August 18, 2005
as seen in "The Dinner Diva" syndicated column
by Leanne Ely

With the exception of the mortgage, your grocery budget is probably your biggest expense. And unlike your mortgage, you have control over the food money going out every month. Here are 10 easy tips plus a bonus to help you with your grocery budget:

1. Be a bounty hunter. If your grocery store has a sale on ground beef (for example) and it's a great big package, buy it any way, and cut it up into sizes you'll use. Use the freezer-quality zipper-top bags. If you're going to go to all this trouble, you might as well have quality to eat when it's time to thaw!
2. Bigger isn't better. Don't automatically reach for the biggest package at the grocery store thinking you're getting the better deal.
3. Make mine a markdown. Check the back of the store for a markdown shelf. Not all stores have these, but some do. My market deep-discounts dented cereal boxes, and I save a small fortune that way. Watch the dented cans though — I'd pay retail just to avoid any problems.
4. Count your losses. Loss leaders (the cheap stuff they advertise on the front of the flyers they send out every week) are designed to get you into the door. That's fine, buy those things, but watch for the end displays in the store. They're usually NOT the loss leaders! Just regular merchandise. Don't be duped.
5. Grocery store smarts. Give yourself this quick test before leaving the house. Do I have my list? Is this a bad time to shop? (avoid rush hour and prime time at the grocery store) Can someone watch the kids? (no explanation necessary). Am I hungry? (you know what happens when you're hungry and you're shopping for food!). If you've passed the test, go to the bathroom, tuck your list into your pocketbook and GO!
6. Spice it up. I use a LOT of spices when I cook. But I DON'T buy them at the regular grocery store. I get them at a discount store, like Wal-Mart for $1 each.
7. Take stock. You'll read about stocking your perpetual pantry later this week. But you must watch it when you're in that "stocking up" mood. Will you really use it or will it go bad? I bought spaghetti on sale once at Big Lots for 10 cents a package. By the 20th, there were little bugs in them! Eeewww!
8. Go bananas. If your bananas get a little too ripe, freeze them with the skins on. Later, peel them with a knife and throw them in a blender with a little milk, some fruit, some protein powder and you have a quick, power breakfast. Or just let the kids eat them for a delicious snack — especially in the summer.
9. Menus aren't just for restaurants. You MUST plan your meals. No plan spells disaster — you know that. If you need some help, go to [our sample menus] for a week's worth of dinner recipes complete with a grocery list.
10. Rubber chicken. This is the mother of all dollar-stretching recipes. You take one measly little chicken and turn it into three great meals (get it? rubber chicken?). It's on FlyLady's site: www.flylady.net. [or in our recipe archives] Click on Food for Thought and you'll find all kinds of good recipes.

Bonus tip: My freezer is my friend. In this day and age, the freezer is an extension of the pantry. Use it wisely! Get rid of the freezer-burned garbage, and feed it regularly with stuff you'll use. For example, does your family love your world famous meatloaf but you don't make it often because it's time-intensive. Make TWO or even three next time, cook them and freeze them (again — freezer-worthy bags only). And here's a nifty tip, use a Sharpie pen (the only pen that will hold up in the freezer without running) to mark the date and contents. To avoid losing your Sharpie, keep it tucked into the freezer bag box.

And while this is not on the list, I'd be negligent not to mention the ever-present fast-food draw. You simply must drop the drive-thru mentality. Yeah, it is easier just to grab something to go and you might not want to cook. But it's costing your family financially, not to mention health wise.