Save Money On Groceries with Tested Tips
Every time I visit the grocery store, it seems as if the prices have gone up. It is more important than ever, in a weak economy, to control those trips and put a lid on impulse buys. These are tips that I use, or ones that I have picked up from Frugal Pig readers and my friends. If you have any more cheap grocery shopping tips, feel free to add them to the contents!
- Can you avoid taking anybody else with you? Of course, you will want to get your spouse’s and kid’s input when you plan a grocery shopping trip. But I find that if I take another family member with me, it is much harder to control my spending. We, sort of, give each other permission to impulse buy.
- Try not to buy too much. OK, if cans of tuna are on sale, and you know you use them all the time, it is probably a good idea to stock up. But you need to resist overbuying fresh produce that will spoil. I have probably thrown out as much bread lettuce as I’ve eatern, and I am really trying to stop the waste.
- Check the sales. I know that my local grocery store always has some meat on sale, and I plan my menus around that, rather than planning my shopping around set meals.
- Compare prices. I know that my kids pick up anything at eye level, without checking prices. Of course, grocery stores plan it that way. For instance, a popular kid’s snack has the well advertised brand level at chest to eye level. But the bottom shelf has the very same snack with the store label on it for about half the price.
- Coupons - I am not a big fan of coupons. Since I try to plan my menus around fresh foods, the coupons are usually not for things I buy anyway. Oh sure, I buy dishwashing soap and paper towels, and you can find coupons for these. But the coupons are usually for the brand name, and the grocery store label tends to work out cheaper anyway. Look, if you love coupons, go for it. In my humble opinion, grocery store coupons are just not worth the hassle.
OK, those are my tips. Oh, and try to make a list and, mostly, stick to it. Make your list general, though, because you may find a great sale on steak which makes it cheaper than the ground beef you were going to buy.
Speaking of hamburger, do not just look at price, but also look at fat content. In my opinion, the lower fat content is worth spending more money on because the high fat ground beef just cooks away anyway. But again, that’s me!
OK - Please add your comments. I’d love to hear some great tips from all of the smart shoppers out there.
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Cheap Recipe For Tuna Croquettes
Cheap Fish Recipe with Tuna
We are all told to eat more fish, but sometimes that seafood counter has some pretty expensive prices. In order to be healthy, and get our share of fish, we need to turn to good old canned tuna and salmon. But tuna with mayo gets old after awhile. So let’s dress it up with a great recipe for tuna cakes. These are very similar to crab cakes, but cheap and easy to make!
By the way, a good way to handle your grocery budget in a frugal way, is to look for tuna and salmon on sale.
We found this recipe on CheapSkateLiving.org — Tuna Croquettes Recipe So just visit that page, because we don’t see the need to waste time and repost it here.
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Cheap and Easy Tacos and Tortilla Recipe
Make Cheap and Easy Tacos and Tortillas
Most taco recipes do not include the tortillas. But I learned this from one of the most frugal cooks I ever met, and in my humble opinion, nothing tastes better then fresh tortilla right out of the pan. Compare fresh tortillas to packaged tortillas. Its like the difference between fresh bread and day old bread! And of course, it is much cheaper to make tortillas then it is to purchase them. On the other hand, time is money, and if you are pressed for time, don’t feel guilty about buying a package of tortillas either. Note: I added another cheap recipe for bisquick tortillas to the end of this post.
The recipe here is for 12 tacos, so this may be two meals. If that is too much for your family, you can freeze the rest in a a freezer bag or use them for lunches the next day.
Wheat Tortillas
You Need: 4 Cups Flour, 2 tsp. salt, 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tbl oil, approx. 1 1/2 cup warm water.
Stir all the dry ingredients together. Then knead in the oil and add the water until you have a soft, but not sticky, dough. Form about 1/4 cup of the dough and make a ball. Then flatten it out so it is about 1/8 inch thick. You can buy an inexpensive tortilla press, and I like mine. But a flat plate works too!
Heat a heavy skillet or griddle to a medium-high heat. Cook your tortillas until they are brown on each time. Trust me, it will be hard to keep your family from eating the warm and delicious fresh tortillas before you get the tacos done.
The Cheap and Easy Tacos
You Need: 2 LB ground beef or ground turkey. Salsa (Mild to Medium as You Prefer).
Brown the ground meat. Drain the oil, and then stir in the salsa to taste and cook until the flavors are blended and the meat is well done.
Extras
Serve with lettuce, tomatos, quacamole, etc. as you desire. The addition of the veggies makes this a pretty healthy one dish meal that everybody loves.
Bisquick Tortillas! You can also use bisquick to make tortillas. Use 1 cup of Bisquick, 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 tsp. of salt. Mix up the ingredients, and then roll the dough up in box and brown them in a pan or griddle.
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