KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – SAVING MONEY ON GROCERIES

KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – SAVING MONEY ON GROCERIES

Use your receipts to track your purchases on sale items. Every family purchases mostly the same items every week. Each week take a few minutes to record the sale price and regular price of your most purchased items. Sometimes items will be say 2 for $5 then the next week 3 for $10. There will be a pattern you can pick up after several weeks. It only takes a little time and should result in significant savings. Stock up at the lower price. Start out with a few items you can add more later. All store ads are available online.

Meal planning is most important. It doesn’t mean having a specific meal for every day but instead means you have the ingredients to make a meal at any time. I keep chicken tenders in the freezer. Thaw and grill in a grill pan. Pair with a salad or throw into buttered noodles with parmesan. You can buy meat on sale and freeze. A store in my area often has BOGO on meat. I buy and use a petite sirloin for steak tacos and freeze the other for later. Again grill and top salad or fry with green peppers soy sauce and beef broth. Thicken with corn starch and pair with noodles or rice. Freeze spaghetti sauce. It’s easy to thaw and use in a pinch. You can freeze burgers and steaks. Buy in bulk and save!

Shop produce in season. Many vegetables can be blanched and frozen. Blanching is boiling veggies for a few minutes then immediately plunging them in an ice bath. Store in a freezer Ziploc®. Squeeze as much air out as you can. Freeze berries on a tray put in Ziplocs®.

Know the store you shop the most. All stores will provide a store grid. Know how you shop. Make your list according to the store layout. This will prevent impulse shopping. Beware the displays at the end of the isles. These often have items not at sale price. Check out the shelf tags. They will tell you the price per ounce or pounds or whatever. I always check out the sale items. Sometimes they are not the best buy.

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO