$185, Food Stamp, One Income.
Times are tough; you can either spend your time crying about how stressed you are, or you could look for a solution.
I decided instead of ‘surviving’, I was going to find ways to use everything I do have to their greatest potential. What can I do to make things last longer? What combinations of things can I make to make a unique but also delicious and filling meal?
Some of these tips may or may not apply to you, epically if you have any dietary restrictions.
1. Location
This one isn’t always thought about. Thinking about going to the store? Well take your location into consideration. If your going one town over because that’s where the Walmart is, well how much gas are you wasting to save a buck or two? And I don’t know where you guys live, but where I am at, gas is still around $5.00 a gallon. So what’s nearby plays a huge factor, and so does what I’m getting.
It might be worth my while to go to that Walmart if I’m getting a good amount of things. But If I just need a couple things to help me get by, then I’m going to pick somewhere that’s closer.
2. Beans and Rice
I got two 10lb bag each of beans and Rice. I have the rice stored into easy to use mason jars. the beans I haven’t even touched yet. And I got an amazing deal on Rice and Beans at Grocery Outlet, so I wont need to buy Rice or Beans for some time.
3. Eggs
We eat eggs a lot. With me having PCOS its a great food for me to have on hand because its got protein, and its versatile. And when I get eggs I get the flat of eggs. Because on a normal month, they will last all month without a problem. And don’t forget to use the shells for your garden!
4. Coupons are still a thing!
In todays world of apps such as Fetch, and Ibotta, many people forget that coupons are still a thing! Before I go shopping I look at my list, and see if I find any coupons for it on the coupon websites.
5. Can you make it?
How hard is it to make yourself at home? Maybe you always have the ingredients its made from on hand, so you can save that $1.64. I discovered that when I tried making a cake mix. I would often times buy a cake mix or two every time I went to the store. Just to have on hand. Then when I realized how easy they were to make, I felt so silly for wasting money buying a mix!
If I get two cake mixes, at $1.64 each. That’s $3.28. If I go to the store 3 times during the month, and get 2 cake mixes each time that’s close to $10.00 I’m spending on cake mixes. I could be spending that $10.00 on meat, or fresh produce, since its an extra. We don’t need sugary things to survive.
6. How many will it serve?
When getting things such as Meat, or produce, I’m always asking that question. If the answer is 1, I’m re-thinking the idea., I’m always going to look at the stuff that’s going to make the most meals. Cabbage for us, I can part that out to make anywhere from 2-4 meals depending on what’s on the menu.
- 1 bag of onions – last all month
- 2lb bag carrots – last all month
- Cabbage 2-4 meals
- 1 whole chicken 3-4 meals
- 1 can of Spam 2 meals
- 10lb Bag of Rice 5+ meals (?)
Some of this also will depend on your family. For example. My family, I rarely cook rice, Daniels not the biggest fan of rice, so unless its going to do something specific, a 10lb has lasted us a good long while. Your family may love rice, so of course that same 10lb may not last as long.
And these tips- they are just some of the things that I do in order to get my food budget to stretch as best as it can. If you have any tips to add on to these, I’d love to hear them! I know there’s lots of creative ways to save money in the kitchen!
