Saving Money

The easiest place to find extra money for savings/debt payments, is the grocery budget. A good rule of thumb is $100 per person per month. That can be a little daunting but it can be done. And sometimes it can be done for less!

One of my favorite websites for saving money on food is The Hillbilly Housewife. There are some wonderful home cooked recipes on there and a good plan for stretching that dollar when it comes to food. When I first found that site, the first thing I did was make the easy bread recipe. And it was easy! I had always been afraid to bake bread without my trusty bread maker, but there really isn't some secret to making a good loaf of bread. And its not messy! Sure the dough starts out sticky, but if you have the right ratio of dry to wet ingredients, its not so sticky, and then kneading is fun! And a good workout for your arms. And the smell while its baking, and the taste when its done make it all worth it.

Another way to stretch that dollar is Bulk Cooking. Basically cooking in advance. An easy example is Ground Beef. Shell out the extra couple of dollars and get the big bulk package, the family size that has like 5 pounds in it. When you get home, cook ALL of it with some onions, and some garlic. Let it cool, slightly (some will say completely, I just don't have the time) Divide it into 1 pound, about 2 cups each, portions, package in good quality freezer bags that you've prelabeled. Use 1 pound with dinner tonight, either spaghetti, or tacos. And there you have 4 pounds of pre cooked, pre-packaged ground beef, now when ever you want to have tacos, spaghetti, beef soup, etc, all you have to do is pull out the meat, defrost and bring to temperature! There are some great websites that have all sorts of plans for any kind of meat or vegetable that you would like to prepare in advance. Bulk Cooking has some great plans, and some really good beginner steps, and we all like those steps right?

And for those of us who's schedules are too busy to sit down and plan a menu, there is Menus 4 Moms, a site that emails you 5 meals a week, complete with recipes, shopping lists, and instructions!

Coupons are a great resource too, but they are tricky, the idea is to pair a coupon with a sale. And that can take some time. I you have the time, its great! But, if not, I would fully suggest The Grocery Game. I did it for a year, and I loved it. I now live in a very rural area and doing The Grocery Game is just not an option for me anymore.