I wasn’t sure we could feed 4 mouths nutritious food and pay
for household cleaning and personal hygiene items for $100/week but a month of
practice in January after the Christmas financial gouge proved to me that it is
in fact possible. Some of the changes:
- Switched to generic brand diapers for the baby. He’s older
now and his skin isn’t as sensitive.
- Vinegar and baking soda…. very cheap and serve multiple
purposes.
- Batch cooking and eating the same meals more often. Originally
I was pickier about having variety but it makes things easier and of course the
boys don’t mind.
- Using less meat. By making soups, stews, casseroles, spaghetti
sauce, etc. I’ve gotten away with buying less meat and using grains and veggies
as filler.
- Frozen and seasonal fruit and vegetables. In the winter here
fresh fruit and veggies are more expensive. Frozen veggies like peas, corn and
green beans are very affordable and most don’t have additives. Fresh veggies
that are in season are usually cheaper like cabbage or brussel sprouts right
now. Apples and bananas are pretty cheap here so we load up on those too. We
also buy frozen fruit for adding to yogurt or baking which is much more
affordable in the winter and requires no prep work. Fruit in containers like
peaches and pears are also cheaper if you can get them on sale or jarred
unsweetened apple sauce. We just make sure they are in the plastic containers
rather than the cans (to avoid BPA) and in fruit juice rather than syrup.
- Simplifying dinners. Simple meals have fewer ingredients
than more extravagant meals. I save the dinners that require more prep for the
weekends so we do usually have 2 more extravagant meals.
- Choosing generic brands when the budget is getting tight – we prefer Heinz ketchup but President’s Choice brand isn’t too bad as a compromise.
- Have one fun dinner/week whether it is a new recipe, a
slightly more expensive meal, or a family member’s favourite.
Some meal planning tips I use
are:
1.
Write a list of your staple items. The ones you
need every week like bread, milk, and eggs. Write out the cost of these items
beside. You should know this!
2.
Write a list of the other items you need to buy
(maybe you’re out of toilet paper or coffee). Also write the corresponding
prices beside. Calculate this and the rest of your budget is what you have to
work with for planning meals for the week. If you have a lot of household or
staple items you need to buy, you might have to plan simpler, cheaper meals for
the week.
3.
Survey your cupboards before planning your
meals. Try to incorporate ingredients you have on hand into your meals for the
week to avoid waste and save money.
4.
Check the flyers and set aside the ones you’ll
use for price matching. Incorporate the deals into your meal planning. Martina has a pretty good process for this!
5.
Be somewhat generic in your list so you can take
advantage of in-store sales (not always advertised). For example… my list says
Fruit ($10). If I shop the sales, I can get more fruit for my $10 budget or
transfer the unused budget to another category like snacks!
6.
Organize your list in the same layout as the
grocery store (fruit/vegetables, bakery, frozen).
In case you’re interested, here is what we’re eating this
week for dinner:
Thursday – Bacon/avocado grilled cheese with vegetable soup
Friday – Pan-fried crispy beef strip loin with mashed
potatoes, peas, and steamed carrots
Saturday – Turkey sloppy joes with salad (bagged garden
$1.47!)
Sunday – Macaroni and cheese with frozen left over bacon
from Thursday added and salad (same as above)
Monday – Fish sticks (frozen), noodles, and peas and corn
(frozen)
Tuesday – Sheppard’s pie (homemade frozen filling) – so only
mashed potato to be added to the top and cooked
Wednesday – Spaghettini with sausage and veggie tomato sauce
(homemade frozen sauce) and garlic bread
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