How to Recipes to Save Money

Member

By Brenda Holm
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(6 Ratings)

Recipes to Save Money

Did you know that you probably already have the tools to save money on meals? It is easier than you might have thought and you do not have to starve to do it. Here are a few tips to make the grocery budget for a family of four go further.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

time
patience
will
groceries
menu

Step 1

First do an honest assessment of your current cooking habits. Are you throwing out left overs after every meal or can you eat for a week on them? This is an indication that you are cooking too much! Make note of how much is leftover after your next meal, then reduce the amount you cook the next night.
Step 2

A good budget meal is spaghetti but even here there is a potential for waste. You can make a great dinner for four people with a single pound of hamburger, 12 ounces of spaghetti and two cans of Hunts spaghetti sauce. This comes to about $6.00 for a main dish that will feed four comfortably. A few more dollars and you can add homemade garlic bread and ice tea. Try to get that deal at your local fast food joint!
Step 3

Add more vegetables and cheap side dishes to your meals. Rice is one of the cheapest staples available. Save money the next time you make tacos by adding spanish rice to the menu. It is cheap to make and adds nice texture and flavor to any taco dish. Plus you can make extra rice, save it in the fridge for a quick breakfast the next day. (Without seasonings of course)
Step 4

Beans and cornbread are essential parts of any southern diet. For about $5.00 you can make a crock pot full of tasty pinto beans and pork. More than likely you will have leftovers from this dish as well. Save them and have tacos the following night with your very own homemade refried beans!
Step 5

Menus will save you a lot of headaches and money if you use them consistently. Make at least a weekly menu plan before you go shopping and keep in mind all the above tips. Where can you scale back? What meals will go nicely hand in hand? Now compare your list to what you currently have on hand, check the sale ads and go shopping.