then I began to be full of regret at how much money I have wasted just spending lazily as I had been
.
Now, this is my choice and maybe not for everyone, but I am doing it!
I decided that I would give myself $100 cash per week and then when it was gone, it would be gone! It is amazing how careful I have been and how I have found such great deals with a little bit of work.
blessings to you.