Many households are looking for ways to save time and money on the “food” portion of their budget. Food expenditures are often one of the largest expense categories in many household budgets, so savings there will have a dramatic impact on your household financial health.
Planning your meals before you do your weekly grocery shopping, will save you time and money. Prepare your recipes before you leave the house to form the basis of your grocery list. Check your pantry; you might be able to cross a couple of things off your list. Having a list and sticking to it ensures you have the ingredients for your weekly meals and cuts down or eliminates the impulse-buy items that you do not need and were not in your budget!
Imagine never having to run to the grocery store for a last-minute item. Since you've created your grocery list ahead of time, you will have already purchased every item you need to make your meals for the entire week.
Save money and eat healthier by avoiding processed and pre-packaged foods. These foods are more expensive than the simple and unprocessed ingredients in the meals you prepare yourself. If you plan your meals in conjunction with the upcoming sales at your local grocery or discount stores, you can save even more money by choosing meals that incorporate sales items. When your grocery store has chicken on sale, you can choose a couple of chicken recipes. Additionally, you can double or triple the recipes and freeze for later in the month. Saves money and time!
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Dinner is not the only meal you can plan in advance. Heading out to your favorite lunch time restaurant can be costly when done on a regular basis. Preparing and taking your lunches with you to work saves a substantial amount of money. Prepare your lunch while cleaning up your dinner dishes the night before. If you're lucky, you will have some delicious leftovers to take for lunch the next day. If not, this is a great time to make a sandwich or salad; or put together some cheese, fruit, and crackers for something a little different.
Something as small as buying your soft drinks at the grocery store instead of getting them from the vending machine will also save you money. And don't overlook the time you save by not driving to and from a local eatery every day for lunch. In many urban and suburban locations, traffic can be congested during the lunch hour. Conversely, in more rural locations, you may waste a lot of time driving to a more distant restaurant if there are not any restaurants close by where you work.
Planning all your meals will simplify your life and save you time and money! Having a grocery list will help you stay disciplined and buy only what is on your list. And having home-prepared meals for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners saves you money.
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