Buy in bulk. 

MOST of what I need to have on hand I can buy in bulk.  It may cost a little more to start up, but I assure you, in the end it's worth it.  It really does save you money.

When I first started buying bulk, I gave myself $100 to spend at Sams Club.  You must stick to your budget.  I bought a bag of salmon filets, 1 bag of boneless chicken breast, and 10 pounds of hamburger.  This was enough to get me through at least 1 month. 

I also bought a huge bag of shredded cheese.  I still have half the bag 2 months later.

3 dozen eggs last me almost 1 month.

A big bag of strawberries and mixed berries.  The strawberries got us through two months and the berries a month and a half.  We use them for smoothies, mixed with yogurt, in muffins, waffles and pancakes.

Tub of vanilla ice cream--the one treat I got!  It lasted so long and everyone was happy!

Large bag of spaghetti and macaroni elbows.  I still have plenty left two months later!

I know I bought a few other things and I did go to the regular grocery store for a few other things and produce, but the point is---it freed me up come the next paycheck to go back and get some of the other things I would need.  I have begun to see the benefits and want to pass on the knowledge to you.  When you:

1.  Establish a budget

2.  Commit to homemade

3.  Buy in bulk

---your pocket will see the benefits of it.  And even if you lag every now and then, you will be better off financially in the long (and even short) term.

Next tip I will send you to a site that shows you what things to keep on hand IF you are going to commit to homemade items.  If you try it, you will find that you can make a huge amount of food from a simple list. 

Here are some simple recipies to cut back on the spending.

Muffins

The save time tip -- combine the dry ingredients together in a ziplock bag and repeat.  and repeat.  and repeat!  This way you have many bags of mix that you just have to pull out and add the wet ingredients. 

Mix together:

     1/4 -1/2 cup sugar

     1/2 t salt

     1 T baking powder

     2 cups flour

Add

     1/4 cup oil

     1 med egg

     1 cup milk

(or you can add 1/3 cup powdered milk to the dry ingredients and 1 cup water to the wet ingredients)

Spray muffin cups -- bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Waffles--You need a waffle maker.  $10 at Target and well worth it.  You will make your money worth in no time.

Save time tip -- same as muffins.  Just put dry ingredients in ziplock bags.  OR combine them all into a large ziplock bag and measure out the following: 1 1/4 and 1 Tbls. mix and then follow with wet ingredients.

1 cup flour

1/4 cup powdered milk

2 teas sugar

1 1/2 teas baking powder

dash salt

1 egg beaten

3/4 cup water

1 teas vanilla

1 Tbls oil

Pour 1/3 cup on heated waffle maker.  Cook till it stops steaming.  Make lots ahead of time and store in ziplock bags in the freezer.  Add blueberries for a yummy mix.

Cream Soup Substitute

Save time tip -- store this recipe in an empty can or tupperware.  I've kept mine in empty cans of powdered buttermilk and Jennies Macaroons.

2 cups powdered milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup bullion (whatever kind you want)

2 Tbs onion flakes

1 teas thyme

1/2 teas each of

     basil

     oregano

     marjoram

     pepper

**1/2 cup dry to 1 1/4 cup water and 2 Tbs butter.  Cook until thickened.  Makes about 6 or 7 "cans" of soup.  Each 1/2 cup mixture is equal to 1 can undiluted.

Tomato Soup

This I don't make ahead of time.  You could, though, by freezing it or canning.

6oz can tomato paste

1 can water

2 Tbl marg or butter (marg is cheaper!)

     Mix till smooth and bubbly and remove from heat.

3 cans milk

1 teas sugar (more to taste)

1/4 teas salt (I always end up adding more)

1 teas onion powder

dash pepper

     Stir in until smooth.  Return to heat and heat through.  Do not boil.  It will curdle and look funny (but still taste good!)

Flour and Corn Tortillas

Head over to Hillbilly Housewife for this one.  The two recipies are up in the right hand corner.  Also, I use 1 1/2 cups water for the flour tortillas.  Makes it easier to roll and I can get 16 8 inch tortillas out of it this way.

The possibilities are endless for these.  Enchiladas, burritoes, any kind of wrap, peanut butter and jelly or honey, eggs and cheese.......just to name a few ideas.

Make a commitment to cooking from scratch. 

Really, it's not as hard as it seems.  You can pre-prepare many different things to have at a moments notice AND you can save alot of money on homemade convienience food.

Prepared foods are where we all get stuck spending more money.  These are some of the things that I used to buy.  And it's out of these things that we make so many different dishes and casseroles!  I now make these myself:

(I would make bread, but I haven't bought the right pan yet.)

Tomato soup

Chicken noodle soup

Any "cream of" soups

Enchilada sauce

Broth

Waffles

Pancake mix

Taco seasoning

Biscuits

Flour and corn tortillas

Yogurt

Cottage cheese

Ricotta cheese

Baked beans

Rice a roni mix

Pizza dough

Oatmeal

Goodness Gracious!  I don't make these things all the time.  I don't need ricotta cheese every week and  we only have baked bean every couple weeks.  But really, the idea is that you CAN make so many things from scratch----saving you money.  In the next couple days I will post some ideas on how to do this.  Just some tips on making the prep and change-over easier.  Come back in a day or two.  For now here is a website that has helped me SO MUCH in changing my budget ways.

Hillbilly Housewife

The first thing you need to do is establish a budget for your groceries.  Crown Financial Ministries sets this amount at 12% of your net spendable income (NSI--income after tithe and taxes) for a family of 4.

So if your NSI is $3200.00 monthly, your food budget should not be more that $384.00.  If your NSI is $2000.00 monthly, your food budget should not be more than $240.00.  You get the picture.

Whew!  For a single income family, that could be really tough!  I'm sure there are many parents out there who feel they end up making a decision between food and *that overdue bill*.   God doesn't want it to be that way.  His plans are for GOOD!  But, He also wants us to be good stewards of the resources He has given us.  It's hard to do that without a good budget.  Go to Crown Financial Ministries for help in budgeting.

What if you have a large income?  If your NSI is $10,000 monthly, does that mean you should spend $1,200 a month on food?  Well, you could.  Do you need to?  No.  Consider your other budget areas.  Is there debt to be paid off?  House maintenance that needs to be attended to?  Could you be saving for your childrens college education?  I challenge you to cut your budget down to $400 a month, put the excess into other NEEDED categories or savings, and see how you feel after a couple months.  I believe God will bless you for your commitment.

Does this amount seem impossible?  To little?  How could I possible spend such a small amount on food?  It will take planning.  It will take learning.  It will take some time and organization.  And, since God is "in the details", it will take prayer.  But you will reap the benefits, I promise.