Five Tips for Stretching Your Grocery Budget

Welcome to fall (or maybe it’s spring where you live), either way, I hope you have a good one.

I’m back from my summer break from the site and my goal is to post something at least twice a week. I’m working on some recipes to share with you…right now I’m making a sweet potato soup.

Things are getting more expensive and I know grocery shopping on a tight budget is more of a challenge now so here are five tips I hope can help.

Make a Meal Around What’s On Sale

I always make a list of meals I plan to make but sometimes that’s not always the best way to save money. One idea is to go into the store and see what’s on sale. Look for discounted goods too. One of my local stores has two carts in the middle of the store where they put items that obviously haven’t sold well or are reaching their sale by date. I’ve found lots of items like soups, boxes of mashed potatoes and salad dressings that go into my pantry so it’s a great way to stock that too.

Take a look on what’s on offer and then think about what meal you could make using them.

Once a Week Pantry Challenge

It could be that grocery budget is at zero for the month. Grocery shopping might be out of the question but I’m guessing you might have a few items in the fridge or pantry. Think about what meal you could make with what you have. Even use this as a challenge once a month even if your budget hasn’t run out. You never know when an emergency hits something unplanned does happen you’ll breeze through it.

Soup and Sandwich or Soup and Salad

When you need to stretch your food budget how about a meal that consists of something as simple as a soup and sandwich…think grilled cheese and tomato soup. One of my favorites is soup and a salad. Start thinking about what combinations you can put together. Maybe even make a chart and keep it on the fridge door.

Buy One Extra

If your budget allows, try buying one extra item a week. Pick something like canned foods that have a longer shelf life. I’m guessing that prices will continue to rise so this is a great way to stay ahead of inflation.

Spices and Herbs

I’ve always kept a good supply of herbs and spices in my pantry because they really can add a lot of flavor to foods while cheap (beans and rice), they can be bland.  Even a simple canned soup can taste a lot better with the addition of your favorite herb or spice. How about Italian seasoning in tomato soup or curry powder in chicken noodle soup?

Do you have a favorite money saving tip to share? If so, leave a comment.

Until next time, happy saving.