Budget Cooking

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Whatever your particular food budget, frugal grocery shopping and cutting down on waste is a concern for most home cooks. Here are some tips to get your started.

Examining my expenditures each month, I find a notable, sometimes even disconcerting, trend in my financial weaknesses. Rather than shoes, movies, or a billion-thread count sheets, I occasionally splurge on expensive prosciutto, Asian pears, fair-trade imported chocolate, and properly aged Irish whiskey. Does this make me a gluttonous food snob? It's possible. Sticking to a budget with food and cooking can also be quite difficult, especially for those of us who love food. With a little extra effort though, you can properly balance your spending and still enjoy the culinary experience. No matter your individual needs, here are some good guidelines to follow with budget cooking.

Figure out a Grocery Budget

Sitting down and figuring out exactly how much you spend on each area of your life and how much you can realistically spend can be an arduous task. But, this budget will do wonders for your financial security and allow you to indulge in areas that you really care about. Figure out how much you can spend on groceries and stick to this figure relentlessly. Divide food between essentials, like milk and eggs, and optional foods that you can pare down if necessary.

For the best free budget software, take a look at Buddhi. It will get you organized in no time.

Make a Grocery List

Before you step foot in the grocery, make a list based on your budget. I sit down on Sundays and figure out what I will be cooking for the week with the help of Recipe4Living recipes. Keep an eye on grocery deals, sales and coupons when planning your meals, but don't select items you normally wouldn't just because they are on sale. It's generally better to go to the grocery more often and purchase less food as not to let food spoil and go to waste before you can eat it.

Mommysavers.com recommends putting together a Price Book to compare prices and keep note of specials at groceries and markets around you. This is ambitious but wonderfully helpful!

Buy Seasonally

The price of produce varies greatly from season to season, so keep an eye on the growing season and select recipes accordingly. Go to farmer's markets, especially at the end of the day when farmers are trying to clear out their stock. You can buy slightly damaged produce (usually with some completely safe bruising) at a reduced cost. Check out Sustainable Eating for a review of some seasonable items and recipes to use them. Also, check out:

Selecting and Storing Fruit.

Selecting and Storing Vegetables

Reduce Waste

In addition to grocery shopping more frequently, you can reduce waste in your own home in a couple of ways. Keep an eye on recipe yield and adjust to fewer eaters. Practice simple portion control when serving food (this will also help you not to over-eat), and favor smaller portions. Freeze any leftovers in meal-sized portions for future lunches or dinners. Also, get comfortable with recycling leftovers into casseroles, wraps, and other dishes.

Avoid Convenience Foods

Frozen dinners and other prepared foods can be quite expensive. Instead of purchasing these easy meals, simply make a little extra when cooking and freeze the leftovers in partitioned freezer containers. You can find these containers in most supermarkets and discount stores. When you have a little extra time on Saturday afternoon, make a few bake mixes ahead of time (for things like cakes and brownies) and store in labeled plastic bags to keep you from being tempted by the boxes at the store.

Make your own pasta sauces, stocks and broths, and freeze in small portions, such as in an ice-cube tray. As opposed to broth, stocks are made mostly from boney meat parts with little flesh. If preparing a whole chicken or turkey (buying a whole chicken is actually more cost-efficient), save these parts to make stock. The preparation of broths, whether chicken, vegetables, or otherwise, takes about three hours, while stocks take around 6 hours to fully release the flavor from the bones.

Rich Turkey Broth

Buy Bulk on Some Items

When you find a good price on non-perishable goods, stock up (unless you don't have the storage space). Rice, pasta, dried beans, cereal, instant coffee and other items will save you money when bought in bulk. (Note- Dried beans are much more cost effective than the canned variety.) Think about the price per serving to keep things in perspective. While it may sound a little scary, with the help of a large freezer, you can also buy an entire lamb or pig, slaughtered and divided up to your liking. This is surprisingly cost-effective and will last you for months and months.

A well-organized pantry can help you utilize the full potential of items bought in bulk. Check out Organized Home's article on Organizing Your Pantry.

Grow a Green Thumb

If you have a patch of earth, start a vegetable garden. You can also grow a potato plant fairly easily. Cut a chunk of potato including an eye and put into a pot of soil, covering with 1 cm. of soil. Keep in a sunny place and water when the soil gets dry. If a personal garden is not a possibility for you (city-dwellers for example), look into food co-ops and community garden projects in your area. You'll love the fresh produce and will be supporting sustainable agriculture, which is better for the environment.

An herb garden is fairly easy to maintain in a small amount of space. The seeds are cheaper and fresh herbs enhance every meal. Check out How to Start Your Own Herb Garden.

Eat Healthy

Fill up on healthy food like fresh fruits and vegetables. Factoring in a meatless meal with beans and legumes several times a week will save you money and it's very healthy for you. For example, I love meals made with chickpeas. If you are looking for an even more frugal cooking budget, eat meat only once a day (breakfast meat is the cheapest).