One of the biggest expenses for most families after housing is …. food!

Let’s face it.  We have to eat right?!

We can cut the entertainment budget, or shut off cable.  We can wear our old shoes just a little while longer, but every day we must eat.

So if you are looking for ways to save more money, yet still feed your family, here are 5 tips our family uses to trim the grocery bill.

1.     Treat meat as a condiment

My good friend Konni shared this tip with me.  I loved it the first time I heard it.  Instead of  making meat a dish by itself, add it to the dish.  Mix meat throughout the dish.  When cooking chicken, remove it from the bone and serve it shredded or in slices.

Less meat = Ka-ching!

2.     Use smaller serving plates

The typical dinner plate is HUGE.  Look for smaller dinner plates or even use salad plates as a dinner plate.  If you fill up a salad plate, it doesn’t feel like anything is missing.  This allows your serving sizes to shrink without feeling deprived.  Smaller servings= you can do a whole lot more with a whole lot less. 

Less food to serve = Ka-ching!

3.     Pretend you are running a restaurant

Set out an appetizer.  Fresh fruit.  Or cheese and crackers.  Or fresh veggies and a yummy dip.  Encourage everyone to dig in and enjoy!  During the appetizer- use this as a time of sharing, laughing, and for the little ones they can practice serving.  Allow them to serve the appetizers to the family.  (Pretend waiter or waitress) 

Having an appetizer begins to tame the hunger pains and may allow you a few extra minutes  in the kitchen if it’s been a long hard day. Appetizers allow you to serve less at the dinner meal because the family is not as hungry. 

Less food consumed = Ka-ching!

4.     Use what you have in your pantry before shopping.  Be creative.

Sometimes we go grocery shopping not because we don’t have food, but because we don’t have the foods we like.  Challenge yourself to see how many meals you could prepare with what you already have.  What kind of creative dishes could you come up with from the items you have on hand?

Dig deep in the freezer.  What’s hanging out in the back of the pantry?  You might be pleasantly surprised.  By not going to the store= you save money simply by not shopping. 

Staying out of the store = Ka-ching!

5.     Drink plenty of water BEFORE while preparing the meal. 

Dehydrations feels like hunger.  In the book, The Bodies Many Cries for Water”, Batmanghelidj shares that our bodies signals a need for water in many ways.  One way is through hunger pains.  So the next time you feel hungry, do a check-in and see if maybe you just need to drink some water. 

Only eating when you’re hungry = Ka-ching!

Give one or all of these a try.  Make it a personal challenge to see how much you can trim from your food budget and still feel well fed and cared for.  Make this fun!  Get your family Involved!  

What are some other creative ways you can think of to trim the grocery bill?

photo credit: Polycart via photopin cc

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