Do you need to cut your grocery bill?
Wondering how to reduce your grocery budget and eat better?
No one wants to sacrifice what and how they eat in order to save money. Luckily, there are many easy ways to save money without sacrificing the quality of your family’s meals. Done properly, these tips will actually make your meals a lot better.
Cut Your Grocery Bill and Eat Better
Use a Crockpot
Are you too tired or busy to cook? Do you find yourself reaching for the takeout menus just so you can get something on the table? If so, you need to consider using a Crockpot. A Crockpot will provide your family with flavorful meals for just a few minutes of work. You start the meal in the morning, let it simmer all day, and come home to a wonderful meal. Crockpots, whether new or used, are inexpensive and will save your family both time and money. Try recipes for Crock Pot BBQ or Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice.
Make Your Own Bread
Most people have never given serious thought to making their own bread. But how much is a loaf of bread at the store? A cheap loaf is $1.50; a good loaf is two or three times that. You can make gourmet quality bread at home for literally pennies on the dollar. The ingredients for most artisan breads cost about fifty cents.
Bread machines are just as easy to use as crockpots and can often be found new at yard sales and thrift stores. You load the ingredients, set the machine, and wait. A few hours later you have fresh bread. Most machines even have a delay feature, so you can time the bread to be ready when you get home. Not much is better than homemade bread, unless you pair it with a roast cooked in the crockpot.
Double and Freeze
It’s no more trouble to double a recipe. When you do cook make twice as much as you need, then take half of it and freeze it for later. This handy meal will be nice to have on one of those nights when you’re too busy or too tired to cook. Pull it out of the freezer, pop it in the oven or microwave, and dinner will soon be ready. If you buy the ingredients on sale you will save even more.
Buy Fruits and Vegetables in Season
Not only are they cheaper, but you can also freeze them for later use. Most fruits can be had by the gallon at farmer’s markets for the price of a quart at the supermarket. This will allow your family to have fresh fruit in the winter without paying exorbitant prices.
Make Your Own Cleaners
Lastly, one of the easiest ways to cut your kitchen budget is to stop buying those overpriced cleaners from the store. Safe and effective natural cleaners can be made at home using all-natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda and ammonia. Check out recipes for homemade cleaning products. This tip alone could save your family hundreds of dollars a year.
These are just a few easy tips to help your family save money in the kitchen. There are many more, and with a little work you can put even more money back into your family’s budget.
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Written by: Isaac Bullen
