Health & Fitness
Adventure Mama: Groceries for the Week for under $75
Groceries for under $75 for the week.
Today's blog is about ways to save money when buying groceries for your house. Before we get started there a few rules that I like to follow when I go shopping.
1. ALWAYS make a list. It is easy to buy an item you see on the shelf because you "think" you need it but that's the fastest way to go over budget.
2. Buy in bulk, if possible. There are items that will be used with almost every meal. Olive oil or butter are great examples. By buying in bulk, you will find that these items will be half the price.
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3. Bulk is not always better when it comes to produce. If a recipe calls for 1 pound of red potatoes, buying a 5 pound bag will not be smarter nor cheaper. Many times those will be items that you will find yourself throwing out.
4. Look at the unit price. Unit price, such as ounce or pound, is how you will tell if one brand is cheaper than another. Some times the store brand is not always the cheaper brand. The unit price can be found on the price sticker.
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5. Extra Virgin does not mean better. The idea that just because it looks or sounds fancier it must be better is not always true. The best item to use to explain this is extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin is not necessary for cooking and costs 3 times as much. Buying the cheapest olive oil is fine and will not change the taste of the dish.
6. Remember, it's about the average. One week you may spend $100 but the next you may only spend $60, and the next $70. Some weeks you may have to buy an item that you won't need to buy for 2 months or more such as spices or oils. These items can bring the bill up $20.
Using these rules, I wound up spending $92.16 but when I subtract out the large olive oil, spices, etc. I wound up only spending $72.94. I have linked to each of the recipes I used and many days I had leftovers. I also had salad and fruit with every meal and had fruit, vegetables or breakfast bars for snack and breakfast.
All of these recipes are out of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazines. Her recipes are very user friendly and she gives a picture with every recipe which is a must for me. All of these recipes make 4 servings.
Garlic-Marinated Chicken Cutlets With Grilled Potatoes:
Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs: I doubled this recipe and had for 2 days.
Parmesan Stuffed Chicken Breasts
If you have a rule that you use to help stay within your budget, post it below or send me a message and i will add it to my next blog post.
Next time....
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