I swear the only thing people are talking about is the high prices of food and gas. And while I'm lucky I can't drive long distances, which keeps my gas bill lower than some, it still is affecting me, and my food. My normal shopping strategy is to wait for the weekly ads to come out from the grocery store, and shop accordingly once a week.
So my question for everyone is, what are some of your favorite recipes/meal ideas when you are watching prices or just don't feel like coughing up lots of cash? Also, do you have any specific strategies for saving money on food? Share any ideas you have, because I know we are all going through the same thing right now.
11 comments:
By the way, my favorite cheap meal is grilled pizza. You don't have to grill it, you can do it in the oven, but I think the grill is easier. I make the crust with my cuisinart and a recipe in there for a dough that doesn't have to rise. With yeast, flour, water and salt, its definately cheap. My fave topping is traditional with chopped garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozz. Also, since my mom bought me a big jar of artichoke hearts and kalamata olives, I sometimes make a greek version. And grilled pizza, or even homemade oven pizza always impresses anybody.
this is a good question, and not just new to our current economy...
i'll think on it and hope to post a real comment tonight...
that is a good question. i don't have a good answer though. Something I've been eating a lot lately, since avocados have been on sale for .$99, is avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno salad. Some may call that salsa, but I call it a meal. It's cheap, about $4.00 for the entire meal. You get your protein and veggies.
I'll be interested to hear what some smarter people have to say.
my roommates always make fun of me because i am the epitome of the rational food shopper. i normally go once a week with a certain amount in mind. if i just got paid it will be a little more, but if it is near the end of the month it might be a pretty small amount.
then every decision i make at the store is calculated. i always start with fruits/veggies and meats. based on the deals i find there i fill in everything else.
and not that this really matters for you mag, but i have recently tried to cut down on wegmans visits. that place = $$$$$$$$$
amy, that sounds yummy and i actually saw something similar yesterday on a website... and they were calling it a main course salad. i don't think i knew avos had protein?!? i'm definately gonna try it when avos go on sale.
cody, i have a somewhat similar technique, except i only let myself buy whatever fits in a basket. normally that keeps my wallet in check, but not as much as it used to...
actually, your comment prompted me to look up their nutritional content, a's don't have as much protein as i thought (3 g), but they are a good source of fiber and some other vitamins!
http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1843/2
OH, and I also squirt a little lime juice in there too, to stop the a from browning. yum.
Sale shopping baby... I make my menues for the week based on sales.... Go cheap food!!!!!
they say avacado is the perfect food- at least when you are talking babies- they are full of all the good things. i miss the days when jackson would eat them up. sad to say that these days we have been making nachos a lot. we top them with canned black beans and canned corn and what ever fresh veggies we have. i like mine with hummus and salsa. not a bad meal with a cold beer.
every meal is good with beer....
beer is so expensive now too!!! its gone up i'd say an average of $2/6-pack. same for wine. my fave used to be $9 reg./bottle and now its $14.
i have a couple of things to add...
some things, especially meats like chicken and pork, you can buy extra when it is on sale and then freeze the extra, if you have freezer space. frozen veggies can go on sale , too, and that is good to watch for.
we are lucky to have garden space. if you have space, you should have a garden. in spite of having to pay for our water, we still save a bunch of money on fresh, organic food, and have (usually) extra to put in the freezer. we have a 25 x 25 foot garden, and it is lots of food for 2 people. i know not everyone has garden space, though.
the grilled pizza is a good, healthy, inexpensive meal.
finally, as cody mentioned, where you shop is financially very important. we have two choices for shopping, and since walmart is by far cheaper than albertsons, we do most of our shopping there. i know some people don't like walmart because they are the big evil corporation. but do you think that any other corporate grocery store is any better? i'm saying no. walmart is the biggest, so they can profit margin slimmer than the others, but none of them are good to their employees or their suppliers. plus, we like to save money from groceries to have plenty for the good beers...
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