The World According to Me

I sat down today and figured out how much I’ve been saving in the food part of my budget. It added up to over 2000 dollars! How did I do it? Well not by surviving on ramen noodles and water. I used some simple strategies that ended up saving me time as well as money.

The biggest money saver was switching from buying my lunch at work to bringing my lunch. This was costing me over 1600 dollars a year and was not very good for my health. I like a hot lunch, so I bring leftovers or previously frozen items so I can avoid the dreaded yet another sandwich feeling. Bringing my lunch means I need to have a plan, which brings me to my second change.

I make a plan for the week before I go grocery shopping. This means I buy what I need for the meals I need that week and nothing that is not on the list makes it into my cart unless it is an extremely good deal that I can swap for something else on my list. This means I spend a little time up front in planning and less time standing in front of the fridge or cupboard wondering what I’m going to make to eat. I make very poor decisions when I’m tired and hungry, which led to way to many times where I had popcorn and ice cream for dinner!

By making a list and sticking too it, I have saved money on all those impulse items that tend to get us when we are in a store and hungry. No more bags of chips and bottles of pop except when I have a reason to buy them. No more opening a cupboard to put groceries away to find I already have 6 cans of that soup.

Think finding time to make a plan, write a list and stick to it is too hard? Think about it as banking your energy when you have it to use when you don’t. Only have one free day a week? Make that the day you cook and freeze meals for later in the week. Use the commercial breaks between your favorite tv shows or the intermission of your child’s soccer game to choose recipes and write your lists. Have older kids? Get them to help you with the prep work like chopping vegetables. Another tip is to make your meals so that you use the main ingredient two (or more) different ways to maximize your time. Dice and chop chicken for a stir fry and save some of the cooked meat to put in wraps for lunch. Brown ground beef for chili and save some for a casserole. Once you start planning you will be amazed at how much time and money you can save!