Most of us have some sort of monthly grocery budget we’d like to stay within. When I started eating healthier, I was a little frustrated at times by the cost of eating healthy and keeping it up with a growing family. But as my energy levels improved, and I not only wanted to eat healthy myself, but I wanted my family to eat better too. AND let’s face it with growing children at home, that monthly budget isn’t getting any smaller. Here are some tricks I learned along the way to make groceries go farther.
1. Preserve fresh herbs by chopping and freezing what you’re not going to use. Herbs tend to go bad rather quickly, so taking care of them right away is a great way to save them for later.
2. SAVE THOSE CARCASSES! Make your own chicken or turkey broth. It’s really simple to do and more importantly you know what’s in it! Throw it in a crock-pot with an onion, a head of garlic, couple tablespoons of a few carrots and some celery. Fill with water and cook for 8-10 hours. Let cool, takes bones out. Run through a blender and then a mesh strainer (this will make it clearer, but not necessary). WALLAH! You can usually get around 8-10 cups of broth and it’s the real deal. Chicken soup, the way it’s supposed to be made! If you don’t have time right away, throw the carcass in your freezer until you are ready to make a batch.
3. SAVE THE VEGGIES! Make your own veggie broth. Save those broccoli stems, the tops and ends of celery, stems of herbs, etc. I keep a Ziploc bag in the freezer that I throw veggie pieces in until I’m ready to make a batch of broth. You make veggie broth the same way as the chicken broth. Except you don’t have to dig out the bones J I also don’t strain it as I like to keep all the veggie goodness in the broth.
4. Try and find a produce program or farmer’s market in your area. I belong to a produce program where I pick up veggies, fruit, whole grain bread, and herbs every couple weeks. This has been much cheaper than buying from a store. We’ve been able to try fruits and vegetables that normally we wouldn’t buy because of the price. Do some research in your area and see what you can find.
5. Menu Planning-I hated menu planning until I found a good program. This is a good way to keep from buying extras, and it also keeps me out of the store during the week which is more cost and time efficient. This also great for menu prep and accountability.
6. Buy Frozen Veggies and Fruit-Research has shown that frozen is just as good if not better than fresh (depending on where you get your produce). When buying from your normal grocery store, that produce can sometimes be older than what was picked fresh and blanched and frozen immediately. So don’t shy away from frozen produce, especially in the winter when it’s more expensive.
7. Freeze Leftovers-Did you make a huge batch of chili and don’t feel like eating them all week? Put leftovers into single containers in the freezer for lunches later.
8. Too many Oranges? Oranges are usually the last pieces of fruit out of the bowl at my house. They just are not as convenient to grab and eat. I used to throw them away before they’d get eaten. Guess what? I freeze those too! Pull the wedges apart and put them on a cookie sheet and freeze. Later you can throw them in a Ziploc bag. This way they don’t stick together. Freeze ripened bananas-Don’t throw those brown bananas! Freeze them! These are great in smoothies, and really any recipe that calls for a banana.
9. Apple Cores and peelings-Don’t throw them away! You can make apple cider vinegar, dry them for potpourri, tea, juice, or put them in your smoothie for extra fiber. With lemon, orange and lime peelings, you can make cleaning supplies, twists for your water, lemon, orange and Lime zest can be saved for later as well. The opportunities are endless!
10. Buy Staple Items at Discount Stores-I am an Aldi’s fan because of their organic sections. I normally cannot afford to buy organic all the time because of where I live. The stores in town carry very little and are very expensive. Aldi’s has a lot of organic staple items such as oats, beans, coffee, canned items and produce. I go every couple weeks (I live 45 minutes away) and pick up staple items and extra produce.
The possibilities are really endless! I would love to hear some of your tricks and ideas as well. Have fun with your new venture and remember the importance of what you eat. It may seem like you’re blowing your budget at times, but as you start packing lunches, drinking water instead of mochas, and eating healthy at home instead of take-out pizza, it really evens out. I promise! AND you will feel great which is an added bonus.
Love this blog! Thanks for sharing Michelle, you always have great tips and tricks to share!