A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.

John Maxwell

Budget. One word that used to intimidate me, and I really don’t know why. Having a budget is vital to the financial health of your family and homestead, and it something my husband and I are working on daily. It is no secret that things have been changing in a big way in our country, with food costs and availability being right at the top of the list. With so many people concerned and even struggling with their grocery budget stretching to fit their family needs, I wanted to give just a couple tips that I use to keep our grocery budget as small as possible, without leaving anyone hungry.

Meal Plan

I started meal planning quite some time ago to keep myself on track! I would go grocery shopping and buy all kinds of ingredients, then have no clue what I was going to do with them, leading to a lot of waste. I download an editable monthly calendar on wincalendar, and once a month I plan out all of our dinners, plus breakfast for the weekends. I also plan at least one night per week with leftovers to cut down on waste and make life easier. I also take the time to put things I know about, such as family gatherings, birthdays, etc. on the menu so I don’t buy groceries for a meal that we likely won’t be making. I love freezer meals, and I will put those on the menu 3-4 times per month as well depending on the season.

To shop for my monthly menu, I make a grocery list and shop every 2 weeks. There are some staples that I always keep on hand, and I usually buy in bulk because we use them so often, which cuts down on the grocery budget and allows me to shop for the best prices on my bi-weekly trip to the store. If I see one of my staples on sale, I snatch it up!

Here are the things that I keep on hand at all times in my kitchen-

• Flour
• Sugar
• Cornstarch
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Carrots (frozen or fresh depending on the time of year)
• Celery
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Seasonings (seasoned salt, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper)

Speaking of Shopping…

Skip those boxed meals! Trust me when I tell you it is cheaper to cook from scratch or mostly from scratch than it is to buy boxed, pre-packaged foods. Does this mean that I never ever buy a box of Stouffer’s Lasagna? No, no it does not. Everyone needs convenience from time to time, and there is no shame in that at all. I shared a price breakdown a while back of eating take out and cooking at home, plus a great way to stretch a meal into more than one. You can read it here- Why Should You Be Cooking From Scratch?

With gas prices on a scary uphill trend right now, I also stretch our budget by shopping at stores that offer fuel rewards. No, that’s not technically the grocery budget, but it definitely helps.

Buying in bulk can also be a game changer when trying to keep your grocery costs reasonable. I am looking into placing an order through Azure Standard and I will fill you all in when I do! One thing to watch when shopping, especially at a bulk store such as Costco is the price per unit on an item. That is the best way to know you are getting the cheapest option. Below is an example of a price comparison on dishwasher tabs. The name brand tabs were almost double the price per unit as the store brand ones because the name brand only had a 90 count and the store brand had 115. I’m not wonderful at math, so the price per unit helps me a ton!

Something else our family will be doing this summer/fall is buying meat in bulk. Find a local farm that sells beef and pork, and fill that freezer. This will cost you more up front, but you are essentially locking in that price for quite some time, while the grocery store prices will continue to rise.

Keep It Simple

When I really buckle down on our budget, I try to menu plan meals with very few ingredients. This helps me in 2 ways- less ingredients, less money going out, and those meals are generally quick and easy to make. One of our favorites is Cheeseburger Macaroni. At first glance, the ingredient list might look long, however if you keep your spice cabinet stocked like I mentioned above, you won’t need much else.

Start Where You Can

Nobody in their right mind is going to jump in and go 100% scratch made. Please don’t do that…. you will go crazy. Start where you can and know where you are. Swap out one or 2 things that you would typically buy and make them yourself. Start with bread! I bought a loaf of bread the other day for the first time in a long time and it was almost $4… for bread. Bread has extremely simple ingredients, therefore making it cheap. It should in no way cost almost $4. Some other things I like to make myself are granola bars, cereal bars, and other snacks. I know what is in them, and can customize them to my family, plus they are very spendy to buy in the store.

Take some time to sit down and write out your family dinner plan. Start with 2 weeks for the first one. Then write down your grocery list for what you need to do those 2 weeks of meals. Take a glance at your list. Is there something on it that you could make instead of buy? Do you need flour for one meal and see that it’s on sale at your local grocery store? If so, buy 2.

Start small, but be sure to start! Your family depends on it.

~Tara