If your household is a fan of Italian dressing, this Italian Seasoning Mix is going to save you a lot of money over time! It’s perfect if you’re on a budget and you keep finding yourself buying the expensive bottles at the grocery store.
While this recipe is meant to be mixed up as a liquid dressing, I’m sure sprinkling the spice mix over veggies or meat would be just as wonderful. We like to use Italian dressing as salad dressing (of course) and even as a marinade for chicken! Hint: throw some chicken breast into a freezer bag, pour this Italian dressing over top, then seal the bag and toss it into the freezer for a really quick freezer meal! It cooks up well in the slow cooker.
Here are 6 tips you’ll love on how to stock your pantry on a budget.
Having a well-stocked pantry can help make or break your grocery budget each month. The thing is, initially stocking a pantry with all the necessities to create great meals can be quite costly. It also takes time, unless you want to pay a fortune!
Here are some quick tips on how to stock your pantry on a budget:
Watch for Sales
The first way to save big money when it comes to stocking your pantry is to watch for sales on the products you know you will use in a timely matter. Be sure to stock up as much as your budget and storage space will allow!
Buy Ahead
Don’t wait until you run out of an item to buy it. This is a great way to ensure you’ll be paying top dollar! By buying ahead, you can purchase the pantry items you need when they’re on sale or on markdown, allowing you to purchase twice (or triple?) the amount than if it weren’t on sale.
Know what your family likes
Don’t stock up on things your family would rather not eat. Say you come across an amazing deal on kidney beans, but you know most of your family members hate eating them, it’s not worth the cost to stock your pantry with kidney beans that won’t ever be used, even if they were a great price.
Use coupons
There are always plenty of couponsout there that come in handy for stocking up on cereal, canned goods, bread and more. Bulk Barn also has a great coupon or two each month if you prefer to purchase some items that way. Coupons are also great for stocking your “household” pantry. I’m never without a nice supply of toothpaste, shampoo or razors!
Buy in Bulk
The unit price of rice, beans, or spices often goes down as the package size goes up. So purchasing items in bulk can be a great deal! I like to buy rice, flour and sugar in big bags because I know we’ll use it up before it goes bad. This is much cheaper for us then buying small packages each time we run out. On the other hand, buying small quantities of spices we don’t use often at the bulk food store, also saves us money.
Another thought – If you find a great deal on something when you buy it in bulk, but you don’t have the storage space, consider splitting your purchase with friends.
Think outside the “can”
Rather than always buying canned goods, (beans, vegetables), consider purchasing a bag of dried beans or a bag of frozen corn instead. Often, your money can stretch further if you go this route.
Armed with these tips, you should be well on your way to a stocked pantry on a budget! What tips and suggestions do you have for stocking a pantry on a budget?
Ever since my husband and I were married 15 years ago, I’ve been planning our weekly menu. Even if I don’t take the time to write things down, I still have a few meals in mind that would get us through the week. It’s in my nature to be a planner so planning a menu was obvious for my own sanity.
But, even if you’re more of an impromptu cook, today I’d like to touch on the importance of menu planning, or why planning a menu is important, no matter what your situation is. We’re all busy people so the power of a plan can help each of us tremendously!
Here are four reasons on the importance of menu planning:
Our health
Our health should be one of our main concerns and one way to ensure good health is to eat well. Having a menu plan in place helps you avoid take out and those quick pre-made meals that may not be well rounded. With planned meals, you’ll end up with a more balanced and nutritious diet.
Keeps the budget in check
Groceries cost a lot. Save yourself some financial stress by planning your meals and your shopping list based on what’s on sale and what you already have in your pantry. With a menu plan in place, you only have to purchase the ingredients you need create the meals you’ve picked. That’s how I only spent about $33 this week on groceries. (Though, I’m anticipating a quick trip to buy more milk and fruit later in the week.)
Your time is important too
Whether you work outside the home or you’re a stay-at-home parent, we’re all juggling a ton of activities on a daily basis. While planning a menu in the first place takes a little bit of time, it will definitely save you time in the end.
You will always have the ingredients you need to create a meal from your planned menu. No running to the store for a last minute item or opening the fridge and cupboards 500 times to figure out what to make for dinner.
Or realizing it’s 5pm and you just spent an hour trying to find a great recipe when dinner could have already been on the table. With a plan in place, all you have to do is pick a meal from the list and make it!
Reduces waste
Have you ever bought food from the grocery store thinking you’ll use it for something, but end up throwing it out instead? If you stick to the grocery list that you created based on your planned meals, you won’t be purchasing anything that you won’t use. In turn, you’ll be creating less waste, both in the food sense and financial sense!
I believe that the importance of menu planning cannot be stressed enough. Menu planning has made my life so much easier and I’ve heard the same from many others! Sometimes, the menu plan is the only thing in the day that goes as planned!
If you really struggle with menu planning, then try out $5 Meal Plan. It happens to be my favorite meal planning service. It’s just $5 a month (the first two weeks are free!), and you get menu plans sent straight to your email along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. Each meal costs around $2 per person or less. This service allows you to save time because you won’t have to meal plan anymore, and it will save you money as well! If you are interested in joining for free, click here.
What are some other benefits of menu planning that can you add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
So, you’re running low on funds in your grocery budget for the month, but you still have a few meals that need to be made. You might be thinking that cooking a delicious meal on a budget might not be possible but, affordable family feasts are possible!
Here are 5 delicious budget friendly meals to help!
Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables – While purchasing a whole chicken may be more costly upfront, the amount of meals you can get from one chicken can really help stretch your budget. The first night, you can enjoy slices of roasted chicken and delicious vegetables. The next night you could turn leftovers into a chicken pot pie. Finally, use the bones to create a tasty soup!
Refried Bean Quesadillas – Recommended by a reader over at the Simply Frugal Facebook page as a budget friendly meal, I found this tasty looking Refried Bean Quesadilla recipe that I’d love to try! Instead of using a whole bunch of cheese, which can get expensive, you can fill your quesadillas with beans! To make this meal even more budget friendly, here’s a recipe for Homemade Refried Beans in the slow cooker!
Black Bean & Salsa Burritos – This is one of my personal made up recipes, but I happen to think it’s a great budget saver and it’s packed with protein!
Pulled Pork – This was another meal recommended by a Simply Frugal Facebook reader. She likes to buy cheap pork cuts when they go on sale for $1/lb. She roasts it then freezes it in bags in meal sized portions. The meals she enjoys creating with the pork are nachos and salad rolls with corn bread and coleslaw.
Pasta with White Bean Sauce – Pasta is cheap, especially if you stockpile it with coupons! I can’t wait to try this recipe because not only does it sounds tasty, it also uses beans for protein instead of meat. Love that.
What are your favourite Budget Friendly Meals that come in handy when your grocery budget is running low?
In sort of a continuation of my post Why I’m not an Extreme Couponer, I though I’d follow up with some of my ideas to save money without using coupons! After all, I personally think coupon usage is a very small aspect of frugal living.
Here are 6 ways to be frugal without using coupons:
Use Less
You know how many household products, such as laundry detergent, give you guidelines on how much product you should use each time? Well, I rebel and always use less product than what is recommended 🙂
After all, in the case of laundry detergent, it’s actually the washing motion that cleans the clothing, for the most part. While I was in Africa (years ago) I never once saw laundry being done with Tide, let alone a washing machine!
Use Alternatives
There’s usually a cheaper alternative for most high priced items out there.
For example, Jet-Dry. I use vinegar in the place of Jet-Dry and my dishes come out sparkling!
Another thing I do, is use cottage cheese in place of Ricotta cheese in recipes like lasagna. Cottage cheese is a much cheaper alternative and contains a lot of protein!
Shop Less
I’ve been finding myself shopping a bit more than usual lately. Mostly because I’m trying to pick up the baby necessities I know we’ll need when we bring the baby home from the hospital. (diapers, wipes, etc.)
But do you know what else I’m discovering with my more frequent shopping? I’m spending quite a bit more money on things that I think might be useful. Spur of the moment purchases. The fact is, the less shopping you do, the less stuff you’ll discover that you “need”, therefore, you’ll be spending less money.
That is probably one one of my favorite ways to be frugal without using coupons!
Make More
I have completely stopped buying cleaning products. I know I can get cleaning products really cheap by using coupons, but I LOVE the natural cleaning kit I created. Saves me a bundle and it’s fun!
Same goes for meals. The more you make at home, the more you’ll save, even if you “splurge” on some ingredients!
I always find it very satisfying when I create something at home that I know I could have spent a fortune on at a store!
Evaluate and Make Changes
From time to time, evaluate the services you make use of regularly (phones, TV, internet, etc.) to see if there are any changes you could make to lower your bills.
If you want to hit a financial goal much faster, consider cancelling a service in its entirety to get you there.
If you’re paying an outrageous interest rate on a credit card, call up your credit card company to negotiate a lower interest rate.
If you’re spending a billion dollars on gas each month, assess how you do your errands/get to work to see if there are any changes you could make to lower your cost.
Swap with friends/family
Someone you know usually has something you need that they would be happy to let you borrow. I do this all the time with my Mom. She has mini muffin tins that I like to use, while I have a mini loaf pan that she likes to use, so we just swap!
We’ve been doing a lot of this in regards to the baby stuff we need. My sister in law sent along all her newborn clothes so we hardly have to buy any clothes for the first little while!
What I like most about this frugal technique is that we won’t be storing very much long term since it will go back to the person it’s borrowed from when they need it again! Perfect for me and my desire to have less stuff in my home!
What are your favourite ways to be frugal without using coupons?
You’ve got a short window of time to get food on the table after a long day with the kids or at work, but a big freezer. Money Smart Mom: Financially Fit Parenting author Sarah Deveau has the solution for you! In this three part series on Freezer Meal Planning, she’ll teach you everything you need to know about cooking for the freezer.
I love to cook. I love browsing through boutique kitchen stores, and not much thrills me more than selecting a gorgeous new cookbook and burrowing into a comfy chair with it at home, dreaming of dinner parties. I have invested in fantastic tools over the years, sometimes discovered at thrift stores and garage sales – vintage Le Crueset dishes, my wonderful Kitchen Aid mixer, and perfectly sharpened Global knives.
So you’d think getting dinner on a table every night would be a snap, right? Not so much. I work full time at my day job and for myself from home 10 to 20 hours a week. And of course, I’ve got a few kids too – three girls under the age of six.
After having my first daughter, I took up meal planning after my husband and I were guests on the Food Network Television show Fixing Dinner. It helped me add structure to my day to ensure I had great food on the table every night. However, as my schedule got busier, I often found I didn’t have time even when I tried to stick with my tried and true meal planning routine.
I turned to freezer meal planning. What a difference! For the past few years, I’ve used freezer meal planning to handle feeding the crowd in our house.
There are two main ways I’ll handle making our family’s freezer meals.
Super Prepared
This method involves being, well, super prepared! I look at my schedule and choose two days when I’ll have a lot of time to prepare. The first night I’ll set aside three hours to browse flyers for sale items, select recipes, write out the plan for how many times I might double or triple the recipe, and write a grocery list. Then I’ll head to the grocery store, bring everything home, and sort it on the kitchen table and in the fridge by recipe.The next day, I’ll follow my notes of what to prepare when, to ensure there are no long waits in the process wile meat is cooking or the oven is full. By the time I’ve put in five or six hours, I’ll usually have between 20 – 30 meals prepped and ready to freeze. Some meals are made big for sharing with guests, others might be small – just enough for my husband for dinner and his lunch the next day. My kids are still pretty picky, and I keep a container of grilled chicken and plain pasta in the fridge at all times in case they’re not interested in more than the obligatory bite of the main meal.
Slacker Method
If I just don’t have the time to set aside for a big cook, I’ll use the slacker method. A few nights each week I’ll double or triple the meal I’m making that night, and freezer the others. After a month of doing this, I might have 10 – 12 meal stashed away in the freezer.
Regardless of the method you choose, even the busiest parent can fill your freezer with fantastic meals that will save you money by taking advantage of buying items while on sale, and save you even more money over ordering take out in desperation.
Sarah Deveau is the author of Money Smart Mom: Financially Fit Parenting. She blogs about money at Yummy Mummy Club and at Money Smart Mom.
