Musings on a Shoestring: Advice on Keeping Your Grocery Bill Under Control

Better stop short than fill to the brim.
(Tao, 9)

Recently, I became self-employed – heavy on the “self,” light on the “employed.” So with only one paycheck, we've tightened our belts. We've cut the budget to the bone and that includes the food budget. I've been trying to feed the Family of Five (sometimes the Finicky Family of Five) on $100 a week. And it's hard. I did the math last night and realized $100 a week? That's $14.28 a day – or $4.76 a meal. Or 95 cents per person per meal. For those of you playing along at home, translate that to your currency... I don't know what grocery prices are in your neck of the woods, but shucks, no wonder it's hard. Yikes. So here's a couple of things we're doing to stretch our food dollar.

Ramen

What would “on a budget” advice be without Ramen? You can get the cute little bricks of curly noodles for 9 packs for $1, which is darn cheap. You can cook it in a hotpot, so it's a dorm food staple. Expect flashbacks to college. Ah, those were the days: beer in cups, ramen in the hotpot, choking down instant coffee with a ton of sugar after all-nighters, drinking all your orange juice the night before... Anyhow. Ramen's not a whole lot of food, especially not for Growth Spurt Boy who's recently joined the ranks of The Hungry Guys. But two packs will feed three children at lunch over the summer with a little left over. And while the kids love it as is (“according to package directions,” that is to say). For the rest of us, noodles with the little salty dust can get monotonous. So we experiment with add-ins. Fresh or frozen vegetables. Spices to give it a different flair, like Italian seasoning or curry powder. One of my favorites in high school was small chunks of mozzarella cheese, creamily melting in hot broth. Stretchy-tastic and a little silly-looking...but delicious. Be limited only by your imagination and the dribs and drabs in your refrigerator. Got a tiny bit of chicken left over? Shred it and stir it in. Whatever you add in, be sure to pour a tall glass of something wet. Ramen seasoning is mostly salt after all.

Better Shop Around

The Giant has ramen nine packs for $1. Wegman's is regularly six for $1. The Genuardi's? Five for $1. Thriftiness takes time, above all else. My grandparents knew entire stores full of prices, read the circulars cover to cover every week. And if Grandma S. had bought a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper at Schnuck's on Monday and Grandpa S. found out on Tuesday that the Kroger had it on sale for 5 cents less, they hopped in the car and returned that overpriced pop. They'd lived through the Depression and had learned to watch every penny. But even more importantly, they were retired, so they had plenty of time to pursue that extra nickel. As a working person, there's a time window. If it doesn't get done in the hour that I have to devote to it, it ain't happening. Working full time sure takes a bite out of your day. Pop-Pop, on the other hand, can let his retired self let a project spin out to all afternoon: there's always tomorrow. Now with my schedule uncluttered by employment, I can pick up a few things at the Produce Junction on Tuesday morning, hit Swann's Pantry on Wednesday morning and Wegman's in the afternoon... So...

Tally Ho!

When I was working full time, I'd drag the kids along to the store and by aisle 11, they'd have worn me down with the “can-we-get”s so that by the time we got to the Tastykakes... “Fine, whatever. Just throw it in the cart. Let's just get out of here.” We'd get to the checkout and my eyes would pop out at the total. But I'd gulp and pull out my credit card and “think about that tomorrow.” Now? We pay cash. Yes, I am so hopelessly retro as to risk bringing the delicate dance of commerce to a screeching halt by pulling out actual legal tender for all debts public and private. However, I do have a horror getting caught short at the checkout, so we keep a running total. No more “how much?!” surprises. And no more heartfelt pleas for Cap'n Crunch. The kids can see right where we are. Plus we all get practice with basic math. “Quick! Six for $2: how much?” And the kids are more aware of just what they're asking for. A $3.50 box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs that I won't let them eat for breakfast anyway or the $3.60 gallon of milk that will last nearly a week: what's it going to be? We also don't feel tied to how the store laid out the aisles. Use your list and hit the “high end” first (meat), then hit the essentials (milk, toilet paper, flour). Then see what's left and fill in as needed. It's a little more walking, but don't we all need a little more exercise nowadays?

Embrace Transformation

My Uncle Neil refused to eat leftovers. Aunt Dixie's kitchen was virtually Tupperware free. As a kid I always felt bad for him: without leftover turkey, there's no turkey tetrazzini or turkey curry or turkey soup. Without leftover beef, there's no hash. And no beef and gravy over toast. Chicken salad sandwiches. Egg salad at Eastertide. Fried rice. Bahmi Goreng. Ok, turkey brownies are probably not a lack. Why are turkey brownies not in the cookbook? So glad you asked. Dad was in a contest at church for “most creative use of leftover Thanksgiving turkey.” He made brownies. And even minced fine as fine, turkey is just weird in something masquerading as a simple brownie. Those rotisserie chickens they have at the grocery store just cry out for transformation. Dinner one night as roast chicken. Then cream the chicken and wrap it in crepes for another night. Chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Shred the chicken and add taco seasoning for tacos or quesadillas. When it's looking pretty picked over, throw the carcass in a gallon ziploc bag and throw it in the freezer: when it's full, sink it in a pot full of water and make stock. The frustrating thing is that recipes for leftovers are few. One tends to rely on just what Mom used to do. (Try a search for “leftover” or “cooked” to bring them to the top. I'll list some links to some of my favorites at the end of this piece.) And when you do find a “leftovers” recipe, there's often something here or there that's not in the pantry. And the whole idea is to use things up thriftily, not to schlep out to the store again. I give you my permission to ignore it. (That and a dollar will get you a coffee at Wawa, but hey.) Seriously, don't be bound. If you don't have ¼ c. green pepper, skip it. If you've got chicken not turkey, wing it. Which brings me to my next point.

Be Daring

If you know the theory behind the recipes, you can go “off book” with confidence. Substitute ingredients with daring! Classic S'mores call for half a Hershey bar sandwiched with a toasted marshmallow between graham crackers. If Hershey bars aren't on sale, try Reese's peanut butter cups, or Nestle's Crunch bars. There's often something at the checkout that's three for a dollar. Break out of the routine.

Stretch

Our fitness instructors are always trying to reinforce the importance of stretching, and a little bit of stretch is important in the kitchen as well. The frozen juice says add three cans of water to reconstitute the juice concentrate, but four yields a little more juice with not much decline in deliciousness. Especially for my kids who kick up a hue and cry if there's pulp. Add a little extra water or milk to a sauce and thin it out a little. Not too much or you'll start feeling deprived, but just a little lets it go a little farther and you'll feel smart.

Be Smart

Go for the budget busters if you want to make a real difference in the bottom line. Saving two cents by buying the store brand instead takes a long time to add up. Meat is our biggest budget buster. Knowing the science helps – protein comes from a variety of sources. Try making eggs the protein portion of the meal, scrambling an egg in fried noodles or fried rice. Or mix-and-match to create complete proteins: a grain plus a dairy or a grain plus a legume. Peanut butter is a protein. Though making Snickers and Reese's your major protein source is not a great choice for nutrition.

Do It Yourself

Home Depot's always telling us, “You can do it.” And you can. One of the first hints they give you in “saving money” articles is to dispense with the $3 coffee at the fancy coffee place and replace it with the $1 fancy coffee at the convenience store. I say you can make even better coffee in your very own kitchen with a French press (picked up at the TJMaxx for $12). Instead of spending $5 on a few muffins from the grocery store, bake your own muffins. Little homemade touches feel like treats instead of like you're settling.

And that's my two cents, which is about what I can afford in our current budget. Until my freelance career gets a little less on the “free” and more on the “lancing,” expect some growth in “On a Budget” recipes.