February 22
Now that you have shopped how can you save even more on food?
Budgeting and saving for hard times is a huge challenge. It requires sacrifice but that does not mean it needs to be painful. It is essential favorite foods can still be enjoyed and special occasions celebrated. We have planned for these in our 52-week food storage challenge we post each Monday. As you follow the plan you will add your favorite foods, desserts, and the spices needed to continue the great meals your family loves.
However, to prepare financially and thrive during a recession or other challenge you will need to think a little differently.
Bacon. We love it but it can be expensive. Next time you would add bacon do it differently. When making eggs cut two or three strips of cooked bacon into small pieces and mix them in the eggs. Everyone gets a taste in every bite. When making a bacon burger mix small pieces of bacon into the mayo and you do not only get little bites of bacon but the mayonnaise also takes on the bacon flavor. Bacon pieces in waffles. How would you stretch bacon?
Cereal. Cold cereal is no longer cheap but sometimes it is still the better option. Think mix. Purchase generic cornflakes, oat Os, and others. Combine them with more expensive cereals your family loves. If you love shredded wheat purchase the cheapest and combine them with a box of frosted shredded wheat. Stretches the budget while still providing great taste.
Stretch ground beef. Add an egg and some breadcrumbs to ground beef when making meatballs, meatloaf, or hamburgers. When my husband was in college one of his roommates was making dinner. My husband told him how his mother stretched meat by adding crackers. That night as they bit into their hamburgers right there in the middle was a whole cracker. Please make crumbs of the bread or crackers before adding them to the meat. Oatmeal can also be used to stretch the meat. Save all the heels of bread, stale crackers, and old rolls and freeze them. That makes those fillers free. You would throw them away otherwise.
Meat. When making soups, stews, and casseroles cut the meat portion in half. Cut meat into smaller pieces than you normally would and no one will notice the portion of meat has been reduced.
Remember adding bacon to mayo? You can achieve the same thing when stretching olives and pickles, cutting them into small pieces, and mixing them into mayonnaise or catsup or mustard, or butter to make a spread. If done an hour or more before using the spread it will take on the flavor of the pickles or olives you stir in.