If you are trying to reduce your spending, your grocery budget is one expense where you can probably afford to trim some fat, both literally and figuratively! Planning meals in advance allows you have healthy ingredients on hand and reduces the need to order unhealthy and expensive take-out meals when everyone is hungry.
Budgeting
Determine how much money you want to or are able to spend on your food monthly. One way to determine your budget is to track your spending for a period of time, preferably a month or so, to get an idea of your current spending habits. Remember to include all food purchases for an accurate tally. The Iowa State University Extension suggests that this list include dining out, take out, vending machine, school lunches, and coffee purchases as well as your regular grocery spending. If you need to reduce your spending immediately and don't have time to track your spending, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that, as of July 2010, a thrifty food budget for a family of four is $133.70 per week.
Healthy Planning
Once you've determined your budget, you are ready to create a meal plan. According to Health Services at Brown University, a general guideline for creating healthy meals is to have 50 percent of the meal be fruits or vegetables, 25 percent be proteins and 25 percent be grains. These are loose guidelines and can be adjusted based on your food for the day; for example, if you have a large salad with chicken for lunch, your dinner can have less vegetables or protein and more grains. You can work calcium into your healthy meal plan in the form of dairy beverages or snacks.You'll need to create a plan that includes meals your family will like since you can't save money if you are throwing uneaten food in the garbage.
Thrifty Planning
Meal planning can be rigid or flexible depending upon what works best for you and your family. A flexible meal plan utilizes in-season produce and weekly sale items to create the most inexpensive meals based on fluctuating prices. For this style of inexpensive meal planning, consult the sales flyers from your local grocery stores and use the cheapest items to make your grocery list and meal plan. If you prefer to spend less time each week making a meal plan, a more rigid method is creating a master list of meals that your family enjoys and creating a weekly plan exclusively from your recipe list. To keep your meal plan healthy and inexpensive, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System suggests including a few meatless meals weekly, such as black beans and rice or peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
Shopping
You can create your weekly shopping list after you've made your meal plan. Shopping with a list will keep you on budget and prevent unnecessary spending or last minute trips to the store to pick up forgotten items. When you are shopping, keep your eyes open for unadvertised specials, clearance items or marked-down produce and meats. You can often save money for future meals by stocking up on unexpected deals. Look for good food deals in places other than the grocery store. Many communities have farmer's markets where produce is often fresher and less expensive than what you may find in the store. Warehouse stores, dollar stores and food co-ops are other places you should consider when looking for ways to save money.
Preparing
You've budgeted, planned and shopped; now you have to put your plan into action and stick with it for it to be effective. Store your perishables as soon as you get home from the store to reduce waste from spoiled foods. On nights when you have plenty of time to prepare a meal, make a double batch and stash the second meal in the freezer for a night when you don't have time to cook. You can also prepare a large cut of meat for one meal, then use the leftovers to create a completely different meal on another night. Pre-wash and cut fresh vegetables and fruits so that they are ready to eat when someone wants to grab a snack.
References
- Alabama Cooperative Extension System: 101+ Ways to Save Food Dollars
- University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Ideas for Planning Thrifty Meals
- Health Services at Brown University: Healthy Eating Off Meal Plan
- Iowa State University Extension: Spend Smart Eat Smart
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Official USDA Food Plans
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