Tips for Trimming Your Grocery Expenses - Part 1

Groceries are an expense that everyone has, and one that can be expected to take up a considerable part of any budget. When things are tight, it can sometimes be necessary to trim grocery expenditures, but how can it be done without sacrificing healthy, balanced eating?

The biggest and best way to stretch your grocery budget is, simply, to learn how to cook. Making dishes from scratch can make the difference between $1.00 and $10.00 for a meal.

For someone like me, this is a perfect solution as I love cooking and have been doing it long enough to be able to do it efficiently. But if you really feel that you don't have the time or talent, bear in mind that even extremely simple do-it-yourself in the kitchen can save you money. Assemble your own salads and sandwiches, slice up your own fruits and vegetables (rather than buying the pre-sliced trays) and eat more simple foods that don't require much preparation. Next, check your local library for books about microwave cooking or other collections of quick, simple recipes.

If you do love to cook, but find that you generally don't have time, the freezer is your friend. If you can carve out the time to do some real food preparation just once or twice a week, make loads of extra (it doesn't take much more time to make twice as much of the same meal) and freeze it for the week. If you invest in some re-useable tupperware, it'll be like having homemade TV dinners waiting for you.

There are some partially-prepared food items that are worth buying, however. Canned soups, things like Hamburger Helper, and especially baking mixes will save you money over buying the same dishes ready-to-eat because they don't cost much more than using from-scratch ingredients.

Once you've incorporated regular cooking into your food schedule, the next most important money-saving skill is vigilance. Learn to be aware of what you have in the fridge and what's going to spoil soon if it isn't eaten. If you know you're not going to eat something in time, stick it in the freezer if you can - this is especially good with leftovers, which you might not be excited about right away, but which may sound delicious to you six weeks from now.

Also, many people don't realize just how many things will freeze well. Most cooked dishes will do just fine, as will most fruits. Milk, surprisingly enough, can be frozen and thawed once without suffering adverse affects. Extra lunch meat works the same way, as do bread products and cheese. And once something's in the freezer, it'll basically last forever, provided it's well-sealed and doesn't get freezer burn.

Now that your freezer's packed, let's think about saving money while you're actually shopping. One way is to cut back on the amount of meat you eat. Alternative sources of protein such as nuts, beans, and various forms of soy beans (tofu, tempeh, and edamame) can be delicious if they're prepared right, so give them a try. You might find that missing meat for some meals isn't a problem.

Another big expense that can be trimmed is produce, if you have a local farmers' market that you can visit while its in-season. Local sellers can afford to sell cheaply because there's no middle man, no costs to move the food, and because they're sometimes overstocked with particular items. Again, use your freezer to good affect by buying more than you need of items that will freeze well.