The last couple of years have been nothing short of eye-opening for me. I *thought* that kids were expensive when they were first born. I mean, what could compare to cost of diapers and bottles and baby food? Let me tell you. The tween years!
In the last few years my daughters have picked up two expensive sports as extracurriculars—cheerleading and skiing. Then, the other night, they were discussing starting golf with us this summer. My wallet wept.
It was around three years ago that I got very tight with the word budget. For my kids to enjoy all the things they do, it means that we have to cut back in other areas. For me, the biggest place to save is with our food. In fact, I've become somewhat of a budget ninja when it comes to eating.
Here then are my top ten tips for grocery shopping on a budget:
This is your best bet for budget success. If you know what you're eating, then you know what you need, then you clip the right coupons that you've attached to the list you're using.
Seriously, you don't need to go all crazy like the reality show, but coupons do save you money. Store them in your wallet with your cash so they're always handy at the checkout, or paper clip to your list so you can see what you have while shopping.
I like to stock up on things we routinely use like pasta, flour, cereal, meat, and cheese. Kraft Cheesefest is taking place at your local Loblaws store from March 21st to April 4th and this is a great chance to save on your favourite cheeses. If you watch for things on sale it can reduce your overall budget significantly.
If you shop while hungry, you're more likely to toss temptation into the cart with a side of out-of-my-budget.
Only get what's on your list and if you need to, leave your kids at home. Kids and lists do not go well together. Trust me.
Save yourself the gas and inconvenience and only go when you have a full list. This will also help you stick to your list.
Try to have two meatless meals a week and you'll notice a considerable drop in your grocery bill. There are lots of great meatless meal recipes here.
Wherever possible I double a recipe that's freezer-friendly. We eat half for dinner one night (usually with leftovers for lunches) and I freeze one for another time.
I've gotten so good at leftovers that I actually include them in my meal plan for the week. So, if I know we're having spaghetti & meatballs on Wednesday, I know the kids are having the leftovers in their school lunch on Friday.
This will save you from going out to dine on a whim. Fried egg sandwiches, macaroni and tomatoes with cheese. These are quick, tasty and budget-friendly. For more quick, kid-friendly recipe brilliance, see these delicious suggestions on the Kraft website.
If you're looking for frugal, family meals, don't miss the super easy recipes on the Kraft website. I made this Italian Sausage and Pasta Bow Ties recipe for dinner last night and I'm already drooling about the leftovers in my fridge.
It fit all my budget requirements and I used only 1 cup of the Kraft Mozzarella I bought, I can make another meal with what's left. Which leads me to my eleventh and bonus tip...
When planning your weekly menu, look through your refrigerator and pantry to see what needs to be used up before it expires.
Melted. Grated. Shaved. Baked. No matter what you do with cheese, it makes everything taste better.
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This is proudly sponsored by our friends at Kraft.
www.kraftcanada.com
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