Grocery Shrink

…It’s how much you spend.  And what you get for your money.

After we finished our field trip to the grocery store yesterday with Nicole and the 700 Club crew, I had mixed feelings.  It just wasn’t a great day for finding deals at the particular stores we were at.  This is common every where.  Some weeks there are so many deals it’s hard to know where to start and some weeks you might as well stay home. 

Despite the lack of outrageous deals there were a lot of teachable moments.  One of those was price comparing between bagged lettuce verses head lettuce.  Sometimes the premade salad is less expensive and easier at the same time!  Part of that is because once you tear up lettuce it doesn’t keep as long, so the store can become a motivated seller.  Bagged salad isn’t always less expensive, but it’s an option worth checking out.

We bought some things that weren’t particularly fantastic deals, but if you have to feed your family that week and there isn’t much at home, they were the least expensive ingredients to build meals out of.  These included fresh potatoes, fresh chicken quarters, brown rice, tomato sauce, and whole wheat pasta.  They were every day good values that sometimes go on sale for even less.

Image Source Better Homes and Gardens

It’s even better to start building a stock pile or pantry out of foods that are fantastic deals, so when there aren’t any good deals, you can just stay home.

As we were walking out of the store a woman was parked nearby with a cart heaping full of food.  She looked me over and looked at my camera crew and said in a snarky way:  “I sure hope you saved a bunch of money, because I certainly did.”   I know part of it was her needing a little pat on the back and some recognition for her hard work.  But it stung a little.  (I’m still working on that thick skin.)

Nicole’s family is bouncing back from a huge hardship.  They lost their house and all their possessions in a fire last year and her husband is searching for a full time job while she does her magic at home with their sons and keeping a frugal lifestyle.  She needs to whittle her grocery bills down to $200 a month so they can get traction with their life.  If I filled her cart to heaping with non-nutritious foods she might show a larger percentage of savings, but she would also blow her entire budget and more without a healthy meal to show for it.

The real magic with grocery savings happens in the kitchen.  I sent Nicole home with bone in chicken, chicken breasts, whole wheat flour, lettuce salad, brown rice, whole wheat flat bread rounds, whole wheat pasta, spaghetti sauce, fresh fruit, potatoes, and neufatchel cheese.   She can make chicken alfredo, BBQ chicken sandwiches, creamy chicken and rice, chicken ceasar salad, mini pizzas and more with these ingredients.  She spent about $50, we saved $22 and her family could eat for a week by adding a few spices and pantry items (like BBQ sauce and parmesan cheese) that she already had at home.

Source: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/06/01

You just spent the past hour making sure-to-be delicious stuffed peppers from your backyard garden.  It’s paired with a fresh fruit from the produce co-op, and bread that you purchased (with a coupon!) at the bakery discount store.  It’s a delicious and healthy frugal meal; but, no one in your family seems eager to try it.  What’s a mom to do?

Making meals look more enticing can be a great way to perk up the interest of your family members.  Frugal meals don’t need to be dull.  Here are my ideas for making dinner time more enjoyable, regardless of how much the food cost. 

1.   Play with Colors and Textures

Cauliflower soup served with corn and white bread is going to look pretty lack luster no matter what you do.  Find ways to inject color and texture into your meals.  For instance, cauliflower soup with a cheddar cheese garnish, green beans topped with a few slivered almonds, and a slice of whole-grain bread will look a lot more visually appealing.  As an added bonus, more color and texture frequently means more fiber and nutrients!

 Use some of the ingredients already in the meal to garnish the serving dishes.  Simple spaghetti sauce looks fancier when fresh basil leaves are scattered across the surface.  Dried parsley can be sprinkled on a multitude of dinner dishes.  Nuts and dried fruits are quick salad additions to bring more fun into the meal.  Get creative and have fun!  If you have an artistic child, have them think of ways to garnish and present the foods while you cook them.

2.  Set the Table Properly

Each person gets a table setting with a plate, silverware in the correct locations, a glass, and a napkin (see here for a tutorial on making your own napkins:  http://www.skiptomylou.org/2009/04/20/make-your-own-cloth-napkins/).  Use placemats or tablecloths for special dinners (Sundays, holidays, birthdays, etc.).    Young children can help set the table as a daily chore (see here for a guide for children  http://www.parents.com/fun/printables/other/table-setting-place-mats/).

3.  Serve Food in Attractive Dishes

Food typically looks more appealing if it is served in a glass bowl rather than a messy mixing bowl.  Pots and pans don’t belong on the dinner table—transfer the food to a serving dish.  Rather than just putting a package of bread or tortillas on the table, remove the items from the plastic packaging and set them on a plate.  Although this may seem unnecessary and create a few more things to wash, it will make the meal appear more put-together.  If there is a soup or salad being served, I like to dish up individual servings and set them out before gathering everyone to eat.   

4.  Have a Conversation

One of my favorite ideas for dinner-time conversation came from my neighbor, a mother of five children with a wide range of ages.  Each night as they are eating, they go around the table and each person shares the best thing that happened that day and the worst thing that happened that day.  We’ve tried this idea in my own family as well and it sparks great discussions and is a topic that everyone can participate in. 

The environment that the food is served in can be just as important as the food itself.  I hope that these ideas help you have more enjoyable frugal meals!  If you have a favorite way to garnish food or a fun dinnertime conversation idea, please leave it in the comments.

Hi Friends, This month is all about going back to the basics on shrinking your grocery bills!  I am in Virginia Beach right now shooting segments for the 700 club which will air at 9:00 am Eastern or 8:00 am central on CBN. (For stations and show times click here.)  To help kick off our month I’m reposting an excerpt from an article I wrote last summer for The Nester.  It’s some of my best work and I wanted all our new readers to have it: 

With the Grocery Shrink method, we recommend families work their food budget down to $50 per person per month or $200 for the average 4 person family.  We don’t use a lot of coupons but focus on savvy shopping and using what we have.  Fruits and vegetables are a definite must, as are whole grains, and naturally raised meats.  If baking your own breads and pitas and cooking without boxed mixes feels overwhelming, we will show you how easy and nutritious it can be!

I have 5 children that I home school while I work from home. I understand how busy life is and still use a $50 per person budget of $350 for our family.  Believe it or not, I had money leftover last month which I will use to stock up on necessities for the future.  I’ve met lots of frugal mama’s in the internet world and firmly believe anyone can do what I do and do it better. Here are 10 basic tips to give you a head start on your grocery slashing journey:

1.   Switch over to cash only for groceries.  Decide what you can afford to spend every month and put that amount in cash in an envelope.  When the cash is gone, you are done shopping until next month.  Studies show using cash reduces spending by 30%!  And you will always know when you are near the end of your budget.  I keep my cash in a couon organizer like tihs one, a sewing pattern available on etsy from isew.  This allows me to easily get money from several budget categories in one store.

2.  Inventory what you have on hand.  You may have a little or a lot, but it’s important to use up what you have before it goes bad.

3.  Look at the Grocery Ads and evaluate what the good deals are.  Just because it’s in the ad doesn’t mean it’s a good deal.  Just because it’s a good deal for that item, doesn’t mean you should buy it.  For example, I’ve seen a local chain advertise a “low price guarantee” on an item and noticed that the same item was less expensive a few weeks ago.  It was the lowest price in the area for that day, but another day you will find a much better price.  Buy as much as you can afford of the items that are their lowest price ever.  Aim for 6 months worth of non-perishable food in your pantry.

            Also consider that while frozen hash brown potatoes will go on sale for $1 for a 2 lb bag but real fresh potatoes will go on sale for $1 for 10lbs. Fresh potatoes are a much better deal and healthier too. 

4.  Before hitting the stores, check www.becentsable.net and see if there are any coupons available to match with the sale items you are planning to purchase.  They will tell you what coupons match up with the sales and where to find the coupon in your paper or where to print it online.

5.  Make a meal plan centered on what you have on hand and incorporate the sale items.  Plan to store extra sale items in your pantry or freezer to use later on in the year.  Click here for detailed instructions on how to make a meal plan and printable sheets to write your plan on.

6.  Learn to make something new from scratch to save money and improve health.  You can make yogurt in your crock-pot.  Sprouts take 1 minute a day to grow and are ready to eat in just 3 days! You can make 100% whole wheat bread at home that is soft, sliceable and with a fine crumb.  Try homemade tortillas, granola, or pitas.  You can always go back to buying them, but you may find you prefer your own.

7.  Make the foods you used to enjoy in a restaurant, at home.  Pizza, grilled stuffed burritos, Fettuccini Alfredo, spinach queso, submarine sandwiches. . . you name it, you can make it. 

8.  Pack leftovers for the working spouse’s lunch.  Taking a lunch instead of buying it saves about $2,000 a year!  I pack my husband’s lunch before serving the meal. That way I am guaranteed to have enough for him.

9.  Take food with you when you run errands.  Then eat your picnic lunch instead of stopping for fast food.  Look how easy it is!

10.  Reevaluate your necessities.  Toilet paper, sanitary napkins, diapers, baby wipes, paper towels, dinner napkins, and paper plates all have washable, reusable counterparts. If you don’t sew, old t-shirts cut into squares do not require a hem since they don’t ravel. They are super soft and make great washable toilet wipes or face tissues. Homemade cleaning supplies are inexpensive, effective and environmentally friendly.  Click here to get my favorite recipes:  www.groceryshrink.com

            10a.  Also think about the foods we buy that are treats, things like ice cream, cookies, cakes, crackers, soda, chips, and juice.  While these items do not contribute to our health, it’s okay to have them for a rare treat once in a while.  The average American family spends enough on these types of foods each year that they could take a family vacation on a Caribbean cruise ship just by forgoing the pleasure and saving the money they would have spent in a trip fund!  It’s amazing  what can be saved just by letting rare treats be rare treats.

P.S. It’s easy to overlook what food you can grow at home.  We have a small yard in the city but found space in our flower beds for organic herbs and vegetables.  It’s fun to step out the door and gather fresh organic food to serve immediately.  If you can grow enough, canning and freezing fresh produce for winter use is easier than it sounds.  My favorite resource is the Ball Blue Book.

This is just the tip of what we do over at the Grocery Shrink.  You’ll find our blog which daily posts new money saving ideas and projects; a forum where you can talk to other frugal folks; and a weekly newsletter that reports reader tips and questions, encouragement for you on your frugal journey, recipes, and highlights from the blog and forum.  I can’t wait to see you over there!

In our foods, the majority of excess calories come from fat and sugar.  It’s easy to reduce these amounts without sacrificing taste or texture.

In sweet baked goods up to 3/4 of the fat (oil or butter) can be replaced with equal amounts of any of the following:  pureed pumpkin, mashed white beans, unsweetened applesauce, or plain yogurt.  This works great in muffins, pancakes, cakes, brownies, and quick breads.

Replacing the fat in cookies this way will make them more cake-like, but you can reduce the butter by 1/4 and add a tablespoon of skim milk for texture without much noticeable change.

Sugar is essential to the texture and browning of baked goods like cookies and cakes, but sometimes you can reduce the amount of sugar by 1/3 or 1/4 without noticing any change!

By switching to whole grain flours instead of white refined flours, you increase the nutrition and fiber content of your foods.  Start by replacing half the white flour with whole wheat and increasing from there.  My family uses whole grains pretty exclusively and we don’t mind it.  You can replace white flour with whole wheat flour cup for cup, but your baked goods will be lighter if you remove one Tablespoon of whole wheat flour for each cup.  Also you can buy soft red whole wheat flour(AKA whole wheat pastry flour), which has been grown especially for quick baking.  I buy hard white wheat berries and flour which we like for both baking and bread making.

To reduce fat in biscuits, look for a biscuit recipe that includes yeast and buttermilk.  This will help your biscuits rise higher and remain light even with less fat.  Don’t eliminate the fat completely and be sure not to cut it into too small of pieces.  Leaving pea size lumps will help give your biscuits the texture you are hoping for.

You can replace skim milk for whole milk or cream in almost any recipe.  If your creation tastes a little “thin” try adding evaporated skim milk, a few cubes of lowfat cream cheese, or powdered skim milk to boost it next time.

It’s not necessary to use oil or butter when sauteeing at all!  A little spritz of non-stick olive or canola oil based spray is enough to keep everything from sticking and a dash of salt will help bring out the natural flavors without added calories.  If your pan starts to get dry, add a few tablespoons of water or broth to keep your dish from scortching.

Plain yogurt can replace mayonnaise or sour cream in equal amounts in most recipes.  I use it in my beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, salad dressings, macaroni and cheese (instead of butter); cheese cake; and ice cream recipes!

Using 93% lean ground turkey instead of extra lean ground beef will save you about 100 calories per serving.  If you prefer to use beef, you can drain and rinse the cooked beef under hot water.  This will remove most of the excess fat bringing it almost as lean as the ground turkey!  When making meatloaf and meatballs, this type of rinsing isn’t possible and using ground turkey is your best bet.

93% ground turkey can also be seasoned like breakfast sausage or Italian Sausage for an amazing nutritional and financial boost over traditional sausage.

 I love this “Mashed Potato” recipe made from Cauliflower.  It tastes surprisingly like the real thing for only a fraction of the carbs and calories.

Finally, when making your favorite recipes healthier, try tweaking only one thing at a time.  Going fat free, whole grain, and replacing the sugar with a substitute all at once will sure to leave your recipe tasting like cardboard.  Every recipe needs a little “real” food to make it edible :).

I can easily get in a salad rut, but looking through the salad section of restaurant menu’s helps get my creative juices going.  Any of these creative salads can be made from the same salad mix:  romaine lettuce and shredded carrots.  When I have them I add spinach, home grown sprouts, and other chopped veggies like broccoli, red cabbage, mini bell peppers, sugar snap peas, and radishes.  A few craisins and sunflower seeds add a splash of color and a punch of flavor and texture.  Without dressing or the craisins and sunflower seeds, the salad is a zero or negative calorie food, meaning it has more calorie reducing fiber in it, than calories.

A large bowl of salad will keep up to 2 weeks when stored properly in the refrigerator.  Adding soft veggies like cucumber or tomatoes will shorten this life a lot, so I put them on the table separately.

By adding a low-fat, high protein food (like grilled shrimp, boiled egg slices, or chicken breast) to the salad, you have a super filling, very low calorie and very satisfying meal.   I avoid adding cheese, except for an occasional pinch of parmesan, to my salads, saving the extra calories for a later snack.  And I weigh and count my protein out carefully making sure to get 3 oz or 15-20 grams of protein.  Just enough and not too much to encourage a heathy body composition. Measuring the dressing is another must and even better if you can enjoy the pure taste of the veggies without it.

Try these salad combinations:

Ceasar:  Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, and low fat ceasar dressing with a pinch of parmesan cheese.  (Fresh Tomatoes are gorgeous with this!)

Taco:  Romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, green onions, tomatoes, grilled southwest chicken (sprinkle the chicken with chili powder, garlic and cumin while cooking), salsa, and a dollap of plain yogurt or low-fat ranch dressing.

Asian:  Romaine Lettuce, mung bean sprouts, snow peas, shredded carrots, and grilled shrimp with low-fat Asian Sesame dressing.

Lettuce Free Salads

Depending on where you live, lettuce can get expensive in the winter months.  You can make lettuce free salads with home grown sprouts as a base!  Or try these twists on traditional “meat” salads:

Tuna Salad:  3 oz tuna, 1-2 Tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper, 1 teaspoon pickle relish

Chicken salad:  3 oz chopped chicken breast, 1-2 Tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt, 1 chopped red baby bell pepper, 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt, 4 chopped almonds

Egg Salad:  2 chopped eggs, 1-2 Tablespoons plain non-fat yogurt, 1 teaspoon mustard, salt and pepper to taste

Croutons?

I love croutons, but have you ever read how many calories in a small serving?  Traditional croutons are made by soaking bread in butter and herbs and baking to crisp, golden perfection.

To avoid all that fat, try baking a loaf of crouton bread with 100% whole grain flours, by mixing your herbs right into the bread, then you don’t need all the butter to make the herbs stick.  When it has cooled, slice and cube and spread in one layer on a non-stick cookie sheet.  Spritz lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.  They will crisp up even more after cooling.  You will still need to measure your croutons, but can enjoy a sprinkling without all the guilt.

Salad Dressings

There are lots of low-fat salad dressings available on the market, but if all the MSG and preservatives make your skin crawl, you can make your own varieties.  Try replacing mayo or sour cream with skim milk plain yogurt and using stevia in the place of sugar or honey.  It will take some tweaking to get the mixture just right, but you can do it!  I have some recipes to share with you when I have more time.