Five Tips on Food Budgets

$$$$ **I had this post originally on my personal blog, but I thought it was well-suited for this blog.
Of course I don't know everything and this might not fit with your style (diet or lifestyle), but I thought I'd share.

http://nourishedkitchen.com/food-stamp-challenge/

Our food budget is significantly lower than most others. I have heard of lower, but I always worry about nutrition. I mean, I'm all for saving money, but I don't want to go malnourished because I am not getting the variety of food every person needs. I was just reevaluating where we are spending our money because we went over last month. See, in December we didn't spend a lot because we were trying to empty out the fridge before we left on vacation, so our fridge and other perishable staples (bread, tortillas, etc.) desperately needed to be restocked. I could justify it by saying we didn't spend near our budget in December and slide the overage backwards, but I would really like to compensate for it this month; therefore, I was reevaluating. I have learned some new things since I last changed our cooking routine.

#1 Beans are a great source of protein if combined with grain. Beans and rice can get old, so we supplement our protein intake with chicken and beef (pricey!). I just found this website and look forward to incorporating more beans in our diet to lessen meat costs.

#2 Dry milk is GREAT for substituting real milk in recipes. Can't taste a difference! What a GREAT way to save money. Dry milk is like fractions of a penny compared to using the real stuff. We will still buy milk to drink and use on cereal, but as far as bread, cookies (in need to be double checked), and other baked/cooked goods dry milk is our new way to go. *NOTE Don't give a toddler/baby under 2 dry milk in place of whole milk. They need the fat.

#3 If you use a recipe a lot, then take the time to break it down! Find out how much to use for just 2 people (or however many are in your family) instead of cooking it for an army and letting your fridge have the rest of it before the garbage (aka it gets moldy waiting to be eaten).

#4 If you use it a lot, prorate what it costs! This can open your eyes so much! You can set your food budget for the month, divide it by people and then days/weeks (however you'd like).You can try sticking to this budget for dinners every night or do what we do. Because we  do eat beans and rice (Which honestly, is not as bad as most people think. I enjoy it.), we can go more expensive on other meals.

#5 Find out how to buy things cheaper. We decided a while back to add more veggies and fruits in our diet and found Bountiful Baskets. We decided to buy every other week, so that's about $30/month. As you can see here, you get A LOT. We figured it's about 1/2 as much as going to the store. Go to the cannery or a local butcher. Sounds gross (to a city girl, like me) but the bank account and your tummy will thank you.

I don't consider these tips, but life styles
#1 be brave! Try new things, i.e.  reconstituted foods, new recipes, new stores, new ways. It's a way of life and it might actually pay off! $$$$
#2 Make from scratch as often as time allows. Feel like your not a great cook? Practice just like you would an instrument or game. Don't tackle something huge first, you will feel more successful if you start small. Make cookies from scratch and share with a neighbor if they turn out. If all else fails, research about your climate, altitude, and how to cook! :)

P.S. Just a funny. While writing this, I found this website. I entered in number of house members, age, gender, and how many meals eaten away from home. My answer? $103/week. We spend less than this a month.