My mom just gave me a new cookbook, Delicious on a Dime, and it has gotten me taking into consideration the average cost of eating in your own home. Sometimes it appears as if it almost isn't well worth the hassle to prepare whenever you look at that grocery bill each week.
I happen to be trying to reduce the cost of groceries for my household of seven, however, several things are just fixed costs. We'll also have to buy dog food and cat food (we sometimes are lucky enough to hit sales) as well as the most part, those are fixed weekly/monthly costs.
One thing I have discovered that really helps cut down the price (thus yielding more money for lipstick!) is to plan menus in advance. Although this save money, however it can also save the daily headache of “what's for dinner”.
Lately, I've been using a mixture of coupons and store brands and sales to compile my menus and list for that week. Based on where you shop, there is probably either a store card or a discount app or possibly both. I take a seat using the app and organize several meals, making sure to depart flexibility for 'fend for yourself' nights and for leftovers.
For example, with a 25% off coupon on rotisserie chicken, I'm able to organize a minimum of three meals with such fabulous pre-cooked chickens as the base. One night, it may get shredded for tacos, another night diced right into a spinach salad, and the third night possibly tossed into ravioli and pesto sauce. Three meals from one chicken!
With just a little planning ahead of time, it is easy to save at least $10 approximately per week which can really accumulate in a year.
