Cooking at Home

One sure fire way to save money is to eat at home.  We rarely eat fast food because we live 11 miles from the nearest McDonalds.  I consider myself a pretty good cook and prefer to eat at home much of the time.  We usually dine out once on the weekend at a nicer establishment and with a fast food meal for 2 adults and 2 teenage girls topping $22 (which is 1/10th of my food budget for 2 weeks) it just seems a good idea to eat at home.

Successfully saving money by eating at home does take some planning.  I don't plan my meals around what is on sale (which would save me a LOT more money) but I find that too rigid for my taste-buds!

Thoughtful preparation of a weekly menu is critical to success.  I use a loose leaf notebook.  I make a note of what events occur during the week and make sure my menu takes those in to consideration.  If I only have 30 minutes to get the food to the table I need a plan to make that sure to happen.  I plan my weekly menus on Saturday or Sunday so I can grocery shop for any "exotic" or fresh ingredients I may need.  No last minute runs to the grocery on a busy weeknight!  This Dining with Diana post may give you some ideas to help you get into the habit of meal planning  http://dining-with-diana.blogspot.com/2010/08/meal-planning.html

Secondly, it is imperative that you have some basic ingredients on had at all times to use to create a home cooked meal.  By the time I decide what to prepare, shop and arrive at home I am too exhausted to cook!  This prevents that from occurring on a regular basis.  My Blog, Dining with Diana ( http://dining-with-diana.blogspot.com/) has some suggestions on how to stock a pantry.   http://dining-with-diana.blogspot.com/2010/08/well-stocked-pantry.html 

Don't these pictures make it look like my pantry is stocked with nothing but JUNK food?

Lastly, I always have a go to meal in the freezer.  It might be a Stouffers frozen pasta meal, a frozen pizza or my meatballs.

If planning a week's worth of menus is too overwhelming for you at first, start by planning 2 days worth of meals.  I guarantee the time you save is well worth the effort.

Happy $aving$!

Diana

A well $tocked Pantry

It seems like every time I go to the grocery store the prices have risen yet again on the items I use most frequently. It is quite discouraging! And just today I had to pay $0.72 for a can of beef broth which, I can usually purchase on sale for 2/$1.00. I had to restock at the full price because I had "cleaned out the pantry, refusing to purchase items until the "cupboard was bare". I won't be doing that again!

Having a well stocked pantry accomplishes a few basic tenets of frugal cooking by keeping me out of the grocery store more than once a week and it allows me to purchase items in "bulk" when they are on sale. I always purchase enough of an item to tide me over until the next time it comes on sale. If you don't have an actual pantry in your kitchen an empty cabinet or a few shelves in the basement work fine as a substitute.

Determine what staples you use to prepare your meals and add or eliminate from my list to create your well stocked pantry. I have listed my pantry for our family of four and listed the minimum of each item I keep on hand. Volumes may differ according to your family size and personal food preferences. And remember, at any one time I may actually have 6 or 8 of each of these if (space permits) they are on sale.

Pasta sauce (I prefer Marinara-2 and Alfredo-2)
Canned tomatoes (homegrown, canned if possible)or 28 oz cans-2
Petite diced tomatoes-14 oz can-2
Canned tomato sauce, 28 oz-2 and 14 oz-2, 8 oz-2
Broth: Chicken 2, Beef, 2, Vegetable 1
Canned cream soups: Cream of Mushroom-2, Cream of Chicken-2
Canned Mushrooms-4
Soups your family enjoys for a quick lunch-6
Great Northern Beans-2
Home canned green beans-4
tuna-1, salmon-1
Brown rice -1, dried bean-1, white rice-1
Pastas-6
assorted boxed rice mixes-6 (I only purchase these when they are on sale for $1.00, when they retail for $2.19), grits
Dried onion soup mix-4, ranch dressing mix-1, taco seasoning-2
flour-1, sugar-1
assorted cereal
cake mix-2 (flavors of your choice), brownie mix or dessert mix-1
muffin mix-4
chocolate chips-2
peanut butter (no one but me likes jelly)
assorted nuts for baking
vegetable oil-1, olive oil-1
assorted spices, as needed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder
potatoes, onions and Sweet potatoes
pretzels, popcorn and crackers (I hate buying potato chips but my family holds me hostage),

I also stock my freezer when items come on sale
Whole chickens and chicken breasts
ground beef
shrimp and fish
meatballs and meatloaves I have prepared (I'll post a recipe in the future)
frozen vegetables (tomatoes, Lima beans, berries, diced potatoes, peppers, squash, etc.)
Butter
coffee
frozen pizzas-2, frozen dinners (Michelina's or Lean Cuisine for a a kids' lunch)-10
and a frozen pie crust or two

The fridge is stocked with condiments (ketchup, mayo, mustard, horseradish and assorted salad dressings, etc.) as well as milk,eggs, heavy cream, butter, sour cream and cheese. Lunch meat, fresh produce is purchased according to the weekly menu but we always have some apples on hand(they last a long time) and a large container of minced garlic in oil

We love to eat and I am always experimenting with new recipes. With a bit of planning, you can enjoy a delicious home-made meal, avoid a hefty pizza delivery fee and pocket the savings!

With a well stocked pantry you'll soon be eating better meals, enjoying them more and saving money! Bon Appetite!